by Lucy Smoke
“I should get hurt more often.” He smirked.
Jax kneeled on the other side of Tatum, laughing as he scooped his arms under his back and knees, then picked up his friend. “We now know how Krampus brought down Santa and his guards.”
“He tampered with the sleigh,” I answered, following him as he carried Tatum toward the sleigh and put him inside.
“We order parts from around the globe,” Jax explained. “We’d recently undergone a huge reconstruction of the mechanics in all the sleighs at the Workshop, but the other sleds are getting refitted and out of commission, so he could have infiltrated one of our orders. And the part seemed to only go off when we took a sharp dive to land, which is how Santa would normally come in from a flight.”
Leven stood nearby, dusting his clothes, then walked over. He collected me into an embrace and kissed my brow. I twisted in his arms to face the sled, my back pressed to Leven’s chest, soaking in his warmth and affection. If this was the start of something, hell, I was in, boots and all. Even better if it involved all three men, as none of them seemed too bothered when I showed affection to each of them. Which surprised me in the best possible way.
My teeth chattered, and Leven rubbed my arms. Around us was a winter wonderland, perfect for a postcard, but in real life, my body was morphing into an icicle.
Jax lifted the seat in the sled and pulled out a couple of blankets when another guttural howl exploded around us. It sounded much closer that time.
We all froze and exchanged worried glances.
Leven took my hand and rushed me toward the sleigh just as the ground shook beneath us, and the distinct pounding of footsteps in snow escalated.
Panic clung to my ribcage like a ticking time bomb about to detonate.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice quivering and my gaze swinging left and right.
“Get in the sled and lie low,” Leven ordered, already picking me up. He walked me to the carriage and dropped me into the back compartment, alongside Tatum, who was in a sitting position, rubbing his head.
Jax hopped down and joined Leven, both broad-shouldered, wearing worried frowns, and their hands fisted.
A rich, low warning growl came from our right, and we all turned.
The biggest son-of-a-bitch moose, towering over all of us, burst out of the woods. Enormous antlers were sharpened at the tips, and the blood drained from my body.
The moose’s long face drew my attention to its muzzle, where lips peeled back over teeth that looked ready to chew through metal. A chestnut flap of skin matching its fur swayed beneath its throat as it charged toward us.
The hairs on its hump rose. Were we on its territory? Was that why it was so angry?
Fear shackled me on the spot, and I could barely take a breath.
Leven was already in reindeer form and attacked, both animals colliding head on, the clash of their antlers reverberating through the woods. I cringed on the inside at how much that must’ve hurt. Leven held his ground at first, their antlers locked. But the moose drove him backward.
A shadow rose behind me.
I jerked around to find Tatum in reindeer form. Did it hurt him to transform so quick after what had happened to him? If he was in pain, he didn’t show it. He leaped and slammed a shoulder into the moose’s side, forcing it away from Leven, breaking skin. Blood sprayed the white snow.
Smacking its lips and clicking its teeth, the moose whipped its head back like a horse. It grunted, hot mist floating from its flaring nostrils.
There was movement at the corners of my eyes, and I froze. What now?
Three beavers darted out of the woods, frothing at the mouth, grumbling and barking.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I mumbled. What’s wrong with these woods?
I searched for a weapon inside the sleigh but came up blank. Jax kicked a beaver away, but it snarled in retaliation and scrambled toward him while two others jumped on his back and dug their teeth into his neck. He cried out, ripping at their fur.
I jumped out of the sled and grabbed a stick off the ground, only to have it crumble in my hand from being so brittle. I grasped another and ran to him. I lifted my stick and swatted one creature off his back, then the other, knocking Jax in the head in the process. “Sorry.” But he’d survive.
A loud clang resonated as the moose locked in a battle with Leven and Tatum, both driven backward. How strong was that thing?
When something crashed into my thigh, I stumbled about. A beaver had attached itself to my leg. And the fucker bit down with razor-sharp teeth, tearing fabric and skin. “Get off.”
Instinct kicked in, and I drove my stick across the creature’s head, sending it flying. Jax kicked another, driving it into a tree, while he punched one with red eyes and saliva dribbling from its mouth.
Jax ran to the sleigh as I fought another critter that had lunged for me, my pulse morphing into an inferno.
He held something in his fist and rushed over to the other men, darting right in front of the moose that was shaking its head. Jax was damn fast. He blew what looked like sprinkles into the moose’s face and sprinted out of the way.
The animal snarled and seemed to stop mid-movement, locked in place.
There was another sharp bite on my calf, and I screamed. I swung around to remove the little beaver shit, just as the ground thundered once again.
I glanced up to find two more moose charging toward us from deeper in the sparse woods.
Everyone backed away, and death stared me in the face. What was going on here? Were they Krampus’s minions?
Tatum grunted something toward Jax, who looked my way, then down at his hand with the glitter he’d used on the moose. Tatum and Leven charged toward the oncoming onslaught while Jax marched toward a beaver rushing toward my feet.
I went to kick the creature just as Jax tossed his glitter. But the wind blew it into my face, and I inhaled a lungful of the cinnamon smelling powder. I choked, panic slicing me.
“Shit, I swallowed it.” I faced Jax. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“Fuck!” He grabbed something from the sleigh and leaped toward me.
Everything happened too fast. My body started to feel stiff, and a numbness rose through me. Panic curled in my chest, and I screamed, my voice clearly still working.
“I need to get you to safety,” he said. “And now.”
Jax looped a cord over and above my chest, then uner my arms, and positioned me to stand behind him. He drew me against him as he tied me to his back.
“Oh my god!” I cried, convince if I could feel anything, I might be in a corner rocking on the spot.
With me lifted off my feet, he clumsily stumbled to a nearby tree covered in low branches. He heaved me up, gasping for air. Behind me, the sounds of clanks, expelled breaths, and cries filled the air, but I couldn’t turn to see. Were my men dying?
I crumbled on the inside, and even if I could feel my body, I was icy cold from terror. “Isn’t there antidote?”
“The potion will keep you warm against the chill while you’re stiff. It’ll only last a short while until it wears off. For now, I need you safe because I’ve got to get me some beaver.” Jax chuckled at his own dumb joke while I drowned in fear. He hauled me across an oversized branch ladened high with crystalized snow. He pressed my back to the trunk, and undid the tie, keeping us bound. Fast to spin around, he worked the rope around the tree and me, tying me in place.
He proceeded to scoop armfuls of snow and piled them around my legs, then upward.
“Don’t bury me. Please,” I pleaded.
He hurried, covering me to my neck. “Didn’t you ever want to play snowman? Just pretend it’s that.” He glanced down to the ground at the fight, but I couldn’t move my head to witness the battle. Tears welled in my eyes. What if they died while I was tied to a tree?
He kissed me, stilling my words, and whispered, “Just remember, sweetheart, I adore you.” Then he covered my face with snow, leaving my m
outh and nose uncovered.
Moments later, I was alone. I was a snowwoman being hidden in the tree, while three men who were somehow crawling into my heart, making me care about them, were facing extreme danger.
The sounds of a battle ensued, and I stood there, immobile, hating the hopeless feeling. How the world seemed to close in around me. Why the fuck couldn’t Jax have at least poked out holes for my eyes? I was furious that he’d covered me in snow when I’d experienced plenty of danger my entire life. And I’d always gotten out of any sticky situation.
I had no idea how much time had passed, but the silence stretched out, and I doubted anyone was with me anymore. Or were my men all dead, lying on the ground, having drowned in their own blood?
It wasn’t long before a prickly sensation crawled through my body. My feeling slowly returned, and I cheered on the inside, willing myself to move my arms. But it all came on in slow motion, like snakes slithered over my flesh before I finally gained back mobility. I pushed off the snow, the icy cold creeping over me.
I wiped my face clean, staring down to find only the sleigh below. No animals. No bodies. Even the frozen moose was gone. Where was everyone?
Patting my body, I found the cord around my waist and pulled at the knot, which unraveled at my touch. My gloved hands trembled, and my teeth chattered. But I had to move and find the men. I hurried down the tree, studying the mosaic of footprints, and it was clear they all led away from the site, toward the mountain range. Which meant one thing. Krampus was behind this, and he’d captured not only my sister, but my men.
Fury replaced my earlier fear, and I wanted Krampus to suffer. To pay for hurting those close to me.
I climbed into the sleigh and pulled out a blanket before wrapping it around my shoulders. Overhead, the sun peeked out from behind the curtain of clouds. I stared out into the distance, well aware I had to somehow save everyone, not to mention, Christmas.
I snorted a laugh at how ridiculous that sounded and dug around the front seat of the sleigh for any weapons I could use.
12
Sitting in the driver’s seat of the sleigh, I surveyed the sparse woods, studying shadows for any movement. I reached over to the glove compartment with a shaky hand and clicked it open to find a crowded mess. Good to know even Santa shoved everything in this section of his vehicle. I pulled out bundles of receipts and a log book, setting them on the floor, along with a lighter and Swiss army knife, which I held on to just in case. “Yes.” Finally, a real weapon, even if it was small.
There was a silver thermos inside the compartment. The metal was cool to the touch. I unscrewed the lid, and a strong whiff of citrus schnapps teased my nostrils. Alcohol. Fuck, yes! I took a mouthful, and enjoyed the heat running down my throat. It did the trick to heat me up, and I tucked that into my coat pocket.
The next bundle I pulled out were more papers and a magazine titled Futanari Feline Femmes with a buxom redhead on the front wearing cat ears and a tail, along with a skimpy skirt. I dropped it to the ground because I didn’t need to see that, ever! What Santa did in his spare time or when he was on a journey in his sleigh had zilch to do with me.
Just no.
I pawed deeper into the compartment and came back with several small plastic pouches, most empty except one with blue glitter and the word Sleep handwritten on the outside. Based on the thought that anything sparkly in this sleigh did wondrous things, I figured it might come in handy and took that also. Underneath the seat, I found another blanket, hay, and empty chocolate wrappers. Okay. I also pulled out a plastic toy bucket, probably from one of the deliveries, so I dumped my goods in there.
Having searched the entire sleigh, I found no other weapons, but I remembered the birch branches tied up in the back. Leven had said the stuff would weaken Krampus when used against him, but what was I supposed to do with them? I glanced into the back at the branches as long as my arms. I reached over and snatched a few of the smaller twigs and stuffed them into the pail, then got out of the sled.
My boots sunk into the powdery snow, and I held on to my green bucket, feeling silly, gripping the two layers of blankets wrapped around my shoulders for extra warmth. I followed the footprints in the snow.
After a fifteen-minute trek, I reached the perimeter of the woods, and I stood in the shadow of a massive pine. I looked out at a sheer rockface. It was the same one I’d seen from the sled, which meant the cave was near. I turned to where open land spanned outward but remained within the confines of the forest until I found a gaping entrance in the rockface. Shadows danced across the entrance, but when a moose trotted out of the woods and toward the cave, I jumped back behind a tree. God, please don’t let it see me.
The moose casually walked into the cave and vanished. Bingo!
Setting the pail down near my feet, I remained still for a long while, watching, but no one else came or left. The wind swirled past, chilling me, and I pulled the blankets tighter around my chest. I needed a plan. If that was where Krampus held my sister, my men, and Santa, and those viscous moose were in there, then I’d bet the beavers were too. The wounds on my legs still stung from their damn sharp teeth. They better not have carried any rabies.
Strolling in there was a death sentence, so I had to draw them out before I entered. I stared down at my bucket with the lighter and the few tiny twigs. I could collect more timber, but the birch ones in the sleigh were near the heater, drying off. An idea slipped into my thoughts that might help me deal with the animals and even Krampus. Whirling around, I rushed back the way I’d come and darted to the sleigh.
By the time I returned with birch branches under my arms and some papers to help create a fire, I gasped for air and my thighs stung. I waited a while, but no one stirred near the cave, so I crept closer with my belongings. A quick check of the open area showed it was all clear. I darted across the path and headed to a gaping hole in the wall, standing at least two feet from the main cave’s entrance.
I tucked myself in there, my breaths shaky, sweat dripping down my back. I scanned the woods, and part of me expected a deluge of crazed animals to chase me. But nothing happened, and everything seemed too quiet. Too simple. My skin crawled, but what other options did I have? Sit in the sleigh and wait for Krampus to come and take me out? Whatever happened, I was doing it my way.
So, no wasting time. I bundled up the branches I’d snapped in half back at the sled and together with the bucket, I hurried to the side of the entrance and pressed my back the stone. Heart pounding in my chest, I peered inside to find a light glow from a tunnel that ran deeper inside. I couldn’t see anyone, so I ducked inside the cave, the wind whistling at my back. I set up half the sticks into a crisscross pattern, then pulled the scrunched-up paper from my pocket. I lit a corner with the lighter. Fire sparked up at once, spreading fast, so I dropped it on the pile of wood. But the wind blustered inside, tossing the paper off the wood, and the flames extinguished at once.
Shit!
With the last paper I had, I placed it beneath some of the wood pieces to hold it in place. With my back to the entrance, I lit the bundle and gently blew over the fire as I’d seen on a survival show once. The flame flickered, and it caught on one of the pieces of wood, which was all I asked. Animals ran from smoke, so this had to work. As the fire rose, I bathed in its warmth for a few seconds, then collected the rest of my belongings and darted outside. I kicked the snow away from cave opening, needing to reach the ground, and was thankful it wasn’t snowing now.
Over the earth, I lay several twigs in a circular pattern a foot away from the door and coated them in a good splash of the schnapps, creating a connected circle. Screwing open the lid back on the thermos, I took one last glance at the fire that roared, sparking and spitting embers. A thin thread of smoke wafted upward, driven deeper into the tunnel by the wind. Perfect.
I sprinted to my little hiding hole and waited, having no clue if I’d done it right. If animals ran out, surely Krampus would investigate. Meaning I’d catch h
im too.
I’d seen my grandma cast a circle to keep evil spirits at bay, or so she’d said, and found my dad trying to summon a demon, but neither of them had used tree branches. They’d only poured whiskey or rum on the ground.
At first, nothing happened. I stilled, my pulse racing, struggling against the urge to check if the fire was still burning. I fiddled with the snow at my feet as I remained crouched, forming a ball, compressing it tighter and tighter, figuring it might make for a decent weapon. I put it into the bucket and made two more but had to stop as my gloved fingers were numb from the cold. I took the thermos and slammed back another long drink, needing anything to warm me as the chill dug into my bones.
A thundering grunt erupted nearby, and I flinched, the flask slipping from my grasp and into the pail. Booze spilled over everything, including the snowballs. Oh, shit. I hurried to pull it out and tossed the empty thermos aside.
First, a moose thundered out of the cave, a trail of smoke filtering after it. Then a river of beavers swarmed out. Where exactly had Krampus gotten all those critters, as he clearly controlled them somehow? God, I prayed this was all linked to Krampus and not some other random psycho in the woods who mind-controlled animals. Since arriving in Austria, so much strange shit had happened.
Animal after animal ran outside. My stomach twisted as I gripped the bucket in one hand and the lighter in the other.
Come on, come on. My chest constricted with panic. I hoped Krampus didn’t control the animals from another vantage point and was waiting for his chance to strike me?
Please be inside Krampus.
The animals had all vanished into the woods, and I prayed they didn’t come back. Maybe I’d been mistaken to assume Krampus was in the cave because he hadn’t made an appearance.
I crawled out of my spot, my nose and ears icy, but on the inside, I burned with trepidation. Creeping closer, I couldn’t stop trembling. The snow squeaked under my boots and the sky seemed to darken. I turned the corner into the cave, skirting around the fire, caught in a cloud of smoke. I coughed when a huge shadow rushed out, an arm flaying toward me.