by Sable Sylvan
“This is really nice,” said Angelica. “Thank you.”
Ryan looked up at Angelica. Was it a trick of the light shining through the crystal-like snowflakes scattered over Angelica’s hair, or had he returned the stars to her eyes? They’d already been outside for nearly half an hour. Ryan walked back to the door. He put his snout on the door and Angelica opened it.
“Time to go already?” asked Angelica.
Ryan nodded.
Angelica gave Ryan privacy while he shifted and got changed into his clothes.
“Hey, thanks for walking me home,” said Angelica, coming back out. “Thanks for the den too. It’s really nice.”
“No problem,” said Ryan. “Merry Christmas, Angelica. I hope this is your best one yet.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow? At the party?” asked Angelica.
“Absolutely,” said Ryan.
Ryan went back to the bakery, walking quickly through the snow. Krampus and Avery were deep in discussion.
“Sorry I’m late,” said Ryan.
“You are?” asked Krampus. “Oh. You are. Well, we must be going.”
“What was that?” asked Ryan as they left the bakery.
“I was just helping her figure out how she’ll get Angelica to The North Pole,” said Krampus. “It’s been a while since Avery brought a guest. Angelica can’t go by herself. To get to The North Pole, you must be with one of Santa’s associates. That’s why you have to go with me. Getting Angelica there…well, that’s a little trickier.”
“How’ll you do it?” asked Ryan.
“No concern of yours,” said Krampus. “We need to get back to Camp Kringle, so start rowing. We’ve got one Hell of a night coming up, and fast.”
Chapter Eight
Christmas Eve Night, 2008
Angelica got into Avery’s big SUV, sitting in the passenger seat.
“Wow, it’s warm in here,” said Angelica, unzipping her red hoodie.
“You’re gonna be glad we have those seat warmers,” said Avery. “Where we’re going, it’s cold.”
“Where are the headquarters again?” asked Angelica.
“In, uh, a town called North Pole, a few miles from here,” said Avery.
“There’s a town called North Pole?” asked Angelica.
“Unincorporated community, because it’s just a big office park, pretty much,” said Avery. “It’s where Santana works.”
“Got it,” said Angelica. “I’m glad we’ve got snacks and drinks.”
“I’m driving, so I’m the DJ,” said Avery, turning on the radio. “I hope you like Christmas songs.”
The last round of training for The Ride was done by three in the afternoon. By four, Ryan was back in human form, his harness put away, and he was drinking hot cocoa in the aviation lounge with the ice elementals.
“Attention,” said a voice over a PA system. “The Christmas party will be starting in the event hall. Again, the Christmas party will soon be starting in the event hall.”
“Perfect,” said Ryan, getting up from his seat.
“Where are you going?” asked Krampus, pushing Ryan back down.
“The party,” said Ryan.
“Shit, nobody told you?” asked Krampus. “You’re leaving in five minutes, Ryan.”
“Five minutes?” asked Ryan. “We’re not supposed to leave for another three hours.”
“There’s an emergency that Santana has to handle before deliveries start,” said Krampus. “There’s a children’s hospital, on fire, and the local fire department isn’t well-staffed. You need to go and help put the fire out.”
“Shit,” cursed Ryan, causing his mark to burn. “Fuck!” His mark burned harder.
“You have to —” started Krampus.
“I know what I have to do,” said Ryan. “Just tell her why I wasn’t there.”
“I will,” said Krampus, putting a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “I will.”
Angelica put out the last of the hot Christmas dinner themed breakfast sandwiches onto the hot tray. She wiped her hands on her apron. The feast had come together nicely. They’d made cranberry jelly filled donuts. They’d made plum pudding inspired breakfast muffins. There was milk and orange juice out, as well as coffee. For dessert, there was a ‘Santana’s Milk and Cookies’ station, featuring Santana’s favorite cookies, according to Avery. Of course, their rank included chocolate chip cookies, with extra chocolate chips.
“Hey, have you seen Ryan?” asked Angelica.
“No,” said Avery. “Honey…I don’t think he can make it tonight.”
“But he promised he’d be here,” said Angelica.
“It’s a work emergency,” said Avery. “They really needed him.”
“Uh-huh,” said Angelica, hands in the pockets of her red hoodie. “Sure they did. It’s just typical Ryan. I guess a weretiger can’t change its stripes, and ‘the Big Bad Bear’ can’t change his ways. That kind of thing could only happen in a fairy tale.”
“They really did, Angelica,” said Avery.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Angelica. “Really, Avery. I don’t want to talk about it. Remember, this is just a job. I don’t even like Christmas.”
Avery sighed. Every year, it was so frustrating. She knew she wasn’t supposed to tell Angelica the truth. That’d be interfering. It was against policy…and it hardly ever worked. People believed what they wanted to believe, and getting them to believe in Christmas magic was as hard as melting a candy cane in a cup of cold eggnog. Heck, figuring out a way to get Angelica all the way up to The North Pole had been difficult. She’d had to get some help from Krampus, who had set her car up with special wheel axles made with demoncraft. Avery had used them to teleport the SUV into a tunnel that led to Santana’s Workshop, and Angelica hadn’t noticed they weren’t in Montana anymore.
Avery was going to have a talk with Santana. This was yet another reason Avery wanted to be able to tell her workers the truth about Christmas. Santana was too untrusting of adults. Naturally, Fate had led Angelica to The Wreath for a reason.
Avery watched as Angelica put out the last of the treats.
“Come on,” said Avery. “Look. It’s a party. Pandora and Jack are here. You all should have some fun. There are games, there’s karaoke, there are all kinds of fun activities to do.”
“I just want to work,” said Angelica with a side smile. “After all, isn’t that why I’m here?”
Ryan knew Santana’s sleigh could teleport. He’d been briefed on that, and they’d practiced flying before and during and after teleporting, during their training earlier that day. What training didn’t prepare Ryan for was the great blaze beneath them.
“Alright,” said Krampus, speaking into Ryan’s ear, which was set up with a special earpiece. “You need to help land the sleigh on the roof. There’s no helipad, and it’s covered in antennae and shit, so don’t try and make a smooth landing. Try to make any landing at all.”
Ryan wove in and out of the gear on the building as he helped land the sleigh. Santana got out of the sleigh.
“Shift,” said Krampus.
Ryan shifted. He was wearing an all-black tactical suit that matched the outfits the other seven shifters were wearing. The ice elementals could all shift into penguins. Ryan wondered what good their shifts would do them in the situation.
“Follow Santana,” said Krampus.
Ryan ran up to The Jolly Fellow, who was walking fast, behind the ice elementals. Santana yanked open the door to the roof. A blaze flew out. Ryan put his hands in front of his face, but soon, he felt snowflakes against his face, coming from in front of him. He opened his eyes. The ice elementals were putting out the fire with their powers.
“Now I’ve seen everything,” said Ryan.
“Ryan,” said Santana, who was also hooked up to the communications system. “You and I can’t do shit without the elementals. Here’s what we’re gonna do. You grab the kids. You run’m out, you run back in, we clear this place out. You got it?�
�
“Got it,” said Ryan.
Angelica had to admit there was nothing left to do about the buffet. Santana’s cafeteria crew had handled the baking. It was Angelica and Avery who had come up with the recipes to send the squad, but they hadn’t had to do any of the cooking. The cafeteria crew had their own way of doing things, and they didn’t need any help.
Angelica met up with Pandora and Jack. She felt like a third wheel. They were nice, but it was obvious they were meant to be together. Usually, seeing them brought a smile to her face. Hearing them laugh still made Angelica smile. It was just a bittersweet type of happiness. She wished that, like Pandora and Jack, she had somebody to spend that night with. She didn’t care that it was Christmas, although she envied them for caring about Christmas at their age, which she assumed to be around the early twenties. She just wished that she was with Ryan. She couldn’t wait to get home, pack her things, and leave this world behind.
Within an hour, the entire hospital was cleared out. Ryan had hauled ass to help get the kids out of the building, usually carrying two at a time, either one in each arm or one over his shoulder with another cradled in his arms. He calmed them down by telling them he was a friend of Santa Claus, one of his reindeer, and singing Christmas songs with them.
“Jingle bells, jingle bells,” sang Ryan in as clear a tone as he could. “Jingle all the way…”
He danced in and out of the flames, and not one child got hurt.
Santana’s magic covered their traces. While the children claimed to have been saved by Santa Claus and a reindeer, the adults ignored them. The ambulances were too busy whisking the kids away to get them to another hospital.
“That was wild,” said Krampus. “You did good.”
“So did the elementals,” said Ryan.
“I guess they can be useful,” admitted Santana.
“Did you tell her?” asked Ryan.
“Yes,” said Krampus. “I told Avery, who told her. I, uh, thought it needed a woman’s touch. Santana…you really outta let Avery let her crew know about the magic.”
“If they figure it out, they figure it out,” said Santana. “They have to really believe. They can’t just think they’re indulging in their boss’ delusions.”
“Isn’t that what we’re all doing?” sassed Krampus.
“I swear, demon, you’ll be the death of me,” said Santana. “Hold on tight, bear. The Ride’s only just begun.”
Chapter Nine
Christmas Day, 2008
Ryan landed on the tarmac at The North Pole and shifted out of his reindeer shift once he was inside Santana’s Workshop, where Christmas elves were busy drinking cocoa and eating sugar cookies.
“Merry Christmas, kid,” said Krampus, coming up to Ryan and slapping him on the back.
“I need to get back,” said Ryan. “I need to get back to The Wreath.”
“It’s Christmas,” said Krampus. “Take a break. Relax. You earned it. That was one Hell of a Ride. Never seen anything like it.”
“I have to go, now,” said Ryan. “Can you send me to The Wreath with demoncraft or something?”
“I suppose,” said Krampus with a grin.
Krampus walked back out into the hall with Ryan and found an occupied spot. He took his chain off and tossed it in the air. The air came down to the ground, forming a perfect circle in midair. The chain didn’t slam down onto the floor. It floated down gently.
The chains filled with a green light. Ryan was impatient. Seeing the magic was at work, Ryan stepped into the circle.
“Should’ve shifted first,” said Krampus, shaking his head. “Get ready for one Hell of a landing.”
A landing? What did Krampus mean?
Ryan was sucked down into the portal and learned what Krampus meant, the hard way. There was a reason Krampus didn’t hop into his chain portal when it was filled with flames. He couldn’t see where exactly the portal was.
Ryan popped into the airspace about a hundred feet above The Wreath and was falling, fast.
“Shit!” cursed Ryan, his mark burning hard. “Dancer, buddy, you got any ideas?”
Ryan had never before shifted without willing it. As Dancer took over Ryan’s body, without waiting for Ryan to will himself to turn, Ryan wondered if this is what mate madness might feel like.
Great, thought Ryan as he shifted. I’ll be a big reindeer falling through the sky. Guess I’m going to become roadkill. Skykill?
Humans, said Dancer disappointedly. Reindeer fly. You saw that in person just under twenty minutes ago.
Ryan looked down. He was flying like he had when he was attached to Santana’s sleigh. He’d assumed he couldn’t fly unless Santana willed it or something, but of course, he could fly in his shift. Ryan looked down at The Wreath and found the dock at the Bear Claw Bakery. From there, he traced a path to the house Angelica was renting in town.
As they drew nearer, Ryan spotted a flash of red. It was Angelica, in her familiar bright red hoodie, opening up the back of her car. Ryan had caught his Little Red Riding Hood just before she’d left The Wreath.
There, said Ryan. Right there.
Get ready for a bumpy landing, said Dancer.
Dancer swooped down through the air, the fur on his breast getting covered with a thin layer of snow as Dancer practically danced through the falling snow. The only problem was Dancer’s dancing wasn’t like a ballerina’s dance. It was more like a heavy metal musician thrashing on stage. His movements were fast and hard.
Angelica was putting her first bag into her car when she heard the sound of jingling bells. She looked up and couldn’t believe her eyes. At first, she thought the reindeer must’ve fallen out of a plane or gotten swept up by a freak tornado. Then, she realized the reindeer looked familiar. It was the mysterious man who had saved her from the polar bear shifter at the bakery.
As the reindeer shifted into the form of a clothed human male, the question as to the were-reindeer’s identity was answered. Angelica couldn’t believe her eyes. Ryan, frikkin’ Ryan, was standing in front of her.
“What in the name of Christmas is going on?” asked Angelica.
“I’m here to apologize, to say I’m sorry,” said Ryan. “I’m sorry for standing you up last night.”
“You stood me up, Ryan,” said Angelica. “Give me one good reason why I should forgive you.”
“Because I had to save Christmas,” said Ryan.
“That’s not a thing,” said Angelica. “What? No. This isn’t a Christmas movie. There may be flying reindeer shifters, but I know Santa’s not real.”
“He is. Whose party did you think you were working?” asked Ryan. “Everything you think you know about Christmas, well, half is true, the other half is more incredible than you could ever imagine. My mark. On my chest. You know that’s not my mark, Angelica. You know it’s not.”
“Excuse me?” asked Angelica. “Why would I know about your mark?”
“Because I know you saw my real mark the time you ran into me skinny dipping and we stared at each other and didn’t say a dang word,” said Ryan. “The moment’s etched into my mind, and I’m sure it’s etched into yours.”
“Fine,” said Angelica. “According to you, what’s the deal with Christmas?”
“Christmas is real, Christmas magic is real, Santa’s real name is Santana Claus, your regulars Pandora and Jack are Santana Claus’s daughter and the son of Old Man Winter,” said Ryan. “Last night, there was a fire at a children’s hospital. We had to leave to put it out at once. There was no time to waste.”
“That was you?” asked Angelica. “I read about that online this morning. They said the fire mysteriously went out and all the children were saved…some claiming to have been saved by Santa Claus and his reindeer.”
“That was us,” said Ryan. “That’s why I had to leave the party. I didn’t have time to say goodbye. The Ride, the ride around the world to deliver presents, lasted longer than expected. I only just got back. It’s around ten in the
morning here, so it’s around three or four in the morning on the last island we delivered presents to in the Pacific. We barely made it.”
“How do I know you’re serious about me?” asked Angelica. “How do I know that you’re not just saying whatever you can to make sure I don’t talk shit about you back in Nuthusk?”
“Because of this,” said Ryan, pulling the small wrapped gift out of his pocket.
Ryan passed the gift to Angelica. He hadn’t opened it, hadn’t peeked, but he knew what Pandora had conjured up inside the box.
Angelica opened the box which was wrapped with green paper and tied together with a red ribbon. It was small, with a bit of heft. When she saw what it was, she dropped the present as if it were a hot coal, but Ryan caught it in his hands and popped it open at the same time.
“Angelica, will you marry me?” asked Ryan, taking a knee and opening the ring box, exposing a white gold ring with a white solitaire diamond surrounded by tiny emeralds and rubies cut into a variety of shapes. “I’ve been in love with you for…well, a long time. Longer than I care to admit. I never thought I’d see you here at The Wreath when I was trying to turn myself from ‘bad boy’ to ‘somewhat decent guy.’ But here we are, on Christmas Day. I’m just a bad boy with a good ring, on one knee, looking for an answer. Will you marry me?”
Before Angelica could answer, Fate gave her a call. Angelica’s phone started ringing. Her ringtone was a Christmas song. She looked at the name on the phone.
“I have to take this,” said Angelica. “Hello?
“Why hello, dear, and Merry Christmas!” said a warm elderly woman’s voice. “You won’t believe what I found under my Christmas tree.”
“Merry Christmas to you too, Nana Jessie,” said Angelica. “What did you find under the tree?”
“Do you remember how, when you were growing up, you’d come up to my house for the summers? I’d always make you a pie for your birthday,” said Nana Jessie. “And every year…”
