He nodded, his antlers catching the warm library light. “Always alone, because I didn’t know who to trust with it.”
“Thank you for sharing this with me…with us. This is going to change everything.”
Before I could stop myself, I reached up and stroked his cheek again. I liked the way his beard felt under my fingertips. He leaned into the touch immediately, his antlers swaying as his head tilted toward my hand.
“You already have me wrapped around your finger, kisu,” he admitted with a small grin. “I’d do anything you ask.”
“Then tell me what kisu means.”
His grin deepened into a smirk, his voice dropping an octave. “It means kitten—or perhaps…pussycat.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks—and then lower, that new cascade of hormones I still wasn’t used to. He inhaled sharply as his pupils blew wide, running a hand up my thigh before wrapping it around my waist and pulling me closer.
“My omega…” He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his tongue lapping over that sensitive spot below my ear. My whole body shivered. “You smell so good.”
He did too. Pine and leather, underscored with a sweet, spicy hint of ginger. I couldn’t deny the pull between us—just like the one I shared with Kenai and Taimyr. If you’d asked me a few days ago whether I believed in soulmates or fated mates, or whatever this was, I would’ve given an extremely cynical answer.
But I knew what I felt. Magical cocoa curse or not, I knew in my heart of hearts that it was real—just like I’d once known Christmas itself was magic. When I was young, I’d loved that it was the only time of year our family ever seemed to come together, and Grandma Rose’s guilt about not being there the rest of the year always manifested as a mountain of presents. But there was more to it than that. There’s something that happens when the days grow short and the nights long—something ancient that wakes within us all, welcoming the return of the light and the promise of a new year and new opportunities.
And, apparently, an entire corporate architecture designed to make sure magic gets pumped from every home on the planet.
I tangled my fingers in the hair at his nape and moaned softly as his tongue swept over me again.
“Fuck, Sylvie…don’t make those noises. I’m barely holding it together,” he groaned. “I know you’re human. I know you might not feel what I do, but…”
“Idofeel it.” My grip tightened on his neck. “Every logical part of me says this is insane, but…” I took a steadying breath. “Iwant you to show me that I should trust this feeling in my heart instead.”
The back of his knuckles traced along my cheek. “I would like nothing more.” His hand slid to the back of my neck, grasping gently as he pulled me into a kiss. It was all-consuming—his tongue sweeping over my lips, asking permission before deepening it.
My hands found his surprisingly narrow waist as I opened for him, and his taste reignited the heat I thought had finally quieted. I groaned as our tongues met, starving for more.
He looped his hands under my thighs, lifting me onto the desk, pressing my legs apart with his hips. He ground against me where I was already slick with want—and he was enormous. I clenched just from the thought.
If this was us holding it together, my mind spun with what it would be like when we weren’t.
He traced his fingers along the inside of my thigh, then over my clit, pausing at the button of my pants.
“Aleksi…wait…”
My mates.
I knew reindeer shifters saw polyamory differently than humans did, but this was still new to me—and felt wrong, somehow, to do this without them. Would I even be here if Kenai hadn’t taught me to trust again, if Taimyr hadn’t shown me that a heart could be shared without jealousy? As Aleksi threaded his fingers through my hair and kissed me again, I hesitated.
He felt it instantly and pulled back. “Sylvie, what is it?”
Open communication—that was the key to any relationship. We couldn’t start this without it.
“It doesn’t feel right, not having Kenai and Taimyr here. It…feels like betrayal.”
“That’s not how reindeer feel,” he said without judgment.
“Yes, but itishow I feel.”
His eyes softened at that, his gaze roaming my face. It was so full of wanting I could practically feel it—but he restrained himself. He let out a long snort and dropped his head so his forehead rested against my shoulder, his antlers brushing my hair.
“If that is what you desire, kisu, then of course I would?—”
He was cut off as two figures slid around the stacks we’d found ourselves behind. He shifted instantly, his massive body shielding mine, as Kenai and Taimyr stumbled into view—antlers clashing, tangled together as they both tried to round the corner at once.
