Chapter 7
SILVER
Hart deflated the moment he saw his cousin on the subway. Even when we arrived back at the bakery and Gold had him taste-test one of our flaky croissants with some chocolate sauce in the middle, his smile didn't reach his eyes.
I'd all but given up on a goodbye kiss, but Hart called me to the door. I'd already donned my work apron. He pulled me in by the neck strap and kissed me there, right in front of my sister and the handful of late-morning customers still sipping their coffee and eating their pastries.
The kiss didn't possess the same fire as our first kiss in the locker room, or the one before he left my apartment later that night, or any in between, but I didn't care. Hartley Comet kissed me in public. LOL or not, he was serious about dating me.
He held his head high as he walked past the windows, but the moment he thought he'd stepped out of view, his head sank to his chest. He looked fucking miserable.
"That fucking prick," I whispered under my breath.
Gold cocked her head at me. Our stragglers were supernatural beings who heard every word, too. For their benefit, I said, "His cousin teased us on the subway. Called Hart a Large Omega Lover, like there's something wrong with him wanting to date me."
"I would ask which cousin, but we all know." Gold rolled her eyes, and the stragglers nodded.
"Bopp." I sighed. "Hart acts like the rest of his family just goes along with his shit. Is that true?"
"Unfortunately, yes." A petite elf's high crimson ponytail bounced when she nodded.
She tucked a bookmark into the book she'd been reading and placed it on the table.
Though she didn't look a day over twelve, she had a presence that commanded attention, making me think she was probably older than my two-hundred-something years.
"His great-great-great-grandfather Haley Comet is the one to blame.
He started the 'size matters' movement back when the other reindeer families started to outsize the Comets.
Some Santas wouldn't hire them because they were too small. "
"His answer was to make fun of larger omegas?"
"The sad part was it worked. Reindeer mostly breed with other reindeer now, and smaller omegas are viewed as the beauty standard. Not to mention, all reindeer stand roughly the same height in reindeer form."
Gold waited for me to join her in the back room before she shook her entire upper body and whispered, "That sounds … gross. Like eugenics, gross."
We locked gazes, and I knew she was thinking of the same dark times I remembered.
"Hart's not like that, right?" Did my dragon want him to be my mate so badly that I was blind to it?
"He's not." Gold patted my shoulder. "Santa 30 promised."
It was great to have a Santa agree with me. Of all the Santas I'd met, 30 was the friendliest and most approachable, though I still didn't know his real name. I hoped that was enough to counteract Hart's questionable upbringing.
"I'm not dating his family," I said aloud to remind myself of the simple truth. "If they're jerks, we can avoid them."
"Starting with Bopp," she said. "I've warded the door. The moment he touches the handle, it'll burn him. No more shaking back and forth, and it'll bounce him into the street if he tries to come inside."
Sometimes, my sister scared me with her fierce retaliation, and sometimes she astounded me with her genius. I hoped we would both be working the first time he tried.
The first Saturday in November was a busy baking day. I came in to help Gold with the early orders before we opened at six, and then I helped her through the morning and noon rushes. Then, we closed at three for our meeting with Laurie, the chocolatier owner.
I thought Gold's eyes would fall out of her head when Laurie entered our shop. She looked elegant in a four-sleeved red coat with large black buttons. She wore flowing black pants that looked like a skirt when she stood still.
The moment her gaze met Gold's, she smiled. "Hello again."
"You're … I … hi." I'd never seen my sister so at a loss for words. She was the more eloquent of the two of us.
Laurie extended her delicate leg and curled the sharp points at the end in toward her body. "It's so nice to see you again. I've missed you."
Gold clasped the tip of Laurie's leg like a lifeline. "I wondered where you'd gone. You're the one competing against us?" The fire in her voice earlier in the week was now laced with pain.
"Not competing," she said. "Earning your respect as a fellow business owner. Isn't that how dragon matings go?"
I met my sister's gaze, and we both guffawed. I laughed so hard, tears sprang to my eyes.
"Oh, no," Gold said. "We usually fuck first and build relationships later." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Not that … I'm not saying …"
"Our family doesn't follow the old ways," I said, trying to help. "You have a very respectable business."
It sounded weak, even to my ears, but Laurie rallied a quick nod. Beneath her eight eyes, she had a human-looking mouth, and it curved into a smile. "As do you. I would like to see what we could build together."
"We're not looking to add on or move our store," Gold said.
Laurie smiled again, "I would never ask that of you, at least, not yet. Your brother suggested we could start with a shared product. That's all I ask. Let's see how well we can work together."
"Yes." My sister shook her shoulders and tightened her apron strings before leading Laurie into the kitchen. "Let's get to work."
The next hour flew by as we baked our signature croissants and Laurie made a batch of her delicious dark chocolate filling in our double-boiler.
The heavenly smells coming from the stovetop made my mouth water.
Finally, it was time to combine them for Laurie's first taste.
We stood behind the counter and passed a plate to her.
She ate the entire croissant while we watched and waited.
I would have felt self-conscious, but she didn't seem to mind.
She even licked the crumbs from her appendage and ran her black tongue over her pointed teeth and thin lips before turning her full attention to Gold.
"The perfect combination of sweet and savory.
I loved it." She nodded to the pots and pans now sitting in our sink.
"The best part is, I don't have to touch the canned dough anymore.
" She shivered. "It's not a sensation I like. "
Gold continued to stare at her, hypnotized by her every movement. I nudged her with my shoulder.
"Yes," she said. "Canned dough is disgusting." I kicked her foot. "But great in a pinch. You've done really well with what you had."
"Thank you for saying so." Laurie bowed her head.
"What do you say?" I asked. "Shall we give it a try next week?"
Gold nodded, but her gaze never left Laurie's.
Once we were confident we could reheat the chocolate sauce without burning it, the way Laurie taught us, Gold offered to walk her to the subway station while I cleaned the kitchen and prepared for the next morning. I was almost finished when Gold sneaked in the back door.
"Oh, you're still here!" She sank onto the stack of crates by the cooler.
"So, you're mates." It seemed pointless to avoid the obvious.
"I was going to tell you about her, but then she disappeared.
" Gold tucked her hands into her apron pockets and slouched against the wall.
"She would wait outside the door on the mornings I opened.
I let her in because it was cold, it's always cold, and have you seen her?
She's the most beautiful creature I've ever encountered in all my life, and I've seen a unicorn! "
I felt the same way about Hart. "Did you kiss her?"
"Gods, no! Why would I … we're not mates."
"She said you are."
"When?"
"I don't remember the exact wording, but she said something about dragon matings."
Gold blinked. "I thought she was joking. She really wants to … I mean, my dragon thinks she's my mate."
I walked up to the register, where I'd stored the slip of paper with Laurie's number on it, and handed it to Gold. "Call her. Ask her on a date. Kiss her, maybe."
"I said we fuck on the first date instead." Gold pulled her hands from her pockets and buried her face in them. "What did I do? She must think I'm the most uncouth creature in the entire world."
I pulled her to her feet and pushed her toward the back door, flipping off the lights along the way. Before I opened the door, I gave her a quick hug. "She's going to love you. Give it time."
Gold groaned. "I stuck my foot even deeper into my mouth when we walked to the subway! Maybe I can catch her."
I locked the door behind us and guided Gold into the alley that would take us out to the street near the subway station. "I'm sure it's fine."
She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Sometimes I wish I was the quiet one."
I gave her shoulders another squeeze when we arrived at the station, and then we went our separate ways. "If you don't find her, call her!" I yelled over my shoulder. As I climbed onto the train that would take me to my apartment, I hoped she would take my brotherly advice sooner rather than later.