Sleighed: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Christmas Bears Book 1)

by Harmony Raines

  “Maybe he will.” She leaned forward and touched foreheads with him. “Hold tight, we’re about to land.”

  The sleigh bumped down. They were in a back alley. It didn’t look like the kind of place Bas should be alone.

  “I will see you as soon as I can,” he said, and jumped out of the sleigh. “Good to meet you, Krampus.” He saluted the goat-demon.

  “You’re a good man,” Krampus told Bas. “And there are not many men I’d say that to. You promise me you’ll look after Miss Pepper.”

  “I don’t have to promise. It’s written in the stars.”

  “Sappy. I don’t know what she sees in you.” Krampus held out his hand all the same. “Shake and be friends.”

  Bas looked bemused, but shook hands with Krampus before moving on to pat Dan and Dash, who pawed the ground impatiently and rubbed their heads against him.

  “I hope there was some magic left on them,” Pepper called quietly.

  “Me too,” said Bas, and he jogged off down the alleyway, with a backward glance every couple of steps.

  Pepper sat back down, feeling deflated. All her good mood evaporated as she thought of the girl Bas was going to help. She knew she should get going, but she couldn’t leave until he was out of sight.

  “You’re just going to let him go?” Krampus asked.

  “You heard him, there’s nothing I can do,” Pepper said. “Except be here for him. So we’re going to take you home, and then I’ll take the sleigh home before coming back. I guess if I don’t get fired, I’ll be resigning.”

  “I thought you were indispensable,” Krampus asked in his goat-like voice.

  “They can manage without me.” She looked at Krampus; his demon face didn’t look so scary any more. “And since when do you care?”

  “If you are out of a job, I’ll have to go back to dealing with your father,” Krampus grumbled. He grinned, all of his teeth showing. “And you know me, I’m as selfish as they come.”

  “As you would have us believe,” Pepper said.

  “So, I was thinking.” He took out the small punch of magic dust. “That we might go and spread a little happiness.”

  “How?” Pepper asked.

  Krampus held out his hand, the same hand he’d used to shake Bas’s. “Want to try your luck at finding this apartment building? You know, if this Callie is lucky, she might be home in a couple of hours, and that building sounds like a dive.”

  “What do you suggest?” Pepper asked.

  “I am not ready for tonight to be over. Let’s go have some fun.”

  Pepper must be crazy, but she wasn’t ready for tonight to end either. So she took his hand, and let the magic rub off on her. Then Krampus sprinkled a small amount of the magic dust over his head, and he changed into the old man.

  The two of them got out of the sleigh, and Pepper went to speak to Dan and Dash. “Please stay here. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

  Dan nodded, but Dash looked mutinous, well, as mutinous as a reindeer could. But they had given their word, and she trusted them, which was more than could be said for Krampus, even though she was certain he was on the side of good this time around.

  “What’s in it for you?” Pepper asked.

  “Do I have to have an ulterior motive?” he asked.

  “Well, you have a reputation,” she said.

  “Did have. I turned over a new leaf. And when I see how you’ve grown up, I guess I’m glad I didn’t beat you or put you in my basket.”

  She laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. You’re a big softy at heart.”

  He smiled, his face old and wrinkled. “I used to be cold and bitter,” he said. “Years ago, I was persecuted. But things have changed, people have changed, and I’ve changed too. I’ve enjoyed my day out, but tomorrow I’ll go back to being Mr. Kramps and being a part of the village I love. And if sometimes my magic dust helps those other than me, then I tell myself it helps make up for all the things I’ve done.”

  “Ahh. I’ll take that as my ulterior motive. You want a clear conscience.”

  “So this is it?” he asked, standing in front of a big building that had seen better days.

  “How does this work?”

  “Don’t they teach you anything in that cold village you live in?” he asked.

  “Not about the magic dust. No.”

  “They don’t trust you elves with it. I can see why, the stuff is addictive; you only have to ask those two reindeer. To the moon and back. Of all the things they could have used it for.”

  “And what are we going to use it for?” Pepper asked.

  “We are going to unearth the truth.” He opened the door of the shabby building, and went inside. And what did he do there? He shook people’s hands, he spoke to people, and all the while he sprinkled magic dust. A little here, the smallest grain there. All of it went unnoticed, all of it would seem natural to the residents of the apartment block, Krampus assured Pepper, even as the place transformed around them. Was there a Christmas tree in the foyer when they arrived, did the residents smile and talk so much when Krampus wasn’t there?

  “And now we go and find your man,” Krampus said, with some satisfaction. “And then we wait. Magic has its own way of working, you just have to give it time.”

  Chapter Nineteen – Bas

  Bas reached the police station, and stood outside to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. He ran his hand through his hair, making sure he looked presentable for when he spoke to the charging officer. He couldn’t imagine what Callie was going through, and he planned to get her out as soon as possible.

  Only when he took his hand out of his hair, did he see the faint glow on his palm. “The sly old goat,” Bas said, with a smile. This might all be a lot easier than he thought.

  Taking the steps two at a time, he entered the police station, to be met by a stare from the officer on reception duty. “Can I help you?” he asked Bas, his eyes straying up to Bas’s hair.

  “Yes.” Bas took out his card and handed it to the man behind the desk, who eyed it warily. “I’m here to see Callie Frasier. I am her representative.”

  “Is that right, sir?” the officer said, turning the card over in his hand.

  “Yes. I was on vacation when I was called in, so if you could tell the family I’m here.”

  Bas was rewarded by another look that accused him of making the whole thing up. However, after reexamining the card three times, the officer picked up the phone and spoke into the receiver quietly. His eyes kept flicking to Bas, but eventually, Bas was buzzed into the heart of the station, where he was met by another officer.

  “Hello, Officer Partridge,” Bas said, making sure not to shake hands; he might need the magic dust for someone else. “I’m here to get Callie out.”

  “You might need some luck with that. Mr. Armand is insisting she is kept here. We’re stalling him right now, and giving Callie some time to calm down, she is understandably upset. But Mr. Armand has a witness who will swear he saw the whole thing.”

  “So Callie didn’t hit Mr. Armand?” Bas asked.

  “Not according to Callie and her family. They say it’s a setup. And we have to try to figure out the truth. The difference is, that Mr. Armand’s witness is neutral; he lives in the apartment block and has as much to lose as anyone. But Callie only has her family.”

  “Why Callie?” Bas asked. “If it is a setup, why Callie?”

  “That is what we need to find out. Interview room 3. Her mom’s in there with her, and Detective Fairfield.”

  “Thank you for your help.” Officer Partridge seemed to be on Callie’s side, so he risked some of the magic, and shook the officer’s hand. “Anything you can find out would be appreciated. Callie doesn’t need this hanging over her at this time of year, and we all know Mr. Armand is one of the worst landlords, and biggest crooks, in town. I heard he was in financial trouble, and that makes him desperate.”

  “It does, I’ll see if I can make some enquiries myself,”
Officer Partridge said, and only then as they parted, did he allow his eyes to travel up to Bas’s hair. “Fancy dress?”

  “What?” Bas asked.

  “Did you come straight from a fancy dress party?” He pointed to Bas’s hair.

  Bas automatically put his hand up to his head. “Yeah. Something like that.”

  He smiled for a fraction of a minute as he went into the interview room. All he needed was for Pepper in her elf costume and Krampus as his actual self, and Bas’s credibility would be gone for good.

  “Barnabas Manners entered the interview room,” the detective said.

  Detective Fairfield was a woman of around forty-three years of age. As far as Bas could remember, she had no children of her own, and was known for being stern. She was also known for being fair, Bas always thought that’s why she had the name Fairfield. He figured he was about to find out if that was true.

  “Hi, Detective Fairfield.” He shook hands with her, much to her bemusement.

  “Mr. Manners. Please sit down.”

  Bas moved to sit down next to Callie and her mom. “Hi there. I’m Bas. I spoke to you a few months ago.”

  “About the building. Yes, I remember,” Callie’s mom said. She looked at Callie, her face etched with fear, her eyes red from tears. “Can you make all of this go away?”

  “I’m going to do my best,” Bas said. He touched Callie lightly on her hand, hoping there was enough magic dust on his palm to give her some luck. “Hey Callie.”

  “Hi.” Callie looked up at him for the first time, her eyes were red too, and she sniffed loudly, a shudder passing through her body. “Why is your hair glowing? You have a streak in it.”

  “I was at a Krampus parade, and one of them passed their magic on to me.”

  “In your hair?” she asked.

  “No, on my hand. I wiped it in my hair by mistake.” He grinned at Callie; it was half a truth, at least. Bas always believed in the truth, or as close to it as you could get.

  “Mr. Manners,” Detective Fairfield said. “We don’t deal in magic here, we deal in facts. And right now, the facts presented to me are that Callie violently struck Mr. Armand.”

  “She didn’t,” Callie’s mom, Mrs. Frasier, said.

  “It’s his word against Callie’s, and he has a witness,” Detective Fairfield said. “Now, unless we can prove otherwise, my hands are going to be tied.”

  “You’re going to have to charge Callie?” Mrs. Frasier asked.

  Detective Fairfield pressed her lips together. “Give me something, anything, to work on.” A knock at the door took her attention away from Callie. “Come in.”

  The door opened and Officer Partridge peered around it. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

  “Sure.” Detective Fairfield got up and left the room, closing the door behind her.

  “What are our chances?” Mrs. Frasier asked.

  “They are good. I hope. We need the police to find something out that discredits the witness.” The door opened and Detective Fairfield came in, holding a piece of paper to her chest. “And this might be it.”

  Callie fidgeted in her seat, while Mrs. Frasier said, “You know Mr. Armand is only doing this so he can get us all evicted. Those are the terms he’s offered us.”

  “Again, this is hearsay,” Detective Frasier said. “He told your husband, but there is no other witness.”

  “Are you calling us all liars?” Mrs. Frasier said.

  “Take a deep breath. And let’s see what Detective Fairfield has to say, shall we?” Bas said, hoping this Christmas Magic worked for the greater good. He wanted this all sorted out so that Callie could go home, and he could find a way to the North Pole to see his mate.

  “Well. I do have some new information.” She placed the sheet down on the table. “It appears the witness, Mr. Daniels, has been in receipt of a large amount of money. He’s also moving. To a new building owned by Mr. Armand.”

  “A bribe?” Bas said.

  “A court might well see it that way,” Detective Fairfield said. “I think you have enough to discredit a witness, don’t you, Mr. Manners?”

  “I do. But not enough to drop the charges?”

  “We’re working on it,” Detective Fairfield said. She looked at her watch. “Let’s take a break.”

  She got up and left the room, leaving Bas staring after her.

  “What’s wrong?” Mrs. Frasier asked.

  “Nothing. Maybe she has an idea, a hunch. Let’s sit tight.” And hope the magic of Christmas works.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Mrs. Frasier said, placing her hand on top of Callie’s, and squeezing it tightly. “Why didn’t he go after me or your dad, or one of the other residents?”

  “Maximum impact,” Bas replied. “My guess is he’ll think you’ll cave in and leave to save Callie.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  “Some of you might. And that’s all he needs. Then he’ll move on to each of the other residents in turn until he figures out how to push their buttons.”

  “But why? The planning was turned down.”

  “He must have some other plan.”

  “He must indeed,” Detective Fairchild said, coming back into the room. “And I think we’ve found it. Mr. Armand owes a lot of money. He plans to sell off the building. First, he planned to renovate it himself and make a killing. Now he’s hoping to sell it with vacant possession so that a new developer can come in and make your block into executive suites.”

  “You know this how?” Bas asked.

  “A little bird told us. Funny, all of a sudden we seem to be infested with little birds, all tweeting their secrets.” She gave Bas a strange look. “Almost as if they have been poked with a stick.”

  “Maybe it’s just the season. You know, happy holidays, good will to all men.”

  “Or maybe it’s that Christmas Magic you wanted us all to believe in.” She smiled and cocked her head. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you, Barnabas. And if I find out you have been bribing people yourself, then I will come down heavy on you.”

  “I can assure you, I have not bribed anyone.” He grinned at Detective Fairfield. “Maybe I am experiencing a lucky streak.” He indicated his head, and she couldn’t help herself, she broke out into a laugh.

  “Get yourselves out of here. I’m dropping the charges.”

  “You are?” Callie asked, excitedly.

  “Against you, yes. But I’m about to go drum some up against Mr. Armand. I should warn you, though, this will probably mean the building will still be sold. He’s likely to go bankrupt.”

  “So not such a happy Christmas after all,” Mrs. Frasier said. “It’s our home.”

  “Ahh,” Bas said. “You never know who might be the next person to get a little Christmas Magic sprinkled on them.”

  “I hope you are right. Mrs. Appleton has been living in that building all her life; she raised her kids there and lost her husband a couple of weeks ago. I think a move will kill her.”

  “It will all work out,” Bas said, rubbing his hand through his hair once more, willing all the magic that was left there to grip his hand. Then he shook Mrs. Frasier’s hand. “Go buy a lottery ticket. You never know your luck.”

  “I might just do that,” she said. “I might just.”

  Bas watched them go, and then walked through the corridors of the police station. Mulling everything over, he wasn’t taking much notice of where he walked. Not until he found himself with a prickling feeling on his neck, and he knew that his own wish had been granted.

  “You didn’t leave,” he said to Pepper, who was sitting next to old man Kramps.

  “We thought you might need us.”

  Bas sat down next to Pepper, and put his arm around her, kissing her head. “I always need you.” Then he leaned forward and said to Krampus, “Thank you. You made that young girl’s Christmas.”

  “Well, I figured she was probably a good girl, and the man who set her up deserved to be
punished. If I had my birch branches, I’d whip him for you.”

  “I think the law is going to do that,” Bas said. He leaned back against the wall. “Do they have beds in the North Pole? I think I could sleep for a week.”

  “We have beds,” Pepper said.

  “Good.” He looked around the police station. Would he miss all this if he never returned, if he just ran away to the North Pole with Pepper? As they left the station, he caught a glimpse of Callie jumping into the arms of her father.

  Yes. He would miss it.

  “Those reindeer had better fly fast. I’m due back in to work on Tuesday. And it’s a long return journey.”

  “I’ll sprinkle them with magic dust,” Kramps said.

  “You’re generous with that stuff,” Pepper said.

  “I know, I’m not sure what’s come over me. Must be a change in the air. A fresh breeze through the magical world.”

  She grinned at Kramps, and Bas couldn’t help thinking that it didn’t matter how weird things got, or how difficult it was going to be to make their relationship work. They were fated mates, and they were meant to be together.

  Chapter Twenty – Pepper

  “Woo-hoo!” Pepper yelled as they flew through the air. Kramps had sprinkled Dan and Dash with magic and they were flying so fast, the world was a blur. Within minutes of them climbing high up in the sky, they were descending again, the Alps stretching out in front of them.

  The two reindeer skimmed the top of the mountains, sticking close to the peaks and summits, occasionally whipping up snow as they touched the ground beneath them. As they reached the peak nearest Kramp’s village, they touched down, and dragged the sleigh across the packed snow and ice, leaving a trail behind them.

  Only when they neared the cave, where only hours before they had met the Krampus and unloaded his goods, did they slow, and then halt. Their sides were heaving, flanks covered in sweat, but still they stomped and champed, wanting to go again. They were filled with the thrill of the chase.

  “Thank you,” Pepper said, as she helped old man Kramps out of the sleigh. “Do you want me to walk with you back to town?”