But what I see next—what is revealed behind that shimmer—is something I never thought I’d see. Velvet antlers appear on his head at least five feet high from the base to tip. They are so realistic that I almost believe they are real.
As my eyes move down, I watch as his facial features sharpen, giving him an even more intense appearance.
It's as if someone turned the sex appeal dial on his appearance up to hundred.
Not human. Not entirely. But somehow still him.
For a long beat, the only sound is the crackling of the fire.
I blink once, twice. Yet—it’s still there.
Then, because my brain is frozen on the load screen, I say the only thing that made it through. “Whoa, now that’s one serious antler headpiece. Is it heavy? Does your neck strain when they are up there?”
His mouth twitches, desperate to smile but he doesn’t. “Berry…”
“I’m sorry, seriously.” I roll my lips between my teeth. I wave my head towards the very real looking antlers. “Okay, so do you grow them seasonally? Is there a special soap for washing them? Does someone need to sharpen them?”
“Holly,” his voice is low, there’s an edge to it like a warning.
That’s when it hits me. There’s a flicker of something ancient in his eyes. The shimmer still glowing faintly around the edges. There’s a hum in the air.
“They’re—real.” I swallow hard, tilting my head as if it will somehow make it better.
He nods. “They are.”
Chapter Thirteen
A Dash of Heat
Ryatt
I’ve dropped the glamour, leaving nothing between us but the mythical creature and her. There are no more lies to be shed or secrets to reveal, outside of my shifted form. All that’s left is the reindeer prince praying to his Goddess that the very human woman won’t see a monster.
My pulse hammers in my ears like the drums of war. The air between us hums, charged with magic that isn’t entirely mine. It’s hers—her wonder, the fear coursing through her, and the disbelief that it is real. I can taste the mixture on my tongue like frost.
She doesn’t move at first, just stares. Her gaze slowly traces along my antlers. I watch her take in my sharp edges, the truest form of myself, as I wait with bated breath for what she’ll say. I can almost hear the clicking of her boots as she runs away, even though she hasn’t moved.
But instead she stands up, hesitantly moving towards me.
She sucks in a breath through her teeth as her shaky hand moves towards them. I don’t dare move, afraid that even if I shifted my weight, she’d lurch backwards. When her fingers finally graze the velvet of my antlers, I almost fall to my knees at her feet. The bond flares to life between us, bright and alive, pure magic threading between every atom of my body. I can’t breathe, can’t think—the only thing existing for me in this moment is here.
It’s the moment she whispers, “You’re beautiful,” that completely undoes me. Before I thought she was my world, but now there isn’t a part of me that doesn’t believe it.
Her awe rushes into me, joining my adoration of her. Our emotions mold together into one single embodiment of us. I suck in a breath, my hands reaching over and pulling her down onto my lap.
A soft gasp leaves her when she finds more than one thing hard beneath her. I’ve worried for days about how she’d react when she learned the truth, but with her hands stroking along my antlers, and her scent filling my nostrils, I can’t wait any longer.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming about this moment. How much I’ve worried that you’d run away when you found out the truth. I can’t even put into words how it feels to know that you accept me.” My hand tangles into her long, amber curls, twisting my fingers into them and pulling gently causing her to drop her head back.
I nuzzle into the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply as a low moan trembles in her throat.
“Ryatt…” She breathes, her voice a desperate whisper. “I have so many questions, but right now…”
Her hips roll against me, and I can’t help but laugh softly.
“Something else is consuming my thoughts.”
For a heartbeat neither of us moves, sitting in the truth we both feel in the moment. Her hands still rest against my antlers, her pulse a steady beat against them. The air between us crackles with energy and tension as we stare into each other’s eyes.
