Page 18 of Guarded By the Yeti

She’s quiet for a minute, then lets out a sigh. “Well, if Ysella is safe and there are no more threats, your job is done.”

“True. Listen, I wanted to ask if I could take a few days off. I know I don’t usually take a vacation around the holidays, but...”

“Oh, sure. It’s only fair.”

“I’ll be back to work next week.”

She chuckles. “You can take two weeks if you want, Kaelthar. Enjoy Christmas and New Year’s for once.”

I grin. “Thank you.”

I hop into the helicopter and start the engine. I head north. Before I get home to my soulmate, I might make another stop. I bought her a few things in Icefang, wrapped them nicely and put them under the tree, but the gifts aren’t much. A pink wool blanket, a cute mug, and a stuffed Yeti toy. I’m sure she’ll enjoy them, and the Yeti might get a laugh out of her, but...

I can do better.

Epilogue

Ysella

Short of wrapping myself in gift wrap and sleeping under the Christmas tree for Kaelthar to find me in the morning, I don’t know what to do. I’m in the middle of nowhere, and I have nothing with me. All my personal belongings were left behind, in my parents’ house. I wonder if I’ll ever get them back. I would’ve loved to give Kaelthar one of my paintings. I would love to paint something for him right now, but I have no painting supplies.

The tree is beautiful, the cabin is warm, and I’ve just had a nice cup of tea. My eyes are heavy. He told me not to wait for him, but I don’t want to go to bed alone. Eventually, I have to, because I’m falling asleep on the couch. I drag myself into the bedroom and slip under the soft blankets. I’m out in minutes. These past few days have been insane. No wonder I crash whenever I’m given the chance.

At some point during the night, I hear the front door open and close. I sit up in bed, eyes wide, listening carefully. There’s no commotion, nothing to indicate I might be in danger. The lights are on everywhere. I haven’t told Kaelthar because I don’t want to upset him, but it’s a little unnerving that it’s always dark outside. I miss the sun. I hear him in the living room, fumbling with something, then his massive frame appears in the doorway. I smile at him, and he smiles back.

“Sorry I woke you,” he says.

“I don’t sleep well without you.” I motion for him to join me.

He considers it for a second, then shakes his head and says he needs to take a shower first. That’s when I notice the blood stains on his fur. He’s tried to wipe them off but hasn’t done a great job. I don’t say anything, just nod, and he slips into the bathroom.

By the time he’s done and joins me in bed, I’m half asleep. He pulls me close, and I let his big body warm me up. I sleep likea baby, until the late hours of the morning. I don’t even notice when he wakes up and sneaks out of the bedroom.

“Merry Christmas, sleepyhead,” he greets me later, in the kitchen, with a hot cup of coffee.

“Merry Christmas.” I yawn, and he makes a face, like he thinks I’m cute.

“When do you want to unwrap presents?”

I cover my eyes with my hands and groan. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything.”

He laughs. “What do you mean?”

I shoot him a look. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. As soon as we get back to civilization.”

He pouts, then walks over to me, lifts me up, and carries me into the living room. He grabs a bow from the tree and places it right atop my head.

“Hey!”

“Again, what do you mean? My Christmas present is right here. You just forgot to wrap it.”

The bow falls off, and I laugh. “I did think about that, not gonna lie. But I didn’t have enough wrapping paper. You used it all.”

“Come on.” He puts me down. “Let’s see what Santa got you.”

I roll my eyes. “Santa...”

He sits on the floor, and I sit in his lap. He really needs a red costume. Next year, I’m buying him one. I start unwrapping the presents. I don’t know what to expect, and I notice how excited that makes me. I’ve gotten Christmas presents all my life. Every year, too many to count. But they were always predictable – the latest fashion, gold jewelry, expensive knick-knacks. For the first time in years, I’m truly curious about what these boxes contain.

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