Page 36 of Naughty

“I figured as much. I was hoping so, at least.”

An undefinable look passes over his face before he nods and motions for Caitlin to get back into his lap. She scrambles up with a bliss-out expression on her face. Again, I look away from the happy scene. Fear pounds through my heart as I think about Kris. Closing my eyes, I say a prayer to the Fathers, begging them to keep him safe. They’ve answered my other wishes thus far; maybe they’ll be generous and grant me this one too.

“It’s not all Kris’s fault. I was young and naive. I thought Angelica was my one.”

He wraps his arms around Caitlin and sighs.

“What I felt for her pales to how I feel about my true mate. But back then, you couldn’t tell me any different. What I felt was lust, pure and simple. Pair that with a drive to bond, and you get a disaster. For Kris, it was all about conquering. It was about filling that lonely gap in his life.”

A smile tilts up his lips, and he chuckles.

“He was always tinkering with something. That man was a master builder. He wasn’t meant to be a Santa. But Nickolas took all his time. Add a man looking for a father figure to the mix, and I can see why Kris resented me. What little time he had left, Kringle used to groom me, to guide me. I shudder to think what would have happened if he hadn’t been in my life.”

My heart aches for Kris. A middle son without actually being one. It must have been hard.

“I feel that. Many times, I wished for a different father, but the Fathers didn’t see fit to answer that wish. Every day I would do my best to please Master Marcus, but either my mouth or my attitude would get me tossed into the cage and starved. I would beg to be beaten. At least then, I could be in my room and not cramped in the dark.

Asmon growls, his horns punching through his skull. Caitlin leans into him, whispering soft, soothing words. Eventually, his breathing slows, but his horns still remain. Turning from Asmon, Caitlin looks at me, curiosity shimmering in her eyes.

“Is that why you hacked into the system for him? So that he wouldn't beat you?”

A wry smile crosses my lips.

“I would like to say that’s so. When it came to important stuff, he’d force us to drink a concoction that made us do whatever he wanted. But he probably didn’t need to for me. Just threatening me with the cage would have been enough to follow him anywhere.”

Asmon leans forward, his eyes blazing.

“And yet you defied him and helped my mate. Why?”

His suspicion is more than understandable. Even I question my actions every other hour. I don’t regret any of them, but I still can’t believe I was so reckless.

“When I saw an innocent being hurt, I couldn’t stand by any longer. He could beat me, hurt me, but a human? Someone who did nothing? When I switched the lists, Master Marcus made me believe it was justice for what Kris did to Angelica. Who was I to argue with that? But when he sent that polar bear, I had to help.”

“He sent it?” Asmon roars, rising to his feet, Caitlin safe in his arms. “He meant to kill her?”

I shrink back from the anger pouring off of him. Terror zips up my spine as I curl myself into the chair. In my brain, I know it’s not aimed at me, but it hits all the same. Caitlin struggles in his grasp, taking his face in her hands.

“I’m here. I’m alive. It’s okay.”

“I wish I were the one to kill him. How dare he threaten your life!”

“I know, love. I know. But he’s gone. Everything is okay now.”

Asmon looks over at me, and his face clears. I have no clue what my face looks like, but he seems to understand the fear he’s causing me. Sitting back down, he attempts a smile, but it just looks like bared teeth.

“You’re still scaring her,” Caitlin murmurs.

With a sigh, he tosses his hands up into the air.

“Should I just not smile?”

I nod my head rapidly as Caitlin chimes in with, “That’s probably for the best.”

Groaning, Asmon shakes his head. “I just can’t win, can I?”

“Not anymore, love!”

He rolls his eyes and looks at my drink.