Satan's Gift

by Everly Taylor

  I glanced upward, following the direction of the smoke as it trailed higher. The blaze had charred the once stark-white ceiling and the black smoke that wafted through the room was sure not helping matters. The smell of the charred Douglas Fir filled the small space, making it smell more like a campfire, than Christmas.

  An alarm started blaring through the house, “Well, that’s a little late. Fires already out,” I muttered sarcastically. The pup started running around the living room trying to find the source of the sudden noise, and overhead footsteps could be heard as they began to move around to investigate. I chased him through the living room, finally catching him just before he opened his mouth to light a stuffed snowman on fire.

  I stood straight and tucked him under my arm, “You have caused all kinds of chaos,-” I started, but was interrupted as pain pierced the back of my neck. “Really?” I spun around facing the army men as their little green faces peered at me from behind their makeshift barricades. “Are you shitting me right now?”

  Suddenly the room shimmered and filled with a soft glow, as it faded it was replaced with none other than Nick and Bernard. “Oh, fuck my life.” I tossed my free hand up in exasperation.

  Instantly, the piercing alarm quieted and the footsteps overhead stilled. How the fuck had he done that? Just by being in the damn house?

  “What in the North Pole is going on here?” Nick bellowed. “I thought you were going to deliver presents to these people, not burn their houses down Luka.”

  “I did bring presents, the presents tried to burn the house down, not me.” I quipped.

  “A hellhound, to a human's house? Are you insane? They are beyond unpredictable, even as an adult, yet you want to bring one here?”

  “The boy asked for a puppy, I gave him a puppy,” I reasoned.

  “This boy was not ready for a puppy, Luka. A stuffed animal would have been nice, or something a little less,-” he stopped speaking and looked down at his arm and back at me.

  “Don’t take it personally, the little fuckers keep shooting me too,” I consoled him, with a grin.

  He looked at the mantle, the green platoon having retreated for the moment. “You gave him army men that actually shoot?” He yelled, his voice growing louder and his face a deeper shade of red.

  Bernard sniggered and Nick narrowed his eyes at him. “It’s kind of funny.” Bernard shrugged.

  I laughed with him, making Nick round on me again, “Are you serious?”

  “Well yeah, I gave them to him for his stocking. It’s not my fault they didn’t want to stay in there.”

  “Luka, you don’t give kids toys that will hurt them or burn their house down,” he motioned to the tree to drive his point home.

  I feigned insult, “Nick, army men would never shoot a child.”

  “Luka,” he growled out.

  “Okay, I get it. No burning or shooting. There was bound to be a learning curve, right?”

  “Maybe it’s best if you let us handle the remaining letters,” Bernard suggested.

  “No, I said I would do it and I will. I just didn’t realize I was limited in my choices.”

  “One would have thought that was common sense,” Nick replied flatly.

  “Ooh, Santa has sass, I like it. Look, you can’t fault me for giving the boy what he wanted.”

  “And nearly destroying his home in the process,” Bernard added, shifting his glasses again.

  Sirens wailed in the distance making us all glance toward the front of the house, “You’re lucky I can fix this Luka.” Nick said, a hint of a warning in his tone.

  “You always were good at fixing things. Guess that’s why you liked it out in the workshop so much and I was more suited for other hobbies,” I grinned. The puppy barked as one of the soldiers shot at him. His eyes lit up this time, all six glowing cherry red as he let out a fire ball at the mantle. It hit its intended target and picture frames and knickknacks went flying, shattering on the ground and leaving a charred circle behind.

  “Luka, get that creature out of here before it burns down the entire row.” Nick demanded.

  “Yeah, Yeah.” I summoned a portal.

  “Letters, Luka?” Bernard asked one more time his hand outstretched.

  “No way, I’ve got this.” I stated before letting the flames engulf me, leaving them to repair things. I might have fucked up once, but I was going to give the remaining people a Christmas they weren’t going to forget.

  Chapter Six

  Luka

  I traveled back to my office to deposit the puppy and figure out my next move. I would have to figure out what to do with him later, I didn’t have time to deal with it right now. There was no way I could bring him back to his mom now. Hellhound mommas were extremely territorial and now this one had the scent of humans all over him, she would never accept him back. Even if I ordered her to and she let him in the den, she would eat him when I left. He didn’t deserve that, it was my fault he stunk like the humans. Damn I had really missed the mark on this one.

  The little brown and black puppy wiggled as I plopped him down on the granite hearth in front of the fireplace. At least I knew he couldn’t burn anything here. We were in Hell after all.

  I went to sit in my leather chair and watched him as he inspected the large fireplace. The black granite tiles rose to the ceiling, and those low enough to the ground shot his reflection back at him, giving him a moments pause. I grinned, as he barked and failed at his attempt to burn his reflection.

  I had thrown many tantrums in my past that would put his puny fireballs to shame and yet my office still remained, unscathed by the fires of the Devil himself. Yeah, the little guy would be safe here until I could deal with him.

  The puppy gave up his attempts and walked over to the opening in the fireplace and crawled into the fire, shaking out his fur as the flames licked his sides. He circled a few times before finding a comfortable place, and curled into a tight ball as he settled on the embers to go to sleep. At least someone was going to get some rest tonight.

  I blew out a breath of frustration, I really needed to get one of these gifts right. Nick would never let me live it down otherwise. Fuck, if Nick could do this whole holiday cheer thing, I could. It couldn’t be that damn difficult to not burn shit down, right?

  I pulled the top letter off the stack. For a moment I studied the front of the envelope, my name beautifully scrolled across the front. The stunning calligraphy made my name look like artwork, it was a shame that this was more than likely a mistake.

  The address was written in the same beautifully scrolled writing. Interesting, this address was really close to the house I had just visited. I turned the letter over and tucked my finger under the flap, the scent of vanilla rushing up to me as the envelope opened.

  Instantly, images of the woman from the street flashed through my mind. Her defiant green eyes bright as she scolded me for the treatment of my puppy. The puppy, I corrected myself. He wasn’t mine, and I would be taking care of him in the morning.

  Thinking of her had me wanting things I had no business wanting. I was the Devil after all, I had no business longing for anything with anyone, let alone a human. They were so fragile and unpredictable, especially the women. If I wanted companionship to sate my lust, I could choose any supernatural I wished, for as little or as long as I wanted. We would leave each other happy and satisfied, and that would be that.

  So why was this woman popping into my thoughts at the most inopportune moments? I wondered. I had never had this issue previously. But then again, no human had been able to see me uninvited before either, let alone be brave enough to scold me as she had. Perhaps it was just curiosity about her and her reaction, or lack of for that matter, toward me.

  I shook my head, I would never have an interest in a sassy, black haired human anyway. I preferred my women more obedient; she certainly didn’t fit the bill it seemed.

  I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. I had more important things to deal with at th
e moment. I shook off thoughts of her and slipped the letter the rest of the way from the envelope, unfolded it and began to read.

  Dear Santa,

  Well hell, I sighed, I guess this one was really meant for the jolly red guy. I called dibs, this one is mine big guy, I laughed before continuing.

  This whole Christmas thing went so terribly wrong last time I tried to write to you. So please, do your best and try not to fuck it up this time. That’s if you’re even real. My Mom and Dad seem to really believe in you, so maybe there’s some merit to it, who knows?

  Anyway, for Christmas I would like a vacation somewhere warm because I am so damn sick of feeling cold.

  Thanks,

  Holly

  I stared at the letter with mixed emotions for what seemed like an eternity. This woman, Holly and I, seemed to have a lot in common.

  I wanted to know what had made her Christmas go so wrong, but more than anything I wanted to know how someone with a name like Holly could be so bitter about a holiday basically tailored to her namesake.

  Originally, I had thought there was no way this could be the same woman I met on the sidewalk. But the tone in the letter told me there was a good chance that it might be.

  I thought for a moment, how could I manage to not fuck this one up? She wanted to be brought somewhere warm, where could I bring her that she would enjoy?

  Where did I go when I wanted somewhere warm? My bedroom, I smirked. While I wasn’t opposed to that idea, I didn’t think that was exactly what she had in mind.

  I watched as the puppy shifted on his back, getting comfortable in the dying embers. “Don’t get too comfortable dude, you’re leaving in the morning.” I called to him. He simply grunted and ignored me, as he fell back to sleep.

  I grinned as an idea occurred to me. Maybe she would be interested in helping me deliver these gifts somewhere warm? I really could use the input from a human considering I had done so badly with my first attempt.

  She had mentioned in her letter her parents were believers, maybe that would be my way of convincing her to help me. “What do you think pup?” I mused out loud as I tapped the letter against my knee. “Think I have a chance?”

  The puppy rolled over and tilted his head at me as if listening for a minute before putting his head between his paws and watching me.

  “I’m just going to take that as a yes.” I decided. “Come on boy,” I called out to him as I stood. “Let’s go visit Holly, maybe you can win me some of those cake points, or whatever they are called.”

  I summoned a portal and the pup ran over to me, tumbling over himself and into my arms, the flames closing around both of us. Here goes nothing.

  Chapter Seven

  Holly

  I stood transfixed on the sidewalk watching warily as the guy confidently approached me. He strolled over as if he owned the world, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. His dark hair was slicked back over his head a smirk on his lips. The moonlight accented his sharp features, combined with his five o’clock shadow it gave him a hint of danger that excited me.

  He stopped inches from me and studied me unashamedly. Somehow, he smelled of fire and ash, the scent eliciting something in me that I didn’t know existed. He reached a hand up and moved a loose strand of hair back from my face, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers brushed against my skin as he lowered his hand and sent my pulse hammering and heat pooling to my core.

  His deep blue eyes met mine and held my gaze as he leaned forward hovering right above my lips. “I wonder, do you taste as forbidden as you look?” He whispered huskily, his voice washing over me as chills raced through me.

  I let out a breath, not sure how to respond to his question. Maybe I should just let him find out on his own? I shifted forward in response, but instead of meeting his mouth it felt like my whole body was being tilted on its axis. Not rolling forward, but rolling to the side.

  Suddenly I was jerked awake, my eyes flew open as it felt like I was falling to the side. I sat straight up, steadying myself as I fought off nausea.

  I balled my fists in frustration at my sides. A dream, it had been a fucking dream. One that had excited me enough to leave me turned on when I woke.

  I stared into the darkness, and struggled to orient myself. That had been one hell of a realistic dream. What had jerked me awake so suddenly?

  A slight movement from near my window caught my attention and had me shifting to my knees on my bed. “Who the fuck is there?” I demanded.

  Slowly a man emerged from the shadows, shocking me as the moonlight revealed his face.

  “You?” I exclaimed. “How the fuck did you get in?”

  I jumped from my bed and grabbed the wooden baseball bat that I had kept next to it since I’d moved in, for exactly this reason. Pft, and dad had said it wasn’t necessary.

  I ran at the intruder and arched the bat behind me, swinging my weapon as hard as I could at his head. At the last minute the puppy in his arms caught my attention as he growled and his eyes flashed red. Suddenly, my bat burst into crimson flames and I dropped it, just before it vanished into thin air, only the smell of charred wood remaining.

  “What the literal fuck was that?” I yelled, backing up, my knees hitting my bed stopping my retreat any further.

  The puppy jumped down from the guys arms, landing in a tumbled heap at his feet before scrambling upright again and running to stand in front of me to bark. Okay, maybe he wasn’t a robot, but if he wasn’t, then what the fuck was he? No normal dog had horns, or six eyes that blinked in unison with one another.

  “You better start explaining why the hell you’re in my apartment with… with that thing.” I motioned to the not robot puppy.

  “Hush,” he ordered, and instantly the barking quieted, but still the little creature watched me, his six red eyes blinking intently at me.

  “Please let me explain,” he started, taking a step forward.

  “Don’t you dare come any fucking closer. You have thirty seconds.” I picked up my cell phone from my nightstand. “Make it count.”

  “I need your assistance,” he replied simply.

  “My assistance?” I repeated.

  “Yes, I fucked up, and I need you to help me make it right.” He said, almost helplessly.

  “I am not helping you hide any bodies, you damn psycho.” What the hell, why did I have to attract the crazies? Sure, he was sexy as sin, but damn.

  “I don’t need help hiding a body, I have people for that,” He laughed, my eyes going wide. “I’m kidding, Holly.”

  “How the fuck do you know my name?”

  “Look, I’m handling this all wrong. Let me start over.” He sighed and tucked his hand into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a letter. “May I?” He asked indicating he wanted to hand it to me.

  I reached my hand out and took the letter from him, glancing at it as he passed it to me. “How did you get this?” I asked in surprise. “I just wrote this tonight.” There was no way this guy was at the party to swipe it. I would have remembered someone like him being there, and he certainly had not been.

  “It was delivered to me.” He gave a small grin.

  “You’re trying to tell me your Santa.” I asked sarcastically, raising my brow in question.

  He let out a snort of disgust, “Hell no. I’m not that jolly fucker. But that envelope was not addressed to Santa was it?” He asked, letting me draw my own conclusion.

  My eyes widened in realization. “You’re claiming to be…” I trailed off, droppin to my bed, unable to say the words. I knew there were fantastic things out there. My parents had raised me to believe in all sorts of incredible things. There was a time that I believed in all of that with them, that time had ended though.

  I thought for a minute, perhaps there was a small part of me that still questioned it I guess, or I would have never written that letter, not even to pacify my Dad. But to believe that he was who he said he was... It was more likely he was a crazy guy, lonely on Christmas Eve,
who needed help.

  “Look, if you need some help, we can call someone.” I tried to be empathetic, I knew all too well how it felt to be sad during the holidays.

  “Holly, you know who I am. You just have to accept it.” He said quietly and leaned back against the window sill.

  “Why are you really here?” I asked hesitantly. If I were to buy into this whole Satan thing, he wasn’t here for anything good. So, either way, Satan or a crazy ass man, I needed to be careful.

  “I was being honest with you. I need your help.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Don’t you have minions or something for that?” I glanced at the creature sniffing my feet. “What is this thing?”

  “My first fuck up of the night.” He sighed, seeming to be resigned to the fact that he had screwed something up.

  “What do you mean?” Now I was curious, whether I believed him or not, there was no denying that he had an incredible creature with him. It was worth hearing him out.

  “Sometimes I can be a little impulsive.” He started making me grin.

  “The Devil? Impulsive? I would have never guessed.”

  “Anyway.” He laughed, “I get these letters every year meant for Nick, but accidentally addressed to me.” He motioned to my letter and I nodded, beginning to see where this was going. “This year I insisted on delivering the presents to those people myself.”

  “And it’s not going so hot, huh?” I concluded.

  “Not so much. Exhibit A,” He motioned to the creature.

  “What is it?”

  “A hellhound.” He winced. “I didn’t exactly think it through. The boy asked for a puppy. I brought him a puppy. I just didn’t consider this puppy would burn his house down.”

  I looked at the puppy again, “He’s kinda cute in a freaky, please dont burn my house down sort of way.. Why did you think it would be a good idea to give a boy a fire breathing puppy with six eyes and horns?”

  He stared at me for a minute, “You can see that?” he questioned.