by Rae Foxx
“Not now,” the vampire growled, “sorry to interrupt, my rose, but we are going to be late for school. If we had known you were busy we wouldn’t have…”
“Whatever. I totally knew what they were doing. I just wanted to see them in action. It was as beautiful as I had hoped.” Tommy smirked and dry humped the air before pulling a cigarette out of who knows where, clearly feasting on the discomfort that was oozing out of my pores.
Thankfully Saxon batted the thing away, giving him a trademark ‘pissed off vampire’ look.
“Whatever. Losers,” Tommy scoffed and sulked back to the keep, probably to sleep. Or pretend to sleep. I’m not sure if he did sleep, but he sure as hell didn’t have to go to school.
“Anyway, I don’t want you to be late for your first class,” Howl held out his hand, pulling me out of the shower.
Damn. First class.
Traditions of the First Wolves.
My biggest class of the term, and my first test before ‘winter break’.
Ugh.
“Guess I better start rolling myself over there.” I gave Finn one last kiss, my fingers fluttering against his abdomen before I turned, gave both Saxon and Howl lingering pecks on their lips. Howl’s may have been longer, but only because he wrapped me in a towel and held me against him.
His massive hands spread over my lower back, pressing the soft towel into my skin as his lips captured mine, as his tongue dragged over my lips, as he tasted me. God, he tasted like sugar. Pure, delightful, addictive sugar.
And maybe some pine.
If I didn’t know better, I would say he was sucking on the tree.
Weird.
“I thought we didn’t want to be late,” I gasped as I came up for air his hands still tugging at the towel to try to bring me closer.
“We don’t,” Saxon threw another towel at us and stalked out of the bathroom. “I suggest you hurry.”
One last chaste kiss and I raced through the door, putting on as many clothes as I could.
Having grown up in the Nevada desert we got maybe an inch of snow a year, and it never dropped below fifty degrees.
At Bloodwood Academy, winter meant being transported to a winter wonderland, or Santa’s workshop.
Well, okay, not Santa’s workshop, because turns out that guys a douche.
I tugged on my blazer over my sweater, and undershirt, and a long-sleeved shirt. Okay, even with the fire going all night and my shifter metabolism I wasn’t adjusting to this winter. What was the use of having kick-ass red bras if I couldn’t drive Selene and her cronies mad with them?
“Do you need to borrow my coat?” Howl asked, corner of his mouth twitching as we grabbed our bags and trudged towards the school.
“Laugh all you want, but it snowed last night and I am going to be ready.” I threw a hat over my earmuffs and gave him a grin, shaking my ass at him… just a bit.
Howl opened the door wider, letting in the icy air and revealing the six inches of snow that had made a dam against the shut door during the night.
“Shit. No. I give up.” I turned, ready to go lounge on the couch with the now riotously laughing Tommy. “This isn’t happening.”
“Welcome to the High Sierras,” Finn grinned, pulling me back toward the snowbank that Howl was already romping through.
The guy hadn’t even shifted and he was in heaven.
“Let’s go.” Saxon grabbed my other side, plunging me into the snow and the cold and slamming the door in Tommy’s face who was, of course, still laughing.
Trudging through the snow was like walking through syrup. Cold, damp, syrup that tried to work its way into your pores.
I almost headed right back in. Would have if it wasn’t so goddamn pretty.
Every time, this snow-capped world took my breath away.
Thick layers of white smothered the world in a blanket, it weighed down the branches and turned each tree into frosting topped delights. Everything sparkled in blue and gold as the sun peaked through a silver-clad sky.
“Why does it have to be cold,” I sighed, following behind Saxon and Finn as they cleared the way. The bell buzzed faintly in the distance; the sound distorted as it echoed over the crystal world.
Screw school and screw the cold. I was already out here; I was going to have some fun the way I always saw in the movies. I was going to hit them in the face with some snow.
I bent down, my backpack sliding awkwardly as I scooped up some snow and thanked the winter wonderland gods for inventing gloves. I packed the stuff together between my palms until it somewhat resembled a ball and aimed for the nearest mate in my line of sight—Howl.
I should’ve been a fucking baseball player because that snowball hit him right on the back of the head with a splat that echoed over the forest like it was a whip.
My handsome wolf let out a great growl and whirled around, expecting an enemy, but no, just me, bouncing snowball number two in my hand like I was some kind of snow-mob boss.
“Fight me!” I taunted, and threw ball number two, although not at Howl. At Saxon, who had just whirled around to see what was going on.
“What the fuck, Ivy?” Howl snarled and I thought for a second he might charge me. Even more fun. My wolf wanted to come out and play, but I was having too much fun on two legs.
“What?” I laughed while I spoke. “It’s a snowball fight. Come on, don’t they have that during Saturmal...Saturn-illa?” I lowered my tone and parroted Saxon’s voice—or tried to. I ended up sounding more like Cookie Monster.
“They most certainly do not. Name the rules,” Howl barked, still shoveling snow from the back of his sweater with his hand and with the help of Saxon who was clearing the snow off his face.
“There are no rules, dude,” I said, quickly making my arsenal as the three of them stared at me. Oh, they were missing valuable ball time. “You just have fun throwing snow and smashing each other in the face.” My last word was muffled when I got a mouthful of snow, courtesy of the demon. “Like that,” I sputtered while spitting out snow, doubled over laughing.
“What are you doing here?” I said through a mouthful of snow. It tasted like pine. Snow back home tasted like dirt, mostly because there was never enough to actually eat.
“I heard the tale-tell sound of possible ass whooping. So here I am!”
“What is the purpose?” Saxon asked, grabbing his own snow and trying to make a ball. Thanks to his cold skin, he was just turning it to ice. Damn. This might have been a mistake.
“Um, for fun,” I said, trying to ice-ify my own snowballs. They just fell apart in my hands. Shit. “That’s the reason, sucka.”
“Just don’t forget to put the rocks in the middle!” Finn called, as he bent down next to me and began gathering snowballs at a furious pace. I was sure he was using his magic, not that it mattered because we had another problem.
“Let me guess, the Santa jerk told you that?” I asked, hands on my hips. Finn froze, rock in hand as he prepared to stuff his snowballs.
“Not true?” Poor guy looked so defeated that I almost let him throw his rock-filled balls around, but rock balls and ice balls would be too much.
There were too many balls at play here.
I love most of them, too.
Damn, Ivy, Focus.
“No, but you can still throw snow at my face, just no rocks kay?”
“Deal!” Finn declared and promptly threw the softball-sized snow in my face. It exploded like a bomb, covering hair, going up my nose, and falling down the front of my coat where it would melt in my bra.
“Ahh! Boob snow!”
“Boob snow?” Howl asked, and all four of them turned to stare.
Shit. “No, not like that--”
I was met with a face full of snow as ball after ball hit me in the face in an attempt to go down my shirt.
“I'll save you!” Finn chuckled and tugged me down the hill; Saxon, Howl, and Tommy right on our
heels.
Three against two… I was going to have a bra made out of snow by the time I was done.
“You take Howl. I’ll get Saxon and Tommy,” Finn muttered, a wry grin on his face as he handed me a couple of snowballs, his own arsenal at the ready.
“Go!” I yelled, and we split up, heading for either side of the trees that lined the pathway.
I hunched behind a large trunk after blasting a snowball at Howl’s face, hiding just as one of Saxon’s ice balls slapped against the bark and shook the tree.
“Damn! Remind me to be on your team next time.” Guy was going to break a bone.
“Still time to change,” he said right in my ear and I turned, ducked, and threw the snow that I had been cultivating into a nice orb. I hit him in the neck while his ice ball flew uselessly overhead.
Score.
“Never!” I roared, scooping up as much snow as I could and smearing it in his face. Whitewashing him would have had been much more effective if he wasn’t a vampire, and already the temperature of an igloo.
“What the?” Saxon sputtered, face full of snow. He tried to hit me again, but I ducked, threw more snow and turned to face Finn who had apparently been mauled while I was trying to take down Saxon.
“Wow, we really lost, didn’t we?”
“Very.” He said, snow tumbling out of his mouth as he shook just as much from his hair. Behind him, Howl and Tommy gave each other a high five of accomplishment.
Good god, had hell froze over? Those two were getting along?
“I’m not sure I understand this holiday,” Finn was now shaking his shirt, releasing what looked like an absolute snowdrift.
I will never complain about my snow bra again. The guy could go sledding with how much snow had been shoved under there.
“It’s cold, and everything I’ve been told is a lie.” I had never seen Finn look grumpy before, but he looked absolutely glum right then.
“We just have to show you what the Holiday’s all about then,” I beamed, lifting myself onto the toes of my snow boots to give him a kiss.
The touch melted his demeanor immediately, that spark lighting in his eyes as he stole another peck.
“Whatever makes you happy, honeybee,” he whispered, stealing another kiss before he bounded away, towards the school his magic flaring and sending a barrage of snowballs into the backs of Howls and Tommy’s head.
Howl was pelted, but Tommy dissolved into black smoke, the color fascinating against the glittering pearl of the snow as he dodged each attack. No wonder Finn had been attacked so mercilessly.
Tommy reemerged, laughing like a banshee, which is when I got my shot in.
I stole an ice ball from Saxon and launched it at Tommy’s head before he noticed me, the hard knob of doom slamming into his temple.
“That’s your ass, demon.”
“We’re going to be late,” Howl announced as he backed away from Saxon who was prepping to start the battle up all over again.
We all nodded dejectedly and began our long trudge back down toward the school, Tommy still floating along beside us with a snowball in his hand.
The guy was clearly eager for round two.
He wasn’t the only one. Finn kept looking behind him, at the compacted snow. At the tower of snowballs, he had made but not been able to use.
Finn deserved so much more than a lying cousin, a petty snowball fight, and some X-rated ornaments. Finn deserved a full-on, caroling, hot chocolate drinking, gift unwrapping, candy cane licking, eggnog slurping, sleigh riding, kissing under the mistletoe, Christmas.
And I was going to give him one.
Drastic results required drastic actions. I was just the bitch to get it done.
“Saxon,” I looped my arm around his elbow and pulled him closer to me, letting Howl and Finn pull ahead as they chatted about tactics for the next fight. Which I was sure was going to come sooner rather than later.
“Yes, my rose? What is it?” He spoke so loudly, that Finn gave me a look and a smile.
For a stealthy Vampire, he was not good at espionage.
“I want to give Finn a real human-like Christmas,” I hiss-whispered, pulling him closer still. Maybe he would get the point this time.
He didn’t. He scrunched his eyebrows and spoke at full voice, “Why? Haven’t we done enough?”
I rolled my eyes as hard as I could. “Don’t you see how his face lights up every time we talk about it? He’s like Jack the first time he sees Christmas Town.”
Even more confusion marred his perfect face. “Who? Do I know this Jack? What is Christmas Town?”
“Nevermind,” I deadpanned, pulling him to a stop at the foot of the iced-over stairs that led to the massive wood doors. “The point is, I want to give him a legit Christmas.”
“We do. We have the tree and we have spoken of presents. If you would like I can make blood sausage. Delicious.”
He smacked his lips, looking into the snow with a glazed-over look.
“No thanks.” Or Yuck. Actually, yuck fit better. “Yuck”
“What else do you have in mind, my rose?”
I took a long deep breath before revealing the big plan. I had a feeling it was going to go over like a fart in a church.
“I want to go to the North Pole and get Claus to come down here, through the chimney. Presents, ho-ho-ho, the works. I want it all...for Finn, of course.”
“You can’t be serious, Ivy. I mean, did you hear the stories Finn has told?” he gritted through his fangs. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he eats children. And even if the man is partially sane. How do you propose to get there?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet.”
Saxon sighed and cupped my cheek. “I’d do anything for you, Ivy. Even this silliness.” He paused for a moment, letting it all soak in. “Fine. Let’s go.”
“I’m down. I wanna see some fucked up elves and shit.” Tommy’s voice slivered around me and I about jumped out of my uniform, instead, I slipped on ice and went down. Luckily the demon had quick reflexes and caught me, but not without dislodging my snow bra. The snow fluttered out from under my shirt en masse, and Tommy snickered, licking his lips.
“I’m sure they would be overjoyed to see a demon in the middle of Santa’s workshop,” Saxon’s nostrils flared as he spat back at Tommy.
“What, you think they’re gonna roll out the welcome mat for a vampire?” The demon countered, puffing on a cigarette and blowing the smoke in Saxon’s face. “Or...maybe you’re looking to sample a little Mrs. Claus Type-A?”
Not even bothering to turn, I flicked my arm back and hit Tommy in the nuts with my balled fist. “Will you guys seriously knock it off. Are you both in or what?”
“We’re in,” they said simultaneously, although they didn't stop staring at each other as though they were contemplating murder.
“Perfect, let’s sneak out during lunch. Pop in, pop out. Perfect Christmas here we come.”
I knew there was no way it was going to be that easy, but I was refusing to believe that Santa was a total douche canoe.
I was sure he was going to help us.
Either that or I was going to poison his bra doughnuts this year.
Chapter 7
Howl knew something was up. He had been giving me questioning glances since Saxon and I trudged through the doors a few minutes after they did. Tommy had already taken off to wherever he goes until lunchtime when he usually shows up in the skin of some bad boy from a 90s romcom.
“Good forest romp?” he hissed as we raced to our first class, and our first test. I just smiled at him.
If he thought I was sexing up out in the snowy wilderness he had another thing coming. Fine with me, he would just get to be surprised with Finn when all of this went down.
Because it was going to go down hard.
So hard that I was so busy planning and imagining how amazing everything was going to be that I am sure I didn’t get one question on my midterm exam correct.
Oh well, I hadn’t really studied anyway, so I guess nothing changed.
Nothing but being one class closer to my North Pole excursion. Damn. I was going to ask Santa for some new shirts and shoes, maybe a cute scarf…
You know, if the guy wasn’t a douche.
The hours until lunch seemed to drag by, and by the time I slid into the long table that Saxon and Finn were already occupying I knew there was no way I was going to be able to finish the footlong sandwich.
While we ate, or rather while I forced down my food so that I wouldn’t call attention to my nerves, Finn sat next to me and peppered me with more questions about Christmas—those answers gave shape to more inquiries about Easter and even Valentine’s Day.
There was something adorable about how interested he was, it made me squirm in my seat.
Gah! I was so excited! I was going to give him some kick-ass holiday vibes for sure! Oh my god! We could build a snowman… I had never built a snowman before. I had built a dirt ball monster… but it was so not the same thing.
This was--
“What gives?” Scarlet said in my ear pulling me from my snowy fantasies as she poked her finger into the top of the bread on my tray.
“What gives with you sticking your fingers in my sandwich? You want it?” I was hopeful. I mean, one less sandwich meant less knowing glances from Howl who was now giving me side glances.
‘
Holy.
“Tasty,” I rolled my eyes at her and flicked a chip at her forehead, the thing smacked her right between the eyes, leaving a greasy mark behind.
“No,” she sighed, not even bothering to wipe away the smudge and instead throwing a chip at me, which promptly went down my shirt.
“Why aren’t you eating? You’ve got shifty eyes, like, at any moment you might open your trench coat and flash us all. It’s weird.”
