Chapter 11
SILVER
Flying a sleigh was nothing like taking my dragon form and soaring on the wind.
Wind didn't seem to matter to Hart. He kicked his legs, and the sleigh followed, defying gravity and physics.
He looked magnificent as breath plumed from his nostrils.
With each breath, we climbed higher into the cloudy gray sky.
When we reached cruising altitude, his breath formed into ice along his flanks.
I worried about increased drag, but it melted as we traveled south into warmer climes.
The twilight sky shadowed everything beneath us.
An array of lights dotted the land, while the water reflected the occasional fading glow of clouds overhead.
Soon, it was dark, with only dark water beneath us.
When the coast of Norway stretched out before us like a string of Christmas lights, I grinned.
I'd never seen anything so pretty outside of the North Pole.
When we left Wales in our youth, the world had still been relatively dark at night.
I'd known Norway was out there when we'd flown to the Western Isles, Greenland, and beyond, but I couldn't see it.
Now, it was breathtakingly beautiful. Beyond the coast, roadways spread out like spiderwebs. I wondered how many people in vehicles it took to light up the roadways like that.
The land rushed past us, and we were once again over dark water.
Denmark's peninsula stuck out of the bay like a sore thumb as we slowed.
Instead of heading for one of the brightly lit cities, Hart took us down over a remote wooded area.
He circled once and lowered the sleigh down in a way that looked more like landing a helicopter.
My dragon struggled to understand his methods of flight, but soon we were too preoccupied with our surroundings to care.
On the far side of the clearing sprawled a lake. My dragon was certain it teemed with fish, and he wanted a taste.
Hart nudged me in the side with his snout, reminding me I had a task to complete first.
"Are you too tired for another flight?" I asked as I unbuckled his harness. "My dragon wants to see what's in that lake."
Hart snorted and nosed me in the chest. When I didn't move, he bit at the top toggle button of my coat. I took that as a sign he wanted me to get naked and shift.
My dragon was ready. The moment I dropped my pants, he took over. My arms spread into wings, my claws dug into the ground, and I lifted my head to the sky with a roar and a gout of blue flame.
Hart circled my head, rubbing his snout along my jowls. He landed on my back, and I took a step toward the lake. My scales vibrated as he lost his footing and slid down my side before lifting into the air again.
I almost hit a tree with my tail, but then we soared over the lake, Hart by my side. Now that he didn't have a sleigh strapped to him, he could do aerial gymnastics, like back flips and a little dance that reminded me of our gentle swaying on Halloween.
I dropped low over the lake, but the fish were too far from the surface. My dragon liked getting his feet wet, but any more than that, and he shivered and shook like a wet cat.
Hart landed on my back again, and I felt his body change in shape and size, returning to his human form. He lifted one of my scales and held on as I brought us in for a landing. Circling around so I could see him, I nuzzled his chest with my snout and licked him with my forked tongue.
He laughed and then stepped closer to my side. He sank down on his haunches and then planted his bare ass on my scales. "I didn't think this through. Can you help me down?"
My wing claws weren't good for much, but they were the perfect size to slide around his torso and under both arms. He clung to me, and I lowered him to the ground, careful to set him near our clothes.
Then, I shifted back into my human form and pulled my parka over my bare shoulders, too hot to put the rest of my clothes back on after the flight's exertion.
"That was so much fun," Hart said. He approached me with slow, sure steps, as though I was the prey animal to his predator.
I swung my arms open, and the coat slid down, exposing me all over again.
I tried to cover up, but Hart stepped into my space, fitting his arms around my torso and locking his fingers behind my back.
"You're so majestic," he said. "My beautiful silver dragon, like a sliver of moonlight over the lake. "
"And you are pure magic," I said. "The way you fly shouldn't be possible."
He nodded. "Santa reminded me of that today. I asked why you couldn't fly here by yourself."
I ignored the sting in my gut. My sexy reindeer hadn't wanted to reject me. He was being practical. "I would have needed to stop over Greenland, and then again in Norway. My path wouldn't have been as direct."
"Then I'm glad I'm with you." He slid his hands up my back, pulling me closer as he did so. Our lips met in a gentle greeting that quickly turned frantic. I'd missed kissing him, and I couldn't resist the warmth of his naked body against mine.
"We should get inside," I whispered when he broke the kiss.
He took a step toward the sleigh, and I followed, unable to let him go just yet. He bent down to grab his pile of clothes, and then he opened the sleigh bench. I grabbed both of our bags, and he fished the keys from the front pocket.
"How did you find this place so easily?" I asked.
"Santa brings all the new recruits here to bond with the team, one week over the summer."
"That sounds wonderful," I said.
"It's nerve-racking." Hart grimaced. "Some of the team expected me to take charge, even when I was new last year.
When they learned I'm not like my cousins, it didn't go well.
" His footsteps were louder than mine on the porch boards, and I looked down to confirm he still had human feet, not hooves.
He unlocked the door and held it open for me.
"When Martin Cupid came on board this spring, he kept quoting Bopp like he was the coolest reindeer in the universe." A shiver rolled up his shoulders and neck, and he squinted his eyes shut.
"It must be hard being his cousin."
"I wish he was the only one." Hart shut the door and flipped the lock while I found the light switch. "One annoying cousin, I could avoid. Thirty of them around Grandpop and Grandad's table, it's a lot harder."
I was only half-listening while I took in the sights. Instead of an overhead light, the room was lit with large rainbow-colored Christmas lights, the old-fashioned pear-shaped ones, except when I touched them, they weren't hot.
"Magic," Hart confirmed. "The heat must be magic, too, since I don't see a thermostat or a fireplace."
The room was far warmer than the outdoors, and all decked out for Christmas. "Bedroom's back here."
He led the way, and I stared at his gorgeous naked backside. I still couldn't believe the sexy reindeer was my fated mate. I'd denied my dragon's desires, but hearing Santa say it aloud had changed everything.
Fate made nothing easier, though. Hart was still a Comet, and his family would be difficult to ignore. My dragon was up for the challenge. I hoped Hart would be, too.