Page 19 of Donner

"There's a research facility near Christmas Village," he said. "You've heard of the Global Seed Vault?"

I nodded. It was a place above the Arctic Circle in Norway. They housed every seed imaginable. In case something awful happened to plant life on earth or a plant species went extinct, they would be able to replant enough to keep the animals alive.

"The nearby town is run by shifters, two by two. We jokingly call it Noah's Ark. They might have an eagle pair, or know of one. There's a shifter research facility on every continent."

"What type of research?" My mind immediately went to a bad place when I thought of the ways humans could exploit the shifters of the world, but Jax had said the town was run by shifters, so I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"They keep a record of all the shifter species on the planet. They also have tried to identify the truth behind myths, legends, and cryptid lore. They determined Big Foot sightings were probably partially shifted bears."

"Strange," I said.

"They might have a record of your family in their database," Jax said. "I can speak to Santa, to see if you could visit me at the North Pole while you learn more about your eagle."

I rolled on top of Jax, chasing his lips with my own, too afraid to speak for fear I would say something silly. My eagle wanted the opportunity to learn more about my family, but he wanted to be closer to Jax even more.

"What do you want to do today?" I asked once I'd kissed him breathless.

"There's a tram circuit from the hotel to the Everglades," Jax said between breaths. I'd never ridden it, but I knew it existed. "From there, we could take a kayaking tour. Have you ever been kayaking?"

"I have." I'd spent a few weeks in Colorado after I graduated high school. I'd heard there were better jobs there for eagle shifters, but I missed my mom too much and came home. I hadn't thought about that trip in years, but now I wished I could take Jax with me. "I doubt we'll see rapids today."

He grinned. "Probably not."

I kissed him again, loving the feel of his warm body beneath me and his hard cock trapped against my thigh. When he brought his slick-laden hand to our cocks and stroked, I melted against him, moaning into his neck. I licked a trail across the thick vein just beneath his skin and nipped at his collar bone with my teeth, trying to let him know without words how much I wanted this. I wanted more than this, and for the first time, that thought didn't scare me as much as it had before.

Jax sought my mouth, latching onto my bottom lip as he came. His muffled groan sent me over the edge, too, painting us both with my release. He continued to stroke, mixing our cum together and drawing every last shiver of pleasure from me.

He dropped his hand from our cocks and his eyelids fluttered shut.

"Oh, no, sleepyhead," I said, tugging him into a sitting position and then over my shoulder. "It's time for a shower, and then I can drive us to the Everglades." As much as I appreciated Jax's research into his vacation plans, I didn't like giving control to someone else for my transportation. I also wanted to make a stop on the way back to the hotel.

Jax squealed as I carried him the few steps to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

My heart felt lighter after talking with Jax, and my eagle had calmed down a little at the prospect of visiting the North Pole and doing some research on my beast form. It was far too soon to be this optimistic about a future with Jax, but at least I had options beyond saying goodbye at the end of his vacation.

Chapter 11

Jax

Kayaking was fun, but the Everglades were overrated, in my opinion. The folks at the zoo raved about the wildlife and the experience so much I wondered if they received kickbacks from the folks doing the kayak tours.

The heavy air felt like a brick in my chest. My shirt was drenched, and I couldn't stop yawning after five minutes of paddling. I needed another shower and I wished we were on the lake near Christmas Village.

The wildlife was amazing, don't get me wrong. We saw alligators and snakes from a safe distance, fish dancing away from our paddles with each stroke, and even a field of water lilies. A sleek brown face popped out of the water near my paddle once, and I almost tipped over in my kayak. The creature was at least a foot long without its tail, and it followed alongside us until it grew bored.

"What is that?" I asked Beau.

"Looks like an otter. Too big to be a mink." Beau grinned. "Let's call him Otis. "

"Otis the otter, " I said. "I like it."

A pair of otter shifters lived at Christmas Village. They sometimes slid down the attractions at the indoor water park a Santa had built for the children. They were invited to every birthday party and event at the park to watch after the children, but they also did their best to entertain us.

I wasn't easily entertained as a child. The longer I was away from my parents at social functions, the more anxious I became.

As I dipped my paddle into the calm marsh water, creating ripples, I tried to remember when that had changed. At first, I convinced myself it was gradual, but then I remembered the day I'd received my diploma, and how my dad made me feel inadequate and worthless with a single glare. It was the same withering look he'd given me when I'd shifted into an omega reindeer for the first time.

The Santas had changed all that when they'd asked me to train for a sleigh team. Then, Santa 30 picked me to be his Donner. I had several cousins who could have done the job, but he picked me for one of the hardest routes in the northern hemisphere, where most of our stops stayed above the 50thparallel. Like all reindeer, I was built for the cold, but knowing my Santa trusted me to guide his sleigh in such unpredictable conditions filled me with satisfaction. The look on my dad's face when I handed him the acceptance letter had been a nice ego boost, too. Sure, he'd been shocked, but he'd also been proud.

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