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Nick laughs, gripping her hand tighter. ‘I wish someone did. It would make my life easier. We’re left to our own devices. Which is what causes the problems. Some would prefer they had a little more airtime. A larger hold on the human world. Others are happy with the way things are. Which is where my team comes into it. We try to keep that balance.’
‘What do you do?’
The look he gives her is dark. ‘We convince them to back off.’
She doesn’t ask him to explain. She’s not so sure she wants to know. Scarlett pulls him to a stop when she notices something on the snow beside her. ‘Nick... is that blood?’
He keeps her behind him as he changes direction. Broken branches hang from the trees. Something big came this way, tearing through the trees. As they move through the forest a huge dark shape in the snow comes into view.
‘Oh fuck!’ Nick lets go of her hand, and pushes through the snow towards it. As she nears the shape, Scarlett realises it’s an animal, but it’s not like any animal she’s seen before. It must be the size of a pick-up truck, its massive body covered in dark brown fur.
Then she notices the antlers. It’s a huge reindeer.
Nick walks around the fallen reindeer, kneeling in the snow at the head of the animal. Scarlett walks closer to the reindeer, not wanting to disturb Nick, but needing to see for herself.
He runs his hand over the reindeer's face, his look dark and full of anger. ‘She’s one of mine,’ he explains before Scarlett can ask the question. She takes a few seconds to really look at the reindeer. It must easily be the size of a moose, with huge fierce looking, razor sharp antlers. This isn’t a typical Santa's reindeer. But then again, it’s not like Nick is your typical Santa.
‘Is she...’
He nods. ‘She’s gone.’
‘I’m so sorry, Nick.’
He pushes to his feet and stares down at his reindeer. ‘I need to bury her. If someone finds her it’ll be an epic disaster. You got a shovel at the house?’
‘Yeah, of course. I’ll help you.’
He shakes his head, taking Scarlett’s hand again. ‘I really do appreciate the offer, but I need to take care of her myself, if that’s okay. She’s my responsibility. It’s my fault this happened to her. I need to do this alone.’
‘Of course. I understand.’ He’s pulling back from her and it hurts, but she’s not going to push him as much as she wants to.
The trudge back to the house takes place in stony silence. He’s furious and she understands why. This is so much worse than she could have imagined. This is more than Nick crashing. Someone tried to kill him, killed one of his reindeer.
‘There’s no one around,’ he says, startling her. ‘You’ll be safe at the house. It’s just us, but keep the door locked until I get back.’
She brings him around the back of the house and unlocks the tool shed. Nick takes a large shovel and gestures to the house. ‘Get inside and thaw out. You’re freezing.’
‘Are you sure you’ll be okay alone? I can help.’
He rests his forehead against hers, closing his eyes for a moment. ‘I appreciate the offer, but I have to do this alone. I’ll be back in a bit.’
Scarlett nods and watches as Nick walks back into the forest.
Nick stops at the edgeof the forest and looks over his shoulder. He can’t shake the feeling someone is watching him. His fingers tighten around the handle of the shovel. Given the choice he’d prefer his sword or guns but it’ll do. He turns slowly, scanning the trees for anything out of place.
He waits a few minutes before lowering the shovel and setting off again. It’s probably just his magic messing with him. He’s been on edge since he woke up here. Being away from the workshop is throwing him off balance.
He’s faced some shit since he signed his contract thirty-five years ago. He’s been shot, stabbed, burned, and kicked around more times than he can count. There was also one time he was nearly strangled by a Banshee he pissed off. Every member of the team had been hit in one way or another. It was bound to happen given the creatures they go up against.
But no matter how bloody, broken, or bruised they were, each member of the team had made it back, every single time. As much as they don’t get on, he considers his stubborn reindeer part of the team.
The hulking form of his reindeer appears through the trees, and that rage builds in him again. He crouches down beside her, then carefully lifts her heavy head off the snow, exposing the deep red stain under her. The bastard had slit her throat and left her bleed out in the snow, alone.
Losing her in this way, burns in his gut like no anger he’s felt before. He’s livid, and wants to spill some blood himself. His reindeer are trained to protect him. She must have tried to help him, or stop whoever was trying to kill him. She died out here alone, doing what she’s supposed to do.
For the first time since he signed his contract, he’s helpless. In that moment, it doesn't matter that he’s Santa, or the leader of the team. He’s just Nick, and unfortunately for him, Nick doesn’t have the first clue what to do, or how to get home.
The frustration of the whole messed up situation hits him. The tree beside him takes the brunt of the attack, his blows and kicks shake snow free from its branches, landing on top of him. Two bloody fists later, he actually feels a little better. Scarlett will be pissed that he’ll be digging into her first aid kit again.
