Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
brIA
I woke up cold, alone, in my bed.
Not in the arms of my dragon, greeted by the vast view of the sun twinkling over the sea from his balcony windows.
Nope, just a dark interior tiny room, which felt even more claustrophobic as I was trapped with my thoughts. My questions. My regret.
What a way to start the day before Christmas.
The air felt colder than it should have—stale and too quiet without the soothing ocean breeze from Darius’s balcony.
I sat up and inhaled deeply, trying to dislodge some of the tightness around my heart.
Had I overreacted last night?
Of course you did, my panther hissed before curling tighter into a ball.
But it did it to protect us. It’s better this way, I protested. Why didn’t I feel any better then?
Because he’s our mate, my panther reminded me with impatience.
Great. She wouldn’t let me forget it. As if I didn’t already have doubts of my own creeping in.
I pushed my legs over the side of the bed and forced myself to brave the day. Passengers would be boisterous and happy while I was just…bleh.
After a long, slow shower where I played out everything that had happened last night, I forced myself through the motions of getting ready to face the day. I brushed my teeth and got dressed, then walked out of my cabin to follow the usual routine in the gym.
Upstairs, Roan clapped his hands together. “Just in time for Tabata class next door,” he greeted me cheerfully. “The perfect way to start the day before all the festivities.”
“Not happening, now or ever, bear,” I muttered and stepped by him. Then I shoved my earpods in and tried to drown out my thoughts with a true crime podcast.
* * *
The day dragged in the agony of obligations and expectations, work meetings and rehearsals.
Forced smiles at passengers who were all abuzz with excitement about Christmas.
And why not? That’s why they’d sailed this week—to celebrate the holidays on a ship decked out with glittery galore.
Tinsel twinkled, garland glittered, and wreaths decked each, well—deck.
“Christmas caroling, that should be fun,” a smiling Piper said as we left a meeting.
Oh yes, wonderful. I had to lead a round of caroling near the dragon pool this afternoon. To be forced to be joyful near a reminder of a dragon who I’d spent time with here, feeling so happy, so joyful. When we soared, it was like the two of us against the world.
And now? Now, I’d just have reminders of Darius once he left this ship for good.
“Wanna trade?” I teased. “I’ll try to pretend I know what I’m talking about to sell some paintings.”
She cocked her head and squinted. “What’s gotten into you, Bria? You usually love to perform.”
Right. I did. And I would again—maybe… One day. But definitely not today.
“Just a Blue Christmas,” I said with a tight smile. Then I dismissed my misery with a wave. “Just kidding. You’re right, I’m looking forward to it,” I lied.
But I powered through. Like a professional.
I plastered on my smile and sauntered onto the pool deck.
I forced my way through “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” and more classic favorites, which the crowd sang along with gusto.
All the while, I ignored glancing up to the Gargoyle’s Perch, where Darius had shown me his dragon form and I had climbed on, taking to the skies. Breathtaking, magical…
Over.
More slogging through until night fell and Christmas Eve glittered across the ship.
The sounds of entertainment rippled from every venue, and poinsettias added a splash of red in every other corner.
I stepped into the Celestial Lounge for my performance tonight.
Piano notes tinkled through the crowd as Rick set the mood, blending into the backdrop of the cozy warmth in the lounge.
Maribelle’s magical snowflakes twinkled and drifted down around potted trees decorated with garland.
The air hummed with magic as the shimmering snowflakes caught the light.
Guests were dressed in their finest gowns and suits.
The air was sweet with the scents of hot chocolate, rum, and peppermint as the waitstaff served the holiday drink specials.
I stepped onto the stage and the din of the crowd hushed.
Many familiar faces were out there tonight—Maribelle, Roan, Piper, and the entire Luna Blue Shadows band with their mates.
That was odd to have them all here at once.
Perhaps they were in the celebratory Christmas mood, which I most definitely did not share.
Even Cedric and Marlene were there, and I tried not to wince as I remembered my outburst.
I glanced at Kylie behind the bar, and when she caught my eye, she stifled a grin and glanced away. What was going on? No time to speculate. Rick began playing the piano and I waited for my cue.
Here goes. I began to sing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” pushing myself to put the sass into my performance the way the audience loved.
While I powered through, guests gathered around, joyous and celebratory. And I tried not to crumple.
I continued through the set, the usual holiday classics, feeling an unexpected pang of loss as I sang, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
After that more wistful song, we brought it back up to end with “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
The lyrics tugged at me, and I tried to ignore the painful reminder.
I felt a presence.
I felt him.
Darius.
Standing in the back of the room as he had before, wearing a dark suit and green tie. He watched me with his focused precision, as if he only had eyes for me. And then he smiled. It was the brightest, most glorious smile I’d ever seen on his face, lighting him up.
What was he so happy about?
He started walking toward me. What was he doing?
Maribelle, who had been standing off to the side with Roan, stepped over and handed Darius a microphone.
What was she doing? Didn’t everyone know I was trying to get through this performance? I glanced at Rick at the piano, and he grinned. He was in on this too?
The next time I reached the chorus, Darius joined me—he actually joined me, and sang, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
My panther squealed with joy. He came. Our mate came for us!
My mouth fell open and I almost dropped the mic. His voice vibrated through me—rich, smoky, achingly perfect—and I forgot to sing the next line. But with Darius now joining me on stage, no one would notice.
Holy shit—my dragon could sing.
His voice was low and deep, smooth like his rum, a perfect baritone to pair with mine.
Never would I have thought that my cool, suave, collected dragon, who stuck to the back of the lounge, would ever stand on a stage, singing in front of an audience. But here he was, singing not to them, but to me.
All I Want for Christmas is You…
I snapped myself back into focus and sang with him as if we’d practiced this duet a thousand times before.
The energy was electric and the crowd caught it, bellowing enthusiastic cheers and applause as we finished the song.
While the audience’s noise would cover my voice, I lowered the mic and leaned closer to him, momentarily distracted by his alluring rum-spiced scent.
My panther purred. Mate.
I leaned over to him and whispered, “What are you doing here?”
He gazed at me, amber eyes flickering with gold, and lowered his mic.
“I came to tell you what I should have said before.” His voice sounded raw, and he appeared so vulnerable in his sincerity.
“That none of this was pretend. It was real for me from the first night we met.” His hand trembled slightly where it held the mic, and my heart clenched.
“You’re my mate, Bria—my true mate—and I’ve fallen in love with you. ”
In my shock, I almost didn’t believe this was real. I must have fallen asleep and dreamed it. But the noise of the cheering crowd jolted me. They’d clearly heard the entire thing with their supernatural hearing.
I tried to make sense of his words. My heart stuttered as I stood reeling. I stammered, “I don’t know what to say,” and my trembling hand fluttered to my chest.
My panther groaned. Tell him you love him too!
He took my hand and took a deep breath. “You mean more to me than anything else. Nothing—not my business, not any deal—none of it matters if I don’t have you.” He swallowed and rubbed my palm. “I’ll do whatever it takes if you give me a chance to show you.”
For two deep heartbeats, I stood there, drinking in his words, relishing how they filled me with such warmth.
Darius remained statue still, watching me with a tenderness in his eyes that nearly undid me.
Then I remembered where we were, on a stage, where he’d teamed up with others to put this little surprise together. An act. That was something I could do and something I could play with.
I crossed my arms, arching a brow. “So…let me get this straight, dragon. Your grand plan to win my heart was to woo me with this declaration?”
His eyes flickered with wariness. He nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“Because you know how I love to perform in front of an audience?”
His gaze flickered to Maribelle and across to Kylie behind the bar, as if wondering if he’d made a mistake. He brought his eyes back to meet mine. “I was thinking it was a grand gesture, to show you how I really feel.”
“Now that I’ve heard your voice, I think we can make it even grander.” I smiled and pulled at his green tie. Then I glanced at Rick and nodded. Turning to the crowd, I said, “How about one more song?”
Enthusiastic cheers followed. Darius looked worried.
I mouthed, “You’ve got this.” Then I began to sing, “Jingle Spell Rock,” with a sassy shake of my hips, a call back to when I’d sang “Jingle Spells” the night we’d met.
Darius’s mouth spread wide as he caught on to my plan. He lifted the mic and sang along.
A duet. A perfect, magical duet with my mate. He stepped behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist as we sang together. Maribelle’s magical snowflakes fell around us. When I encouraged the audience to join in, many sang, others danced, and the festivities continued.
I could barely keep my hands off him while we sang, but once we were finished, I threw myself into his arms. He held me against him as if he’d never let go again.
Then we broke apart just enough to look at each other and came together in a deep, searing kiss to the sound of more whistles and shouts.
When we pulled away, breathless, I said, “Let’s get out of here, dragon. It’s just the two of us now.”
A deep rumble poured out of him. He scooped me into his arms and I squealed in surprise.
He turned to the crowd. “Merry Christmas, everyone, and goodnight.”
Then he carried me out into the night.