Page 9 of Howliday Match

“I know that I look young but I really get tired of hearing that same song and dance when someone meets me for the first time.” Her huffy tone and narrowed eyes has me smiling again. She’s just so damn snarky! I could pick her up in one hand and haul her lush ass around but she thinks that she can scare me! Hilarious.

“How old are you?” She eyes me curiously.

“I’m thirty-five, little sprite.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” She groans.

“It suits you. I’ve always found sprites to be adorably surly little creatures. Pretty much describes you to a T!”

“I’m gonna show you surly here in a minute.” But she says it with a smile and doesn’t appear offended. If anything, her sky-blue eyes glow with pride.

“Wanna show me how surly and dangerous you are, mate?” I cross my arms and lift my brows, needling her a little bit. I want to keep her off-kilter.

So why not challenge her a little bit?

“What do you have in mind?”

“How about a little snowball fight, mate? Or are you afraid that you can’t keep up with a wolf?”

Her pink mouth curls and I want to sink my teeth into her so hard. She’s a challenge and I love it.

“You think I”m scared of the big bad wolf, Raphael? You don’t know me very well, fuzzball!”

A deep laugh busts out of me at the cheeky answer. “You’re on, mate. Meet me out front in five minutes. I’m gonna check the perimeter and I’ve got some torches set along the edges of the yard. I’ll get them going so that I don’t have an advantage.”

Her brow lifts. “An advantage?”

“I can see in the dark, mate.”

“Shit! That seems like cheating to me, fuzzball!”

“I already said I’ll set up some light outside so that I don’t have an advantage. Are you gonna back down every time you hear something you don’t like, little sprite?”

“You know, I’m starting to see why sprites might be a little bad-tempered if shifters sit there and say crap like that every time they’re around them. Talk about rude.”

That giddy feeling wells up in me again. I freaking love this woman. Human or not. She’s my perfect match.

“Are you up for it or not?”

“Get out of here so I can get something warmer on and I’ll wipe the snow with your furry ass!”

I chuckle and point at the closet. “There’s extra pairs of boots and coats that have probably been left by people in there. I’ll see you outside, mate.”

She huffs and turns her back, scrounging through the wooden closet, huffing softly.

It doesn’t take her long to find what she wants and before you know it, she’s standing in front of me wearing a warm, puffy, silver coat that about swallows her whole body. Large black boots pool around her ankles and I grin.

“Couldn’t find anything else?”

“Believe it or not, I have small feet.”

I actually can believe it. She’s a tiny little thing. “Do you want me to give you a head start on making some snowballs, sprite?”

She crosses her arms and glares at me like I just insulted her parentage. “I think I’m good, fuzzball.”

“Are you sure? I’d like to give you a fighting chance.”

“I have that without your dubious help. Let’s get this show on the road. What do I get if I win?”

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