Chapter 5

Chapter Five

NICK

T he stable smelled of hay, leather, and that faint, comforting musk I’d always associated with the reindeer. I stepped inside, the warmth of the space battling against the icy air outside. The flickering lanterns cast soft, golden light over the stalls, but tonight, the sight that usually brought me peace left a heavy knot in my chest.

Comet lay in her stall, her head resting against the hay as Blitzen stood nearby, shuffling uneasily. The stable elves had done their best to separate the two sick reindeer from the rest, and made them comfortable, but something was clearly wrong. Their usual gleaming coats were dull, and their eyes, normally bright with life, seemed dim.

A wave of unease rolled over me. I’d spent countless hours here as a boy, brushing their coats, sneaking them sugar cubes, and dreaming of the day I’d guide them across the sky. To see them like this felt… wrong. Alva stood at Comet’s side, her brow furrowing in concentration as she inspected her feed.

She wore a dress of deep emerald that clung to her in all the right ways, her auburn hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders. The ball had clearly been her priority tonight, yet here she was, kneeling in the hay, more concerned with the reindeer than with the perfect party she’d orchestrated. For a moment, I couldn’t stop staring. She looked like a winter goddess, her beauty somehow magnified by the warm light.

My gaze lingered on the curve of her neck and slithered all the way to her lips. She’d pressed them tightly together in thought. The sudden, insane urge to kiss her flickered through my mind, unbidden and impossible to ignore.

“Nick?” Her voice startled me, and I blinked, quickly trying to focus.

“What?”

“I asked if you’d happened to notice anything strange about the reindeer recently.”

I cleared my throat, stepping closer to where she knelt. “No. They were fine two days ago when I stopped by.”

“You were here two days ago?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shot her a half-lidded gaze. “Yes, Brightwinter. I don’t just loaf around drinking peppermint martinis. I actually care about them.”

Her expression softened, and surprisingly, she didn’t fire back with a sharp retort. I knelt beside her, running a hand over Comet’s side. She let out a weak huff, and the sound made my heart squeeze. “This doesn’t make sense.” Noticing the stable elf nearby, I asked, “Has there been a change to their feedings? Droppings? Have they been around any other sick animals that you know of?”

The elf drew closer, brows pinched. “No, Your Highness. We haven’t changed their food or noticed anything odd with their droppings recently. And we usually keep the reindeer sequestered from other animals this close to Christmas. This is highly unusual. The illness manifested fast. Comet suddenly got sick yesterday and was terribly worse today, then Blitzen started showing the same symptoms earlier.”

I hesitated for a moment before speaking, taking note of Comet’s bloodshot eyes. “Something’s not right. I don’t recall the last time any of the reindeer have ever gotten sick. Magical creatures don’t acquire the typical sicknesses seen in their non-magical counterparts. It doesn’t make sense unless the illness is of magical origin itself. And that would mean that whatever is behind this…” I ran a hand through my hair, and eerie sensation scaling down my neck.

Alva’s eyes widened, and I saw the gears turning in her head. “Are you suggesting someone made the reindeer sick? Who would?—”

“Plenty of people,” I said, cutting her off. “There’s no shortage of those who’d love to see Christmas fail. The Frost Queen, disillusioned elves… It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s tried something underhanded.”

She bit her lip, and I couldn’t help but stare. Focus, Nick.

“We need a healer,” she said, standing abruptly. “This close to Christmas, we can’t take any chances. I don’t want to wait this out.”

I rose with her, brushing hay off my pants. “I know of one. Deep in the Evergreen Forest.”

Her brow furrowed. “That’s nearly two hours away by sleigh. And there’s a snowstorm approaching. I can find an animal healer in the village.”

“Miss Brightwinter, trust me. She’s worth it. She specializes in magical ailments. If anyone can figure out what’s wrong, it’s her.”

“Then we’ll leave first thing in the morning,” she said decisively.

“ I’ll leave,” I corrected.

Her hands went to her hips, and there was that fire again. “No, you won’t. Ensuring the health of these animals is my job. Making sure everything goes on without a problem is my responsibility, Nick, not yours.”

“I’ve known this healer since I was a kid,” I argued. “And these reindeer have been like family to me my whole life. There’s no way I’m stepping away from this.”

“You have a bride to pick, remember? You can’t go gallivanting into the forest looking for a healer when you need to find the next Mrs. Claus.”

“Alva— Miss Brightwinter,” I corrected myself. “I’m not abandoning Comet and Blitzen to go play bachelor. I’m going.”

“I’ve been running this operation for years,” she shot back. “If you’re insistent on helping, then we’ll go together.”

Our gazes locked, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. Her determination was infuriating—and oddly captivating. “Very well,” I said, my voice lower than I’d intended. “After the ball, then. If a snowstorm is coming, I don’t want to wait until morning.”

She nodded, though her expression was still wary. “Good. Now let’s get back before anyone notices we’re gone.”

We turned toward the stable doors, and as we walked, her hand brushed mine. The contact was fleeting, but it sent a jolt through me. My breath hitched, and my thoughts immediately betrayed me. I imagined her hands on me, her lips against mine, the feel of her body beneath me…

She glanced at me, her cheeks slightly pink, though whether it was from the cold or something else, I couldn’t tell.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“For what?”

“For taking this seriously,” she said, her tone quieter.

I didn’t have a smug reply.

As we stepped back into the courtyard, the sounds of the ball drifted toward us—laughter, music, the clinking of glasses. The reminder of what awaited me inside felt like an iron weight in the pit of my stomach. I was supposed to be inside, charming one of those perfectly coifed suitresses, choosing a bride. But all I could think about was Alva Brightwinter and how much I hated that she was getting under my skin, just like I’d promised myself she wouldn’t.