AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turn towards the second to last demon, still surprised that the sleepy demon or whatever is the man who just took charge a few minutes earlier. Only now, his eyelids are droopy, and I’m pretty sure he’s sleeping standing up. His head lolls against his chest, his shaggy brown hair obscuring his features from view. Unlike the others, he only has a sock covering his…um…thingfrom view. And it’sbarelycovering. There’s no doubt that Bryn is packing some massive heat.
“Bryn!” Cal snaps, stalking towards the demon and shoving his shoulder. Bryn’s eyes fly open, and he twists in both directions, as if searching for a threat that doesn’t exist. When he turns his back to me, I’m able to see his chiseled ass, and oh mylanta. I may be wary of the demons, but that ass will fuel my spank bank for years to come. Centuries to come, assuming I don’t die in this fucked up mess.
“Youwanname?” Bryn mumbles, releasing a yawn so huge that his mouth takes up half of his face. For some reason, that doesn’t deter from his raw sex appeal.
“I have no idea what you just said,” Cal snaps, before shooting me an apologetic look. He once again pushes his glasses up his nose, and I’m beginning to believe that’s a nervous habit of his. Do demons even need glasses?
“Sorry,” Bryn murmurs, yawning again. He faces me, and some of the sleepiness seems to fade from his face like a curtain being drawn open. “I’m Brynjarr. Bryn. Blitzen.” He waves a hand in the air dismissively, almost as if he already said too much and now his throat hurts from talking. Still, he manages to yawn out, “Sloth demon.”
Finally, I turn to the last demon. The scariest. With his dark hair, tattoos, and numerous piercings, he’s a sight to behold. And don’t even get me started on the rage emanating from his nearly black eyes. I don’t know what type of demon he is, but he looks as if he wants to murder everyone in this entire planet, including me. Well, maybe excluding me, if the heat that springs to life is any indication. Still, unease trickles down my back as he pierces me with a stare capable of turning milk into butter. Intermixed with my unease is a lust so strong and potent, it nearly takes my breath away.
A twisted, demented part of me wants to take the brunt of his anger. Wants to feel his hands around my throat as his cock destroys my pussy. Wants his fingers to leave bruises on my skin while my own nails create trails on his back.
What is happening to me?
I’ve never felt lust on such a visceral level, and the intensity of the emotion confuses me. I feel lust for all five of the demons, even knowing that they’re here to hurt me and my father. That they want to take over the North Pole.
Or…
Do they?
“The broody fellow is Zorgos, or Gus. Wrath demon,” Nico says, pointing towards tall, dark, and sexy. “Dasher was his reindeer name.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Gus bellows, and the sheer intensity and suddenness of his rage sends me staggering back a couple of steps. “I can speak for myself!”
I can physically see him trying to regain control of his turbulent emotions. His breaths saw in and out as he takes a deep, calming breath. And then, his dark eyes lock on mine.
The change is instantaneous. One second, he looks as if he’s the Grim Reaper himself, come to take Nico’s soul straight to Hell, and the next, he looks serene, the harsh planes of his face smoothing over.
It’s almost as if I soothed him. Tamed him. Which is ridiculous, because there’s no way I’m their Center.
Maybe if I tell myself that enough times, I’ll begin to believe it.
“As Bryn said—” Before Cal can finish speaking, Gus jabs him in the stomach with his elbow and pushes him out of the way.
“Maybe the lying demon shouldn’t be in charge of explanations,” he states dryly, moving to stand in front of me and consuming my entire vision. This close, I can see a piercing in his lower lip and another in his eyebrow. His hair is the darkest color I’ve ever seen before, almost appearing blue in the waning sunlight. With snow landing on his shoulders, he’s too achingly beautiful for me to even look at. That’s what his beauty reminds me of—pain. He’s physicallypainfulto be around, because his beauty is almost ethereal. Harsh and masculine and raw.
“Tell me the truth,” I whisper stubbornly, tilting my chin up. He’s so damn tall that I’m pretty sure I break my neck in my attempt to maintain eye contact. “Why are you here?”
“Why we came is different than why we stayed.” His voice is practically a growl, but this time, I don’t feel any fear. I almost feel…protected. Safe. Cared for. Which is ridiculous.
Right?
“Tell me the truth,” I repeat.
“We came to enjoy the candy canes,” Cal pipes in, nervously fiddling with his glasses once more. Up the bridge of his nose. Then back down. Then up again. Then back down.
“Lie,” Nico hollers with a raspy laugh and a toss of his red hair. To me, he confesses, “We came to steal Christmas, just like those other bastards are doing.” Anger leaks through his words as he crosses his arms over his broad chest. “But your daddy caught us and turned us into reindeer.”
“And now?” I can practically feel my heart breaking, shredding into thousands of pieces smaller than the glitter the cherubs throw into the boxes of kids whose parents are on the naughty list. If they tell me that they’re here to help the other demons, destroy my home and family…
You don’t know them, Joy. Not really. You knew the reindeer they were pretending to be, not the demons they actually are. Don’t go getting hurt feelings now.
But that motto is easier to say in my head than apply in real life. All I can think about is the way Blitzen used to cuddle beside me whenever I visited him at the barn, his sleepy eyes blinking up at me as he tried to stay awake. The way Comet would always steal the last cookie. And my socks. And my shoes. And my coat. The way Donner would annoy his brothers by pouncing on them and headbutting them and being a real pain in their asses. Dasher’s growly but protective presence, always following me around whenever I was on a date and attempting to pierce the guy with his horns. And then Cupid, who kept the others in line and always looked at me with eyes that made me feel invincible and loved. I thought they were my pets, the best pets I ever fucking had, but they’ve always been so much more.
“Why are you here?” I say for the third time, waiting with bated breath for their answer.
For once, I detect no deceit in Cal’s words when he speaks next. He’s being one hundred percent truthful, going against his baser nature to answer me. “We’re here for you, Joy. We’ve always been here for you.”
