by Sable Sylvan
Connor walked over to Krampus.
“Here,” said Krampus, pulling a snow globe out of his pocket, a pocket that had been empty two seconds earlier. “There are limits to what any man can do to suppress his…manly feelings of whatever you’re feeling.”
“What are you saying?” asked Connor.
“You can have your bear back until it’s time for The Ride,” said Krampus. “It’s crazy for me to let you have him, but…you already know how to fly. I’ve seen you in the air. You’re not behind on your training. Just remember – your bear goes back in this ball come Christmas Eve morning, and you’ll still need to earn it back.”
“Yeah, by getting off The Naughty List and claiming a mate,” said Connor, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe I wasted all this time hoping…never mind.”
“Thinking Noel was the one?” asked Krampus.
Connor nodded.
“Hold your hand out,” said Krampus. “You know how it goes.”
See you later, kid, said Comet.
Connor put his hands on the snow globe. He felt the forces in his body churn. Then, that storm of forces was switched with another magical whirlwind, the one trapped inside the snow globe. Sparks of red and gold and green turned into ribbons that wrapped around Connor’s hands. He could practically feel the satin texture of real fabric against his palms, the sharpness of a ribbon’s edge against the webs between his fingers.
He heard a familiar roar and smiled to himself.
“Thanks, Krampus,” said Connor. “I’m…going to go for a swim. Care to join me?”
“Unless it’s a swim through the waters of Lethe, I think I’ll pass,” said Krampus, thumping his book against the table. “This Dante guy, he’s describing a real lost paradise here. If only Hell were as nice as he described it.”
Connor furrowed his brow, confused.
“Go,” said Krampus. “Shoo, bear. Leave a tired demon to his romance novel.”
Connor walked outside and walked down to the shore of Camp Kringle. At first, he didn’t shift. He just walked to the dock and sat on the edge.
On the edge of the dock, Connor could see a partial panorama of The Wreath. Across The Wreath, there was one ornament that caught his eye – the small bakery, hooked onto The Wreath by its dock rather than a silver wire hook. The bakery’s lights were all off, but the Christmas lights around the bakery were blinking in red and green and blue and yellow.
Connor looked up. There was light pollution from The Wreath, but not much. Above, he could see The Milky Way. To Santana, was it The Milk And Cookies Way? Connor put his palms on the dock and leaned back, thinking about The Ride.
Before, he’d been worried about everything, about figuring out how to balance the responsibility of The Ride with the passion he felt for Noel. After all, Christmas Eve was his deadline, wasn’t it? He had until Christmas Eve to claim his fated mate, or else, he’d lose his mate forever.
His bear grumbled. Connor agreed with the bear – he’d put work and family ahead of himself for too many years, and now, Connor was paying the price.
Connor shifted without thinking. It felt so natural, turning back into his bear, that he forgot that, in his shift, his clothes would burst when he shifted. That included his worn work pants, his flannel shirt, and the work boots around his feet. Even the belt around his waist snapped.
Connor dove into the water. He felt the icy cold water against his skin after it seeped through his fur. It chilled him to the bone. It was a welcome change from the warmth he’d felt, either in the bakery, helping Noel out, or working on Camp Kringle, his body hot from swinging an ax for hours each day. For the first time in a long time, Connor felt truly alive.
He pulled out of the water and shook his face. Droplets of water fell from his tufted ears and hit the lake, forming small rings in the lake’s surface. As the lake stilled, Connor saw his own reflection – a reflection of himself in his bear form, a sight he’d never thought he’d see again, once he’d realized Noel had seven mates.
He looked past his reflection, at the tiny dots of light scattered over the lake, not unlike the dots of light twinkling around the edge of the roof of the bakery.
Connor looked up at the sky. At least he’d still be able to fly once all this was over – once he’d lost his shift, his mate mark, his Clan, and his chance of finding a fated mate. After all, with no mate mark, how would Connor find and claim a fated mate?
He knew that it didn’t matter how far he flew – he’d never be able to change his Fate or escape his past mistakes.
Chapter Six
Christmas Eve Eve, 2011
Noel got to Bear Claw Bakery an hour before everyone was scheduled to get there. She started brewing up vats of coffee while trays of fresh breakfast pastries cooled in the kitchen. She was setting out the mugs when she heard a knock at the back door.
“Connor?” asked Noel. “You’re here early.”
“I wanted to see if you needed any help, given you’ll be feeding an army,” said Connor.
“You can check and see if the pastries are cool enough to eat,” said Noel. “Transfer them to the trays I’ve laid out in the back. Be careful not to burn yourself.”
“I should tell you to be careful with the coffee,” retorted Connor.
“Why does it matter?” asked Noel. “It’s not like you like me, Connor.”
Noel was playing a game, and she knew it. She’d always been good at fishing – it was hard to be a lousy fisherwoman when she spent at least a few weekends each summer angling off the coast of Miami with her brothers. She was fishing for something different from Connor, something a lot bigger than tuna.
Before Connor could answer, the door to the bakery opened. In came the seven women and the seven men, who were all chatting. They helped themselves to coffee and pastries and took seats.
“Hey,” said Noel. “I didn’t expect everyone to get here on time. My friend Pandora looked at the maps and came up with seven routes for everyone. We’re going to need people to split up into pairs. Avery and Krampus are going to be here, so, if you need to come back for more packages, snacks, whatever, they’ll be around.”
“How should we pair up?” asked Ginnie.
“Might as well do it alphabetically,” said Noel. “Annie, you can ride with Arlo. Bonnie, you’re with Bastian. Cassie and Cassius, you two are together. Dellie, go with Damien. Ellie, you and Edgar can take a car. Fannie, Finn needs a helper, and Ginnie, you’re with Gilliam.”
“Sounds good – except for one thing,” said Annie. “I’m nobody’s assistant – so I’ll drive.”
“Trust me, I know my way around my vehicle,” said Arlo.
“In the snow?” asked Annie. “Finn admitted the seven of you don’t know anything about driving in the snow.”
“Fair point,” said Arlo, hands raised. “I’m no idiot – I know not to argue with a shifter woman.”
“It doesn’t matter who drives, as long as everyone is paired up,” said Noel. “Here are your routes.” Noel passed out the seven routes, giving each of the seven women one of the maps.
“What are you and Connor going to do?” asked Dellie.
“We’re hitting some houses from the air,” said Noel.
“From the air?” asked Damien.
“I’ll explain later,” said Noel. “Anyway. We need to get all of you on the road. Gilliam, are the cars all outfitted with snow tires and such?”
“Yeah – with Ginnie’s help, we found a trustworthy local shop to get our cars in shape,” said Gilliam. “All that’s missing is the pastries.”
“Avery baked up a storm last night. The packages are in the freezer. You can put the heat on in your cars – the packages shouldn’t thaw out,” Noel assured. “Right this way.”
Noel showed her seven shifter brothers and the seven shifter women to the back of the bakery, to the big freezer. Both the men and women unloaded the freezer together. They loaded up the cars in alphabetical order. One by one, the cars were off
, starting with Annie and Arlo – with Annie in the driver’s seat.
“Come on,” ordered Noel, ushering Connor toward her SUV. “Let’s get this over with.”
Noel and Connor drove to the local airstrip, an airstrip owned by none other than Santana Claus – who let various pilots from the area use the airstrip for a low maintenance fee. There was a light flurry of snow whisking around the town. The sounds of jingling bells and caroling groups filled the air. The inside of the car was quiet as Noel and Connor drove in silence to the airstrip.
Noel drove away from the main drag, toward the outside of town. Noel parked the car on the tarmac and walked outside into the snow.
“Alright, shifter – let’s see you work your Christmas magic,” ordered Noel after Connor had left the car. Connor got on the ground and shifted…
…causing his clothing to tear into a thousand pieces.
Where Connor had been, there was now a bear – not a reindeer, not a giraffe, but a full-on bear.
“Are you frikkin’ kidding me?” hissed Noel. “I thought you were a reindeer!”
The bear looked up at Noel and shrugged.
Suddenly, there was a puff of sulfur-scented smoke. A man appeared from the gray cloud. It was Krampus.
“Hey,” said Krampus. “I went back to the bakery to give you something. Change back.”
The bear motioned to the clothing in scraps around the tarmac.
“Aww, someone’s shy?” asked Krampus.
“Ugh, whatever, I’ll just turn around,” said Noel.
Noel turned away from Connor. Connor turned back into a man. Krampus waved his hand. The scraps of clothing reassembled themselves around Connor’s nude body. It was as if he’d never shifted in the first place.
“Here,” said Krampus, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the magical snow globe. “You ready to give your bear back?”
“No, but if I don’t, I’m sure you’ll manage to wrestle it out of me,” grumbled Connor. “I’d never get my shift or my mate mark back, and no mark, no fated mate, so…”
Noel couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. Why did Connor care about getting back his mate mark when he had a harem of seven women? Were none of them his mates? And why did he have a harem of seven women, if they weren’t his mates?
“You decent?” asked Noel.
“Yes,” said Connor. “Sorry you missed the show.”
“Whatever,” said Noel, turning to face Connor and Krampus. “Are you ready to fly or what?”
Connor looked at the snow globe held by Krampus. He had a choice to make. He could make a run for it, and try to elude escape, keeping his shift, without a mate mark. Krampus and Clan Marron would hunt him down, or he’d succumb to mate madness – the issue that had gotten him into this mess, to begin with.
Or, he could try to get off of The Naughty List, even if it was clear he couldn’t get with Noel, given she had a harem of seven men. He could at least make Christmas real special for a few kids that day, and for countless kids on Christmas Eve.
Connor touched the snow globe firmly. Rivulets of gold and red and magical green energy wrapped through his fingers like ribbons around presents beneath a Christmas tree, like stripes around a candy cane.
Noel gasped. She held her hands up to her mouth. She couldn’t believe what she was watching – real magic, not just something vaguely magical like a reindeer flying, but magic itself, emerging from the snow globe. She swore that for a split second, she saw a bear leaving Connor’s body and a reindeer entering it.
Noel almost forgot to breathe. When she inhaled, she swore that she could taste fresh sugar cookies in her mouth, that she could smell the scent of musty ornament boxes opened after being stored in an attic all year. She could hear the sound of children oohing and aahing at their special gifts, and the low chuckles of a man, chuckles that sounded as if they went, ‘ho, ho, ho.’
“Thanks, see ya,” said Krampus. “Oh, wait – before you do your deliveries, here.”
Krampus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small green velvet pouch. He passed it to Connor. Connor opened it up and looked inside.
“They’re for the kids,” said Krampus. “Little treat from Santana.”
“We do this on the flights,” said Connor. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s not for you,” grumbled Krampus. “Don’t let me spot you with one. Oh. And here.”
Krampus reached into his endless pockets and pulled out a Santa hat, complete with white trim, red velvet, and a puffy white pom pom on top. He smushed it onto Connor’s head before adjusting it, to Noel’s amusement – Noel practically fell on the ground as she watched Krampus adjust the hat like a father adjusting a son’s prom tie.
“Do I really have to wear that?” asked Connor.
“I thought pilots loved hats,” commented Krampus. “It’s called branding, kids – Merry fuckin’ Christmas.”
He stuffed the snow globe into his pocket, where it seemed to disappear, as Noel did not see a large lump in Krampus’ pants where the snow globe should’ve been.
Krampus pulled his necklace, made of small iron chain links, off of his neck, tossed it in the air, and, as it came down from the sky, the chain expanded into a large circle. The circle enveloped Krampus and filled with green flames. Krampus grabbed the chain and used it to hoist himself into the portal formed by the chains, jumping into the air with the chain in one hand. Krampus disappeared through the portal, closing it behind himself.
“You really forgot that you weren’t a frikkin’ reindeer for some reason?” asked Noel, crossing her arms. “What were we gonna do if you couldn’t fly?”
“I’d figure something out,” said Connor. “I always figure things out. Now, are we delivering the gift baskets to the kids, or what?”
“Yeah – but how are you going to carry the baskets?” asked Noel.
“Simple – I’ll just make multiple trips,” said Connor. “I can carry the baskets in my mouth and on my antlers.”
“Are your antlers strong enough to handle that?” asked Noel.
“Look – leave the flying and deliveries to me,” said Connor.
“Whatever,” grumbled Noel. “Let me go grab the map.”
Noel went to grab the map. The house was set to deliver three packages of baked goods – some treats for that night, some goodies for Christmas Eve, and some yummies for Christmas Day. She grabbed one of the baskets and the map.
“Okay, so it looks like you’re going to have to –” started Noel, before looking up and forgetting what she was saying. In front of her was a reindeer, a big one, up close and personal. She hadn’t seen Connor like this before – standing perfectly still in the swirling snow, watching her with big, brown eyes.
“Connor?” whispered Noel.
Connor nodded his head.
“Okay, uh, so…I think you want to hit this house first,” said Noel, showing Connor the map.
Connor looked at the map and nodded. He then reached forward. Noel pulled back instinctively, but then, she realized what Connor was reaching for.
“Oh – right,” said Noel. “Here.” Noel held out the wicker basket of Christmas goodies. Connor reached forward. An odd thought flashed through Noel’s head – was Connor’s mouth too strong to gently hold the wicker basket? Connor’s furry head brushed against Noel’s wool winter jacket, making a muffled brushing sound. He took the basket into his mouth, gently.
Noel walked to the back of the car and pulled out two more baskets. She carried them over to Connor, who was standing with the treat basket in his mouth.
Noel giggled. Connor made a guttural sound that Noel swore sounded like the word ‘huh.’
“You, uh, kinda look like a trick-or-treater, is all,” said Noel. “Kinda funny – given it’s Christmas and all, and I’ve certainly never seen a reindeer at my door on Halloween – but maybe that’s because I live in Miami.
Noel reached up, trying to hook the basket on Connor’s antlers. She couldn’t quite
reach. Connor grunted and started pawing at the ground.
“Whoa, boy,” said Noel, backing up from Connor. “What’s wrong?”
When Noel was clear of his rack of antlers, Connor lowered his head gently, as if he were bowing to Noel.
“Oh,” said Noel. “Smart.” She hooked the two baskets on the antlers.
Connor stood up slowly, regaining his balance, making sure the baskets didn’t tip over. Noel backed up, giving Connor space. Connor backed up a few feet, and, with a running start, made it into the air.
A single cranberry scone wrapped up in festive paper and sealed with love, fell from the sky. It hit Noel right in the head.
“Guess I have a snack,” Noel said to herself, before looking back at the car and the packages inside it, remembering others needed the food more than her. “Ugh. I hate having to do the right thing…”
Connor landed at the first house. It wasn’t hard to spot from the air – it was a rickety shack of a house that looked like it was so flimsy, it could be made of straw.
His hooves hit the ground, and he heard the front door to the house open. A child gasped. He saw a small girl at the door, and behind her, a woman whose mouth had hit the floor, holding a mug that Connor was sure she would drop.
Connor put the gift basket he was holding in his mouth down on the snowy ground. He shifted back into his human form. He was fully clothed, in his green button-up flannel shirt, brown work jacket and work pants, and a pair of work boots – with a bright red Santa hat on his head.
“Hey, ma’am – sorry, I’m just here to deliver the baskets,” said Connor, scrambling to pick up the gift baskets and carrying them to the front door.
That’s when the woman’s mug dropped.
“Holy…heck,” said the woman, careful not to curse in front of her child. “Did you just…?”
“Yeah, sorry,” said Connor. “I didn’t mean to drop them.”
“Not that. You just shifted – out of your shifter form, and you’re wearing clothes, and you, you, you flew onto our lawn,” said the woman. “I must be seeing things. Oh, gosh, and on Christmas!”