“Of course.” I rolled my eyes. “Because why wouldn’t you be able to conjure a whole winter wardrobe out of thin air? Totally normal.”
Kip nudged the boots toward me with his foot. “Better get dressed unless you want your nipples to freeze off.”
I clutched the coat like a shield. “My nipples are staying exactly where they are, thank you very much.”
Cole chuckled. “Put them on, Neve. It will be cold, even for someone rediscovering their ice powers.”
With a dramatic sigh that would have made any teenager proud, I shrugged into the coat. It was annoyingly perfect and the right size. It was so light it barely felt like I was wearing anything, yet somehow it was incredibly warm.
“I know several good lawyers.” I yanked the pants up over my jeans. “If I lose so much as a finger to frostbite, I’m suing all of you.”
Pierce placed the boots in front of me. “No one’s losing any body parts tonight.”
I jammed my feet into the boots, which molded instantly to my feet like they’d been custom-made. “That’s exactly what someone says before an arm gets cut off.”
Dash held out the hat. “We won’t be flying into any ice storms, and the magic will keep you warm.”
My stomach lurched at the casual reminder of what was about to happen. Flying. On actual reindeer. Hundreds of feet in the air with nothing but fur and magic between me and plummeting to my death.
I tugged the hat over my ears, the bell jingling softly. “If I throw up on anyone, remember that this was your idea.”
The men exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them. Then, one by one, they stepped back, forming a loose half-circle around me in the yard.
Dane tipped his chin toward me, all casual warning. “You might want to step back a bit.”
I retreated until my back hit the trunk of the lone palm treethat had survived my black thumb. From there, I watched as the most surreal transformation I’d ever witnessed unfolded.
It started with a shimmering in the air around each man, like heat waves rising from pavement. Their forms blurred, stretched, and twisted. Clothes melted away, replaced by thick fur in various shades of brown. Human features elongated into muzzles, hands and feet morphed into powerful hooves, and atop each changing head, antlers sprouted and unfurled like time-lapse photography of growing branches.
Within moments, my backyard was filled with giant reindeer. Steam rose from their nostrils in the cool air, their massive antlers gleaming in the moonlight.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, frozen in place as nine sets of eyes—the same colors they’d had as humans—focused on me.
Only there weren’t nine reindeer. There were eight.
Rudy still stood in human form, moving purposefully between the reindeer with my hastily packed suitcase and duffel bag. He secured them with practiced efficiency to the backs of what I somehow knew were Pierce and Cole.
One of the smaller reindeer stepped forward, kneeling gracefully in front of me. His coat was deep brown, and his eyes were unmistakably Dane’s. As he lowered himself, I noticed a saddle-like contraption across his back that hadn’t been there when he’d first shifted.
My legs felt like jelly as I approached. “This is insane. I am insane.”
Dane snorted, nudging my hand with his muzzle.
“Fine. But if you drop me, I swear I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt your reindeer ass for all eternity.”
Taking a deep breath, I gripped the saddle and awkwardly swung my leg over, settling into place with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. The moment I sat, a feeling of rightness swept over me, and my brain recognized this as natural.
The saddle molded to my body like the boots had to my feet, securing me in place without feeling restrictive. My fingers found the horn and wrapped around it, the material warm beneath my touch.
A movement to my right caught my eye. Rudy was mounting the largest reindeer, which had a coat so dark brown it was almost black. Even in reindeer form, Don’s quiet strength was unmistakable.
“What are you doing?” I called over to Rudy, my voice higher than normal. “Aren’t you going to... you know?” I made a vague gesture at the other reindeer.
Rudy settled onto Don’s back, looking far more comfortable with the whole situation than anyone had a right to. “One of us needs to communicate with you.”
My brow furrowed. “But I heard you in my head when you were a reindeer in the park. You could talk to me then.”
Something flickered across Rudy’s face, though it was gone so quickly I might have imagined it. “It’s easier to protect you this way.”
