Kevin watched as rivers of red and green magical energy emerged from the snow globe and wrapped themselves around his hand like a ribbon around a Christmas present. Kevin turned back into a human, but this time, it wasn't because Kevin had willed it. Kevin felt something leave his body, and something else entered it. He swore he could smell the scent of freshly baked cinnamon apple pie and hear the sound of caroling.
"And...done," said Krampus, holding the globe up to Kevin, showing Kevin that, inside the globe, there was no longer some kind of deer, but rather, Kevin's shift, running through a dense forest in the rain, thunder booming through the glass of the snow globe.
"If my shift's there, what's inside me?" said Kevin angrily.
"Meet your new shift, Donner," said Krampus. "He's one of Santana Claus's eight most trusted reindeer."
"Santana Claus?" asked Kevin.
"You may know him as 'Santa,’" said Krampus. "I'm his right-hand man."
"Give. Me back. My shift," ordered Kevin.
"Oh, silly shifter," said Krampus. "You may be a bad boy, but I'm a bad man, a de-man, as the case may be."
"What the Hell am I supposed to do as a reindeer, without a mate mark?" asked Kevin. "How will I find my fated mate?"
"If you'd let me explain, it'd all become clear," said Krampus. "You're coming with me, to Montana, to work at Camp Kringle, the Christmas tree farm of one Santana Claus. Trust me. You're going to hone your body into a well-oiled machine, learn to work with Donner, and find your fated mate."
"Let's say I believe you, believe all this nonsense about Santa Claus. How exactly does that get me my shift back?" asked Kevin.
"Once you get off The Naughty List, you'll earn your mark and your shift back," said Krampus.
"The what?" asked Kevin.
"Look down," said Krampus.
Across Kevin's chest, in bright emerald green, was one word: 'Naughty.
"That doesn't answer my question," said Kevin. "What is the Naughty List?"
"Santana Claus keeps track of who's Naughty and who's nice," said Krampus. "You're Naughty – because you didn’t try to find and claim your fated mate.”
"I was trying," growled Kevin. "Why do you think I work as a park ranger? To meet other shifters – although most are self-sufficient enough not to need help from the rangers."
“The list doesn’t lie,” said Krampus. “You weren’t looking for a mate. You were isolating yourself in case you fell into mate madness. Well, call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, because obviously, that’s what’s happened. Do not focus on the past. Do what you need to do to get on The Nice List, and you'll get your mate mark back. Then, you just have to claim your fated mate by Christmas, and you'll get to keep your shift. If you can help newbie campers not get eaten by bears – including your own beast – then you can handle this.."
"And if you're pulling my tail?" asked Kevin.
"You're gonna be seeing some things that'll teach you the truth's stranger than anything your mere mind can imagine," said Krampus.
Krampus grabbed the chain that was binding Kevin, and it dissolved in Krampus's hand. Kevin hit the bottom of the cage, hard. As he rubbed his ass, Krampus took the chain, which had shrunk down to the size of a necklace, and tossed it on the ground. The necklace expanded to ten feet in diameter. It filled with green flames which flickered away into the ether and showed a forest located in the center of a lake.
“Kevin! Listen to me!” called Rowan. “Remember – during Christmas, true love can tame the wildest beasts! Remember that!”
"What...what is that?" asked Kevin, looking up to Rowan and then, back down at the floor. Kevin was still sitting on his ass and was looking down into the mysterious magical portal.
"The doorway to your future," said Krampus, before shoving Kevin's shoulders down.
The portal sucked Kevin down towards Camp Kringle, towards the center of the Wreath. Krampus grabbed his suit jacket and jumped in the gateway to follow after his new ward. The only thing Krampus knew for sure was that Kevin would be one tough nut to crack.
I’m Sable Sylvan. The only thing I love more than reading hot paranormal romances is writing down my fantasies and sharing them with readers like you.
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xoxo,
Bear-y Spicy Fairy Tales:
A Small Town Menage Series
Goldilocks And The Three Bear Shifters
Little Red Riding Bears
Three Grizzlies Gruff
The Shifter Princes:
A Fairy Tale Billionaire Series
Shifterella And The Billionaire Bear
Beauty And The Billionaire Bear
Sleeping BBW And The Billionaire Bear
Rapunzel And The Billionaire Bear
Seattle’s Billionaire Bears:
A Fairy Tale Billionaire Series
Rumpled Bear Skin
Blue Bear
The Bear Prince
The Twelve Dancing Bears:
A Male Entertainer Menage Series
Grizzly Bear Buns
Polar Bear Buns
Black Bear Buns
Cinnamon Bear Buns
Panda Bear Buns
Koala Bear Buns
The Feminine Mesquite:
A Fairy Tale Billionaire Series…
featuring BBWs + BBQ + BDSM
The Cinderella Cook-Off
Beauty And The BBQ
Spicy Beauty
The Matchstick Grill
Little Red Hot Sauce
Fated Mate Speed Date: A Cowboy Series:
The Cinderella Hoedown
The Rapunzel Rodeo
The Sleeping Beauty Pageant
Beauty And The Bobcats
Little Red Riding Bulls
Three Werewolves Gruff
Bear Buns Denver: A Male Stripper Series:
Mountain Bear Buns
Sun Bear Buns
Moon Bear Buns
Spirit Bear Buns
Yeti Bear Buns
The Twelve Mates of Christmas: A Christmas Bad Boys Series
Dasher Claws
Dancer Claws
Prancer Claws
Vixen Claws
Comet Claws
Cupid Claws
Donner Claws
Blitzen Claws
Demon Claws
Daddy Claws
Frosty Claws
Miss Claws
The Twelve Mates of Christmas: The Complete Collection
Find me online:
www.sablesylvan.com
sablesylvan@gmail.com