What the Sleigh? Read online

  He had no Christmas magic. None of the power of their homeland swirled around him, clinging to him like a fine dust as it usually did. As it should.

  “You were dying, Rudi,” his voice was a rough whisper in the silence of the room, tortured and low. “I couldn’t let you go, so I gave you all I had. All my magic, it was the only thing powerful enough to save you.”

  The tears fell, sliding down her cheeks silently. He’d given up the thing which mattered most to him in the world, being a Claus, to save her life?

  “I love you.” He beat her to it, the words held on the tip of her tongue. “I always have and I’m so, so sorry about what happened with Ginger. I know you won’t believe me, because…shit, I wouldn’t believe me either…but nothing happened that night. She admitted she staged the whole thing.”

  His words rang with truth. Relief hit her in a cold rush which swept from her head to her toes and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she didn’t bother to conceal the emotion, or the love, in her eyes.

  “I love you too. Never stopped,” she admitted. “It nearly killed me to leave the Pole. To leave you.”

  He bent his head to kiss her. A soft whisper of his lips over hers that held a wealth of love and promise. A pledge for the future, their future, together.

  “I guess I don’t need to pack to go back to the Pole then,” she whispered, lifting her hand to caress his cheek. Sadness filled her at the loss of his magic. How would he cope? Claus and Christmas elves were born in magic and thrived on it. Remove it and—

  A sudden wind blew around the room, plucking at their clothing and her hair.

  “What the sleigh?” Nick burst out, holding her close and hunching his shoulders to protect her from whatever it was that swept through the room. Just as soon as it arrived, though, the wind dropped and a faint Ho ho ho! echoed on the air.

  They looked at each other, confusion on both their faces, then around. There, on the bed, was a small, brightly wrapped package.

  “That was unexpected,” Rudi found her voice first. “I wonder which of your cousins that was. Put me down, let’s see what it is.”

  “Asshole didn’t even stop to say hi,” Nick groused and set her gently on her feet next to the bed. Tentatively, she reached out and picked the present up. It was a small box and heavy for its size. She turned the tag to read it, then handed it to him.

  “It has your name on it.”

  “Really?” Pleasure lit Nick’s features as he tore the paper off. Inside there was a leather-bound box with the initials ‘NC’ on the top. Rudi caught her breath.

  “Is that…?”

  He flipped the box open to reveal a wide, black leather belt. The belt of a Claus. Nick had never had to wear one because his magic was so strong, but most of the other Claus elves did.

  “There’s a note.” His voice choked, Nick plucked the folded piece of paper from where it nestled between the leather and the side of the box. “Here…you read it, I daren’t.”

  “Okay…” She took the note from him and opened it. It was written in beautifully inked cursive and she started to read…

  Nicholas,

  For most of your adult life I have despaired over your attitude. While, of course, you make an excellent Santa (which being my grandson, I wouldn’t expect otherwise), your dealings in your personal life have almost driven me to drink all of your late grandmother's (Pole rest her soul) secret stash of special brandy.

  However, your actions recently have made me revise my opinion of you. I have never been, and could never be prouder, of a grandson of mine who would give up that most precious of things — his magic — to save another.

  That being said, without your magic, it would be a little difficult for you to fulfill the role set out for you each Christmas. Although I cannot replace your magic, this belt will perform exactly the same function as it does for the rest of your cousins.

  Your proud grandfather,

  Nicholas Claus (the 1st)

  PS. And for Sleigh’s sake, marry that damn deer!

  The End

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  About the Author

  Mina Carter is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of romance in many genres. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and a bossy cat.

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