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5
Dem, aka Comet
I knowJoy is freaked out, but I’m pretty sure she’s not quite as freaked out as us. Cal’s face, if it were normal and not covered in stupid fur, would be as pale as an asscheek right now. Gus is pacing, his power wafting out in little bursts that make us all perk up in rage before he reels it back in. Even Bryn is awake, his dumbass sloth demon eyes wide open for once.
First off, the fact that Joy’s in danger has me dancing nervously on my hooves. But second off, that was supposed to be us, dammit! We were supposed to get the drop on the big guy!
If we had, though, we would’ve never met Joy. Or worse…we might have killed her.
That thought shoves a lump into my throat the size of coal in a Christmas stocking.
Okay, fuck that. We shouldn’t be those guys out there. My eyes travel over the figure of our mate. I always knew there was something special about her, but I didn’t realize it was the mate thing. I can’t always tell what I’m feeling in this reindeer body, because it has strange reactions. I picked on the guys when I took her flying, but it was shit I’d never have said if she could’ve understood me.
If Joy could hear my words and not some stupid near-mooing bullshit, I’d tell her that she’s the most beautiful woman who’s ever existed. I’d tell her that I dream about her, about showing her Hell and the secret burrow I made in the clouds to keep my stash.
I might even give her some of it. I stole a necklace off a rich English snob once that would look really beautiful on her.
I have a stash of stuff here too, but hiding things in the hay isn’t nearly as effective as in the clouds. Back in Hell, no one could ever find my secret stolen treasures. Here, the ugly little cherubs rake out my stall every few days. I love making sure they find their own hats and scarves and things covered in my piss.
But I digress.
Joy’s upset. As she should be. Christmas has just been stolen. I love stealing, but I hate getting robbed. And looking at her face right now is like staring at some precious, priceless vase that I snuck in and snagged, only to find out I cracked it and now it’s broken. Something precious ruined.
Joy’s precious. We can’t let this ruin her.
“We should fucking attack them,” I growl.
“Yeah, we should,” Gus backs me up, pawing at the ground like a bull preparing to charge. His support doesn’t make me feel as good as the others’ would. A wrath demon will basically vote in favor of any opportunity to fight.
Nico says, “I don’t know if we can take them.”
I want to headbutt him, but that will draw attention, so instead, I just give him the stink eye, which doesn’t work very well with these dumb, furry, semi-expressionless faces. Fuck, I miss eyebrows. A good crooked brow can communicate a hell of a lot.
“Just frustrating you. Can’t help it,” Nico adds quickly, so whatever pissed-reindeer expression I pulled off must have worked. “We should totally take them down, but I don’t know about a direct attack.”
“Attack with what? Our wet noses and hooves?” Bryn shakes his head. “I don’t know, guys.”
“You’re just gonna let our mate lose her father, you lazy fuck?” I trot over and get in his face the best I can.
Bryn has always been the most beta of all of us. Being a sloth demon doesn’t give him a lot of energy to compete against the alpha vibes most demons give off. He quickly hunches his shoulders when I get into his personal space. “No. I’m just…wondering how we can—”
“Everyone, shut up!” Cal interrupts, the comet-shaped white spot on his forehead wrinkling.
“What the fuck, dude?” Gus snorts at Cal, his anger making him so pumped up that if he doesn’t blow off steam soon, he might attack one of us and not be able to help it. Sometimes, he just can’t contain his anger. His nostrils flare, and he bares his teeth. “Why the fuck are you telling us what to fucking do?”
“Maybe because you all got so busy debating what you wanted that you forgot about our mate!” Cal retorts. He’s never been afraid to go toe to toe with Gus. I have to hand it to Cal—the demon’s got big balls. If he bedazzled them, he could help New York City ring in the New Year.
“Don’t lie. We’ve been thinking about her this whole time,” Bryn argues.
“Yeah, then where is she?” Cal snaps.
My head turns so fast that my antlers get snagged on Nico’s. “Shit!” We untangle—it’s not our first rodeo—and scan the barn.
But Joy is gone. Only a set of footprints are left, a trail in the snow from the barn towards the outskirts of the village, an area we’ve never been to before.
“Well, shit,” Gus exclaims.
Yeah, that about sums it up.
