Rudy pulled out with a soft moan, his skin beautifully flushed when Jack turned to draw him into his embrace. He kissed him tenderly, relishing Rudy’s taste, the faint yet wonderful scent of cinnamon he had grown accustomed to filling his senses.
Rudy was everything enchanting about Christmas. He was hot cocoa before a warm fire while the snow fell outside, the cold north wind blustering, and a million dazzling white lights flickering against a night sky.
“Take me to bed, Jack,” Rudy said quietly, his head coming to rest against Jack’s chest.
With a kiss to the top of his head, Jack led Rudy out of the tub. He dried them both off and dressed them in their robes, Rudy in his signature crimson red and Jack in his usual black. They would change into their pajama bottoms in the bedroom, which really was more a courtesy for the servants who came to bring them breakfast in the morning than anything else.
In no time at all, Jack had them both in the luxurious, four-poster canopy bed under furry blankets, the room cool enough for the mounds of soft fleece and fur, but warm enough not to chill his lover. Jack smiled at Rudy’s contented sigh as he snuggled up to Jack’s side, his arm flung across Jack’s chest. He ran his hands through Rudy’s amazing hair and chuckled.
“What?” Rudy murmured sleepily.
“Your head looks like it’s ablaze.”
“It always looks like it’s ablaze.”
“I know,” Jack replied, mesmerized by the rich red hues. The quiet sounds of Rudy’s breathing told Jack his lover was already fast asleep. Carefully, Jack rolled onto his side to face Rudy, studying his beautiful face, his long dark lashes, dark-red eyebrows, smooth jaw, plump lips, everything a stark contrast to his own features. How could two enchanted beings so different from each other fit so well together? Jack was rumbling thunder, an untamable blizzard of piercing ice and blinding snow with a penetrating gaze that frightened most who faced him, whereas Rudy was charm and light, a calming summer breeze, dancing candlelight, and all that was good and pure. He was kind and generous, always smiling, always ready to offer a helping hand to anyone who needed it.
As sleep came for him, Jack’s thoughts were on Rudy and how he couldn’t imagine his life without him, how empty and cold it had been before the elf in his arms had set him free. At times he wished he could remember what had come before that day so long ago when Rudy had captured his heart, but then he put those thoughts aside. What mattered was that he had Rudy in his life now, and he had no intention of changing that. Not if he had any say in it.
So many thought him fearless, but they had no idea. They were unaware of the dread he carried with him every day, the voice in his head reminding him of the destruction he was capable of, the harm he had once caused but couldn’t recall. Every night, when he lay down, he could hear the voice calling to him, telling him what he really was and would become if he lost himself once more. When he felt as though he couldn’t take one more thought, he pulled Rudy tightly against him, and all at once a deep peace fell across his soul. It would be all right. Everything would be all right. As long as Rudy was safely at his side, all would be well.
Chapter 4
Three weeks. To think, only three weeks from now all his years of hard work, of sleepless nights, of hours upon hours of investigation, were going to finally pay off. Justice would be served, and the Mouse King would be off their snowy streets for good. With Christmas a few weeks away, it would truly be a great time for celebration.
At the Palace Courts, North Pole City’s brightest and fiercest defenders of justice went about their duties, ensuring the safety and well-being of their illustrious kingdom. It was still rather hard to believe the notorious villain would soon be nothing but an unpleasant memory.
Jack headed down into the prison beneath the courts with Hollis and Vale close behind. The twins were uncharacteristically quiet this morning. Well, one of them was. Vale was always quiet. It was amazing how two elves who were so identical on the outside could be so utterly different on the inside. Jack cast a discreet glance at Hollis, frowning at the very pensive expression on his face. Something was troubling his cousin, and he had a feeling it somehow involved him and Rudy. He’d have to sit down with him before he got any silly notions into that impulsive brain of his. Hollis had a habit of approaching his troubles in the same manner he did everything else, by jumping headfirst into the fray, a source of discontent between him and his younger cousin spanning hundreds of years.
They reached the large cell where a handful of toy soldiers were struggling to relieve the Mouse King of his jewel-encrusted crown. Personally, Jack thought the tacky object looked more like something a unicorn would excrete than a crown, but then that pretty much summed up his feelings on the Mouse King—on a good day.
“Giving us trouble already?” Jack asked, walking leisurely up to the tussling soldiers, who upon his arrival quickly dispersed. He held his hand out, an eyebrow arching at the snarling monarch. “We can do this the easy way or the it-will-be-very-painful-for-you way. I’m happy with either.”
With a hiss, the Mouse King thrust the crown at him, and Jack promptly handed it to one of the toy soldiers, sending him outside along with the rest.
“Frost. What brings you to my very humble abode?” the Mouse King sneered, his whiskers twitching as he looked Jack over. “Funny, you don’t look like a sugarplum fairy.”
Hollis took a step toward the Mouse King and Jack rolled his eyes. His cousin was far too easy to rile up. “Hollis, leave it.”
“I want to know what nonsense he’s babbling about,” Hollis said through his teeth.
“Haven’t you heard? Rumor has it your cousin, the great Prince of Frost, likes to take it up the backside like a sugarplum fairy.”
“How dare you!” Hollis advanced on the chortling Mouse King, only to have Jack casually grab his arm and pull him back. At times his cousin reminded him of an arctic wolf pup, all snarl with tiny teeth, howling and nipping in an effort to be like his adult counterparts. It seemed like Jack was always stepping in to save the young elf from himself.
“That’s enough,” Jack said, giving his cousin a pointed look. “Honestly, Hollis. You’re giving him exactly what he wants.”
The Mouse King grinned wickedly. “Much like that Christmas elf gives your cousin what he wants.”
Unbelievable. Jack gave the revolting rodent a warning glare before turning his attention back to Hollis, his voice low. “Get a hold of yourself, please. We don’t need an incident, not this close to the sentencing.”
“I’m sorry,” Hollis muttered, unable to meet Jack’s gaze.
“We’ll discuss this later. For now, let’s remain professional and get this over with.”
A toy soldier popped his head into the cell, his anxious gaze falling on Jack. “Your Highness, there’s a photographer here from the North Pole City Gazette to take a picture of the Mouse King under the King of Frost’s authorization.”
Jack stifled a groan. The damned Gazette was going to drive him mad. “Send him in, then.” It was as if his father enjoyed tormenting him.
The Gazette’s photographer swept into the cell, grin so wide Jack wanted to slap it off his face. “Thank you so much for your time, Your Highness. Perhaps one of these days, you and Mr. Rudy might give us an exclusive—”
“No.”
“But—” Jack folded his arms over his chest and the chipper elf took a quick step back. “Right. Perhaps another time.”
“Not likely.” He nodded over at the bored-looking hoodlum. “Hurry up and take your picture.”
“Yes, of course.” The elf quickly positioned himself in front of the Mouse King, who zealously carried out the photographer’s instructions as if he were preparing for some kind of motion picture. Jack had never known another villain to enjoy the spotlight as much as this one did. In actuality, the Mouse King resembled more a storybook baddie than a hardboiled felon, what with his pencil-thin mustache, beady dark eyes, and gangly physique. He was dressed in a royal purple
jacket with gold braiding, black trousers with gold stripes going up the sides, shined black boots, and a velvet purple cape lined with white fur, large enough to conceal a wooly mammoth.
As soon as the photographer was done, he turned to Jack with a nervous twitch. Bah humbug. “May I have one of you and your cousins, Your Highness?”
“Like three little circus monkeys,” the Mouse King said with a pleasant smile.
Hollis immediately bristled. “Holy holly berries, do you ever shut up?”
Jack gently grabbed his cousin by the collar and pulled him closer. Vale quietly came to stand beside Jack. The photographer took a few steps back, looked through his camera, then frowned. “Erm, perhaps we should take it over here where you can sit down, Your Highness.” He motioned to the pristine cot beside him.
“Why?”
“Because if not, he won’t be able to see the other two pinheads behind your ginormous, mountainesque form,” the Mouse King replied with a snort.
“Say one more word and I’m freezing your tail off,” Jack growled, taking a seat where the reporter indicated while his cousins stood one to each side of him. Was it his fault he was so blasted tall?
The rodent let out an amused laugh. “Ooh, it’s like a game. Which one of these doesn’t belong?”
The beast could try Kringle’s patience. Once the photo was taken, Jack merely had to lift an eyebrow and the elf all but tripped over himself in his attempt to flee the room. This was taking far longer than it should. Remaining seated, he asked Vale to remove the Mouse King’s cape. It was probably best he keep Hollis away from the infuriating rodent.
“You can’t rid yourself of me,” the rat hissed.
“I certainly hope so. Now if you’ll please hand your illustrious tablecloth over to my cousin—the one who doesn’t look like he wants to knock out your two front teeth—I would be most grateful.”
“Do you really think this is how it ends? I will have my revenge, Frost.”
Jack stood and came to tower over the Mouse King, his voice grave. “When you’re banished—and you will be—I will personally escort you to the Mountain Fortress where you will be encased in ice for all eternity, and I will enjoy every moment of it. Yes, this is how it ends, and no, you won’t have your revenge because you won’t be able to so much as blink, much less give an order. Which reminds me, your little pack of hoodlums will soon be joining you.” He grinned broadly. “I think I might line you all up in pairs. Two by two, like a little tray of mousecicles.”
“He deserves far worse. This wouldn’t have happened in the old days. He would be stripped of his immortality and extinguished like the foul rodent he is,” Hollis muttered, sulking beside his brother, who was folding up the purple monstrosity, or at least attempting to. He seemed to be getting lost in it with every turn.
Vale frowned. “Well, we’re no longer in the old days. Blast it, Hollis, will you help me out with this. It’s like some fathomless stretch of taffy. I swear it’s getting longer by the moment. Anyway, as I was saying, we’re no longer in the old days. We have a system of justice and it does what must be done.”
“At the pace of a glacier with enough paperwork to account for every tree Kringle has created.” Hollis made two attempts to help fold the cape before giving up and snatching it from his brother’s hands. He rolled it up into a massive boulder of velvet and whistled to one of the toy soldiers posted outside. “Here, take this.”
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and summoned patience. “Your grousing is giving me a headache, Hollis. Can we please get this over with?” To think, right now he could have been having hot cocoa and cinnamon toast in bed with Rudy, followed by delivering his own personal brand of Christmas cheer. Instead he was here elf-sitting his cousin and doing laundry. “The rest of it, fiend,” he said to the mouse. “I have somewhere else to be.”
“With your precious Christmas elf?” the Mouse King said with a sneer.
“I’m warning you.”
The Mouse King removed his sash and belt, shoving them at Vale, his icy glare on Jack as venom all but dripped from his words. “You’re going to pay for this, Frost. I’ll destroy your little Christmas elf first. I’ll crush him until the color drains from his precious red hair. You’re so fond of the color? You’ll see plenty of it when I spill his blood.”
“That’s enough out of you, you vile creature!” Vale crowded the Mouse King, forcing him back against the cell wall. “You show some respect when you speak to the Prince of Frost.”
The Mouse King ignored him, his words hurled at Jack like a throwing knife. “I’ll take pleasure in his agony, and speaking of pleasure…” A truly lurid expression came onto his face, and the last of Jack’s patience was ready to snap. Only he didn’t have time to lose his composure before Hollis snapped, propelling the Mouse King fiercely against the wall.
“You miserable devil!”
The Mouse King retaliated, aiming to claw at Hollis’s face, only to have his wrist seized. Hollis wasted no time in twisting it sharply behind him, making him yelp. With a knee to the gut, the Mouse King doubled over, and Jack quickly went to his cousin’s side.
“Hollis!” He pulled the hot-tempered elf away before matters got out of hand. He had no doubt the Gazette’s photographer lingered out in the corridor somewhere, waiting to hear just such an uproar. “Please. Think of what our fathers would say if they saw this.”
“I’m sorry.” Hollis reluctantly stepped back, hands shoved into his pockets. “You’re right, Jack. Forgive me.”
Vale stepped up to his brother and put a hand to his cheek. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
Hollis shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I started the mess.”
“You runts have ruined my clothes,” the Mouse King spat, brushing off his jacket.
“Doesn’t matter. We have a new wardrobe for you.” Hollis tossed the hoodlum a plain white jumpsuit. “Merry Christmas. Now change.”
Luckily, the Mouse King changed without incident, though his gaze kept darting between them all. Once Jack had the uniform neatly folded in his hands, he ordered the toy soldiers to secure the cell behind them as they left. They headed for processing, Jack’s mood growing steadily more somber. There was little chance the Mouse King would make good on his threats. No doubt the hoodlum was finally coming to the realization his days were numbered, and he was growing desperate. Still, he would have to have a word with Rudy regarding his safety, at least until Jack had the rodent in his icy tomb. The thought of Rudy being hurt at the hands of that fiend had him seeing white.
“Jack,” Vale whispered hoarsely, snapping him out of his dark thoughts.
“What?”
Vale pointed to his own hair and motioned to their side. Everyone in the bustling corridor had come to a screeching halt, their expressions ones of horror. Jack had been so lost in his thoughts, he had started to transform without realizing.
“Sorry, folks, nothing to worry about.” He gave an apologetic smile and picked up his pace. Blast it. This was not the place for him to lose his calm. The last thing any of them needed was an indoor blizzard. Was he really going to allow the Mouse King’s words to get under his skin? He had no doubt it was just what the vile rodent intended.
Hollis threw an arm around his brother and delivered a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “Don’t look so worried, brother. It’s finally over. Come on, I’ll buy you a peppermint julep or two. Jack, you too.”
“Rudy’s doing a test run, and I’d like to be there, make sure everything goes well.”
“Are you saying Rudy can’t fly without you?”
Why did everything have to be so complicated with his cousin? “You know full well I’m not saying that.”
“Don’t tease him, Hollis.”
Hollis’s grin didn’t bode well. “Right. Only Rudy can get away with that.”
“Oh, for Kringle’s sake. Fine. If it will get you off my back.”
“Absolutely.”
Why didn’t Jac
k believe that? Reaching the end of the hall and the small window of the processing department, Jack handed the Mouse King’s uniform to the elf behind the glass. “Please process these.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Jack waited patiently while the young elf jotted down every item with meticulous detail. Afterward, he double-checked every word. Content all the information was correct, Jack scribbled his signature before turning to his cousins, one of whom was smiling like a dope. He was going to end up regretting this, he just knew it.
Chapter 5
Within minutes they were standing on the snowy sidewalk outside the large Christmas-themed pub. Then again, it was North Pole City. There wasn’t much that wasn’t Christmas-themed, but that’s what he loved about the large, holiday city. It was a far cry from Winter Wonderland, where he had been born and raised.
Everything in North Pole City was full of color and cheer. Wherever he went, he was met with the rich scents, sights, sounds, and textures of Christmas. The aroma of holiday spices filled the air, from vanilla to roasted chestnuts. The cobblestone streets were lined with charming shops selling everything from spiced meats to freshly baked Christmas cookies, the storefronts decorated beautifully with fairy lights, garland, and glittering baubles, their window dressing arranged elegantly and conveying various winter or holiday scenes. Winter Wonderland was majestic with its ice palaces, everything snowy white or pale blue, as if the entire city had been carved from a glacier, stunning to admire, but in Jack’s opinion lacked the heart of its neighboring city. North Pole City was full of vibrant life, rich red, green, and gold hues, candy-cane stripes, and peppermint.
The jingling of bells signaled the approach of a sleigh being pulled by a graceful and impressive Clydesdale. The sugarplum fairies in the sleigh giggled and waved to them as they went by. Hollis waved enthusiastically while Vale gave a shy, more reserved wave. Jack was more concerned with the pub they were about to walk into.
North Pole City Tales: Complete Series Page 8