Page 27 of Naughty Elf: Merry

I needed a recording of that so I could replay it in my head. “One of the Santas sent me to you.”

He crooked his finger. “Come here.”

I didn’t run but swaggered toward him. As an elf, I wasn’t much good at the swaggering part, but I fell against his chest.

“Your turn,” he said.

“To do what?” Not hold that parasitic plant. It might signify romance, but I didn’t want to touch it.

He tapped his lips. “Something to do with love, perhaps?’

“Oh, that?” I slapped his chest. “Silly me. I forgot.” I kissed him. “I love you too, always and forever, even when we are both sitting beside the goddess.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

I sneezed. “I think I’m allergic to mistletoe.”

Chapter 20

Hernan

“I need to show you something.” I’d been thinking about it ever since the mistletoe. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous about it, but I was.

Merry looked up from the Christmas tree diamond art he was working on. He wasn’t one to just sit and do nothing, always working on something. “Okay.” He set it down, giving me his full attention.

“Not here. I need to show you something outside.”

“Sure.” He got up, and Holly, who had been sleeping on his shoulder, jumped off onto the couch. “Let me grab my coat.”

I loved how he just trusted that whatever I was about to do was no big deal. But it was a big deal. I needed him to spend time with my dragon. Not only did my dragon insist on it, but I did too. I wanted him to know all of me before I asked him what I needed to ask tonight.

We drove out to my favorite place to shift. On the way, we sang Christmas carols—because of course we did. A local radio stationplayed them 24/7 from Thanksgiving onward, and we sang along, Merry with far more talent than me.

“Can we build snowmen?” he asked when I parked the car.

“Sure.” I turned off the ignition, “but I was more thinking I could show you my dragon.”

“Is that allowed?” he asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

“It’s allowed as much as I’m allowed to know about Santa being multiple people. But for you—yes, it’s allowed because you’re my mate. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about today.”

He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face me fully. “How so?”

“Well,” I began, “I want to mark you. And I know that means we have to deal with you being from the North Pole, me being from here, and the logistics of?—”

Before I could finish, he cut me off with his lips on mine, mumbling, “Yes, yes, yes,” as he kissed me soundly.

Showing him my beast when he’d already agreed to wear my mark wasn’t easy. All I wanted to do was drive home and get him beneath me. Heck, if it weren’t the middle of winter, I’d be stripping him down right here. But I didn’t need him getting frostbite on his cock because I was overly anxious.

Instead, we got out of the car. I stripped off my clothes, leaving them on the seat, and shifted into my dragon form.

He stared up at me in awe, then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me as far as he could—which wasn’t very far. “You are gorgeous,” he said. Then, with a mischievous grin, “Maybe one day I can ride you.”

It was difficult not to shift right back and say, “You can do it now,” but I was strong. It was time to show off. I took to the air, circled around, did a few tricks, and even let out a little fire—not enough to touch any of the trees, even with the snow that wasn’t wise, but enough to put on a little show for him.

When I landed back where I’d started, I shifted as I touched the ground. “Let me get dressed, and we can build those snowmen.”

“What?” His voice was distracted, his eyes still fixed on me.

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