"Shhh love. What is it? What's wrong?"
Anger fills me. My entire body trembles in my rage. Letting the sheet fall, I scream my fury to the ceiling and shove him away from me. With a soft thud, Kris falls back on his ass. The look on his face would be comical if I weren’t so upset. Stalking over to him, I hunch down so that I'm nose to nose with the bastard.
"Let me tell you something, you overgrown, underdeveloped Neanderthal. You have no idea the hell you're putting the man through. And for what? What the hell has Asmon ever done to you? I see how you look at him, how your staff looks at him. Hell, the entire North Pole treats him like he's got a disease or something. The entire reindeer clan has it out for him, that's plain to see, and you just let it happen! You sit there on your high and mighty throne and let everyone shit on him. Well, I'm not going to stand for it.
While I was at his home, yes, he punished me. But he did so, thinking I was on the naughty list. The moment he realized something was wrong, he stopped. He didn't force the issue. He brought me to you to help figure it out. And what's the first thing you do? You try to get into my pants. Christmas is less than two weeks away, and you're more concerned about getting laid than making sure something isn't royally fucked. Christmas is in danger and you don't even care!”
Tears well up in my eyes as emotion spills out of me. Christmas was already ruined for me a long time ago, but that doesn't mean it has to be ruined for everyone else. I poke his hard chest with my finger, ignoring the stab of pain. The adrenaline rushing through me numbs mostly everything. Kris scowls and rises, towering over me. Planting my hands on my hips, I return his scowl, not backing down.
"And let's not forget the fact that you, Father Christmas, are dead set on having a woman that clearly doesn't want you. I'm not playing any games either. I said no, and yet, you persisted. Are you that much of a brat that you can't handle someone telling you no? In fact, how the hell are you not on the naughty list?"
His eyes snap in fury as he stalks me down. I shuffle back a step for every one of his until my back hits the wall. Frantic, I look around, trying to see if there's an exit. Before I can move to the side, Kris slam both of his palms to the wall on either side of me, caging me.
"You told me you wanted me," he bites out, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. "And as for ruining Christmas, I never asked for this job. I never wanted it. Just like you don't want me. But I guess we can't get what we want."
There's a pain in his eyes that makes me pause. Before I can formulate a response, Kris swoops down and plants his lips against mine. His hot breath sweeps across my face as he drags his mouth across my lips, demanding entrance. I force them shut and jerk my face from left to right, trying to defend myself against the onslaught. My fingers claw at his chest as I try to push him away, but he ignores all of it and continues to press against me.
It takes every extra ounce of will to breath deep and even and not let myself hyperventilate. But he won't stop. Nothing is deterring him in the slightest. It's like he's crazed with anger and lust and is hell bent on taking it out on me. He fists my hair in his grip and pries my mouth open with his other fingers before snaking his tongue inside. On instinct, I jerk my knee up, connecting hard with his balls. Groaning, he stumbles back and clutches himself, his face ashen.
"Son of a nutcracker," he grits out, falling to his knees.
Using the brief time I have before he recovers, I scour the room for anything I can use to cover myself. My clothes are nowhere to be seen. Thinking quick, I race over to a set of drawers and pull them open, letting them clatter to the floor. Nothing useful in that set, so I move onto the next. As I open it up, I catch a glimpse of Kris staggering to his knees. Time's up. Muttering prayers to any deity that might hear me, I open the other set, relieved to find some night shirts. I throw one on and pull open the drawer underneath, grateful to find pajama pants.
I jerk them onto my legs as I hobble towards a door. If my luck is holding out, it will lead outside. The bar of light underneath makes me hopeful, as does the set of shoes next to it. Breathing a sigh of relief, I slide my feet into my pair from earlier and wrench the door open. Yes. A long hallway greets me, but at least it's not a closet. I ignore Kris's shouting and sprint down the hallway, gripping the pants at my hip. I don't want to stop to tie them until I'm far enough away.
Once I'm at the end of the hallway, it opens to the right, and I just run. I don't care if I end up in a basement somewhere, at least I'm trying. For a few more hallways, it follows the same pattern, each hall empties to either the right or the left, until I finally come to a split. My heart thunders in my chest. My breathing comes in pants. What the hell am I supposed to do? I give a glance over my shoulder, relieved that Kris hasn't come barreling down at me yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Closing my eyes, I listen for sounds, anything that can orient me. To the right, I hear clinking silverware and dishes. Jesting voices float over to me, and they sound like the ones from dinner. Perhaps that's the way to the dining hall? I pause, trying to discern what I should do. If they see me, they might send me back to Kris. Perhaps not. But do I take that chance?
Loud thumping sounds somewhere behind me, alerting me that my time is up. Heading to the right, I pray the reindeer will do the right thing. I burst into the room, startling the four people at the table. Luckily for me, Red is one of them. He looks over at me, his brows furrowing. With a graceful lift of his body, he stands and faces me.
"Is everything -."
I don't even have to turn. The thumps become even louder until they halt behind me. Harsh breath fans the back of my head, and I tremble, clutching the pants even closer to my body.
"Please," I whisper, begging Red with my eyes.
He looks behind me then back to my face, his features hardening. With a quick jerk of his hand, he motions for me to come towards him. I hesitate. He works for Kris, after all. Either way, I can't stay where I'm at. The hairs at the back of my neck rise as Kris brushes up against me. Hobbling over, I rush over to Red's side. He grips me by the shoulders and looks me up and down.
"Are you all right?"
"Of course she is. Why wouldn’t she be?"
I wince at Kris's growl and huddle in closer to Red. The resolve flowing through him makes me feel just a bit safer. I still don't know if this is the right choice, but at least he seems to care. Nodding firmly, he shifts me over to the side and next to a small female. Her warm, brown eyes make me feel relaxed and at peace. It's an odd feeling, so different from the situation.
"It's okay. I'm Dancer. Come with me."
She stretches out her delicate hand, and the breath I've been holding lets out in a whoosh. Once I touch her, I'm flooded with feelings of peace. The anxiety drains from my body. I want to ask her about it, to fight it even, but I can't. I just don't want to. She leads me out of the room, and we start traversing the maze of hallways.
Behind me, loud shouts echo off the walls, but inside, I feel serene. We walk in silence for several minutes, each hall looking like the next until we come across one in disarray. Grimacing, Dancer leads us through the debris and around the elves already trying to put it to rights.
"I don't know why he even came here," she murmurs, shaking her head as we pass through.
I open my mouth, but she squeezes my hand. I don't even know what I was going to fight about. We shuffle our way to the main door and pause. Outside, the world looks calm and beautiful. Inside, I know it won't last. As Dancer removes her hand from mine, all the fear and stress come crashing back in. Frantic, I try to grab back onto her, but she dances away just out of reach.
"You're okay now. Just head out those doors. There's an inn over to the left that you can stay in until we figure out what to do."
With that, she glides away, slipping out of sight. I stand there trying to gather my thoughts. All I know is I want as far away from Kris as I can get. Resolved, I push open the doors and head out into North Pole Proper.
The pants threaten to s
lip down my hips as I step outside, so I find the strings and pull them as tight as possible before knotting it into a bow. I must look awful, but no one pays me any mind. It's like night and day from when Asmon and I walked through here earlier. Gone are the sour, frightened faces. Instead, all elves nod and smile their greetings as I wander around.
Looking to and fro, I take in the sights of the city. Earlier, wrapped up in Asmon's arms, I didn't really see too much of it. I wouldn't let myself see. Now, I have no choice if I'm going to navigate myself home. Whimpering, I wrap my arms about my waist and try desperately not to feel sorry for myself. If this is the worst that happens, I'm lucky. Jutting out my chin, I walk down a narrow path, trying to not peer into the houses as I pass them. What little I do see pangs my heart.
Inside the cozy cottages, families gather around tables laden with food. Decorations are up everywhere. Everyone is smiling. Gripping my fingers into fists, I keep following the path, hoping it will lead me to the outside. Small children dressed in festive holiday wear zigzag about without a care in the world. Their tiny laughs are infectious. Smiling, I watch them tackle each other and wrestle into the snow. A small hand tugs on my shirt, drawing my attention.
"Candy or coal!"
I look down into the bright eyes of a small elf. Her hair is done into twin French braids cascading down her back. Fuzzy antlers adorn her head, and on her nose, she has a blinking red light.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Giggling, she takes the nose off and smiles at me. "It's almost Christmas. Now's the time to play candy or coal!"
She grabs my hand and drags me to a nearby door. Placing her nose back on her face, she knocks at the door and stands patiently with her bucket. The door opens, spilling out multicolored lights onto the child.
"Candy or coal!"
"My my, what a cute reindeer you are!" A plump, kindly woman steps out onto the porch, her arms laden with a bowl full of candies. "Red hasn't seen you wearing that has he? He'll give you coal for sure." They both share a big laugh before she casts a stern look at the child. "Now then young one. Have you been good this year?"
She gives an emphatic nod.
"No lies?"
"I promise!"
"Hmmm. I guess then you don't get coal this year. Have some candy!"
The small elf stands on her tiptoes and rummages through the bowl.
"Full sized candies! You're amazing!" She plops the candy into her bag and beams at the woman. "I'll make sure all the kids know to come here!"
Before the woman can answer, she races off into the night.
"Don't you let Jimmy know. If he shows up on my doorstep, he's getting coal, Krampus take him."
The warm, fuzzy feelings vanish at her use of idiom. Cold settles deep into my gut. No matter how nice everything seems, there's still this underlying hostility towards Asmon. I have no idea why. From what I can see, he's not a bad person. Lonely and misunderstood. But that's not a crime. I try to keep my face neutral as the woman turns towards me with a warm grin.
"We don't get many mortals up here. This is indeed a treat. Won't you come in?"
She opens the door wider, showing off the food on the tables along with the cozy fireplace crackling. I want to. I want nothing more than to run into the woman and sob until my eyes can't cry anymore. But I can't. I want so desperately to be in the greeting card moment, but Asmon needs me more. The longer I'm here, the more I feel the need to be by his side.
Shaking my head, I give the woman a wan smile. "I really appreciate it, but I have to be heading back. If you can just point the way out of the city, that would be helpful."
Setting down her bowl of candy, she grips her apron in her hand. "Heading back where? You can't get to your land from here. You need a portal for that." She looks me up and down, her eyes narrowing for a moment. "You don't seem magical to me."
Shrugging, I let my hands flop helplessly to my side. "No, I don’t have any magic, but I need to leave. Just please point the way."
I don't want to tell her I'm going back to Asmon. What if she prevents me? What if she forces me to stay here? I can't take that chance.
"Really. I'm just going to pop out, look around, then head back in."
She frowns and shakes her head. "I have a feeling you got a lot of coal in your stocking growing up. But it's out of my hands. If you're hell bent on going, just follow this path until it forks, then head right. Be wary, my child. The Krampus roams those fields. Don't want to be caught unawares. Wait here." She ducks into the house and sounds of hurried rummaging reach my ears.
After a few minutes, she comes back, her hands full of stuff. "If you're sure about leaving, be smart about it." Setting down a lantern, she tosses a warm fur coat about my shoulders. Watching for any reaction, I pull it about and slide my arms through the holes. It engulfs me. The arms go out past my hands and the bottom hem brushes against my calves. Under the protection of the city, it's hot, stifling even, but I know I'll need it once I leave the city.
The woman sniffs as she looks me up and down. "Rusty always was large for an elf. But It will keep you warm. That's guaranteed."
In the twinkle of the lights, it looks like her eyes are misting up, but she quickly paws at them and straightens. Handing me the lantern, she flicks a switch on the side, demonstrating how to turn it on and off.
"This will last you two hours. No more, no less. Don't be gone that long."
I take the lantern in both hands and give her a shaky smile. "Thank you for helping me."
"I'm trying to keep you from being killed is all. I don't want that on my conscience."
With a soft harrumph, she shakes out her apron and heads inside the house. I turn and hurry down the steps and back onto the path. With any luck, I'll be back at Asmon's before too long. I keep looking about as I make my way towards the exit, still conflicted. How can something so beautiful be so horrible? I walk further, deep in thought. Finally, I see the arch from when Asmon brought me in.
Elated, I race forward, pausing as I get to the opening. Inside, the world is warm and comforting. Out there, the snow blows and the wind howls. Sticking my hand out, I feel the instant temperature drop. I don't have on the clothes I had earlier and a tendril of fear creeps into my heart. I look back into the city, spying Northport sitting above the Christmas world and shudder. Better to face what's out there than get caught by Kris again.
Firming my resolve, I wrap my arms about my body, burrowing deep into the coat, and force myself into the cold. Before stepping past the entrance, I flick on the lantern, feeling slightly better at the strong illumination. It didn't take two hours to get here, so there should be plenty of time to get to Asmon before the light dies out. Nodding, I bolster my will power and step over the barrier.
The snow nips at my exposed skin as the wind threatens to knock me over. Shivering, I duck my head and plow through, pressing onward into the snowicane. It takes substantial effort to walk without being pushed back. My entire body aches with the effort I'm expending. The areas not covered by the coat grow numb as the wind and snow chill me to my bones. The shoes do little to help keep my feet warm. I didn't realize how grateful I should have been to Asmon for carrying me most of the way.
Sighing, I make the decision to head back to the North Pole and wait it out. I turn to retrace my steps, thankful to have wind at my back. Looking up, I expect to see the twinkling lights of North Pole Proper, and instead, I'm greeted with a mass of swirling cold and snow. The only light is coming from the lantern. Though strong, it doesn't show me any paths, or anything helpful really. How did I get so lost?
Lifting it up high, I spot some large shadows. They creak and groan, swaying in the wind. Maybe the tree line will help buffer some of the storm? Hobbling over, I push and strain, my core shivering. By this point, what warmth the coat did provide starts to disappear, and my teeth chatter incessantly. The closer I get to the trees, the more I feel a sense of dread. My stomach twists in knots. My breath is short and shallow. So
mething is out there. I can feel it. It watches my every move.
Huddling closer to the trees, I swing my lantern about, trying to see what's out there with me. Off in the distance, a wolf howls, the storm throwing the sound around and distorting it. Moaning, I put my back up to a tree and shrink down into myself. I want to extinguish the lantern to make myself less of a target; but being out here in complete darkness freaks me out even more.
The howling stops and I breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe I'll be okay. I start to pull away from the tree when a wet snuffle sounds behind me. Panic grips me, rooting me to the spot. Not even chancing a breath, I remain like a statue. Maybe whatever it is won't hurt me. Maybe it's just one of the reindeer set to take me home. The growl that skitters up my spine tells me just how wrong I am.
Whimpering, I press back into the tree, trying to be as still as I can while still feeling about with my hand. The tree is smooth like glass and just as cold. What the hell kind of tree doesn't even have a way to climb it? The growling gets closer and closer. I'm torn between wanting to see and staying in blissful oblivion. My hand trembles as I lift the lantern up. Nothing in front or to the sides. Inching my neck around, I see it. The massive polar bear glares at me, its black, hardened eyes following my every move.
Before I can stop myself, a scream erupts from my throat. Adrenaline kicks me into high gear, and I fling my body to the side and start running. The bear's feet lope after me. Deep thuds and crunches race after me. The heavy ker-chunk imprinting itself on my brain. Tears flow from my eyes and freeze on my face. Frantic I plod through the snow, the thick mass weighing down every step. I can't die like this. I can't die like this. The mantra flows through my brain as I stumble about, never pausing. Hot fetid breath washes over the back of me as I stumble and fall, face-down into the snow.
Nice: A Dark Christmas Duet book 1 Page 13
