A Winter's Tale - Book I

I lost control a few times with her, making me worry as I looked her over for any marks or bruises. Nothing. There was nothing. What was this woman? She couldn't be human.

"I'm fine Reynard, I swear. I'm a little sore, but it's nothing to worry about. Honest."

She was standing in the shower, smiling up at me as I ran my hands over her soft flesh.

"Woman, there is no way I didn't leave even one mark."

She shrugged, reaching for the soap.

"What do you think I am, human?"

That caught my attention, my back snapping straight up as I looked down into her eyes. Was she serious? She hadn't told me any different, so why wouldn't I think she's human? She caught my surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm immortal, you know that."

I shrugged, still clueless. She shook her head, understanding covering her face.

"Oh, honey. I look human, but I'm a bit stronger. I have thicker skin, so to speak. The cold doesn't really bother me and I'm not easy to bruise. I'm also a bit stronger and can lift things that might surprise you. My mother is the same, but not as much so. We mostly get our abilities from our father."

Her father, Santa Claus? What was he?

"I'm not going into details about father, so please don't ask. Even I don't know the full story to be honest."

Well, that clipped my curiosity a bit. Thinking back to Nicholas's visions I had to ask.

"Do you have an ability, like Nicholas and his visions?"

That piqued her interest, her eyes widening a bit.

"When did he tell you about that?"

I shrugged, remembering my conversation with her brother.

"When I met your folks and went outside for a bit. He followed me and told me he had a vision predicting my presence here. He also wished us happiness."

She looked astonished, her gaze looking off into the distance. What was she thinking?

"That makes so much sense. He had been acting weird the day before you got here, but I just thought he was having an off day. It must have taken all of his self-control to keep it quiet from me. I wonder who else he told."

Would he have told others? That caught my interest as well, but I steered the conversation back to her.

"So, what's your ability?"

She shrugged, eyes suddenly busy looking over the soap bar in her hands.

"I have a photographic memory. Not sure if that counts, but I can recall every day of my life from birth. Which is not something I like to think about, to be honest."

Was she serious? That was insane, a bomb of awe and shock hitting me head-on before I could stop it. No wonder she had so many books. She was memorizing them all?

"You're a genius."

She raised an eyebrow, snorting out a laugh before looking up at me.

"No, nowhere near that. My mother is far smarter."

That hooked onto something in my head, a memory. While she was working her butt off for Christmas I had been reading, exploring, and talking with others in the community. Whittaker, the youngest sibling had spent most of a day hanging out with me.

He was a chill guy, with black hair like Winter's but stark azure eyes instead of her warm green. It was nice to get to know her brothers and sisters. If I wanted to love her I had to care for and love her family as well. They were a huge part of her life, after all.

Whittaker had shown me around the warehouse, explaining that Winter designed it and helped build it. If that wasn't enough to impress me he informed me that she had designed every house, planned out the whole city's plumbing system, and figured out the power grid. How to make it efficient and better for the environment. Practically everything that brought this place into the twentieth century.

She was also partners with her mother, both of them working hard to make sure the family got everything they needed. Mr. Claus helped, for sure, but they were working in the shadows to make sure he had the support he needed to make Christmas happen for every child in the world.

She's a goddess, her knowledge and abilities far surpassing anything I can do. I swore at that moment I would make sure to learn everything I could to help her and share in her workload. She deserved a break, to be able to trust and lean on someone in case she just needed a day to rest.

Whittaker's praise of his big sister was amazing in and of itself. It didn't stop with her work ethic though. He also complimented her kindness and willingness to help anyone regardless of putting herself out in the process. It was a catch-one-eighty. She was selfless, and I loved that, but I also wanted to make sure she was taking care of herself.

It was something I made sure to note because it was clear she wasn't someone who easily asked for help. Her brother spoke of how easy it was to talk with her and learn from her. She was humble, almost too much so sometimes. She was quick to move praise away from herself and onto others.

It was something her whole family had spoken of in one way or another. Did they know I was bound to change that, to make sure she could take a compliment for herself alone? It was like they were all pushing me toward it, and damn it all if I was going to let them down.

I cupped the back of her head, locking our gazes together.

"Winter Claus, goddess of my fantasies, you are a majestic creature only spoken of in dreams. Your heart is woven from heavenly gold, pure and full of compassion. Your soul is warm and selfless beyond reason or comprehension. Sweet bunny, your brain is more complex than those of the most well-known geniuses of all time. You are awe-inspiring and breathtakingly brilliant."

She was covered in blush, the soap long since slipped from her fingers to land between us on the stone floor. Her lips parted, closed, then parted again.

"Reynard..."

She seemed at a loss for words, and I was glad for it. I hadn't meant to spill my thoughts out like that, but I was glad I did. She needed to know how I saw her. I wanted with everything in me for her to know how stunning she is.

Just as I leaned down to kiss her, that pretty face begging for my touch, she spoke.

"I'm not perfect."

I kissed the comment off her lips before backing up a bit to look deep into her eyes. If it took an eternity I swore I was going to take every second to prove to her just how amazing she is.

"I see you. You are my goddess. Every flaw is perfection to me. You are smart, beautiful, kind, and everything I thought a person couldn't be. No one is perfect, but you are my perfect."

The tears in her eyes grabbed onto my heart with a chokehold, her bottom lip trembling.

"Reynard..."

Her voice was shaking, but she didn't let that stop her as her hands rested against my wet chest.

"I love you."

How wide were my eyes? Did my heart stop? A tear slipped free from her gaze, running down her rosy cheek. I couldn't stop myself from leaning down to kiss it away. Her breathin hitched, her heart skipping a beat in my ears.

"I love you, my sweet little bunny."