Milk (Unhinged Holidays #2)

Chapter 1

One

Nick

Snow swirls against the windows as I pace back and forth, my boots clicking on the stone floors of my home.

My palace. The seat of my kingdom. The place boys and girls around the world dream of visiting.

But the North Pole is far more than a toy workshop with jolly elves prancing about.

There are no elves here, only Winter Fae.

The North Pole is the seat of the Winter King, and the Winter Fae are one of the elemental fae kingdoms that rule the Earth and keep everything in balance.

Outside, the snowflakes fall in perfect spirals, my skin tingling as my magic hums at the sight of them.

It’s comforting to know that something can still rouse that feeling, as it’s been getting harder and harder to access lately.

Doing my best to push my worries aside, I pace to the windows, surveying the reindeer wandering around the palace grounds, their silver antlers glinting in the fading light.

Soon, the sun will dip below the horizon, and the aurora borealis we’re treated to on a nightly basis will start its show.

I hear the sound of booted footsteps making haste toward my throne room, and a moment later, the heavy evergreen timber doors open, groaning softly as Theodore, a high ranking member of my court, steps inside. He’s still dressed in his Santa costume, hat slightly askew.

See, for years now, I’ve been sending members of my court out into the world, dressed as me—as Santa—to spread winter cheer, as they always do, but also to look for her.

My mate. A Winter Maiden. I’ve been looking for her ever since I ascended to the throne fifteen years ago, and I’ve yet to find her. And I need her. Without her, my winter magic is waning. Time is running out.

I don’t know what will happen if my magic fades completely before I find her.

“Your Highness,” says Theodore, dropping down onto one knee, a fist pressed against his chest. “I come with news.” He looks up at me, his eyes twinkling. My heart beats a little faster.

“What news?” I don’t know what to do with myself, so I sink down onto my glittering throne, made of carved glass and decorated with frosted pine boughs. It’s a throne meant for two, but I’ve only ever occupied it alone. Snow swirls around me as I sit, my magic agitated with my heightened emotions.

“I’ve just come from a small town in Canada called Evergreen Valley. I was hired to play Santa at a local bakery.” He exhales shakily. “I think I may have found her.”

I grip the arms of my throne tightly. “Tell me more.”

“I can’t be sure she’s a Winter Maiden. But she does possess powerful magic—magic she’s completely unaware of. I could feel the sparkling warmth of it, could see the shimmer in the air around her whenever she moved.” He meets my eyes. “And she believes. In you. In the magic of Santa.”

“Show me,” I say, my voice sharp with urgency.

Theodore rises and clasps my hand between his.

Instantly, images fill my mind of a cozy bakery filled with warmth, and a stunningly beautiful woman behind the counter.

Her hair is blond, which is a good sign.

Winter Maidens are always blond-haired and green-eyed.

In Theodore’s memory, she turns toward him, a warm smile lighting up her pretty face, her green eyes twinkling.

I, too, can see her magic shimmering around her as she chats with customers and bustles around the shop.

My gaze snags on something in the periphery of Theodore’s vision.

It’s a steaming mug of hot chocolate on a little pedestal, painted in shades of red and green with a little sign above it that reads For Santa… Just in Case.

It could be a cute gimmick. Or it could be proof of her belief.

The memory fades as Theodore takes his hand back.

I stand, shaken by what I just saw. Something in her called to me, and that has to be a good sign.

I need it to be a good sign. I stride to a chest off to the side of the room and pull out my heavy red coat, the one I typically only wear one night a year.

“There’s a charity event at at the bakery tomorrow. Cookies with Santa,” Theodore says, and I nod.

“Then I will go in your place.”

“Do you think she’ll know you?”

I pause, doubt and hope at war inside me. “I don’t know. But I have to go. I have to see how she responds to me. If I’m near and she’s truly a Winter Maiden, you and I both know what will happen to her.”

Theodore nods. “Good luck, your Highness.” He bows low, and I nod, dismissing him.

I finish pulling on my Santa clothing, and then leave the throne room.

I can feel a few curious glances thrown my way, wondering at seeing me dressed in my Christmas Eve finery.

But I pay them no mind as I head through the palace and out through the front doors, making a beeline for the red and gold sleigh on the raised dais.

Snowflakes swirl around me as I move, and the second I touch the sleigh, the reindeer come trotting over, lining up in formation.

“To Evergreen Valley,” I call, stepping up into the sled.

There’s a jingle of sleigh bells, and then we’re off into the darkening sky.