Page 5 of Donner

He yawned. "Maybe tomorrow night, I'll visit you at the club, and we could dance together?"

I tried to give him my brightest smile, though I was also a little tired. I didn't have the heart to tell him it would be my day off. I'd never been to the club during my off hours, but I'd make an exception for him. I wanted him to have a good time in Miami, better than tonight, at least. Not that I was a good time, but he didn't need to know that. I could pretend to be hospitable for a night.

Chapter 3

Jax

The street radiated heat back at us hours after the sun had gone down. It was so foreign to me. I was used to freezing my ass off whenever I left my apartment building in my human skin. The heat stole my breath and made me sweat as we walked toward my hotel.

"Tell me more about your name," I said to the tall and muscular white man who had offered to walk me home. Though it was curled up in a bun on top of his head, I could tell his hair was almost the same pale yellow as mine. "I've never heard of anyone named Bow before." I felt stable enough with his arm around my back to rub at my sore jaw. Someone had kicked me again after I fell to the floor.

"It's B-e-a-u." In the orange glow of the streetlamps, I could see his cheeks darken. "Short for Beauregard, not like I'm throwing myself at you."

I didn't get it. I stared at him until he blushed even harder.

"Like, beau, boyfriend?" he asked.

"Oh! I haven't heard that before." We talked a lot about mates at the North Pole, but not much about boyfriends, or beaus.

He chuckled, and my insides warmed. His voice, scent, and very presence gave off mate vibes to my reindeer. Meanwhile, all I'd managed to do was make him worry about me and then make him uncomfortable.

"I hear it all the time. It's refreshing to find someone who doesn't think I'm hitting on them, all because my mom liked an old television show."

"I don't watch much television," I said. I couldn't even venture a guess about which show he referenced, but I definitely wanted to know more about him.

"For once, I wish you did think I was hitting on you." He chuckled. "This is probably the worst pick-up line ever, but I feel drawn to you."

"Seriously?" I laughed, and then choked on the sharp pain in my chest when I bent too far to the side.

"I wanted to dance with you," he said. "I never dance." He glanced at me with such warmth, I was surprised I didn't melt into a puddle on the sidewalk. I'd never had an alpha look at me that way before.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," Beau said softly. "It was my job to protect you."

"I saw you leave the door, but by the time the alarm went off, it was already too late. Someone caught my boot heel from behind and I went down. I don't remember much after that." I didn't tell him about the nasty kick to the head from a chunky combat boot. I hadn't seen the person wearing them, but I thought the boot was stylish until it collided with the side of my head.

"Do you like your job?" I asked as we made it to the streetlight halfway along one of the biggest parking lots I'd ever seen. We still had a hike ahead of us, and I liked the sound of Beau's voice. It made my chest tingle, the parts that weren't sharp and achy, anyway.

"This job is a bit of a compromise," he said. "I used to be a paramedic in the military and here at home before the pandemic burned me out."

"Compromise?" I asked. I didn't know much about bouncing, but I knew a little about the medical profession. As one of Santa's reindeer, I had yearly physicals and the occasional trip to the emergency clinic. Wind shear was a bitch. We'd only crashed the sleigh once during practice, but it was only one bad weather day or one bad decision away from happening again.

"By compromise," Beau said with a wicked gleam in his eye, "I mean, I need to eat to live, money pays for food, and this is a way to make money that doesn't make me want to kill myself at the end of the day."

"I see." I knew people who hated their jobs. I'd seen elves desperate to leave Santa's workshop for anything else. One was the bartender at the local tap. Another had become the best hot chocolatier in Christmas Village.

I'd never experienced it myself, though. I loved pulling my Santa's sleigh, training for Christmas Eve, and helping Santa spread joy and good cheer throughout the world. As far as jobs went, I didn't think I could find one better.

"I'm sorry," Beau said. "I thought the army made me morbid, but the last few years of civilian life only sharpened my cemetery wit."

"I'm sorry you don't like your job." We'd arrived at the hotel's driveway, its sidewalks clearly lit. I turned up the drive, and Beau followed me.

"I don't mind working at the club," he said. "It's better than spending one more day in an ambulance for about the same pay and zero benefits."

I caught a whiff of something dead coming off the ocean, thanks to my reindeer sense of smell. I tried to bend down to put my hands on my knees, but sharp pain forced me back to my feet, still gagging.

"Everything all right?" Beau asked.

I turned into Beau, pressing my nose to his shoulder and sucking in a breath. Gods, he smelled fantastic. "Almost puked. Do you think you could walk me up to my room?" I hated to ask, but I really didn't think I could make it on my own without shifting in the middle of the street. "Do you want a drink?" I added, hoping to make the trip worthwhile for him.

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