ICE DRAGON’S HOLIDAYS

BY AVA WARD

A Royal Dragon Shifters of Morocco CHRISTMAS NOVELLA

CHAPTER ONE – GINGERBREAD

Layla Price bustled around her kitchen, sticking her finger in a bowl of cranberry sauce and smiling at the tartness. Smells of the holidays filled the air, as she’d been cooking all day with her Royal Dragon mates, Adrian Rhakvir and Dusk Arlohaim. Dressed in lacy red undies, a matching camisole, and fuzzy red slippers with little white Christmas presents, she paraded around her new home up in Seattle.

Being a domestic goddess for the first time.

The weather was uncharacteristic this year—a sunny fifty-five degrees without a rain cloud to be seen as they prepared to entertain for Christmas Day in the human world. The Twilight Realm celebrated Winter Solstice; but Layla’s tradition was Christmas, and so it was that holiday they celebrated now. Adrian was in charge of the savories for their grand entertaining event to celebrate Layla’s new house, and Dusk was in charge of the sweets. Which left Layla as sous-chef for whatever they needed.

And as bartender, as she breezed through the kitchen, handing Old Fashioneds around.

“Thank you, lover.” Dusk switched the big Kitchen-Aid mixer to a fast mix on his dough, relieving Layla of his highball glass and kissing her with a sweet rumble. In efficiency mode, Dusk had commandeered most of the modern, open-plan kitchen with its massive island for his baking; delightful smells of cinnamon and ginger wafted up from enormous trays of gingerbread already in the oven, others waiting to bake.

Dressed in casual jeans and a tight white t-shirt that stretched over his fit muscles, Dusk was a mess of flour and sugar. Bits of it smeared across his high cheekbones and the serrated midnight Dragon-scales at his temples, not to mention dusting his coiffed dark hair.

Making him positively delicious.

Sporting a red and white striped holiday apron that proclaimed Kiss this Cookie or Don’t Get Nookie!, Dusk winked at Layla as he gulped his beverage then sucked on the cherry, waggling his dark eyebrows. He was already six drinks in though it was barely one o’clock, and Layla laughed, impressed that he could be this drunk and still bake. On the other end of the island, apple-tarragon tarts, peppermint cookies, and more crowded every bit of space, as Dusk now worked on his masterpiece.

A holiday gingerbread house that everyone could decorate once they arrived.

But as Layla and Dusk shared a moment, Adrian bustled in with the turkey in an enormous roasting pan. As he set down the massive bird on the cobalt tiled countertop, he growled, and Layla smelled a wash of spiced cinnamon and jasmine careen off him.

Dressed in gray slacks with a nice white shirt and a pinstriped gray vest, Adrian was barefoot as he strode to the sideboard, his shirtsleeves rolled up to display his coiling Desert Dragon Kingship and Clan First tattoos on his forearms. As he removed his oven mitts, he slapped them down upon the cobalt tiles of the counter, then raked his hands through his brush-cut black hair, mussing it.

An irate flash of heat in his Mediterranean-blue eyes.

“Dusk! You’ve had enough baking time.” Adrian growled as he gestured with one hand. “We won’t have any food tonight if I don’t get the turkey in the oven.”

“You already made your stuffing, cornbread, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole yesterday.” Dusk gave a huff now as he turned, lifting an eyebrow at Adrian. “Which put the timeline for my baking back. Didn’t you try putting the turkey in the outdoor porch oven?”

A modern abode with two stories and an outdoor living area, complete with an auxiliary kitchen, Layla’s new chalet-style house on the bluffs of Ballard overlooking the Puget Sound was swanky style plus homey comfort. An excellent getaway with her primary mates, it seemed her new house had failed them as Adrian gestured towards the back deck, crimson fire in his eyes.

“The damn bird won’t fit. It’s too big for the outdoor oven.”

“Did you try just blasting it with your Desert Dragon heat to cook it?” Dusk stopped the mixer, pouring its contents into yet another pan.

“Jesus. I didn’t even think of that.” Though Dusk’s comment had been cheeky, Adrian blinked, adopting a thoughtful slouch against the kitchen counter as Layla came over, handing him his drink. “Do you think that would work?”

“It’s worth a try.” Layla clinked her drink with Adrian and they both sipped. “Besides, our friends are supposed to be here in an hour, Adrian. Even with the best oven in the world, your turkey’s gonna need some magic to cook it this late.”

“Blame him.” Adrian nodded at Dusk, though a renegade humor was in his blue-green eyes now, shining with flecks of gold as he sipped his cocktail. “You better hope Layla and I can rig something with our magics to get this turkey done in time for dinner, asshole. Nobody needs this many sweets.”

“Everyone needs this many sweets, Adrian.” Dusk grumped with good humor as he grinned over his shoulder, donning his oven mitts and thrusting the last tray of gingerbread into the oven. “You’ll appreciate them when Rake André mixes up his famous eggnog, believe me.”

As Adrian shook his head, smiling now from Dusk’s infectious good humor, he corralled Layla around the waist. He pulled her into his ultra-fit body, kissing her and making her heat with a spiced orange-bourbon scent flooding through the kitchen.

As he ground into her, making her feel every sculpted plane of his exquisite body, Layla melted in to him. Three drinks in and heady with excitement, not just at his decadent kissing but at having all her friends over for Christmas, it was everything she could have hoped for. As she wound her arms up around Adrian’s neck, kissing him back, a flood of spiced scent and Desert Dragon heat careened from both of them.

At Layla’s back, Dusk gave a sexy chuckle now as he gripped her waist—using his powerful hands and fit body to corral Layla away from Adrian as he kissed her neck. “You two are making me jealous.” He rumbled, biting Layla’s neck in a possessive gesture as he rubbed her breasts through her camisole. “And don’t you have a turkey to cook? Not just each other?”

“Dusk’s right. Dinner first… and then we can cook more later.” Adrian smoothed his lips over Layla’s with a pleased smile.

“Promise me we will.” Layla’s lips quirked as she gave him one last kiss, Dusk still nibbling her neck. Turning to Dusk, she corralled him around the back of his head as she gave him a deep, luscious kiss as well. “You, too. And no more bickering in the kitchen. I want today to be perfect, and nobody cares if we’re missing a fourteenth batch of sweets or a tenth main course.”

“Yes, mistress.” Dusk chuckled like a rogue now as he kissed her nose, then pushed away with a laugh. As Adrian took up the turkey pan, he nodded towards the rear of the house. Smiling, Layla went first, taking their uncooked bird out through the mudroom and into the open-air kitchenette upon the back deck.

Adrian set the turkey down on the cobalt tiled food prep area beside a smoker, a stone pizza oven, and an ornate gas grill. The oven, set into the wall of the house, was too small, only meant to keep pre-prepared foods warm for summer dinner parties outdoors. As Layla followed Adrian’s glance to the grill, it was clear the thing wouldn’t have enough height to get their massive bird in beneath the dome.

Which left the pizza oven—with enough height and width for the bird.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Adrian glanced at her, their thoughts often similar now from their Bind.

“Well, it is stone and brick. It can hold fire and transmit a lot of heat.” Layla glanced into the pizza oven, making sure it was clean. “But I’m afraid if we put the bird in there with our Desert Dragon magics, it’s going to cook fast outside and not at all inside.”

“Probably.” Adrian set his hands on his hips now as he stared at the bird. “If we can use Reginald’s magic to stabilize a water barrier around the bird inside and out, we could put a small fire inside the turkey, and out. It would steam the thing, get it hot fast and keep it juicy. Then we could stop the inside fire and the water barriers for the last twenty minutes to get a good, crisp skin. I’ve got a fuck-ton of butter under that skin, so that should help.”

“Don’t you have stuffing in the bird? Would that burn if we put a fire inside it?”

“Easy enough to fix.” Adrian turned to the turkey with a sly smile. As he undid the ties that held the drumsticks together, he had his hand up the cavity fast, hauling out the uncooked stuffing. He arranged it around the pan with the vegetables, then gestured to the bird’s cavity. “Voila. Plenty of room for a teensy little magical fire and a water-barrier.”

“I guess so.” Layla peered with doubt into the bird’s dark innards. “Time to work?”

“Time to cook.” Adrian grinned, as eager as Dusk.

As he cracked his knuckles, Layla put a hand on his shoulder to hone his energy. Between them, Adrian still had far more precision with his fire-magic than she did. It was his finesse they needed now as he thrust one hand at the pizza-oven, blasting a ring of white-blue fire all around inside to heat it.

With steadiness now, Adrian put two fingers inside the bird in a gesture Layla couldn’t help but smirk at. As he drew upon her grounding, Adrian poured a smooth, tiny flare of white-blue fire inside the turkey.

Lighting it up inside like a miniature sun.

“Good enough.” He glanced at her. “You’re up.”

With a nod, Layla knew her cue. She manifested Reginald’s Siren-magic through their Bind, concentrating now. Moving her hands, she manifested a barrier of shimmering golden water inside the pizza-oven, leaving space for the bird. After admiring the white-blue fire blazing behind shimmering gold water inside the oven, she turned to the turkey. Adrian’s hands wrapped around her waist, steadying her as she moved her hands in a tiny, precise maneuver.

And sent a beautiful sphere of water inside the turkey’s cavity—perfectly insulating it from the flame.

“Brava.” A luscious tenor-baritone voice came from behind them. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”

“Reginald!”

Joy filled Layla as she turned, seeing her Royal Golden Siren standing in the mudroom's doorway. Glorious, Reginald wore one of his tan three-piece suits tonight with golden pinstripes, russet oxfords, a crimson tie and pocket square.

Elegant, his long flax-gold hair was clipped half-back; as Layla flowed to him, he smiled in his Versace-model perfection. His soft lips enjoyed hers as he cradled her close to his sculpted body. As he pulled away, his pale blue eyes thawed to a luminous grey-gold, chuckling as he stroked a lock of Layla’s dark curls back from her face.

“Someone’s happy to see me.” He laughed, pleased.

“I’m just so glad you could make it!” Breathless, Layla clutched him close. “I know it was a lot to come all the way out to Seattle after the Paris Hotel’s Yule celebrations.”

“The celebrations went off without a hitch.” Reginald smiled now, his gray eyes beaming. “The rebuilds in the Paris Hotel are going well. The celebration in the Crystal Cathedral was lovely, and indeed, I’ve been lounging about with Rhennic since everything wrapped up. He flew out with me from the Paris Hotel, by the way. He’s in the kitchen with Dusk.”

“Awesome.” Layla beamed, Reginald’s smile brightening every part of her. Everything set with the turkey, Reginald and Adrian clasped hands before Layla took Reginald by the elbow, hauling him back into the kitchen. Chuckling, Reginald came, though Layla could feel his lovely Siren sea-energy flowing in amused tides to be hauled along by the woman who played submissive to his dominant.

But Layla’s relationship with each of her men was unique. She flowed forward now in the crowded, food-laden kitchen, embracing her tall, Viking-fit Storm Dragon Rhennic Erdhelm. Joy was in Rhennic’s deep lavender eyes as he wrapped Layla in his muscular arms, cuddling her to his rock-solid body.

Rhennic wore a sexy navy vest and slacks with a white shirt and russet oxfords today. He’d grown his red-blond hair out since Layla had last seen him; she admired its wavy tumble now, pulled back into a man-bun. As she cupped his red-blond bearded jaw in her hands, passion surged between them. He kissed her, winding her so close in his big, brawny arms that he made her peep.

“Heya, sexy.” Delight flashed in Rhennic’s vivid lavender eyes. “Thanks for inviting us all over for Christmas at your new home.”

“My home is still in Wahdi Atlamenta with Adrian, but getting a house here in Seattle was a strategic move to keep up with all my human friends.” Layla grinned, nuzzling his nose.

“Where are they, by the way?” Rhennic glanced up, frowning. “Rikyava said she and Luke were coming.”

“Rikyava just called from Luke’s.” Dusk liberated yet another tray of gingerbread from the oven. “They’re going to be late. Apparently, everybody’s pre-gaming over at Luke’s new house on Capitol Hill, and they’re a bit trashed.”

“Figures.” Smoothing a hand down over Layla’s ass in her lacy red panties, Rhennic squeezed her. “Are you wearing this to dinner tonight? I like it.”

“Obviously not.” She snorted, though she loved how he pulled her in. As they ground their hips together, she could feel how excited her current state of undress made him. “I need to go change. You boys all right, getting the final touches on everything?”

“We’re fine, Layla.” Adrian said now as he got a bunch of pre-made main dishes out of the packed refrigerator. “Dusk’s finally finished baking, so we’ll get both ovens warming with main dishes and I’ll set Reginald and Rhennic up finishing salads. You go change. Even if Luke, Rikyava, and the rest of your human friends are late, Rake usually isn’t, so you’ve only got about a half hour.”

“What about Fury?” Rhennic glanced around. “Anybody heard from him?”

But as everyone stalled in the kitchen, Layla felt her heart sink.

The only dull spot on this bright day.

“Fury’s still in the Pacific Ocean.” Reginald pinned Layla with an apologetic but direct gaze. “He called from Indonesia just over a week ago. I felt for him through the Bind yesterday just to see where he is now, but he’s blocking me from knowing his whereabouts. My feeling was that he was deep underwater somewhere, far offshore. I’m sorry, Layla, but I don’t know if he’ll be coming today.”

“I suppose it was too much to hope that he would cut short his around-the-world trip to be here for Christmas,” Layla said, still cradled in Rhennic’s arms. “He’s been so eager to see the world since he could leave the White Deeps. I really don’t blame him.”

“Neither do I.” Reginald smiled now, though Layla could feel his sadness.

“The rest of us will have a good time.” Dusk spoke up, shucking his oven mitts as he nodded to all the trays of gingerbread. “We’re going to decorate this beastie, and I’ve got it on good authority that Rake’s bringing mixers for special drinks, plus his signature eggnog. Rikyava’s got some Blood Dragon game for us to play that she swears is a rioting good time, and I bought a Winter Fae Yule-log for us to burn, so we won’t miss out on traditional Yule activities. We’ve got everything we need—though it’s a shame there’s no snow to play in.”

“It is a shame.” Layla hadn’t realized until now how much the sunny weather in Seattle didn’t make it feel like the holidays. Like Fury not being with them, it made her heart sink, missing the Paris Hotel and the snowy winters there. As her heart dipped, she saw her men feel it through the Bind, glancing at her with expressions ranging from wistful to melancholy.

But Dusk was right; there was going to be plenty of fun even without Fury and snow. Straightening, Layla shook off her mood. “It’s fine. We’ll still have a great time. I’m going to go change; you drakes have the helm. Rhennic, Reginald—the bar’s just through the dining area, help yourself to whatever. Love you all… and I’m so glad you’re all here for Christmas.”

“We love you, too, Layla.” Adrian beamed at her, his blue eyes on fire with gold. “Go get changed; we’ll see you in a minute.”

“Great.” With a big smile now, Layla wriggled out of Rhennic’s hands, though he made a fun game of trying to keep her before she slipped away. As she placed a hand on Adrian’s chest, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, then gave a smile to the rest of her men.

Layla moved out to the chalet-style living room with its towering river-rock fireplace, putting a hand to the mahogany rail of the grand staircase and heading up. Conversation resumed; she heard her mates readying dishes now, accompanied by laughter at something Dusk said.

She smiled. Christmas was going to be great this year, with most of her mates and friends here.

Even without her Silver Siren Fury—or snow.

Copyright 2023 Dragonlight Publishing LLC. No portion of this text may be copied or distributed without written permission of the author.

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