“Most important meal of the day,” said Ethan.
“What did you eat for breakfast back in New York City?” asked Carol.
“Organic avocado spread over rye toast, with some, uh…caviar,” admitted Ethan. “It’s salty!”
“Caviar? For breakfast? Don’t pull my leg,” said Carol incredulously before laughing. “I don’t think you’ll find avocado toast in this town.”
“Avery’s got a greenhouse where I’ve definitely spied an avocado bush, vine, whatever,” said Jack.
“My pointy ears are burning,” said Avery, walking over to the table with Krampus. Krampus glared at Avery and raised an eyebrow. Had she really forgotten that she wasn’t supposed to mention Christmas magic around her temp? Santana wouldn’t approve of that sort of interfering.
A minute after Avery arrived, everyone’s pocket beeped. Everyone, that is, except for Ethan, who did not have any electronic devices.
“What’s that?” asked Carol.
“Secret Santana details have been sent out,” said Avery. “I was on the committee, so I can help explain without any stupid email. Rules are simple. You have to make a gift for the person you’re assigned. You do not have to keep your assigned person a secret to your friends, but obviously, do not let them find out you are their gift giver and don’t let them figure out what gift you’re giving them.”
“We have to make something?” asked Krampus. “I was just gonna buy someone a bottle of something brown, expensive, and worth a hangover.”
“That’s exactly why the rules state it must be a gift, and it must cost under a hundred bucks to make,” said Avery.
“Try five bucks,” said Carol. “I’m not giving crap, but I’m not spending too much on this.”
“Fair,” said Avery. “We should be getting information about our assignments soon. It’s really starting to feel like Christmas, you guys.”
* * *
Krampus checked the notification on his smartphone. Of course, Fate had decided to play a trick on the devil. He knew that he’d end up with her.
* * *
Avery swiped into her inbox. She opened the email and saw who she’d been assigned. Really? Maybe entering him into Secret Santana had been Hell of a mistake.
* * *
Jack checked his phone. Of course, he’d gotten her. Why wouldn’t Fate cut him a break? Now, the question was, did he tell her how he felt, or would he lose her forever if he made things awkward? The assignment felt more like a curse than a blessing.
* * *
Pandora smiled wide when she saw her assignment. Who better to find a gift for than her best friend? The only problem was, she had a massive crush on Jack, and she didn’t want to give him a gift that said they were ‘just friends’…but she also wasn’t quite ready to admit her feelings to Jack. She told herself she’d tell him next year, but she’d been saying that for a while. She knew exactly what she was going to do. The only question was, could she use her power of conjuring gifts out of thin air to satisfy the Secret Santana requirement? It was a question for Daddy Claus…
* * *
Carol’s phone beeped. She’d gotten a text on her dumpy old flip phone. There was a name and a few details. Ethan McLean, lumberjack, Camp Kringle. The phone downloaded a pic. Yup. It was the Ethan in front of her, smug mug and everything. Why was Ethan in a tailored suit in the picture? And why did his surname sound so familiar?
* * *
Ethan did not have a phone.
“Hey, who am I supposed to match up with?” asked Ethan.
“Here,” said Krampus, passing Ethan his phone and punching in some numbers. “This is the hotline.”
“There’s a hotline?” asked Carol.
“It’s a big deal this year,” said Avery.
Ethan held the phone up to his ear.
“Name?” said a cheery voice.
“Ethan,” said Ethan.
“Ethan what?” asked the service rep.
“McLean,” said Ethan, looking to see if Carol recognized the name.
“Ethan McLean, McLean…there you are,” said the rep. “You didn’t put in a number or address, but you got matched up with someone anyway. Carol. Carol Carter. She works at the Bear Claw Bakery.”
“Oh, okay,” said Ethan. “Thanks.”
Ethan hung up and passed the phone back to Krampus.
* * *
“Who did you get, anyway?” asked Avery, finishing clearing out the giant carafes of hot coffee as she closed up the store with Carol.
“You won’t believe it,” said Carol. “I was assigned frikkin’ Ethan.”
“Aww, candy canes!’ said Avery. “I thought I had it bad.”
“Who did you get assigned? Santana himself?” asked Carol.
“Krampus,” said Avery. “I have to make him something. You know the saying, ‘what can you buy for the man who has the money to buy everything’? Well, what do you make for the man who can make anything? You saw the gorgeous box he made.”
“Is that what that was?” asked Carol. “What’s it for?”
“His regular order,” said Avery.
“Seems a bit small,” said Carol. “How’s the coffee and stuff fit in it?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? He changed his order,” lied Avery. “Trying to, uh, cut back on sugar and caffeine for his heart.”
“Good for him,” said Carol, dropping the subject. “What do you think Ethan would like for Christmas?”
“If I answer that question, will you send me to HR for sexual harassment?” asked Avery.
“You know I won’t,” said Carol.
“Ethan likes you,” said Avery. “He downright digs you. How about a date with you?”
“I don’t think that’s something he can unwrap underneath a tree,” said Carol.
Chapter Four
December 11th, 2009
Ethan walked with Krampus up the patio to the Bear Claw Bakery. Sitting outside was Carol, drinking an eggnog latte, extra nutmeg, while watching The Wreath. Carol was sitting next to one of her coworkers, a woman named Barbara, who had served Ethan when Carol wasn’t running the counter.
“Enjoy the show?” asked Ethan, running his hand down his body and wiped the sheet of sweat down from his pecs to his abs.
“Gross,” said Carol, shaking her head. “No. I just needed some air. Not sure if you realized, but this is a bakery, and we’ve got ovens, big ones, hot ones, and they uh, get hot. That’s kinda what they’re for. Sometimes, a girl needs a break.”
“Then why are you drinking a latte instead of some water?” asked Ethan.
“So many questions,” said Carol, shaking her head. “I’ll go check on your order.”
Ethan watched Carol’s ass as she walked away from him and back into the bakery. She was a big woman. Beautiful, too. She could hypnotize him with her curves. Ethan was so busy watching Carol he nearly missed the guy trying to steal Carol’s purse, which she’d left on the table outside.
“Hey,” said Ethan. “Stop that.”
“It’s mine,” lied the big, muscular man stealing the purse. “I mean, it’s my girlfriend’s.”
“I know sure as shit that it’s not,” said Ethan, grabbing the purse from the man. Ethan’s mark burned when he cursed.
“It’s not yours,” said the man. “Let go.”
“You’ll get this purse over my dead body,” said Ethan.
Krampus hadn’t gone inside the bakery yet. He walked back to the table and saw what was going on.
“You’re going to want to hand that over,” said Krampus, arms crossed, staring down the thief. “You don’t want my shift to come out.”
The thief quickly shifted. The thief pulled the purse down to the ground with him as he changed. Although he shifted his clothes didn’t burst. Instead, they pooled in a pile on the ground. Out hopped a white rabbit.
What the heck? asked Ethan. He’s just a frikkin’ rabbit?
Rabbits can be tricky, said Prancer. Be careful.
&n
bsp; The rabbit grabbed the purse and started to hop away.
“Shift,” ordered Krampus.
“But I haven’t —” started Ethan.
“Shift,” repeated Krampus, before tucking his body inwards. A cloud of green flames appeared as Krampus turned into his animal: a big, black goat, with two big, bony horns, and devilish green eyes. It was a shift only a demon could love. Krampus ran after the rabbit and corralled it back to the porch. Krampus grabbed the purse with his mouth, and it became a game of tug-o-war between Krampus and the rabbit.
How do I do this? asked Ethan.
Just trust me, said Prancer. Bears and reindeer, they’re not that different, are they?
Well, do you have claws and big fangs? asked Ethan.
Fair, said Prancer. What I do have is the ability to distract you while you shift, so you don’t freak out.
Ethan lifted his hands up to his face and stumbled because he didn’t have hands anymore. He had hooves at the end of long, sinewy legs. He caught sight of himself in the wavy reflection of the ice pooled around the table. He had a big rack of antlers. They weren’t claws, but they’d have to do.
Ethan reached to put his hoof inside the strap of the purse, but missed, tripping and barreling into a snowbank. He pulled himself back up. Krampus had managed to snag the purse, but the rabbit was bouncing in Krampus’ face.
Ethan saw the door to the bakery open. Carol came back out to the patio and stood next to Barbara, who was standing, arms crossed, next to the back door to the bakery.
Carol looked around the patio. While baking a batch of bread, she’d heard a commotion out on the patio, and realized that nobody was working the front counter. Avery was working in her office while Carol went to check up on the patio and find Barbara. Now that Carol had found her coworker, the question was, why was there a frikkin’ shifter fight happening on the bakery’s patio? Carol saw a cute little white rabbit and assumed the rabbit was being bullied by the much bigger goat, who looked downright demonic.
A big reindeer was regaining his balance. Carol had never seen a reindeer in real life before. She’d seen common deer, with their spotted coats, but she’d never seen a reindeer. This one was big, real big, with a giant white ruff, almost like a lion’s mane, around its neck. It had a gentle face that looked wise and a rack of enormous bony antlers that looked dangerous. Carol wondered what the big reindeer had to do with things. Carol made eye contact with the reindeer. Why did its gaze feel so familiar when she was sure she’d never seen a reindeer in the flesh before?
“What’s going on?” asked Carol, crossing her arms.
“You left your purse out here, and now, three shifters are fighting over it,” said Barbara.
“They’re trying to steal it?” asked Carol.
“The rabbit is,” said Barbara. “The other two, they confronted the rabbit and told him to hand it over. Things escalated. Now, we’ve got quite the Christmas pageant to watch, don’t we?”
Ethan was distracted by Carol walking out on the patio. He didn’t pay attention to the fight. Krampus had the purse in his mouth and tried to toss it to Ethan. Ethan missed the bag entirely. It fell onto the snowbank behind Ethan. The rabbit came over, and Ethan tried to block the rabbit from escaping. The rabbit wove in and out between the reindeer’s legs. Ethan’s legs instinctively moved up from the ground as soon as they felt the soft fur of the rabbit tickling the reindeer’s ankles.
What do I do? asked Ethan.
You know how mice can scare elephants? asked Prancer. Well, arctic rabbits are to reindeer as mice are to elephants. He’s gonna try and weave in and out of your legs. He’s expecting you to freak out. Just stay calm. Remember, he’s in more physical danger underneath your body than you’re in…unless you panic.
Got it, said Ethan.
Ethan calmed down. He stood still and waited until he felt the rabbit rub against his front leg. Once he felt the rabbit’s soft fur against his bony ankles, Ethan kicked the rabbit toward Krampus.
The rabbit let out a screech as it slid across the ice. Ethan had had no idea that rabbits could make a sound. The arctic rabbit let out a noise that sounded like a busted violin played by a crying toddler. Ethan knew he couldn’t block his ears, so he had to try to mentally block out the noise.
Ethan lowered his head and snagged the purse’s strap around his horns. Krampus tried to trap the rabbit between his legs. Krampus wasn’t using any of his demoncraft. Ethan was confused. Why the heck wasn’t Krampus busting out some downright Hellish moves? The rabbit escaped Krampus’s cage of legs and ran toward Ethan. The rabbit tried to grab at the purse with its paws. The rabbit hooked both its arms around the strap and held onto the bag.
Ethan turned back and forth and tried to get the rabbit to loosen its hold on the strap. The rabbit was still shouting and annoying Ethan. Ethan spun around and around, faster and faster, making himself dizzy. The rabbit kept hold of the purse as long as it could, but, soon, it had to let go. The rabbit went flying and landed in a snowbank. Krampus chased after the rabbit.
Ethan walked up to Carol and leaned down so Carol could take her purse back. The bag was dirty, bitten, stomped on, and definitely worse for the wear, and her lip balm, hand sanitizer, and tissues had fallen out, but her wallet was still inside, with all her cash and cards intact.
“Thanks,” said Carol. “Who are you?”
Ethan tried to answer, but what came out sounded like a moose trying to imitate a duck.
Carol laughed and reached out to touch the reindeer’s soft head. “Thank you,” said Carol.
Ethan nodded and backed away. He looked for Krampus and saw Krampus go into an alley. Ethan gave Carol one final nod before bounding off to meet up with Krampus.
What are you doing? asked Prancer. Why didn’t you shift back into a man and kiss the girl?
Because I’d be stark ravin’ nude, said Ethan. That’s real romantic. I’m sure Carol would love that.
You wouldn’t have been naked — started Prancer.
I’m a shifter, said Ethan. I know what happens when a shifter as big as a bear or a reindeer turns while wearing clothing. I wasn’t born yesterday.
Whatever, sighed Prancer. You humans and your modesty. I don’t see why you are all afraid of prancing around.
Ethan followed Krampus to a back alley near the bakery. Krampus shifted and turned to Ethan, who was still in his shift.
“I lost track of the rabbit. He blends into the fuckin’ snow. What are you doing here?” asked Krampus. “And why are you still in your shift?”
I told you, you can just shift, said Prancer.
Ethan felt his body returning to its standard human form. He covered himself instinctively. After all, whenever he shifted as a bear, his clothing had always burst into pieces. Ethan felt fabric rather than skin beneath his fingers. He looked down. He was wearing his work pants. None of his clothes had burst during his shift. They’d magically been preserved while he’d been in his new reindeer form.
“What is this?” asked Ethan, putting his hands into the pockets to feel that the pants were real.
“Christmas magic,” said Krampus. “You don’t have to worry about shifting in front of humans, you know, or people that don’t know about Christmas magic.”
“But you do?” asked Ethan.
“It’s different for me,” said Krampus. “I can’t reveal the secrets of Christmas magic to anyone who isn’t sent to me, as my ward, to train as a reindeer. That’s how the rules are right now. That’s why Avery can’t tell Carol about Christmas magic either. Santana won’t like, take our powers away or something. He’ll just throw a shitfit that I don’t want to deal with.”
“But I can?” asked Ethan.
“The question is, will you?” asked Krampus.
“She doesn’t seem like the kind of girl that would believe in that stuff,” admitted Ethan. “I don’t see any benefit to telling her about it either. She has a lot on her plate. What would telling her do other than cause more problems
?”
“It’s your choice,” said Krampus. “Let’s just head back to the bakery.”
* * *
“What happened out here?” said Carol. “I saw the fight, but, what happened between me going inside and coming back out?”
“Oh, I saw it all,” said Barbara. “I saw every minute. The goat and the reindeer, they defended your purse from this arctic rabbit shifter.”
“It took a goat and a reindeer to fight a frikkin’ rabbit?” asked Carol.
“This was one buff rabbit,” said Barbara. “He was big, burly. I thought he was a miniature polar bear or something. Not really, but, you get the picture. You saw him.”
“I guess when shifters fight, anything can happen,” said Carol.
“The goat and the reindeer, as you saw, drove the rabbit away, and then, they disappeared. Guess Ethan’s a decent guy after all,” said Barbara. “Didn’t seem the type, to be quite honest. Seemed more the purse-stealing type than the purse-saving type. Guess first impressions can be tricky.”
“What did you just say?” asked Carol.
“I said that the hot shirtless lumberjack guy is the one who stopped the rabbit from jacking your purse,” said Barbara.
“You must be confused,” said Carol. “Ethan’s a bear. He’s not a reindeer.”
“I know what I saw,” said Barbara.
“Do you?” asked Carol. “I know your eggnog lattes have rum in them.”
‘Look, you believe what you gotta believe, and I’ll believe what I gotta believe,” said Barbara. “All I know is, I saw that big hunk of man meat turn into a reindeer and fight off the rabbit, along with his boss, the goat guy.”
“Well, yeah, Krampus is a goat, but Ethan’s not a reindeer,” said Carol.
Prancer Claws: The Twelve Mates Of Christmas, Book 3 Page 4