Chapter 7

F rom the moment Margot drifted back into consciousness, she could feel a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

And, she thought, rolling over onto her side so she could see Levi's still-sleeping face, she didn't believe anyone could blame her for that.

She curled up against Levi's side, warm and happy, both of them covered up by the cozy blanket they'd fallen asleep under last night. A delicious, satiated ache filled her body – she didn't think she'd ever woken up feeling quite this content before, ever, in her life.

My mate. Levi is my fated mate.

It was amazing to her how easily the thought drifted into her head. She'd never in a thousand years ever suspected she would be a shifter's mate, even though she'd met several shifters down through the years, and she'd known about the mate bonds they could share.

It just didn't seem possible a shifter could ever share that with me.

Especially not someone like Levi.

She'd known from the moment she met him that there was something about him – something that had called to her.

Perhaps it had been the mate bond all along, but Margot didn't think that was the only reason. Despite his occasional gruffness, it was clear that Levi had a kind heart and a generous spirit. She didn't care even a little bit that he couldn't shift – what did that matter, when he'd helped her so much, even though it had been pretty clear he didn't much care for Christmas himself?

And then there's the fact he's so handsome, and sweet, and he clearly is fond of Monty too…

Margot pursed her lips a little at the thought of Monty. It was possible, of course, that he was still curled up on Levi's sofa, not having moved an inch since yesterday. But there was also the possibility he'd gotten bored and hurled every porcelain item in Levi's great aunt's house to the ground, before wandering off to go spectrally bother someone else in town.

Well, I'll just have to hope that's not the case, Margot thought, as Levi's thick, dark eyelashes fluttered, and then he woke.

"Okay," he said, when he turned to look at her, his blue eyes still a little hazy from sleep. "I'm really glad to know that what happened last night wasn't just some incredible dream." He frowned a little. "Unless it was a dream, and you have no idea what I'm talking about right now, or this is a dream within a dream –"

Leaning forward, Margot cut off the flow of his words by pressing her lips against his.

"Does that answer your questions?" she asked mischievously, when she finally pulled back.

"Uh, yeah," Levi said, and Margot felt quite smug at the slight breathlessness in his voice – it was a fitting, if small, payback for how breathless he'd made her last night. "Pretty much."

He sat up, the blanket falling away from the broad plane of his chest, and it was all Margot could do not to pounce on him and re-enact the previous evening – except for the frown that crossed Levi's face in the next moment.

"Levi?" she asked, reaching over to cup his cheek with her palm. "Is there something wrong?"

"No…" Levi said, before shaking his head. "At least… I don't think so."

"Then what is it?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together.

"I don't really know," Levi replied after a moment. "It was just that… for a moment, I thought…" But then he trailed off, shaking his head. "But maybe I was wrong."

Margot wanted to question him further, but she also didn't want to pry too much – mate bond or no mate bond, she knew she'd chattered at him enough yesterday, and made him reveal things that clearly caused him pain.

Still…

She wanted him to know he could tell her anything, and she'd still accept him. Ever since last night, it was as if she could feel the magical bond that flowed between them – sturdy and golden and glowing, which nothing could ever break apart.

But even as she thought that, she became aware of a horrendous growling noise filling the cabin – and then became aware that it was her stomach.

Or rather, both of their stomachs.

"Okay, wow," she laughed. "I guess we worked up quite an appetite."

"You can say that again," Levi said, a flash of heat entering his eyes, and Margot couldn't stop the warm shiver that passed through her.

Okay! No! Food first! Then… whatever else, she told herself firmly. She honestly felt if she gave in to her more primal urges now, they'd probably never get out of this cabin.

Not that that would be so bad, she thought, as she rummaged around in her tote bag for the food they had left over from last night. Chicken drumsticks and potato salad might not have been the most conventional of breakfasts, but right now, Margot would take it.

And so would Levi, it seemed, from the way he tucked into his own plate of food with gusto.

Together, they ate in happy silence, the cabin filled with the sound of their munching, until finally they both sat back, contented and full.

"This cousin of yours is quite the cook," Levi said. "I'd really like to meet her one of these days to thank her – she really saved our bacon."

"Well, of course you can," Margot said with a smile. "I really hope you'll be able to meet all my family – we're pretty close, after all! And if you're my mate, then of course they'll be absolutely dying to meet you too. I don't think anyone else in my family has ever had a mate bond with a shifter before, even though we know a few."

As she spoke, she noticed that Levi's expression was growing more and more somber.

"Margot, you know, though, that I'm not really like other shifters," he said.

At first, Margot just blinked at him, not sure what he meant. Then, of course, she realized.

"Oh, but Levi – do you really think I, or any of them, would care about that?" she burst out before she could stop herself, shoving her foot right down her throat as per usual. "No – all they'll care about is how kind you are, and how much you helped me. Once they get to know you, I'm sure it won't even enter their heads."

"Perhaps not," Levi said quietly. "But they do seem like they have pretty high expectations."

"They do," Margot admitted. "But of me . It's because my parents are both such powerful magic users – naturally, it's kind of disappointing to them that it doesn't come as naturally to me as it does to them. They really want a child who can follow in their footsteps, and become a great magical researcher. And I just don't think I'm really cut out for that."

"Well, I don't think that's true," Levi said with a smile. "You figured out this place might be the place to find the snow flower – it sounds like that took a lot of work and determination. Not to mention cross-referencing a lot of material to narrow it down. That's no mean feat, Margot. You shouldn't undersell yourself."

"I… I suppose so," Margot stuttered, surprise filling her. She'd never really looked at it that way – she'd always just loved messing around in libraries, poring over old books and annotating them, taking notes and collecting information. It had seemed quite easy to her – almost second nature. It was practical magic and spells she was useless at – and that was what she needed to pass her course.

But… maybe I'm not so useless after all? she thought, swallowing. She'd always kept the amount of time she spent in libraries and dusty book towers to herself – she was sure if she mentioned it, Professor Imari would just tell her that if she'd devote as much time to studying magic, she'd surely have graduated by now.

"And my parents would love you," Levi continued. "Well, not that they don't love me, either, but I guess they're just… concerned. All my siblings have big families, but all of them learned to shift early, and in chimera society, proving you can shift is a huge benefit when you're finding your mate, or looking for a partner. Chimeras who can't shift… well. They have a harder time. I know some chimera shifters who never learned to shift – and they never were able to start their own families either. I just assumed that would be the case for me too, no matter how much I wanted a family or a partner in my life."

Margot nodded, even as her heart was bursting with sadness for Levi, and the pain and loneliness she could hear in his voice – but also with love.

Well, he'll never have to feel that way again. I'll make sure of it.

"You've definitely found that now," she murmured softly, as she leaned forward, pressing her palm to Levi's cheek. "As long as you don't mind spending your life with someone who once blew off the herbology department's greenhouse roof, and set her professor's beard on fire. And some other things too, but I'll stop right there in case you start to reconsider this whole thing."

Levi laughed, soft and husky. "No chance of that. I already knew all of that anyway, and I still knew you were the only person I could ever imagine having – or wanting – as my mate." He looked at her, his blue eyes burning. "And… you're sure you're okay with –"

He stopped again, frowning.

"Levi? What is it?" Margot asked, concern rippling through her. "Is everything okay?"

Levi shook his head, his hand pressed to his chest. Margot's concern grew into alarm, and she sprang up, her hands on Levi's shoulders.

"Levi?!"

But instead of answering her, Levi sprang up from the little love nest they'd made for themselves last night, striding to the door of the cabin.

"Levi!"

Thankfully, when Levi flung open the door of the cabin, it looked like the snowstorm had blown over during the night – snow flooded in through the door, white and fluffy and crisp, but it wasn't falling from the sky anymore, and Margot could see sunshine glittering through the trees.

But still, alarmed, Margot jumped up, taking a moment to wrap the blanket they'd been lying beneath around her.

Is Levi not cold, going out there butt naked like that?!

She appreciated the view, for sure, but right now, Margot didn't understand at all what was going on, and she didn't think striding out into the freezing cold morning air the day after a snowstorm was normal behavior, even for a chimera shifter!

When she reached the door, Levi had taken a few strides through the snow, and was now standing knee-deep in it a few feet from the cabin.

"Levi?" she called again from where she stood in the doorway.

Levi blinking, turning to look at her. "Margot…" he said, before shaking his head, as if awakening from a dream. "Margot, I think something is happening."

"Um… yes, you just walked out into the snow," Margot replied, blinking. "Is, uh, that what you meant?"

"No, I think I – Margot, I think I feel my chimera. I think it's awake. And I think it wants to come out."

Margot felt her mouth popping open in surprise. "Your chimera?!"

Levi nodded. A look of confusion crossed his face – but beneath the confusion, she could see determination.

"I think so. It's never… never felt this way before. I can feel it moving. Looking around. Like it suddenly wants to know what's going on outside of its dreams."

Margot felt hopefulness surging up inside her. Could this really mean…?

"It's still cautious though," Levi said after a moment. "I think it's still going to need some convincing –"

He cut himself off suddenly, blinking, his fists clenched at his side.

Margot was momentarily frightened, but then she saw Levi's expression harden even more into determination.

Is he –?

And yes, sure enough – she saw it.

She'd seen a shifter shifting before – some of them had been her former classmates at university after all, before they'd graduated and left her behind. But still, she was filled with a sense of absolute wonder as she watched now as a shimmer ran over Levi's body, and then he began to – to grow .

Margot held her breath, knowing her eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets. She might have seen shifters before, but she'd never seen a chimera.

And he was more magnificent than she ever could have imagined.

Large, white eagle's wings sprouted from Levi's back, so mighty they almost reached the lower levels of the forest canopy above when he stretched them out fully, flexing them as if they were stiff or tired.

A shining tail of delicate, silvery scales whipped out behind him, curving and glistening in the early morning sunlight.

But most magnificent of all was the noble lion's head and body – golden fur covered him, a full, shaggy mane covering his head and shoulders. Amber eyes turned their gaze to her as she stood in the doorway, frozen in amazement.

Margot could admit that if a lion she'd – somehow – randomly encountered had looked at her, she would have either screamed or fainted on the spot out of sheer terror.

But she felt none of that now. The only thing she felt pulsing through her was joy – and love.

"Levi, you shifted!" she cried out – stating the obvious, of course, but right now, she just couldn't help it. She didn't even feel the freezing cold snow against the bare soles of her feet as she dashed across the snow to where he stood, standing proudly in the small clearing that surrounded the cabin.

"Can I – I mean, is it okay to –?

Margot honestly wasn't completely sure about shifter etiquette – was it okay for her to run her fingers through his rippling golden mane, or touch the delicate feathers of his wings?

But Levi let out a low rumbling sound – closer to a purr than a growl – as if to let her know that she had his permission… or that, in fact, he'd like it very much.

Margot lowered her hand to his golden fur, marveling at how warm he was, and how soft the fur was. She could feel his muscles shifting beneath the surface too, as she ran her fingers up to where his wings sprouted from just behind his shoulders, his golden fur seamlessly becoming pure white feathers.

"Wow," she breathed, not sure what else to say. She wasn't frightened at all. Somehow, she knew this was still Levi – and that Levi would never, ever hurt her, no matter what form he took.

"Levi, this is incredible!" she laughed, as, as she petted him, a little crooning noise of contentment began booming in his chest. "But why you do think it happened now?"

Levi could, she realized, hardly give her an answer while he had a lion's head. But that raised another question, she supposed – now that he'd shifted into his chimera form, could he shift back?

The chimera was looking around, blinking, as if it had just awoken from a long, deep sleep – which, Margot supposed, it had. But it was probably seeing the world fully for the first time. She supposed she should give it a moment to get its bearings.

Laughing, she skipped back a few steps to stand on the well-worn porch of the cabin, casting a quick warming spell on her feet, which she had, belatedly, realized were freezing cold.

She watched, joyful, as the chimera moved slowly around the clearing, first sniffing at the ground and then gazing up at the sky. Its paws sank into the snow as it went, but it still seemed remarkably light on its feet for such a large beast, moving with grace and elegance.

Magnificent, Margot thought as she watched him. That's the only word for him. Magnificent!

She was content to watch for as long as the chimera wanted to explore, but before long, it turned back to her, striding over to where she stood. She supposed she was about to find out whether, having mastered becoming a shifter at last, Levi could now master becoming his human form again.

But she needn't have worried.

After a pause, during which she imagined some internal negotiations were happening inside Levi's head, his body began shrinking, once again becoming the man she knew – and loved.

"Oh, Levi! I'm so happy for you!"

Without thinking, she flung herself forward against his chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. After a moment, she felt his strong, warm arms come up to envelop her, pulling her close to his chest.

Their mouths met in a kiss, and Margot let her eyes slide shut, savoring the sensation of his lips against hers, the warmth of his body, the embrace of his arms.

"This is so wonderful," Margot said breathlessly when they finally managed to break apart. "Do you think… do you think this is because it's Christmas? I read that it's a time of year when special things happen…"

"Well, I'm not sure about that," Levi said with a small smile. "But something special definitely happened to me last night."

Margot laughed, feeling a blush creeping up her cheeks – but she couldn't say she disagreed.

Quite beyond special, really…

"And maybe…" Levi continued, before trailing off. Margot cocked her head, waiting for him to go on.

"Maybe it wasn't just that," Levi finally said after a moment of thought. "I don't know if this makes any sense, but maybe it was finally accepting that I could be a worthy mate for you, even if I couldn't shift. Just feeling that no matter what, I wanted to be with you. That you were my mate , and that telling you was the right thing to do."

"That sounds like it could be true," Margot said, nodding. "Maybe accepting the mate bond was what made the chimera finally want to show itself. If you knew from the first moment we met, then it did take you a little while, I guess," she laughed.

Levi looked at her ruefully. "I was an idiot for not telling you right away."

But Margot only shook her head. "Well, I can see how it might be a difficult thing to spring on someone! And back then, I thought you were a wizard-errant, and I wasn't exactly letting you get a word in edgewise. So there's that as well."

Laughing, Levi tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I admit, I was pretty confused back when we first met," he said. "But I always knew you were my mate. I'm so glad I finally got the courage to tell you."

"Me too," Margot said, nodding. "And not just because it means you can shift now… well, maybe that's why, anyway. But because if you hadn't, I never would have known. But I don't think I ever would have forgotten you, either."

A shiver passed through her at the thought that she might never have discovered the bond they shared, and she would have gone back to the magical world none the wiser, with only the memory of his amazing blue eyes and the kindness he'd shown her.

But that reminds me…

In the excitement of discovering what she and Levi were to each other and Levi's newfound ability to shift, Margot had almost – almost – forgotten why she was here in the first place.

The flos nivis .

Her stomach clenched as she thought of it. Finding it would mean bringing it back to the magical world. And going back to the magical world meant –

Would Levi want to come with me? Can I ask him to leave his family and everything he has here to come live with me there?

But even as she thought it, Margot was filled with a different kind of confusion.

The non-magical world was completely different from what she'd been led to believe growing up. It wasn't that it was thought of as dangerous per se, but she'd definitely been told that it wasn't very welcoming, and that magic users would never be accepted there.

Perhaps she wouldn't be able to use her magic as openly as she did back home, Margot thought, as she gazed around at the unutterable beauty of the mountain landscape around her, but she felt a sad tug in her chest at the thought of leaving so soon. Everything she'd encountered here had been fascinating, from the snow to the decorations to the Christmas cake to the people themselves. And she really wanted to know more.

But I can't give up on my quest to find the flos nivis either.

She'd come so far, after all – she didn't want to give up now. Not when she was so close.

I'll deal with those problems later, she told herself firmly. Find the flos nivis first, worry about everything else later.

"I think I can help you find the flower you need better now as well," Levi said, as if he'd been reading her mind. "Now that I can fly, we can cover much more ground, much more quickly."

With a skip in her heartbeat, Margot realized he was right. "But will we be able to see it if we're flying high above?" she asked.

"Don't worry about that," Levi reassured her. "While I was wandering around in chimera form just now, I realized just how much better my senses are when I'm a chimera. I thought they were pretty good when I was in this form – better than a normal human's senses, that's for sure – but now I realize how much I was missing out on. Everything just seems so much more… vivid. I could hear birds singing that I can't make out at all now, and even the sounds of animals moving through the snow from miles away. And my eyesight is better too – I'm sure I could see a tree like the one you describe if we keep to just above the forest canopy."

"We?" Margot blinked at him. "You mean… I'd come with you? How? I can't –"

She suddenly realized what Levi meant, and her mouth snapped shut as she stared at him.

He smiled – an absolutely wicked smile, like she'd never seen on his face before. It definitely sent a warm shiver right though the pit of her stomach.

"I would want to be sure I had the right flower," he said. "So naturally, I'd carry you on my back – there'd be no point in me flying all around, only to bring you back the wrong thing. So we'd definitely be saving time this way."

"But – but – I can't even ride a – a –" Margot spluttered to a halt, as she realized she didn't know what she couldn't ride, given she'd never ridden anything in her entire life.

She'd read about children receiving things called bicycles for Christmas as part of her research, but they didn't have those in the magical world – if they needed to get somewhere, they either used a teleporting spell, or they just sat in a chair and magicked it to movement to carry them, while they sat on board and read a book to pass the time.

But something alive? Even if it's Levi?!

But even as she thought it, Margot could also feel a thrill of excitement building within her. She'd never been that good at self-levitation spells, so she'd never experienced flying before.

Wouldn't it be exciting to try it?

"I'd never let you fall, Margot," Levi said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'd be completely safe."

"Oh! It's not that at all," Margot assured him. She knew she'd be safe with him, no matter what. "I just hadn't thought about it! But… but now that you mention it, I can't wait to try."

A grin spread across her face as she said it. She really, really couldn't. And she could see from the answering smile on Levi's face that he couldn't either – he was just as excited as she was.

"Let's go pack up the cabin," he said, "and then, let's go flying."

Maybe, Margot thought, as the air rushed past her, sending her hair streaming out behind her, now that Levi had learned how to shift into his chimera form, flying simply came naturally to him – an instinct.

Certainly, he'd seemed to pick it up right away: he'd done one test flight by himself first, breaking through the trees with only a couple of mighty sweeps of his wings, his shape a dark silhouette against the clear, bright blue of the sky when she'd gazed up to follow his movements.

Her heart had leaped for joy as she'd watched him soaring above, wings outstretched, tail expertly keeping him balanced in the air. It was lucky, she supposed, that they were out here on the mountain during winter – it was highly unlikely anyone would spot the soaring shape of a chimera out here!

By the time Levi had landed again in a cold spray of snow, Margot had been itching to clamber up on his back and fly with him. Any doubts or fears she'd had had melted away as she'd watched him.

And now, protected from the freezing mountain winds by her warming spell, Margot was having every bit as much fun as she'd thought she would.

The world was laid out below her in blues and greens and whites and blacks, the snow-covered mountains rising all around them, the dark trees of the forest below, the unbroken blue of the sky above.

As they soared, Margot could feel a laugh bubbling up within her. She just couldn't help it – all of this was so… so fun! It was almost easy to forget that she needed keep her eyes peeled for the flos nivis . But she thought she could be forgiven a little marveling at the way she and Levi were gliding through the beauty of the mountain landscape, with his strong wings, beating just behind her where she was straddling his shoulders, keeping them safe and airborne.

I'd have worked harder at learning levitation if I'd known flying was like this, Margot thought as Levi brought them around in a wide arc, dropping a little closer to the tops of the tallest trees. But then, maybe I never would have met Levi, and never would have gotten to experience… well, this!

But as much fun as she was having, she knew she had a job to do. She had to resist the urge to simply snuggle up in Levi's beautiful golden mane and forget everything else in the world except him, and the unparalleled view of the mountains and forest.

Levi had told her that his eyes in his chimera form were pretty sharp, but she knew it would be better if they were both keeping an eye out for anything that could be the flos nivis.

She hoped it'd be easy to spot – it was a bright green, whereas most of the trees here were either dark green firs, or they had lost their leaves for winter. Still, it seemed a long shot.

That was, until she saw a sudden flash of green from below, a different color to its surroundings, growing in amongst a group of bare-branched trees.

"There!" Margot cried out, pointing below – but she knew from the way Levi had suddenly slowed that he'd seen it too.

As fast as they were going, Levi had to circle back quite a way, but it was obvious his chimera had excellent homing instincts. When he folded his wings to guide them down to earth, it was only a few feet away from the tree they'd seen, the bright spray of its leaves obvious amongst the dark bare branches.

Margot's breath caught in her throat as she slid down from Levi's back, sinking up to her shins in snow. Next to her, Levi shifted back into his human form – fully clothed, to Margot's mild surprise, though she'd seen him shift into the chimera while he'd been dressed after she'd revoked the trail spell and they'd finished cleaning up the cabin to leave it exactly as they'd found it, so she wasn't quite sure why. She supposed at least that saved them a lot of social embarrassment!

"Is that it?" Levi asked, as together they trudged toward the tree, speaking the words Margot hadn't quite been able to bring herself to say, as her heart hammered in her ears.

"I – I think so," she said, as she approached it. The tree was actually little more than a sapling – they'd been lucky to see it at all.

But it had the same star-shaped leaves as she'd seen in the illustrations in her tome of botanic wonders, and here it was, magically green and lush even in the dead of winter, when most other trees like it had long since shed all their leaves.

But…

"But it's not flowering," Margot said, worry misting over her former joy, as she circled the tree.

And sure enough, there wasn't a single flower to be seen anywhere on the tree – not even a tightly furled bud, waiting for colder weather to bloom.

"Are you sure this is the right kind of tree?" Levi asked, as he lifted a hand to touch one of its brilliant green leaves.

"I – I can check," Margot said, rummaging in her tote for Botanical Wonders – the book that contained all the information anyone still had about the flos nivis. Finding it, she opened the massive book, flipping to the correct page.

"See – look here," she said, pointing to an ancient illustration of the leaves. "It's the same leaf shape, isn't it? And the same color too. And look at the bark – it has these silvery patterns, just the same as in the book. I think this really might be the flos nivis, but…"

She trailed off, biting her lip.

It didn't matter how sure she was that this was the right tree. There were no flowers on it, nothing that even slightly resembled the white and blue petals that were painted on the page of her book.

Desperately, she pored over the tiny, spidery handwriting the book was written in, trying to find more information, while Levi looked over her shoulder.

"It… it does say here that only mature trees will flower, no matter what time of year it is," she said. "But it doesn't say how to tell if the tree is mature or not. It does mention that very old trees can grow to be extremely tall and mighty, but not how they look before they've fully matured."

"This tree looks pretty small," Levi observed – and indeed, it was only a little taller than he was. Levi might have been tall for a person, but for a tree, it wasn't very high at all. "Perhaps this one simply hasn't reached maturity yet?"

"I suppose not," Margot murmured, as she tucked her book away in her tote again. "You mentioned the temperatures over the last few days have been at record lows, so I imagine if it was going to be flowering, it'd be doing it now."

"Especially after the storm last night," Levi agreed. "I can't imagine any better conditions for a flower called the snow flower to be blooming in."

Disappointment made Margot's heart sink. They'd found the flos nivis! But it wasn't in flower, and it didn't seem like it would be old enough to do so until next year, at the very earliest.

Her feelings must have been clear on her face, because Levi pulled her into a hug, enveloping her in his arms. "Don't worry – now that I can fly you anywhere you need to go, we can find another one, one that's old enough to have the flower you need. It's really only the flower that you can use?"

"Yes," Margot said, her voice a little muffled as she pressed herself against Levi's warm, solid body, allowing herself to be soothed by his closeness. "The tome was very clear on that point. Only the flowers contain magical properties – the rest of the tree is just… well, a tree."

"Then we'll definitely find you that flower," Levi said, his voice determined.

But despite all their determination, it simply seemed that today was not their lucky day, Margot thought, as, with every passing moment, her hope diminished that they'd find the flos nivis .

They'd flown in every direction they could, Levi's strong chimera body never tiring, his wings carrying them far and wide over the mountains where Margot had read the flos nivis grew. But they never spotted a flash of green like they had before – no matter how hard they searched, it seemed the tree was nowhere to be found, or else the trees simply weren't old enough to have grown high enough to be seen from the air, meaning they definitely weren't old enough to flower, either.

Margot's heart sank. She'd had so much hope, but now, that hope seemed destined to be dashed.

But at least all of this means that Levi was finally able to change into his chimera form, she told herself, as she pressed her cheek against the shaggy hair of his mane. That has made all of this worthwhile.

And it had. Despite her disappointment that her own quest had ended in failure, she simply couldn't be too downhearted. After all, she'd discovered that Levi was her mate, and that bond had meant Levi was now the chimera he'd always wished he could be.

It truly wouldn't have mattered to Margot whether he could shift or not, but it was more what it meant that made her happy: Levi had accepted that he was worthy of her, worthy of everything . And that had meant his chimera had finally felt comfortable enough to emerge into the world.

So I can't be too sad, she told herself, even as the anxiety of almost certainly having to return to the magical world empty-handed grew inside her.

What was certain was that they wouldn't be able to stay out here for much longer – there were storm clouds gathering over the mountains, and it was clear they were in for another big dump of snow. No matter how strong and brave Levi was, even a chimera couldn't battle a snowstorm.

"Perhaps we should head back," Margot called to him, burying her hands in his mane. "I don't want to get caught up in all those dark clouds!"

Levi let out a low crooning sound of regretful agreement, before he began turning them in a wide, slow circle, heading back to the town of Girdwood Springs. As they approached, Margot could see it glittering in the swiftly dimming light, like a beautiful little beacon nestled amongst the mountains. She liked to think at least some of the Christmas lights she'd seen on her day at the markets were making up some of that warming glow, as if guiding them home.

Levi descended a little way from the beginning of the hiking trails, nearby to the closed ranger's hut they'd seen the day before. Given that the parklands were closed, Margot had assumed no one would be around to see a giant chimera descending from the sky above, but still, she breathed a sigh of relief once Levi was back in human form, and they hurried to the park exit just as the first large flakes of snow were beginning to fall.

Stores on the main street of Girdwood Springs were just beginning to pack up for the day as they made their way back to Thorne's Antique Booksellers – Margot watched a little wistfully as the red and green tablecloths of the cafes were folded away, the sparkling tinsel taken down for the evening, the tiny glowing lights flickering off.

She wondered if she'd at least be able to treat herself to one more day of Christmas before she had to go back to the magical world and admit she'd failed to find the snow flower – she felt, given everything, she deserved to do at least something to cheer herself up.

Even if I am a complete failure now, she thought sadly. This really had been her last chance. But she hadn't been able to find what she needed.

I guess I'll have to break the news to Monty, she thought, as Levi unlocked the front door. I wonder if he'll mind. I guess at least this way he'll get to be reassigned as a familiar to a real witch.

She suppressed a sob. She'd miss Monty so much – and, she thought, in his own way he'd miss her too. She really did think all his teasing was because he was fond of her. But now, she'd failed him too.

Her heart sank, and she had to blink back tears as she walked.

"I'm sorry, Levi," Margot blurted out, as soon as the door of the bookshop was closed behind them, and she'd been enveloped in its comforting scent of old paper, well-read books, old leather bindings and aged wood.

Levi turned to look at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "What on earth would you have to be sorry about?"

Shaking her head, Margot flopped down onto one of the worn armchairs that seemed to sit in random places around the shop; it let out a little sigh as she dropped her weight into it that sounded as sad as she felt. "I feel like… well, that all of this has just been… a… a wild hen chase," she said. "Is that the right way to say it?"

"It's close enough," Levi said with a smile, as he came to stand in front of her. "And I'm still not really following what you mean."

"I mean I dragged you all over those mountains, and not a trace of the flos nivis was to be found!" Margot said, dropping her head into her hands. "And… aside from that, you now have to deal with a failed witch for your mate! I definitely won't be graduating now – I really don't have anything else to offer the magical world. This was my last chance. I don't know how I'm going to show my face there again."

"You're not a failure," Levi said firmly, coming to kneel in front of her and cupping her face with his hand. "Not in any sense of the word. You're my mate. And you've done more for me than I could ever possibly imagine. I never would have discovered I could shift if it wasn't for you. I probably would have just finished packing up this bookstore like a grump, tossed out all the books, and gone back home to live the rest of my life the same way I lived the first twenty-seven years: bitter and alone."

He paused, shaking his head, pain briefly flashing into his eyes.

"I was so angry my chimera didn't seem to want to show itself that it affected every other part of my life. But you made me realize – with or without my chimera, that's not how I want to live anymore. I had no idea telling you that you were my mate would finally coax my chimera out – I'd resolved never to tell you. I'd just help you because that's what I should be doing. So even before I knew how it'd change things for me, you were making me want to be a better person than I had been."

Margot swallowed. Her heart had glowed with more and more love with every word Levi had spoken. And, despite her sadness, she knew it was all true. There was no way to doubt it: Levi's eyes were alight with sincerity. And she knew he'd never say these things just to make her feel better – he meant every word.

"You're my mate , Margot," Levi said. "And that means more to me than anything else in the world. Nothing about meeting you has been a waste of time. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, whether it led to me being able to shift or not. The only thing that matters is you."

"Levi –" Margot murmured, before she rushed forward, throwing her arms around him. Her heart was beating swiftly within her, filling her with the golden warmth of his love.

His lips found hers, and they kissed – just like every other kiss they'd shared, Margot could feel the heat behind it, but also, the strength of their bond.

We really are fated mates, she thought, a little dizzily, as her lips parted.

She never wanted the kiss to end – despite her low mood, despite the fact she knew she might have to return having totally failed, she could at least see a future for herself now: a future with Levi by her side, their mate bond only growing stronger with every year they spent together.

Maybe, she thought, a little breathlessly when they finally managed to pull away from each other, maybe he'd even let me help him sort out his great aunt's bookshop…

There had to be a treasure trove of knowledge about the non-magical world in here, after all! It would take years to go through it all.

I think I'd enjoy something like that, Margot thought, her lip twitching irresistibly into a smile as she looked down at Levi's face.

"Well," Levi said, his voice a little husky, "I don't know about you, but after all that flying, I have to say I'm pretty hungry."

"Me too." Margot stood up, pulling Levi up with her. "But perhaps I –"

She stopped talking abruptly, shock and surprise halting the words as they came out of her mouth. She stared.

"Margot?" Levi asked, concern in his voice, before he followed the direction of her stare, and stopped in his tracks.

"Was… was that there before?" Margot whispered, barely daring even to blink, in case what she was seeing before her very eyes would disappear in an instant.

"I can pretty categorically say it wasn't," Levi said.

And Margot herself was pretty categorically sure she could say he was right. There was no way either of them could have missed this – the large, bluish-white bloom of the flower that now sprouted from one of the massive, dark wooden beams that crossed the ceiling of the bookshop.

"If I didn't know any better," Levi muttered after a moment, "I'd say that looked exactly like –"

"The flos nivis ," Margot finished for him. And indeed, there was pretty much no mistaking it. The flower looked exactly like the illustration in her book, with its large, lily-like petals, white in the middle and becoming a delicate pale blue at the edges. A few leaves had even sprouted alongside the flower – and they were the same brilliant green star-shapes that they'd seen earlier today on the immature tree they'd found on the mountain.

"But… but how can this be?" Margot asked, her eyes wide as she circled below the flower. "Is it even real? I don't understand how a flower could just – could just –"

She could barely bring herself to say it. How could it be possible that the very thing they'd been searching for all this time had just grown out of the wooden beam of the bookstore?!

"I don't know, Margot," Levi said, shaking his head. "In fact, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever." Then, a thoughtful frown crossed his face. "But I think I may know of someone who can tell us – or rather, someone who knows how to find someone who can tell us. But we'll have to hurry if we're going to catch them."

Margot felt a thousand questions bubbling to the surface of her mind, but in the end, she pushed them back down, silently following Levi as he grabbed her hand, and then dashed with her to the door.