Page 2 of Donner

"Hello, VIP!"scrolled across the screen, and the light for the penthouse floor lit.

We had elevators in our apartment buildings at the North Pole, but I'd never been to a place with a penthouse suite. I'd read about them, of course. I spent most of my free time reading during the winter. Fun fact about the North Pole: we had nine months of winter. It didn't impact us as much in Christmas Village, thanks to the Santas' magic.

The elevator rose slowly, but it didn't stop, even though other floors lit up before it passed. Finally, it opened directly into the top floor of the building. Even the most decadent romance novels in the fanciest hotels didn't prepare me for the lush carpet and beautiful furnishings waiting for me. It took me a few minutes of staring in awe before I found the bedroom. First, I was drawn to the balcony with a private pool and a pristine view of the ocean. Then, I noticed the bar with a color-changing neon light. I wasn't one for entertaining guests, especially since anyone I met here would be a stranger, but this place was meant for guests. It had two different seating areas, one overlooking the ocean and another set up around a television large enough to be a movie screen.

The bedroom had its own ensuite with dual sinks, a full jacuzzi tub, and a separate standing shower. There was a bottle of champagne chilling on a bistro table by yet another window overlooking the ocean. A full foil-wrapped chocolate bar lay like a present on my pillow, the name of which I couldn't pronounce. Beneath it, I found a note from housekeeping thanking me for my stay and wishing me a wonderful vacation. Part of me knew they did this for every guest, but I also sent a silent thank you to my Santa.

I'd packed my overnight bag with toiletries and a few changes of clothes. When I opened the bag, my clothes were gone. In their place were two more tank tops like the one I wore, one short-sleeved button-down shirt, a sleep shirt, a pair of swim trunks, two pairs of shorts like the ones I wore, and one very tiny pair of booty shorts made of vinyl or plastic. I picked them up between my thumb and forefinger to look them over and then returned them to my bag.

I dug around for my boxers and found several pairs of attached triangles with string borders instead. I knew Santa expected me to get laid on this trip, but I hadn't thought my situation was so dire. He could have left me one pair of boxers to sleep in, at least.

As I put the underwear back in my bag, my fingers brushed silk. I pulled out a single pair of red boxers. They were unlike anything I owned. I preferred cotton. Still, I could sleep in them after I returned from the club.

If I returned from the club. The brochure on the dresser advertised a nightclub at the top of the hotel next door, and it was open all day and night from Thursday to Sunday. It was already Thursday, and I intended to make the most of my stay. The party would start as soon as I got dressed.

To be fair, I was dressed. I didn't dare wear the vinyl booty shorts. I might wear them for a private dance with someone special, but the thought of wearing them now made me nervous.

As a reindeer, I was one of the largest in our herd, but as a human, I'd never outgrown my pocket-sized twink phase. My best friend Derek called me that, like he had room to talk. He was an elf, and all the elves at the North Pole were about my height, including my omega elf papa (hence the name Jax, after a toy. I was lucky I wasn't named Tiddlywinks).

In my human form, I could break someone's nose with my elbow or land a kick to the groin, but my best defense was to run. If someone chased me where there were no people, they'd better watch out. Then, I could transform into my reindeer form. Reindeer weren't known for violence, but you wouldn't want to piss us off, just saying.

Tonight, I wanted to dance. I couldn't in these ridiculous flippy-floppy things on my feet. I hadn't packed anything in the other zippered compartment of my bag, but when I opened it, a pair of patent leather platform shoes with silver laces waited for me. With an undignified, high-pitched bark my reindeer would have rolled his eyes at, I pulled them out. Beneath them, I found sheer black thigh-high socks and garters. They were probably supposed to go with the vinyl shorts, but I didn't care. I hastily removed my shorts to pull the garter belt in place. With my shorts back on, I fastened the socks to the garter clips and pulled on the boots, double-tying the laces so I wouldn't trip on them later.

Once my outfit was complete, I glanced at myself in the hall mirror and realized Santa had changed more than my clothes when he transported me here. My eyes were lined with dark kohl, and my lids shimmered silver to brighten the ashy glow of my blond hair. I didn't need much more than that. My cheeks darkened at the slightest bit of attention from an attractive alpha.

"I'm a catch, right?" I asked the guy in the mirror as I popped out a hip and pointed my toes. I wasn't planning on finding my fated mate. I wasn't sure I believed in that anymore, honestly. I'd met every alpha of a suitable age in Christmas Village, and none of them wanted to stay with me beyond one night. I was too quiet. Too withdrawn. Too shy. Or if they got to know me better, I was too clingy and annoying. It was either one or the other, and never enough.

I wouldn't be in Miami long enough to convince a guy I was or wasn't worth it, anyway. This was my time to love them and leave them.

I didn't know why I kept staring at the mirror. It wasn't like it would suddenly start speaking to me. I laughed. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

It didn't answer, thank Santa.

Chapter 2

Beau

Yet another boring night at the club. The night was still young, though. Nobody had messed with my hair yet or asked me to intervene when someone got too handsy.

It was almost time for my break when a gorgeous white man with blond hair walked off the elevator. The top of his head came up to my shoulder.

"I'm going to need to see some ID," I said. His youthful, clean-shaven face put him at about twelve, which meant he was either way too young to be here or somewhere near thirty. The most likely possibility was that he was a shifter like me and far older than my best estimation.

He grinned and blushed while digging in his pocket. I leaned in and sniffed. He was an omega shifter, but I couldn't tell what kind.

"I don't know if I have an ID," he said. "Oh. Is this it?" The kid handed me his entire wallet.

I flipped it open and found his ID. North Pole. Huh. I scanned the bar code on the back, fully expecting the glaring red of a counterfeit ID, but it turned green. "Jax Donner. Twenty-nine."

He nodded, keeping that endearing grin plastered across his face. "That's me."

"Welcome to Neon Haze."

"Thank you. Today's my first day in Miami. It's been so long since I've been able to dance." His sigh was full of longing as he popped up onto his tiptoes to look over my shoulder. "Care to dance with me?"

"Sorry. I'm working." I didn't usually let our customers down easy. I was supposed to blend into the scenery, not join the party, but sometimes overzealous customers tried to drag me onto the dance floor. Most of the time, I gave them my sternest look and they went away.

This was the first time I'd considered going willingly. There was something about Jax that drew me in and made me want to hold him close and shield him from the other club patrons. The dance floor was already packed, same as always for Thursday nights, and I worried my little omega would get lost.

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