Page 24 of Naughty

His voice raises with each sentence. I wince but stand my ground.

"Fine. You want the truth? When Asmon got her, I was crazy with lust and jealousy. Here she was, a nice girl, cavorting about with that beast. So yeah, I flirted with her. I tempted her to be mine, but no one forced her. She left Asmon on her own. I told her from the beginning it wasn't permanent, but she didn't care."

I close my eyes, thinking back to our few weeks. Shaking my head, I look back up at Marcus.

"If I could take it back, I would. She knew all along. I was the next Santa. There's no way I could saddle myself with a woman that wasn’t my mate. That's not how it works."

"She could have been your mate. You could have forced the bond." His lips curl up in an evil smirk. "It's never too late to fix your mistakes."

My stomach turns to lead. There's no way he can do this. He's crazy if he thinks it will work. Sure enough, he pulls a glass vial of blue liquid out of his pocket along with a small knife.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to bond with my daughter, and in return, you get the mate you've always wanted. How’s this for a bonus? You get to save Christmas. I'll be at the helm, of course, but you can still keep the title. I know how much position is important to you."

His fingers grip the precious liquid, and I swallow. By now, Red should be far away with Angelica, safe from her diabolical father. I look deep inside myself. How often have I said I wanted to give up Christmas and just go back to being a toy designer? Now, I have the opportunity. But there's no way in Krampus I'll let him take the reins. Christmas is mine, and he'll have to kill me for it.

"No."

He pauses. "What do you mean, no? There is no other option for you." Smirking, he taps the knife to his chin. "I could just kill you and take over Christmas myself, but that would still leave Angelica in her living hell."

With a soft smile, he turns towards the bed. His body vibrates with fury as he stares at the empty space Angelica used to lay on. I take his moment of surprise and lay my hand on the back of his head, forcing my sleeping magic into him. Snarling, he whirls about, his eyes wide with fury.

"Your tricks don't work on me, boy. Do you think I'm stupid enough to tangle with your kind without protection of my own? You're going to have to do better than that."

He swipes the knife at me, barely missing my face. I leap back, nearly knocking into a dresser. My eyes remain glued to the vial in his hand. I can't believe he'd stoop so low as to force a bonding. Snarling, I hunch down. That vial is not meant for her; it's meant for Noel.

"I don't want your daughter. I want Noel. Either you release her, or your death will release her."

His face turns a mottled red as he charges towards me. Leaning down, I place my hand against the floor and send out a stream of cold. Marcus's feet hit the ice, and he falls backward with a grunt. Bending down, I pick up the vial and stuff it into my pocket. Still hunched over, I look under the bed where a flash of red catches my eye. Numbness pervades my body. With trembling fingers, I pull out the small pocket square with N C emblazoned on the fabric in gold lettering. I turn towards Marcus. The room is silent except for his wheezing.

"Why do you have this?"

The scrap of fabric quivers in my hand. He looks at it for a moment, then back up at me.

"You were always the stupid one. Your head in the clouds. Not Nickolas. Nickolas was smart as a whip. He worshiped your father. Nothing was ever going to get past him."

Blood drains from my face. Cold pervades my body.

"No. It was an accident."

He lifts his lips, baring his teeth.

"How many times has he gone outside of the dome, and nothing happened to him? What are the odds that a polar bear would become rabid and he couldn't control it? Think, boy."

A bloodcurdling scream rips from my throat as I straddle him. My fists move in a blur, punching, and cracking. Blood squirts from his nose and sprays over my shirt, but I don't care. A fury I've never known consumes me. Every bit of anger and anguish flows out of me into my fists.

His gurgling laugh gives me pause. Pulling back, I stare down into his face, revulsed by the pulpy mass. He coughs and sputters a bit before looking up at me, a gleam in his eye.

"That's right, Claus. Kill me. Either way, I still win. You die, I win. You kill me, and you forever taint the line of Claus. Christmas will be over."

I let his words sink in, but I don't care. Reaching down, I grab the knife and hold it at his throat.

"You think I care? You've taken my brother and my mate from me. You don't deserve to live."

I press down and stare at the thin line of blood forming at this throat. Grimacing, I lean in further. This monster is going to die at my hand. I can't be tainted by an act of justice, right?

Two sets of hands wrap around my arms and pull me off of him. I twist and turn, yanking my arms to free myself. They hold me fast.

"Kris. Snap out of it!"