Chapter 4
When she’d stepped on that kid’s toy and careened toward the open window, the last thing Pixie expected was to land in the arms of her truemate.
He had very good timing.
And judging by the strength she could feel as he held her so easily, he also had lots of muscles.
It was a little too dark to see him clearly, but her heart was attuned to him already and that was pretty freaking amazing.
She stretched out her wings when he put her on her feet. Landing on them in his arms had been a bit of a shock to her wings, but they weren’t injured.
He was taller than her by quite a bit. Her short five-foot-four made him seem like he was towering over her. She’d never met a polar bear shifter before.
He really did smell like snow.
“I’m obviously in polar bear territory.”
“Yeah, Arctic Springs.”
Okay, that made sense. It was hella cold, but clearly Jack Frost was up to his tricks, and it was even colder now than when she’d hit Pennsylvania after the sun set.
“I’m a Yuletide Guardian. I came home for the night because my brother and his mate had a baby, and the clan celebrated. Normally I wouldn’t be here until Christmas Day.”
“Timing’s everything, isn’t it?” she asked, smiling.
“It certainly seems so.”
“So,” she said, rocking back on her soft-soled boots. “I have two more houses to hit, and then that’s it for the night. I can’t fly you to the houses with me, but I can open a portal so you can come along. If you’d like.”
She hoped he did want to come with her.
“Yeah, sure, that would be great. Are they here in Arctic Springs?”
“Nope, this was the second of two in town. The next stop is Verity for one tooth and then Denning for the last one.”
“Wow. You’re really all over.”
“The life of a tooth fairy.” She used her magic to open a portal to the next stop and turned to Hunter. In the glow of the portal, she could see him a little more clearly now, and, holy crap, was he yummy. Holding out her hand, she said, “Ready?”
“Lead the way.”
They walked together through the portal, and since the house was a single story, she only had to use her magic to open the window and sneak in, snagging the tooth without waking the slumbering child.
At the last house on her ledger, she nearly stepped on a black cat sprawled across the dark carpeting of the child’s bedroom and almost took a header into a bookshelf.
She was feeling a little off her game, and it was probably because of the polar bear waiting for her.
When she brought him back to Arctic Springs, they stood in what seemed to be a blizzard in front of his parents’ home.
Jack Frost was an ass.
“I have a proposition,” he said.
“Oh?”
He hummed and it sounded a bit like a growl, and she liked it.
“You could come with me to Northernmost. My brother can grab a ride with the elves tomorrow through a portal so he can stay and hang out with our family.”
In the light from the back porch of his parents’ home, she could finally really see him.
His hair was white-blond, and he had the most enchanting smile. Broad shouldered and tall, he emanated strength.
She stared up at him, her mind swirling.
“When are the elves supposed to come get you tomorrow?”
“Seven.”
“That’s in five hours.”
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
“We could stay here. So you can spend more time with your family. If you think they wouldn’t mind waking up to a stranger in their house.”
His eyes lit up. “That would be really awesome.”
“And then, actually, we could go to my home island, and you can meet my family. Then we can figure out what would work for us as we get to know each other. Because I have a job to do, and it’s here in Pennsylvania, and you have a job to do in Northernmost, and this is a crazy time of year for magical people. ”
“Sounds like we’ve got tons to discuss,” he said.
“Yeah, it really does.”
“I know my parents would love to meet you, even if we have to book out in the morning. If you wouldn’t mind my brother Winter coming along for the portal ride to your island, we can get out of the snow.
I might not have a problem with cold weather because I’m a polar bear, but the snow has soaked through my shoes and my feet are wet. ”
“It’s your turn to lead the way.”
This time, he offered her his hand, and they walked quietly into the house, which smelled of apples and cinnamon, making her instantly feel right at home.
Inside his bedroom, they sat on the bed and talked as the night waned and the sun rose, and a normal night collecting teeth had turned into the night when she found the other half of her heart.
* * *
When the sun was up and the people in the house were awake, Pixie used the attached bathroom in Hunter’s room to make herself presentable and walked out, finding Hunter stretched out on the bed looking like a feast. Her brain might have misfired as her nerve endings tingled.
They hadn’t even kissed yet!
She was full blown affected by him, and spending the last few hours talking as they waited for his family to wake up had been amazing.
“Ready to meet my family?” he asked.
“You bet.”
“I heard the front door open, so I’m pretty sure that Storm came over to say goodbye to us, but probably not Seren and baby Hale.”
“Of course not. Did you see the snow out there? Frost must have dumped three feet overnight.”
“I know, right? I swear he targets the groups who send their people to help out in Northernmost.” He rose to his feet and met her at the end of the bed.
She wasn’t nervous, but it was the first time meeting her truemate’s family, and she wanted it to go well.
When they walked out into the kitchen, the sound of sizzling bacon filled the air and the scent of fresh baked bread made her mouth water.
“Well, hello,” a female said from behind a butcher-block island.
“Mom, Dad, guys, this is Pixie, my truemate. Pixie, this is my mom, Raya, my dad, Lucius, and my brothers—Winter and Storm.”
His mom came over and gave her a hug. “I heard you two come in last night and I really wanted to come say hello, but Lucius said I needed to let you two have time to talk. You’re a fairy! How amazing!”
“How in the heck did you two meet?” Winter asked.
“Wait, sit first! Let’s eat breakfast and talk before you have to go,” Raya said.
She shook hands with his dad and brothers, and Hunter pulled out a chair for her and then sat next to her. The table was quickly filled with breakfast food, from scrambled eggs to sliced fresh bread and homemade jam, and so much bacon that it was piled on two plates.
“You guys like bacon, huh?” she asked.
Raya chuckled as she set a bowl of cut fruit in the center of the table and then took her seat. “Predator shifters love meat. Are fairies vegetarians?”
“I’m not,” she said. “Bacon is one of my favorite food groups.”
While they ate, Pixie and Hunter shared the tale of how they met and their plans for the day.
“I honestly didn’t know the fairies lived on an actual island,” Raya said.
“I don’t think many people do,” she said. “It’s only accessible by portal, so it’s hidden from view from the surrounding islands.”
“I bet it’s a lot warmer there than here,” Lucius said.
“Definitely,” she said.
When the meal was over, she sat at the table with his mom while the males did the dishes, and she was charmed by how natural it was for the guys to help out. She wasn’t sure her dad had ever done a dish in his life.
“I’m so glad you and Hunter met,” Raya said. “Ever since Storm and Seren met last December, he and Winter have both been longing to find their mates. I’m so happy to welcome you to the family.”
“Thank you so much,” she said. “This has been really wonderful.”
“We don’t get to see the boys until Christmas Day, so this was a treat.”
After saying goodbye to his family, they headed out to the woods, where she opened a portal. “Next stop, Evermere Island.”
* * *
She was genuinely delighted to see how in awe Hunter and Winter were to step from the cold polar bear territory to the warmth of the island.
“Oh, holy crap,” Winter said.
They both took off their coats and looked around.
“Welcome,” she said. “I need to drop off the teeth at the garden, and then we can stop in to see my folks.”
The guys were quiet while she dropped off the teeth, and as they walked to her parents’ home, she said, “What do you think?”
“It’s amazing here,” Hunter said. “Are only fairies allowed to live here?”
“Yes,” she said. “But honestly, I’m not sure if anyone has ever asked Tooth Fairy to make an exception.” She looked at him as they walked. “Are you thinking about the future?”
“Yeah.” He glanced at her with a smile. “I could still come here to visit with you though, right? If we lived somewhere else?”
“Of course.” She’d been thinking about the future too.
Since they couldn’t live on Evermere Island, she suspected they’d end up in Northernmost, visiting their families via portals when they were able.
She’d never imagined living anywhere else, but now that she’d met her mate, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere without him.
The moment they reached her parents’ home, the door burst open and her sister Clover shouted, “Pixie! You’ve got company!!”
She gave her a hug. “Hi, Clover.” She introduced her sister to her mate and his brother.
“Oh wow, I can’t wait to hear this story! Come on in. Mom and Dad are on the veranda with everyone.”
“Everyone?”
“You texted and said you had big news, so we all showed up!”
They found the family on the veranda, and she got to the business of introducing everyone. After her mom and sisters had hugged the guys, and her brothers and dad had shaken their hands, she told the story of how she met him one more time.
After tea and her mom’s fairy-sugar-dusted cookies, along with an endless stream of questions from her family for her mate, they finally had a moment to themselves as they left his brother with her brothers to check out the shoreline, and she took Hunter to her home.
“For right now,” she said, opening her front door, “I think that I’d like to come with you to Northernmost to stay until after Christmas.
But only if it’s okay with Santa that I keep doing my collections.
If he doesn’t want me coming and going every night, then I can’t stay there, no matter how much I want to.
Kids rely on the tooth fairy to pick up their teeth, and I can’t let them down. ”
“I understand,” he said. “We can meet with him when we get up there. I think he’ll let you come and go as long as we can ensure your safety, and I believe that we can. I don’t like thinking about not being with you until Christmas, so I’m going to cross my fingers for good news.”
“Me too.”
He looked down at her, his teal eyes simmering with emotion. “We’re moving fast, Pixie. Are you okay with everything? You don’t have to move to Northernmost today if it’s too soon for you.”
He brushed her shoulder and her wings fluttered at the touch.
“Is it too soon for you?” she asked.
“Hell no.”
She grinned. “I think it’s supposed to be fast because we’re truemates.
And our situation is unusual because I live on a hidden magical island and you live at the freaking North Pole.
It’s a miracle our paths crossed, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you and seeing where things go with us. ”
She stared up at him intently and he gazed down at her, the air simmering with tension between them.
Then he kissed her! And bells rang and fireworks exploded and every feminine instinct inside her went haywire.
He had the best mouth.
And it was, hands down, the best kiss in her life, and she was going to remember this moment forever.
The first time she kissed her truemate and he stole her breath away.
“Hunter,” she whispered when the kiss was finished far too soon.
“Let’s pack a bag and go north, sweetheart. I think I need to cool down or I’m going to combust.”
“Wouldn’t want that to happen,” she said, and led him into her home so she could pack a bag and see what happened when they got to the North Pole.