Chapter 13
SILVER
I wrapped my fingers around Hart's knot, squeezing it as tightly as I dared. "Does it hurt?"
He laughed. "Not at all. That feels wonderful."
"Good." I loved feeling his knot, even when it wasn't deep in my channel or crowding my mouth. I rubbed the bulge, loving the way Hart's body responded with involuntary shivers. "Can you come again, from just this?"
He laughed. "I don't think so, but I'm always willing to try."
Laughter bubbled from my throat. I never thought it would be like this, lying with my alpha, joking and experimenting while my cock was still buried in his ass.
I didn't have a knot, though. Soon, my cock slid free of his tight channel, and he whimpered until I filled his mouth with my tongue again.
I'd heard stories of needy alphas who wanted sex all the time, but I'd never imagined it would mean switching positions. I'd topped betas and other omegas, but never an alpha.
"You were amazing," I whispered in Hart's ear. "If you want to do this again, all you have to do is ask."
His skin burned my lips, and his cock slipped from my fingers. "What comes next?" he asked. "I want to spend every waking moment with you, but we both have such demanding jobs. My apartment is already too small, and I'm hardly ever there."
"You could move in with me," I said.
His whole body shook involuntarily. "No, thanks." He kissed my cheek. "Visiting was fun, but I don't want to live underground. My reindeer can't handle it. Donner loves it, but—"
"You're not him, and your feelings are valid." I rolled off him, tugging him onto his side to face me. "We can look for a place together."
He grinned, and all my worries about what we'd just done and our future together evaporated like puddles in the sunlight. "I'd like that. A little three-bedroom near the subway and train stations, somewhere between the village and the bakery."
"That area is mostly commercial," I said. "If Gold didn't already live above the bakery, I'd suggest moving in there."
"We'll find something," Hart reassured me. "I wouldn't mind a longer train ride, if it meant seeing you more." His eyelids drooped all the way closed. I'd worn him out.
I ambled to the bathroom to wash up. Once I scrubbed the dried cum from Hart's chest, I tucked him into bed for an afternoon nap.
I returned to the kitchen to find another note from Santa, along with a large canister of cinnamon and a bag of tiny red-hot cinnamon candies. "Snickerdoodles?" The note read.
The lid on the slow cooker was already covered in steam, though it had been cold and empty when we left in the morning.
I'd checked all the appliances before we left, since I didn't want to burn down Santa's house by accident.
Inside, I found a rich stew of cubed beef and potato, sliced carrots, green beans, and corn.
It smelled delicious, but it would be even better after a few more hours of simmering.
I dropped the lid back into place and got to work. In the cupboard with the baking sheets, I found all the dry ingredients I needed to make snickerdoodle cookies beside a blank pad of paper with "Recipes" scrawled across the top.
"I can take a hint, Santa," I whispered. I swore I could hear him laughing.
The next morning, we set out at dawn with the salt secured to the sled and the batches of cookies and cinnamon rolls tucked into the bench seat with our packs.
I was a little queasy after all the sampling, which was unusual.
I even sniffed the garbage before we left.
The eggshells didn't smell off, even after twelve hours in the bin.
I didn't want to make us late, but I felt so sick over the Northern Atlantic that Hart could smell bile on the wind. Before I realized we were going down, he'd landed on the shores of a frozen lake.
The drop in altitude made it worse. I crawled off the bench and puked into the snow at the base of a bush. A warm hand on my shoulder startled me, and then Hart was on his knees beside me, brushing the hair off my forehead.
"Are you all right?"
"I hope the cookies and cinnamon rolls are edible," I said. "If I make Santa sick …"
"Let's get you home, first." He helped me to my feet and walked me back to the sleigh. He unbuckled the harness, slipped it over his shoulders, and returned to his reindeer form.
With shaking hands, I tightened the straps. "Thank you." I kissed the bridge of his reindeer snout and leaned my forehead against his for a moment. My bones ached, and I felt tired, but for no reason. "I think I'm coming down with something."
Hart nudged me with his snout, and his harness jingled when he tossed his head over his shoulder, the message clear.
"Get back on the sleigh. I hear you."
My stomach felt better as we flew over glaciers and open water.
Through drowse-heavy lids, I saw the blue shimmer of the force field surrounding the North Pole and outlying towns as we passed through it.
That's when I noticed the ice had returned.
Thick icicles hung off Hart's nose and underbelly.
He even had frost on his tail. That couldn't be good.
Hart brayed as we approached Santa 30's hangar, and he dropped altitude, taking the sleigh with him. This was nothing like our earlier descent. Something was terribly wrong.
I didn't want to know what would happen if we crashed. I could shift into my dragon form and be fine, but the sleigh and our goods would be ripped to shreds on impact.
Each morning, I partially shifted my head and chest to light the bakery's ovens. I would need to be careful not to hurt my mate with my dragon fire, but it was a risk I was willing to take to keep us from crash landing.
I unbuttoned the top of my parka and the first few buttons of the shirt beneath it and partially shifted. I aimed my blue flames high over Hart's head. The ice began to melt, thick rivulets of water pouring off him and falling like rain on the countryside below.
Just when I thought I'd saved us, the tip of Hart's tail caught fire. Black smoke rose from it, and the stench of burning hair. Hart bugled, and I returned to my fully human form. Reaching forward with my gloved hand, I grabbed his tail and snuffed out the flames, leaving his tail fur singed black.
"I'm so sorry," I shouted.
Hart snorted, but he didn't sound as alarmed as he had when we were about to crash. He circled the hangar once and brought us in for a textbook landing on the smooth concrete floor.
Hart shifted to his human form and collapsed to his hands and knees in a fit of laughter. "Do you think anyone saw us?" he asked. "I can't believe I didn't prepare for ice. We have masks to contain our breath, but I forgot all about them."
"You're lucky the rest of the reindeer have today off." I glanced around the hangar, still as empty as it had been when we'd left.
"Hart?" A booming voice filled the hangar, and we both turned toward the open door. "Fuck, it was you! I can't believe it! You were a fucking comet, coming in hot with your tail on fire! Talk about reindeer flames!"
"Fuck off, Bopp," Hart said.
His cousin continued to advance. "And who do we have here? Still palling around with the large omega, I see. Is it true what they say about the motion on the ocean?"
"What do they say?" I'd never heard that one before, at least, not in reference to large omegas.
"Depends on who you're calling the ocean," Hart said.
Bopp frowned. "What? You wouldn't … you let him top you? Wait 'til I tell Granddad!"
I waited for Hart to say something, anything, but he froze. I took a step toward Bopp, and he stopped with his hands on his hips. "Tell your granddad it will be a pleasure to make his acquaintance at our bonding ceremony, if not before."
Bopp's frown twisted into a mask of disgust. "Bonding ceremony? Are you mates now? Does that make you his bitch, Hart? What's even happening here?"
Hart stepped up beside me and patted my shoulder. "He's my omega. We're not just mates, we're fated. And you can tell Granddad and the other bullies in our family they're not invited to any bonding ceremony until they accept Silver as one of the family."
Bopp scoffed and turned away. "Guess I won't be seeing you around, then. I'm still gonna tell them all you fell from the sky with this giant dragon omega breathing fire on your ass."
Hart shook his head and laughed. "He saved my ass. I'm not complaining."
"Whatever." Bopp left the hangar with one more confused glance over his shoulder. We hadn't won, exactly, but any time Bopp left without a smug sneer, I considered it a small victory.