by Lucy Smoke
“I’m okay,” I said. “Freaked out, but—”
“See? She’s freaking out.” Tatum huffed.
“She looks like she’s taking it well,” Jax contributed, then he took another bite of his meal.
“No one asked you,” Tatum barked.
“Hey,” I said, interrupting. “I can speak for myself, and I’m okay. Really. But how about someone tells me what’s going on.”
The three men exchanged looks, and when Tatum gave a slight nod, they all twisted in my direction.
I lowered my food, feeling that whatever was coming required my full attention. I somehow wasn’t sure what they could possibly tell me that might surprise me, as I’d seen worse, witnessed what people did to those they supposedly loved. But then again, what I’d seen with Leven still stunned me, and for the life of me, I couldn’t work out how they’d explain that situation.
Tatum started by showing me three fingers, then bent one. “You put on Santa’s hat.” Another finger curled. “You strengthened your connection to the hat with fire.”
“Well, technically—”
He cut me off by folding his third finger. “You let Krampus draw your blood, and now he’ll track you down when he gets within a certain distance. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
I looked at each man in turn. Tatum, stiff, shoulders so wide, he could carry the world. He was clearly the leader. Jax, who slouched in his seat, worry peppering his face. Leven had shadows darkening under his eyes again. They were all so serious, yet a laugh curled up from my gut. But I played along.
“And what does Krampus want?” I asked, reclining in my chair. “He’d ripped Santa’s hat off my head and has it.”
“The hat is useless to him unless you’re dead.” Tatum’s voice carried trepidation, and I searched his stoic, yet handsome face, for a sign to indicate this was all one big joke. But he had no twitch at the corner of his mouth, no smile in his eyes. Only a darkness behind his gaze.
Leven placed a hand on mine in my lap, his skin electrifyingly warm, and I glanced down to see how large his palm was compared to mine. “We’ll protect you.”
“Stop saying that,” I said, pulling my hand away. “Just freaking spell it all out and don’t hold anything back, because you’re not making sense.”
“That hat is magical and belongs to the real Santa,” Tatum began, his cheeks blushing, which likely had nothing to do with embarrassment, as it was clearly frustration. And I kind of enjoyed seeing him revved up, for no other reason than the fact that he spoke circles and it annoyed me.
“Whoever wears the hat, and makes a connection with it as you have, could become the next Santa,” he continued.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I burst out laughing, the bubbling tickled my insides, and I slammed the table with my hand, unable to remember the last time my stomach had hurt so hard.
“Oh, shit, you guys are hilarious. You should see your faces. Very well played.” Once I settled down, none of them so much as smirked. Instead, they glared at me as if I’d mocked them. “What?” I asked.
“You’re not listening,” Leven snarled.
“Do I have to give you three the whole talk about Santa not existing? My twelve-year-old sister knows this, so…” I shrugged. What could I say except these three had lost their marbles if they honestly believed in Santa Claus?
“No one knows where the hat came from, but it selects a new person randomly to carry out the Christmas duties,” Jax explained. “But in order for the hat to be fully connected to a new owner, you must exchange a kiss with the previous Santa to close the deal.”
I nodded my head, figuring I ought to listen to these loonies if they were offering me a roof over my head in a storm, but after hearing all this, I doubted I’d get a wink of sleep. For all I knew, I’d wake up in a sleigh or something bizarre, like tied to a reindeer. My mirth dissolved when I remembered watching Leven change into one, yet I still struggled to come to terms with that whole incident. Maybe I was imagining these three men too, because that would be the only reason for this strange conversation.
“Because you got to the hat first,” Tatum continued, “Krampus must kill you so your connection to the hat dissolves, then he can claim it as his own. The hat can only be joined to one person at a time. Then as the last step, once he does that, he kisses Santa and he’ll wreak havoc over Christmas. And probably do so all year round, punishing more than just naughty children. Beating anyone whom he sees fit and imprisoning them.”
“Have you seen the skies darkening lately?” Leven added. “If Krampus takes over Christmas, our world will be plunged into darkness. Plants and animals will die.”
“Okay.” I tried to follow their explanation. “So Krampus wants Santa’s job and I’m now standing in his way because I connected the hat to me first?”
“Yes,” Leven said. “Krampus has been plotting to take the role for years, and the missing person we’re searching for is Santa and his reindeer. He and his other reindeer went down somewhere in this part of the woods, and now that we saw Krampus here, it’s obvious he’s responsible for taking the down the sleigh. Except we have no idea where he’s holding them.”
I shifted in my chair, attempting to piece it together. “So let’s say this is real—”
“It’s real,” Tatum said while the other two nodded.
“Anyway, so what you’re saying is that because I put on that stupid hat, I have two options. Get killed by Krampus so he can take over Christmas, or somehow find Santa first, kiss him, and then I take his place and deliver gifts to kids around the world once a year?”
They looked at each other. “Kind of,” Jax said. “We’re assigned to to protect whoever took the hat, even Krampus, until you select your team of warrior reindeers to lead your sleigh. But that’s all stuff to work out later.”
“So now you’re all reindeer?” My mouth dropped opened. “I’m pretty sure you just described a kids’ cartoon about saving Christmas. I might have watched it last year.”
Tatum was on his feet. “Don’t mock us, little girl. At first light, we head out. You don’t make any moves without us, and—”
I exhaled loudly and stiffened. But my words were stolen by the deafening knock on the front door. I froze, my thoughts flinging to the monster in the woods. Had that really been Krampus that had bitten me? I couldn’t ignore the throbbing wound on my arm. It was proof that there had been something that had attacked me. But as for the rest of the men’s story, it didn’t seem real.
All the men leaped to their feet, Tatum at the door, Jax checking the window, and Leven hauling me by the arm to the bathroom. “Stay here.” He shoved me inside and shut the door.
“Are you kidding me?” Of all the people to run across, I meet three incredibly gorgeous men of my dreams, only to discover they’re living in a make-believe world. Except their fear slithered up my spine, and now I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck would scare three large men.
A quick glance around the bathroom revealed no weapon, except for a toilet brush, so I grabbed it and gingerly opened the door.
The loud bang rang out from outside, and I flinched. What the hell was going on?
6
Peering out of the bathroom, I stood, frozen, watching Tatum open the front door. A gust of air rushed inside, whistling. The lace curtains fluttered, and the cold reached me, clawing at my flesh. Jax and Leven were on either side of him, all three a wall of muscle. I gripped the toilet brush, my breath wedged in my lungs, hating that I didn’t have a knife. Back in California, I’d always carried a switchblade just in case, but I’d left it behind, determined to never find myself in a dangerous situation again. Well, that wasn’t going to plan.
Besides, if the guys were reacting this intensely, whatever was outside had to be bad. Like the ferocious creature in the woods. Add to to the insanity of Leven transforming, and the ludicrous story about Santa. And was it a coincidence that I’d almost run them over weeks ago when Britta an
d I had first arrived in town?
When all three of the men burst into laughter, I refocused on what they were staring at and crept out of the bathroom. With a better view of the outdoors, I found an enormous branch the size of a dead log across the path. Dozens of branches spiked outward in every direction, blocking half the doorway. It must have fallen from the storm, and now it was rolling back and forth in the blizzard, knocking against the wall.
Tatum and Leven stepped over the log, pushing the snow-covered branches aside, and heaved the mess away from the building. Wind and snow buffeted into them, tugging on their clothes and hair.
“False alarm,” Jax said, facing away from me.
“You always so jumpy?” I asked.
He turned toward me and eyed my toilet brush, which I quickly returned to the bathroom.
“For someone who doesn’t believe us, you were quick to arm yourself,” he added.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I had no idea what to expect. And I have to look out for myself.”
“You’ve got us now.” His smile was genuine, without a hint of mockery. I’d never had anyone insist they would protect me. Not even my parents, so his insistence just wasn’t gelling with me. Most people did things for their own benefit, and I just had to work out what they wanted.
“So is this what you’ve been doing all your life?” I asked. “Protecting anyone who you think will become the next Santa?”
He chuckled and combed a hand through his long, dark hair, reminding me of a Native American, though he had paler skin. His perfectly cut cheekbones, a sharp nose, and large ocean-blue eyes made him beautiful in a masculine kind of way.
“I could only hope,” he replied. “Do you know how rare it is for a normal Arietes to be bound to a selected? I’ve dreamed of riding in the sleigh all my life, but my job is to fix the unit and keep it operating.”
“Arietes?”
“Reindeer shifters.” He strolled across the room toward me as if he were gliding through the air. “I’m a sleigh mechanic and protector. All Arietes are trained from a young age to be warriors. But each Santa only selects a small number of warriors who will be his personal guards and pull his sleigh. They’re the elite. Their kind do nothing but train their entire lives.”
“So then why are you here searching for Santa?” Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to fully understand their story, even if it was made up.
“His elite team went with him a few weeks ago for a dry run before the big day, and no one has heard from them since. The reserve elite team went to search for them, but they haven’t come back either. So Tatum pulled together a small scouting mission to uncover what was going on while everyone back home is keeping our families and the workshop safe, which is in lockdown in case it’s attacked by Krampus. Tatum is the trainer and back-up leader of the reserve elite team, and Leven is an ex-elite who dropped out of Santa’s sleigh team after he discovered his parents and sisters had been butchered by Krampus. He’s been working on finding Krampus by himself ever since.”
“So you three are the only ones left who can help Santa?”
He chuckled. “Something like that. Tatum is a close friend and I insisted on joining him, and Leven has the experience we need.”
“This whole thing is more complicated than I was thinking, but okay.”
“You still don’t get it.” Jax’s lips pinched tightly. “We’ve got friends out there in danger. And with you connected to the hat, we’re expected to protect you until you take your position as Santa and choose your own elite group of guards. If we don’t save you, you’ll die. The previous Santa will be free to live a new life after you kiss him for the final transfer of power.” Jax towered over me, and he stared at me with such depth that I wanted to explore what made him tick. He honestly believed in what he said, no doubt about that, but that didn’t make it the truth. I’d met people who’d insisted aliens lived in the middle of Earth, and nothing would change their mind.
Silence passed between us. Would Jax reach over and cup my face, run a thumb over my lips, or kiss me? His gaze dipped to my mouth.
Instead, he cleared his throat. “Sweetheart, you’ll be the first female Santa in history.”
I cocked a brow, yet I liked the whole idea of a female bringing Christmas cheer for a change. Once I got home and back into my routine, I’d move on from this insanity, but I doubted I’d forget these gorgeous men and their wild tales.
“We’ll survive another night.” Leven’s voice dragged my attention away from Jax. “That branch shall never harm another person again.” He grinned widely, chuckling to himself. Tatum marched in behind him and kicked the door shut, snow covering his hair. He dusted it free with a hand, sending speckles of white all around him.
Both gravitated to the heater, removing their gloves, and rubbed their hands in front the radiating warmth.
“If the storm has passed,” I started, “I’ll call someone to come pick me up in the morning. Thanks for letting me stay here.” I sat on the end of the queen-sized bed, figuring there wasn’t a lot of space for everyone to sleep in this room. Even if I took the sofa, that meant two could share the bed and someone got the floor. Guess it was better than sleeping outside.
“We need to find Santa first and keep you safe.” Tatum spoke with his back to me, his voice strong, as if his mind was made up, and I opened my mouth but remembered Jax’s words. Whatever was actually going on here, if someone close to him was in danger, then he wouldn’t budge. And neither would I because my priority was Britta.
“You can do what you want,” I replied. “I’m going to my sister. She’ll be panicking because I’m not home.”
That time Tatum twisted around to meet my gaze. I expected him to fight me, but he nodded, his gaze softening, his chocolate eyes seeming to look right through me.
“We’ll take you home first then.” He didn’t say anything further, but I already understood the words he refused to say. That I would join them on their Santa search afterward, except I had no intentions of leaving Britta to join three strange men on a wild adventure. As gorgeous as they were, this wasn’t debatable, and also not something I’d admit now. First, get home and not feel as if I were at their mercy.
A knock came at the door, and we all turned toward it at the same time.
I froze on the spot, my stomach climbing to the back of any throat.
Tatum and Leven darted to the newcomer, while Jax moved to my side, snatching my arm and dragging me toward the bathroom again. “Let’s move.”
But I fought against his grip while watching Tatum opened the door.
An older man drowning in a thick, blue coat stood there. Jax dropped my hand, and I sighed, tired of getting caught in their paranoia. Every sound had them jumping.
The man spoke in German, nodded his head a lot, then handed Tatum a bottle and something else before marching out of sight. With the door shut, Leven clapped loudly, smiling. “Yes! The night has finally begun.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, hugging myself. Were we making too much noise? Except then why had the man given Tatum a gift? Or was it something he’d ordered earlier?
Tatum set the bottle of what looked like whiskey on the table. “The motel owner just thanked us with booze for moving the huge branch off his property. He said it would keep us warm. And he gave us the keys to the sauna, which he said is ready to go.”
All three of them were up on their feet, pulling on their coats, chuckling about luck and good deeds. Tatum grabbed four small glasses from the cabinet and poured the honey-colored beverage into them, then handed them out.
He raised his glass. “To finding Santa and the team. To keeping Nickie alive. And to eliminating Krampus once and for all.”
They all hooted and drank the whiskey in one gulp. I stared at my half-full glass and remembered the warmth the drinks had brought me back in my distillery. So I placed the glass to my lips and tilted back my head, swallowing the contents. The whiskey ran down my throat, heating me immedi
ately, leaving in its wake a smoky taste.
I shook myself as the strength hit me. “Hell, that’s strong.” I coughed and the guys laughed at me.
Jax walked to my side and held out his palm. “Are you joining us, Nickie? A sauna is the best way to warm up on freezing nights.”
Honestly, I’d never been in a sauna but had read somewhere that Europeans loved them, and if I intended to get familiar with the local customs, this might be a good chance to understand the whole fascination with sitting in a steaming hot room. Besides, who could pass up the chance to try one with three hot guys?
“Sure.” I got to my feet and accepted his hand. In a swoosh, he dragged me across the room, helped me put my coat on as if I were a child, and then we were outside. The blistery chill froze me, but we kept moving. Jax remained at my back, the other two rushing ahead on the narrow sidewalk along the motel until they reached a locked door. In no time, we were inside a room resembling a locker room with multiple doors around us, but my sights landed on the huge signs nailed to the wall, and I scanned the English version.
Sauna Rules
Shower before entering the sauna
Use 2 towels
Remove all jewelry
Close door quickly upon entering
Talk quietly
No ogling other people
Avoid the top bench if it’s your first time
Must be naked to enter
Next to the last line was an image of underwear with a red line crossed through it.
“Wait up,” I said, my head already swimming from the half glass of whiskey I’d just drunk. “No one said anything about being naked.”
But when I turned around, all the guys had vanished into the men’s changing room, leaving me alone to contemplate the whole situation. What was I doing exactly? I peered into the sauna through the small window in the door. Wooden panels ran across the walls and ceiling, along with the three layers of ascending benches. The place was empty. I paced back and forth. If the guys intended to do anything to me, they would have done it already, right? I glanced over at the pile of towels near the ladies’ changing room. And since when did I ever shy away from trying something new?