Chapter 15
Jewel
Hoardstrom’s is pure chaos on Christmas Eve, but I don’t mind.
It feels festive. Wrapping paper crinkles, tape sticks to my fingers, and glittery ribbons pile around me as I hustle through yet another double shift.
Customers are frantic to get their last-minute shopping done, but their excitement is infectious, and I lean into the holiday cheer.
After close, I clock out and then wrap the gift I got for Myrran.
I hope he likes it. It’s nothing big, just a bundle of ingredients for him to make his own spicy hot chocolate.
I hope it reminds him of our perfect first date…
and the night we spent together afterward. Spicy, sweet, with a lot of depth.
When I get home, I call my family. It’s three hours earlier there, so they’re just sitting down to dinner.
“?Feliz Nochebuena!” I say as soon as my mom answers.
“Oh, my baby girl, I wish you were here with us instead of on another planet,” she moans in her usual dramatic way. I feel my eyes well up. I miss her so much. I can hear the rest of my family sharing a noisy meal in the background.
“I wish I was, too, Mami.” I sniffle a little. “Did you guys open your gifts?”
“Sí, and you spent too much on us.” She’s pretending to scold me, but I can tell from her tone that she liked what I sent. “I thought Dani’s head might explode when they opened that purse. You must be doing well, mija.”
“I am. Working really hard.” Tears are streaming down my face now. All those extra hours at Hoardstrom’s were worth it to be able to give them what they deserve.
“Next time, put yourself in a box instead of all these gifts.” She clucks her tongue, and I can tell she’s crying, too.
“We’re so proud of you. Here, Dani wants to talk about that handbag.
” She hands off the phone to my squealing oldest sibling.
Once I finish talking with them, they hand the phone to someone else, and I spend the next hour being passed from person to person, catching up with everyone as they celebrate the last night of Las Posadas.
My dad’s knee surgery went well. My younger brother Manu has a new girlfriend. Tía Elena is on a diet but she’s taking the holidays off so she can eat sweets. Abuela’s knitting circle made eighty-seven scarves for charity this year.
With each new bit of news, I feel better. They miss me, but they’re doing fine, just like I am. They’re still the same people. Still love me as I love them. We’re farther apart geographically, but we’re still close in our hearts. We’re still family.
I finally end up back in my mom’s hands when they’re all getting ready to go to mass. “Take care of yourself,” she says. “Llévate suéter.”
Wear a sweater. Mexican mom code for don’t make me get on a plane to come check on you. The reminder makes me smile. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Of course I worry about you. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t? My baby, living alone, on another planet? I worry constantly.”
“You’re the best,” I tell her. “I love you. Don’t worry too much about me. Things are going good.”
Christmas morning is bright and frosty. I coax Mr. Whiskers into his crate with the promise of treats, pack extra undies in case I take Myrran up on the offer to stay a few extra days, and splurge on a taxi to his hive.
I’m not sure what to expect when I step into the former church, but it’s like entering another world.
The nave has been transformed into an enormous common space, with daylight streaming through massive stained-glass windows and a million candles lighting up the dark corners.
Somehow, it’s expansive and cozy at the same time.
The air is filled with the scent of roasting meat and something deliciously sweet, and the buzz of dragonish voices hums all around. Small groups of monsters lounge on huge overstuffed sofas, some engrossed in conversation, some reading or working on laptops.
I scan the room, looking for Myrran, but an imposing, orange dragon in a glittery velvet caftan steps in front of me, blocking my view. Her toothy smile is surprisingly kind, despite her intimidating height and impressive set of horns.
“You must be Jewel,” she says, eyes flicking to the cat carrier. “Is this Mr. Whiskers? I’ve heard a lot about you both.”
“Um, hi, yes,” I fumble, surprised.
“I’m Llyvia, queen of this hive. It’s much less serious than it sounds,” she adds quickly, noticing my awed expression.
“More like a club president than human royalty, ha ha. I just wanted to let you know how happy we are that you’re finally here.
We’ve been bugging Myrran for weeks to introduce us to his mate. ”
A nervous giggle slips out of me. “Oh, the future wife thing is just a joke. We just met. We’ve only been on a couple dates.”
She raises a brow but doesn’t argue. “Right. He’s in the kitchen.” She nods toward the other end of the church, where one transept houses a gleaming open kitchen, the other a busy, inviting dining area with long wooden tables. I spot his emerald-green scales right away.
“Thanks for the warm welcome,” I say to Llyvia. Should I curtsy or something? I hope I’m not breaking some kind of dragon etiquette and embarrassing Myrran.
“You’re always welcome here. In fact, I hope you stay for a long time.” She pats my shoulder, sounding sincere. Myrran wasn’t exaggerating about their preference for communal living, I guess. “See you at the feast tonight.”
As I approach the kitchen area, Myrran turns and spots me, his familiar grin easing my nerves. “You made it,” he says, relief clear in his voice. He looks incredibly handsome in a black button-down shirt that sets off his green scales.
“So did Mr. Whiskers,” I say, nodding to the cat carrier weighing down my right arm. Mr. Whiskers gives a well-timed, miserable yowl.
“Perfect. Let me take him.”
I hand him the carrier, grateful for the help.
Another dragon waves at us from the kitchen, calling, “Is that Jewel? Bring her over here! I need her to taste the chiles en nogada to make sure it’s right!”
My mouth instantly starts watering. “You guys made chiles en nogada?!”
Myrran nods. “And walnut mole sauce for the roast chicken. And polvorones for dessert. They might not be exactly how your family makes them, but I wanted you to feel at home.”
“Wow. Wow,” I breathe, looking at him in awe, my heart fluttering inside my ribs like a thousand migrating butterflies.
I’d mentioned my favorite foods so casually, but he remembered.
Not only that, he’d hunted down recipes and actually cooked them for me.
“That’s so incredibly thoughtful. Like, I know you’re a thoughtful person and do nice things for all your friends, but this is above and beyond. ”
“You are above and beyond,” he shoots back, sounding serious. “Listen. Before we go taste the food, I need to talk to you about something. Privately.”
A sneaking suspicion curls around me like a dragon tail. “Sure,” I say, my stomach flipping. “We should get the cat settled anyway.”
He leads me to his room—or lair, as he calls it—where a huge nest of blankets and pillows dominates the space. He sets the carrier down gently and turns to face me, his expression grim.
My excitement morphs into nervousness. “What’s going on, Myrran?”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Hear me out. I know we’re not that serious yet. Don’t worry—this isn’t me proposing or anything.”
“That’s…good?” I say, uncertain where he’s going with this.
“It’s not good.” He sighs deeply. “I’ve been keeping something major from you because I didn’t want to upset you.”
My heart sinks. “What is it? Just tell me.”
I steel myself for the worst. If I can handle the overt criticism of my body and face during go-sees, I can handle anything. A criminal past. A secret baby. Gambling debt. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.
“We dragons…we don’t date.”
“What are you talking about?” I shake my head, confused. “We’ve literally been on a date. Is this some weird friends-with-benefits conversation where you’re warning me not to catch feelings or something?” Too late for that.
He grunts impatiently. “No. Fuck. I’m screwing this up. When we scent our alokoi—our mate—the bond is permanent. It’s why we don’t date casually. It’s never casual for us.”
“Wait. You scented me?” I ask, the pieces clicking into place.
Why he brought a giftwrap girl two kinds of dinner even though we’d just met.
Why he was so upset when I left the restaurant without saying goodbye.
Why he didn’t think anything of inviting me to stay over for Christmas. Why Llyvia called me his mate.
He nods. “You’re my alokoi. This might feel casual to you because you’re human, but for me…it’s forever.”
Forever? My mind whirls. What does that even mean for us? Am I supposed to just…accept it and move in? Is there some kind of initiation I have to do or test to pass? Can we have children together? Does he want kids?
“So…have I scared you off completely?” He looks at me uncertainly, trying to gauge my reaction.
He’s so sweet. Not just to me, but to everyone.
And even though that made me insecure at first, it also tells me what kind of person he is.
He’s always going to be kind and thoughtful and family-oriented, because that’s who he is.
As I stare back at him, my heart pounding as I imagine a lifetime with him, I realize that I’m not scared of the idea. Not even a little. “Nope, still here.”