We both looked at her.
“What? I’m as much a winter elf as you are.”
“It’s not that, it’s just that this is a pretty dangerous thing to do.” I bit my lip. “On one hand, I want Birdie out of there yesterday. But on the other, I can’t ask anyone to take her place.”
Buttercup smiled. “You’re not asking me. I’m volunteering. Willingly.”
The sheriff cleared his throat. “That’s mighty kind of you, miss.”
She gave him a nod. “Buttercup Evergreen. At your service.”
I stared at her, my thoughts going a mile a minute. “You’re serious about this.”
“As all get out.”
The sheriff shifted closer to us, but his question was for me. “You think this would work?”
I thought a second longer. “We could tip the scales.”
“What do you mean?” the sheriff asked.
I glanced at him. “I’ll have my parents send my court gown and my court jewels. We’ll dress Buttercup like the most over-the-top winter elf that ever lived. We’ll make it impossible for the yetis not to think she’s their chosen one.”
I shifted my attention to Buttercup. “So long as you’re game.”
She nodded. “I’m not much for fancy stuff, but in this case, have at it. Make me Winter Elf Barbie. Anything to make this go as smoothly as possible.”
The idea of swapping Buttercup for Birdie didn’t thrill me as much as it scared me. “I’m going back to the car. I need to call my dad.”
The inside of Sinclair’s SUV was as quiet as a tomb. I pulled out the snow globe and gave it a shake.
My dad answered right away. “Hi, Jayne.”
I could tell from what was around him that he was in his council chambers. No doubt also with his council members, so this wasn’t going to be a private call.
“Hi, Dad.”
As if reading my mind, he turned the globe. “You can see I’m in a meeting about the yeti issue right now. Have been for a couple hours.”
I waved to all the familiar faces. “Hello.”
They all said hello in response as my dad brought the globe back to him. “What’s going on? Anything new?”
“What’s new is Birdie’s not doing well. The cold is getting to her. Werewolves are strong people, but they’re not cut out to handle the kind of intense cold she’s experiencing. But we have an idea.”
“The cold a winter elf could handle would debilitate most others. Even supernaturals. No wonder she’s suffering. What’s the idea?”
“Buttercup has offered to take Birdie’s place. She’s completely willing and on board and knows the risks.”
“Very kind of her. And brave.” He let the idea settle for a moment longer before speaking. “You think the yetis will go for that?”
“I want to make it impossible for them not to.”
“How?”
“I want everything of mine that signifies the Winter Court. My court gown, my court jewels, anything that might help the yetis see Buttercup as a better choice for queen than Birdie.”
“Okay, we can do that. I’ll get your mom and your aunt on it.”
“Perfect. As soon as possible, too, all right?”
“Absolutely. I know time is of the essence. We have the forest rangers and the local veterinarians testing a couple of tranquilizers.”
My brows lifted. “Testing?”
“The rangers captured a few yetis this morning near the Newton glacier. Those yetis have become volunteers, as it were. They’ll be released when we’re done.”
“I hope you can find something that works.”
“We will. I’m sure. Need anything else?”
“No. Go ahead and get Mom and Aunt Martha on the princess stuff.”
“Will do. Talk soon.”
“Bye.” We hung up. I stuffed the snow globe back in my purse as I got out and went back to meet the sheriff.
He, Sinclair, Buttercup, Kip and Juniper had moved to the entrance of the park where Deputy Blythe was standing. A glance at the fortress told me why too. The yetis were investigating the doughnut pile.
Clumps of blue fuzz peered over the edge of the ice wall. They were chattering, like cats watching birds, and full of excitement. If I could smell the sugar, which was thick in the air, then they certainly knew what those doughnuts were.
The chattering got louder, more frantic, until one sharp squeal cut through it and they all fell silent.
Sin leaned over. “Any second, they’re going to send one over to investigate.”
“How do you know?” I whispered back.
“Hunch,” he said.
Sure enough, one single yeti flipped himself over the wall, stuck his claws in and screeched all the way down. By the way, the sound of talons on ice isn’t much different than nails on a chalkboard. Slightly more bearable, but not by much.
He hit the ground and stopped. I could practically see his nose working as he sniffed the air. He inched forward, cautiously. He stopped, sniffed the air some more, then continued. He might almost be cute if not for all his other qualities, like the stench and the bitey-ness.
The stop-and-start pattern went on for a minute or two until he finally reached the doughnuts.
Above him, the growing crowd of watching yetis had doubled. How many was that? Fifty? Seventy-five? More? I couldn’t believe there were that many of them in Nocturne Falls. We could not afford to anger them. If they decided to run loose through the town, we were in trouble.
More trouble, I should say.
The watching yetis seemed to go up on their tiptoes as they peered over the wall.
The lone soldier picked up a doughnut and sniffed. A low, rumbly purr came out of him. I understood. Sugar did that to me too.
He glanced back at his fellows in the fortress, then his attention belonged to the doughnut. Tentatively, he licked it. He smacked his lips a few times, and apparently, it passed whatever test it needed to pass, because the next thing he did was shove the entire doughnut into his mouth.
He chewed maybe twice, then swallowed. He patted his stomach and smiled. I grimaced at the sight of so many teeth.
He squatted by the pile, grabbed another doughnut and shoved it into his mouth as well. A third followed. Then a fourth.
The yetis on the wall were restless, milling about and chattering up a storm. They quickly realized the yeti on the ground was too busy eating the sugary treats to give them any more reports, and over the wall they came.
They swarmed the pile of doughnuts like a wave of blue locusts and as quickly as they’d arrived, the doughnuts were gone.
“You have to be kidding me.” Sheriff Merrow’s arms dropped to his sides. “They didn’t even chew.”
“They chewed, but not much.”
He looked at me. “We’re going to need a lot more sugar.”
Sin stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “I have a lot. I can make more doughnuts than you can imagine. I just need the crew, but I can call my employees and see if they’ll come in.”
Kip spoke up. “I’m happy to help again if Jayne doesn’t need me.”
“Me too,” Juniper said. “And I can call my boyfriend, Pete, to help. The pharmacy’s closed and I know he’s bored.”
I loved these elves for their willingness to help. “You have my blessing. But Buttercup and I are going to have to be back at the warehouse for a while.” At least until the things I’d requested showed up in the Santa’s Bag.
Footsteps crunched through the snow behind us. We turned to see Deputy Blythe greeting Hugh and Sebastian Ellingham.
Hugh nodded at us as they walked closer. “I thought you were bringing doughnuts, Mr. Crowe?”
“I did. Nearly thirty dozen,” Sinclair said. “They lasted about three seconds.”
Both Hugh and Sebastian looked surprised. Sebastian glanced at his brother. “You’d better tell Delaney to double whatever she’s doing.”
Hugh pulled out his phone.
Sin tipped
his head toward the car. “We should go.” He addressed the vampire pair. “I’ll be back when I have more doughnuts made.”
“Excellent,” Hugh said with the phone still at his ear. Then Delaney must have answered, because he said, “Hi, honey,” and walked off to talk to her.
“Listen,” Sebastian said. “Whatever costs you incur for time and materials, including whatever hours you and your employees put in making these doughnuts, keep track of all of it. The town will reimburse you.”
Sin nodded appreciatively. “Thank you, that is very kind and unexpected.”
Sebastian tucked his hands into the pockets of his long, camel overcoat. “We don’t want anyone to suffer for this more than they already have. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with the sheriff.”
“And I need to get back to my shop.” Sin hooked his arm through mine, and we all went back to the SUV. “That’s very nice of the Ellinghams to do.”
“It is.” But the comment about not wanting anyone to suffer more than they already had stuck in my chest like a dagger.
Nothing could change how badly I felt about all of this.
Nothing except getting Birdie to safety and the yetis back to the North Pole as soon as possible.
Sin dropped me and Buttercup off at the warehouse, then (after a kiss) he left for his shop with Kip and Juniper to get busy making more doughnuts. I think he was going to pick up his employees, too, so they wouldn’t have to trudge through the snow.
Buttercup and I had our own mission. We went straight to the Santa’s Bag. It was empty.
I sighed. “Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.”
“I’m sure it won’t be.” She smiled, a little tentatively, but with good reason. She was about to willingly head into the lion’s den, so to speak. She fiddled with the bracelets stacked on her wrist. “I’m going to check on Holly, then I’ll be in my apartment. Unless you want me to stay with you?”
“No, go ahead. Make sure Holly’s okay.” I had a feeling she wanted a few moments alone to think and settle into the reality of what she was about to do. Maybe even consider the very unlikely possibility that she might not be coming back. I forced that thought right out of my head. We would figure out a way that gave everyone, including the yetis, a happy ending. I was sure of it. “I’ll be up as soon as everything comes in.”
“Okay, see you in a bit.” She headed for the stairs.
I pulled over a crate and sat, staring at the Santa’s Bag. After a few minutes, I tipped my head back against one of the shelving units. A couple weeks ago, they’d been overflowing. Now there were empty spots. They’d stay that way for a bit longer. No sense in having a ton of backup merchandise now. The hum of the generator lulled me into a zone where I lost track of time for a few minutes. It was almost like the drone of car tires on the road. I probably could have drifted off.
Almost did, except I checked the Santa’s Bag again. It was full.
I hopped up and untied the drawstring. One package. I got it out. It was a large plastic container of my aunt Martha’s eggnog fudge. Not at all what I’d been expecting, but there was a note taped to the top.
I opened it up and read.
Dear Jayne,
Your mom and I thought if Buttercup carried a plate of this fudge with her, it might help the yetis choose her. You can have one piece first if you want. The rest of the princess gear will be along shortly.
Love,
Aunt Martha
I smiled. It would definitely help. It was a good idea. I put the box on the crate where I’d been sitting, then went into my office and scribbled a quick note.
The fudge is a great idea. Thank you!
Love,
J
I stuffed the note into an envelope and put it in the Santa’s Bag. I closed the drawstring and watched as the bag went from bulging fullness to flat and empty. The note had been sent. I sat back down on the crate, putting the container of fudge on my lap. It smelled incredible, but for Birdie’s and Buttercup’s sakes, and the sake of this swap going as well as possible, I wasn’t taking a single piece of the delicious confection. The bigger the stack of fudge, the more enticing it would look to those yetis.
I stared and waited and thought and ran scenarios in my head and made myself crazy for the next ten minutes, which was how long it took for the Santa’s Bag to puff up again. No matter what was inside—a single envelope or a year’s supply of stuffed animals, the Santa’s Bag always looked completely filled.
I undid the drawstring and this time found three packages. Two were velvet cases that I knew held my snowflake tiara and the rest of the snowflake accessories that made up my official court jewelry. The second was a large satin garment bag that would contain my court gown and probably the slippers that went with it.
I scooped it all into my arms, grabbed the container of fudge and headed upstairs. Time to turn Buttercup into a princess.
When I got to her place, she answered my knock quickly. “Come in the bedroom and we can lay stuff out on the bed.”
“Okay.” I followed her back. “You look…different.” She’d scrubbed off her dark eye makeup, leaving only a hint of mascara behind. She’d also taken off all her silver jewelry, including the multitude of earrings and bracelets she normally wore.
She laughed. “I look weird, I know.”
She looked shockingly innocent. Maybe in part because the ever-present glint of cynicism that normally shown in her eyes had been replaced by the spark of fear.
I grabbed her hand. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
She shrugged, and the fear I’d seen disappeared. “I know. But I want to.”
“You’re sure?”
She snorted. “Totally. This is going to be a real adventure.”
“That’s for sure.” I set everything on her bed.
The rest of the transformation took less time than I’d expected. We were about the same size, although she was a smidge taller than I was. With my court gown on, she could have easily passed for royalty. This was going to work.
She stared at herself in the bedroom mirror. “I look like a total poser.”
“No, you don’t. You look amazing.”
“Thanks. Still kinda weird, though. I’m not a dress person.”
“You are today.” I opened up the case that held my tiara. The diamonds glittered in the light.
Buttercup turned, her hands on her stomach and nervousness in her gaze. “Are you really going to put that on me?”
“Yes. You need to look so much like a queen the yetis have no choice but to accept you as Birdie’s replacement.”
She sucked in her cheeks. “But it’s, like, really expensive, right?”
“Right. But Birdie’s life is at stake. And yours. Compared to that, diamonds are worthless.” I dangled the tiara off one finger. “I would trade this in a heartbeat if it meant putting everything back to normal.”
She nodded. I took that to mean she was agreeing with me. And ready for me to put the tiara on her. With a little smile, I lifted the tiara and snugged the little combs into her hair.
She swallowed, putting a hand up to adjust the crown. “This is surreal.”
I laughed softly. “So is having yetis overrun Nocturne Falls.”
“True enough. Has anyone besides you ever worn this crown?”
“Nope.” I opened the second case and put the bracelet, earrings and necklace on her as well.
She took a deep breath and glanced in the mirror again. “I’m just not going to think about how much all of this costs.”
“Good idea.” The garment bag was slipping off the bed, so I picked it up and realized there was still something in the bag. I fished around and came up with a flat envelope of navy-blue suede tied with matching ribbon. Another piece of jewelry? I untied the ribbon and opened the envelope. My mouth gaped as the object came into view. “How about that.”
“What?” Buttercup turned to see what I was talking about. Her eyes lit up when th
ey landed on the blade in my hands. “Cool. Is that a dagger?”
I nodded. “And there’s a strap to attach it to your thigh. Apparently, my mom and aunt want you protected when you go in.”
Buttercup’s grin broadened. “They’re all right. You tell them I said thanks, okay?”
“I will.” I gave her the dagger. The handle was set with a piece of winter elf crystal and had a pattern of snowflakes worked into the blade. It was gorgeous. But I also hoped Buttercup had no reason to use it.
She took the blade, planted her foot on the bed so she could hike up the gown, and strapped the dagger into place. “There.”
“You know what? Take your cell phone too.”
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“Yes. Just for emergencies. The yetis ate Birdie’s when she tried to use it.”
“Got it.” She dug it out of her purse, tucked it in next to the dagger, then put her foot back on the floor and smoothed the gown out. “I feel like a warrior princess now.”
I smiled. “Is that one of the options in your video games?”
She laughed. “It is, actually, but not one I’ve ever picked. I might now, though.”
“So…are you ready to do this?”
“I am.”
I slipped my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll text the sheriff and let him know we’re on our way.”
“How are we going to get there?”
“Huh. Good question. I hadn’t thought about that. You know what? I’m sure he can send someone to pick us up.” I started texting.
We’re ready to make the swap, but we need a ride to the park.
I looked up at Buttercup. “We could go wait in my office.”
“All right.” She picked up the container of eggnog fudge. “I feel too antsy just to stay up here.”
About halfway down the stairs, Sheriff Merrow texted me back. Car on the way.
“Our ride is on the way,” I announced.
“Good.”
I sent Sin a quick text. Headed to the park to make the swap if you can break away. Maybe it was selfish of me to pull him from his doughnut making, but having him there would mean a lot to me.
His response came as we headed out to wait at the warehouse door. Be there in ten.
Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard Page 12