Vixen Claws (The Twelve Mates Of Christmas Book 4) Read online

  “It’s a party, Candy, why aren’t you having fun?” asked Avery. Avery, Brie, and some of the other employees were all sitting around watching cheesy Christmas cartoons while eating the day-olds. It was their little holiday office party. The only person without a smile on their face was Candy.

  “I just…it’s stupid, never mind,” said Candy.

  “Tell me,” said Avery. “You should be having fun, enjoying yourself. There’re pastries, drinks, good music. What’s not to love?”

  “It’s not about what’s here. It’s about what’s missing,” said Candy. “You know Christmas is my favorite holiday, right?”

  “I gathered,” said Avery. “You hum Christmas songs under your breath to the point I find myself humming along. We’d make quite a pair, walking the streets of The Wreath, caroling in hums.”

  “I always thought Christmas was about joy. I thought it was all about having fun — opening presents, eating good food, watching cheesy movies. Now, well…I’m not so sure what Christmas is about,” said Candy. “Part of me thinks that it’s about more than just having fun, that maybe, just maybe, it’s about bringing joy to others as well. That’s what has me bummed.”

  “You can bring joy to people here,” said Avery.

  “It’s not the same as…bringing joy to someone special to me, to, well, to Cain,” admitted Candy. “I thought that…well, I don’t know what I thought. I guess I thought I’d be his fated mate, but in retrospect, I know that’s silly. I just. I wish he were here, even though things didn’t turn out the way I’d planned.”

  Avery weighed her options. She wasn’t supposed to tell Candy the truth about Cain or Christmas magic. But, Candy and Cain were meant to get together. That’s why Santana had Avery hire Candy in the first place. Was breaking the rules and doing something Naughty worth it if it would result in something Nice?

  “Candy…wait,” said Avery. “I think we need to have a talk. Grab a coffee and meet me out on the back patio.” The last time Avery had asked Candy to do that, it had changed Candy’s life forever, and so it would again.

  Santana landed the sleigh on the top of a large building near the night market. He hopped out of the sleigh and descended into the madness of the Taipei night market. Nobody gave the man with a large sack a second glance. For all they knew, he could be carrying some live chickens or packages of frozen dumplings.

  Cain looked around. He’d never been to Taiwan before. He knew one of his friends had done photo shoots out there, for a Taiwanese romance novel series, but he’d never been before. He’d visited more countries that night than he’d ever visit in his life — he’d nearly visited them all. The end of The Ride drew close.

  “Already?” Cain said into the comms as he saw Santana scampering back up the roof to the sleigh.

  “My dad’s efficient,” said Pandora.

  “That efficient?” asked Cain.

  “Taiwan’s not that big of an island,” said Pandora. “It’s no Australia.”

  “He finished delivering gifts to the whole island?” asked Cain.

  “You were just as surprised once he finished India,” said Jack. “Humans, am I right, guys?”

  “I’m not human,” said Cain.

  “I mean, you’re half,” said Krampus. “Shifters are pretty close to human.”

  Santana got back in the sleigh.

  “What did I say about keeping the chit-chat to a minimum?” asked Santana. “Let’s get this bad boy in the air and fly. No teleportation this time. It’s a quick jump.”

  “Where to, boss?” asked Boreas sarcastically.

  “Get ready to say konnichiwa to Japan,” said Santana.

  “Merī Kurisumasu,” said Krampus.

  “Merī fakkingu Kurisumasu,” agreed Santana.

  The sleigh took off. Santana didn’t teleport the sleigh to Japan. While he took a load off, the reindeer rose into the sky, high, high above the island nation of Taiwan, and made their way along the Eastern Asian coastline, passing by South Korea.

  Cain looked down. The first few times they’d gone up, he’d been terrified of the view. Now, he was able to enjoy it. He looked down at the glistening cities below.

  It’s a Hell of a view, isn’t it? Vixen asked Cain.

  I can’t believe you get to see this every year, said Cain. It’s funny to think that all those people down there…they don’t know about Christmas magic, about the fact it’s real, that Santana, flying reindeer, and heck, even The Naughty List, are real.

  Speaking of The Naughty List…started Vixen.

  I’m not getting off it, said Cain. There’s no time. I did everything I could think of this holiday season, and I’m still on the list.

  I’d expect you to be more — started Vixen.

  Upset? Cain finished. I did too. I know this might be the last time I’m in any shift, ever again. But…look. If I learned one thing, it’s that Fate’s path for us can weave and warp through so many threads of the tapestry of life. If I’m meant to lose my shift…then that’s my fate. I just…I hope Fate will bring Candy and me back together, so I can explain everything.

  When does she leave? Vixen asked Cain.

  Christmas Day, so as soon as I hit that tarmac, I’m heading back to Montana to tell her everything, said Cain.

  Santa Claus’s real name was Santana Claus, and he was Avery and Krampus’ boss? And Avery was a Christmas elf? Krampus was a demon and Santana’s best friend? Santana had a daughter, Pandora, her regular, and she was magical too, some sort of Christmas magician, and the boy, Jack, well, he had some kind of ice powers.

  Candy tried to follow Avery’s story. She was incredulous of the whole thing until Avery pulled back her hair and revealed that she had pointed ears.

  “Okay, those are fake,” said Candy.

  “No,” said Avery. “Try pulling on them.”

  “Uh…” started Candy.

  “Don’t worry, I wash my ears,” said Avery impatiently. “Give’m a yank.”

  Candy tugged. They didn’t move.

  “What is it, glue? Plastic surgery?” asked Candy, pulling her hand away.

  “I’m a Christmas elf,” said Avery. “They come with the package, along with doing stuff like this.”

  Avery waved her hand, and a poof of tinsel appeared.

  “Okay, that has to be some sleight of hand magic trick,” said Candy. “Real funny, Avery. Come on.”

  Avery waved her hand again. A pile of jingle bells appeared. She snapped, and glitter showered the collection of decorations. She did a clap, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies appeared.

  “That’s just freaky-deaky,” said Candy. “What’s in the punch, Avery? I think I’m seeing things.”

  “Nothing, you think I’d shell out and get all my employees liquored up? Please,” said Avery. “This is Christmas magic, girl, and it’s real.”

  “Fine,” said Candy. “Let’s pretend that I do believe this. Let’s just say I believe this. I believe in Christmas magic.”

  “You do?” asked Avery.

  “Whatever, sure, fine. If it’s real, it’s real. I guess Santana is really Santa Claus, Krampus is really a Christmas demon, Pandora and Jack have magic powers, and you, well, you’re a Christmas elf,” said Candy half-heartedly, looking at Avery’s pointed ears. “There’s just one thing I don’t know if I can believe.”

  “What’s that?” asked Avery.

  “I…I don’t think Cain really likes me,” said Candy. “After all, if he did, wouldn’t he be moving Hell and high water to spend Christmas Eve with me?”

  “Sweetie,” said Avery, taking Candy’s hand in hers. “How do you know he’s not?

  The Ride was nearly over. Cain could’ve jumped for joy if he wasn’t frikkin’ flying with seven other reindeer, needing to stay in formation. The eight reindeer had gotten off to a rocky start — while the various reindeer spirits obviously knew each other and had their own drama, the real issue was the fact that nobody but Cain and a few of the penguins had used a rein
deer shift before. Even Boreas and Krampus, who Cain thought would be excellent fliers, were worse than him. That might’ve been because they were assigned Donner and Blitzen — not only were they stuck next to each other, they were near Santana, and the three of them had been bickering all night, Santana’s comms rule about no chit-chat be damned.

  I can’t believe it, thought Cain. Soon, this’ll all be over.

  Still not a Christmas fan? Vixen asked Cain.

  It’s grown on me, admitted Cain. It’s got the best desserts. I just…I can’t wait to see her again, you know?

  Cain, said Vixen, as Santana warped the magical teleporting sleigh back to The North Pole. You need to —

  I know, tell her how I feel, propose, said Cain. It was all Cain had been thinking about during The Ride, during the moments where the team of reindeer had floated through the sky, on the way to their next destination. He’d thought about what he’d say to Candy, rehearsed it all in his head, gone over the lines over and over and over. He knew he only had tomorrow to tell her how he felt, or she’d slip out of his grasp forever.

  No, it’s that — started Vixen.

  I already told you, I know what I need to do, said Cain.

  “Cain!” shouted Krampus in Cain’s earpiece. “Cain, watch out!”

  Cain looked around. Then, he looked forward again. Before he realized that he’d missed the turn down to the tarmac, through the giant candy cane marking The North Pole’s true center, the rest of the reindeer had kept moving, and Cain bonked his head on the candy cane.

  That’s when Cain blacked out, and this time, it wasn’t from mixing tequila and beach balls.

  Chapter Eleven

  Christmas Day, 2010

  “Wh-what happened?” asked Cain.

  “You hit the candy cane on your way back to The Workshop,” said Krampus. “You’re going to be fine.”

  “Going to be?” asked Cain. “What’s going on?”

  “You need to stay here for a few more hours until the doctors here say you can leave,” said Krampus. “The medicine at The North Pole is superior to that available to humans and shifters.”

  “What exactly happened to me, to my body?” asked Cain.

  “Well…you managed to break both your arms when you knocked yourself out, and, when the sleigh came down, your legs got kinda…crushed,” said Krampus. “I’m afraid you’ll never walk again.”

  “I’ll what?” asked Cain.

  “I’m kidding,” said Krampus. “Merry fucking Christmas, you’re going to be fine, kid…although, you did break all four of your limbs. You just need to wait a few hours until the bones are strong enough for you to leave The North Pole.”

  “You don’t understand,” said Cain. “I have to leave, Krampus. I need to go to her, to —”

  “You can’t go to anyone, least of all Candy, until you’re healed,” said Krampus. “You know I can bind you here, Cain, so don’t try to escape.”

  Cain waited in the hospital bed. A doctor came by and confirmed what Krampus had said. Cain watched the news. It was filled with feel-good Christmas day stories, about adopted puppies finding homes, about food drives for the needy, about all kinds of Christmas miracles. The question was, did Cain still have time to make his Christmas miracle come true?

  After a few hours, a doctor finally came by to check on Cain’s status. The doctor used her tablet to scan Cain’s limbs and the rest of his body and make sure that everything that needed to heal had been healed.

  “You’re ready to go,” said the doctor. “The injuries shouldn’t be detectable to any medical professional outside of The North Pole. In your world, if a doctor does ask what the heck happened…just say you got real drunk one night in Bozeman. That’s what I’d say, and trust me, I’m a doctor.”

  “Alright, kid, wait for me,” said Krampus. “I’ll be right back. All that Christmas tea ran right through me. Here. Pandora left this for you. Before you ask, no, I don’t know what’s in it. But, I do know this. Pandora’s gifts are either what you want or what you need or both. That’s how giftomancy works, at least, for her. I do know this. Every other bad boy from your Clan has found the same damn thing inside of Pandora’s box…and used it successfully.”

  Krampus passed Cain a box. Once Krampus was gone, Cain ripped through the wrapping paper. Inside the box was a ring box.

  Cain popped it open. Inside was a sparkling diamond and ruby ring, forming a heart made up of two striped candy canes.

  “I owe you one, Pandora,” said Cain.

  Cain got out of the bed and got changed. He pocketed the ring box in his clothes.

  Vixen, how can I get to The Wreath within an hour? Cain asked Vixen. I don’t suppose I can fly, can I? Not without the harness.

  Well…technically the harness just helps you pull the sleigh, admitted Vixen.

  Wait, said Cain. Are you serious? I could’ve flown back and forth to see Candy this entire time? Never mind. Okay. Do you know the way back to The Wreath?

  You’re asking one of Santana Claus’ top reindeer if they know their way around the world, said Vixen. You figure out the answer to that.

  Cain exited the room.

  “Wait!” called a voice.

  Cain turned. Krampus was walking toward him. Cain walked faster.

  “Kid, are you serious?” asked Krampus.

  “I have to go,” said Cain. “Don’t try and stop me.”

  “But —” started Krampus.

  “No,” said Cain. “I’m going. Now. I’m sure you’ll manage to find a way to come capture me and take back Vixen, but just give me a twenty-four head start, Krampus. I’ll cooperate peacefully if you just let me do what I have to do.”

  “Whatever,” said Krampus, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms before turning to walk down the hall, throwing his arms up in the air. “Kid, you wanna do that, you do that.”

  Idiot, said Vixen.

  I know, right? said Cain.

  No, because — started Vixen.

  Not now, ordered Cain.

  Cain found an exit. He got down on the ground, shifted into Vixen’s form, and took off through the air. Unbridled, he could fly as fast as his shift was capable of flying, as he didn’t have a team of seven other reindeer or a Santana in a sleigh to worry about.

  Cain flew past the candy cane. The candy cane’s top had fallen off and was lying on the ground in pieces. Chefs in white hats were taking the shards of red and white candy away in wheelbarrows. There was a big red splat on the ground, like a giant’s booger. Cain assumed that must’ve been the gumdrop. The Christmas elves were shoveling that gunk into big trash bags. Apparently, The candy cane had been made of real candy.

  Vixen gave Cain directions to The Wreath. Cain passed over Candy’s house and didn’t see her car.

  Cain landed in the backyard. He shifted back into his human form and knocked on the door. He peered inside the house. There was movement inside.

  “Cain? Can I help you?” asked Avery, opening up the door to the yard. “What in the name of Christmas are you doing?”

  “I’m looking for Candy,” said Cain.

  “Oh. I see. I told her about everything, Cain — Christmas magic, The Ride, Santana. I told her you’d come back, but…she seems to think you don’t want her anymore. I guess actions speak louder than magic. Candy already left,” said Avery. “She had to leave early if she wanted to miss the Christmas traffic. She has to get back to her other job in a few days, and it’s about a twenty-hour ride back to San Francisco during a good week.”

  “I can still find her,” said Cain. “Do you know what route she took?”

  “Yeah,” said Avery. “She used my computer, back at the bakery, to print out directions. I can see if the route is still in the web browser’s history.”

  “So let’s get to the bakery,” said Cain.

  “Foolish humans,” said Avery, shaking her head. “Give me two seconds. Don’t frikkin’ move.”

  Avery waved her hand. She was gone in a poof o
f Christmas glitter. All that was left behind was the smell of fresh sugar cookies, a scent that reminded Cain of Candy. Then, within ten minutes, there was a cloud of glitter and tinsel. Avery was back, documents in hand.

  “Am I the only person on The Wreath who can’t teleport?” asked Cain sarcastically. “Thanks, Avery.”

  “Just pocket these and shift if you get lost. Just like your clothes, the paper shouldn’t get messed up when you shift,” said Avery. “Remember — she’s got a bright purple SUV. You can’t miss it. There’s a bunch of yellow and green bumper stickers on the back. Now, are you going to keep bugging me while I clean, or are you going to go and tell Candy how you feel?”

  Cain looked over the route and committed it to memory. He pocketed the map and then, took off into the air, shifting as he jumped into the sky.

  Cain followed the route, looking down at the cars, flying pretty slowly, but still faster than the traffic. He saw some kids looking up at him in awe, but none of their parents turned to see the magical flying reindeer.

  Cain flew for hours. He’d seen SUVs. He’d seen purple cars. He’d seen a dozen purple SUVs, none with yellow and green stickers.

  Cain turned to follow a sideroad the online map program had recommended. It led to a rest-stop. Cain found the rest-stop and descended onto the nearly empty lot, before turning back into his human form. He pulled the map out and looked to see how far he had until he reached San Francisco. If he didn’t find Candy’s car, he would find her in that city, even if that meant visiting every dang Bear Claw Bakery in the Bay Area.

  Cain, said the reindeer.

  Not now, Vixen, said Cain.

  Cain! Vixen shouted.

  What? Cain asked. Can it wait?

  No, you loon, because Candy is here, over there, by the bathrooms, said Vixen.

  Cain turned. He didn’t see the restrooms. He finally saw the dinky sign signifying the bathroom area. There was a purple SUV, with yellow and green stickers on the back, and in it, Candy.