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I ll come with, Zeph said. He didn t want anything to happen to his hosts. He also didn t want whatever screamed to come close to his mate. Bob opened his mouth as if to protest, but an elbow to the stomach from Sam had him closing it again. The trio headed down the stairs. Teddy floated through the ceiling to the lower level. For a ghost he appeared concerned. I think it came from outside. Sam walked ahead of the group. Without waiting for his lover to catch up, he yanked the door open. A woman stood on the other side. Her clothes were in disarray, her hat drunkenly tilted on her head and her eyes were so wide it was surprising to Zeph that anything else had room on her face. Mrs Triplewine? What are you doing here? Sam asked. Mr Enderson? Are you& ? Do you& live here? Her gaze was unfocused as if her mind wasn t quite up to the task of conversation. Sam nodded. Would you like to come in? Y-yes, I would. Her hands shook as she walked past them into the foyer. Have you been back to the school yet? Bob asked. Zeph wondered how the kids were doing. He knew they d been left in the hands of the teachers, but with so much going on they could be stressed. Mrs Triplewine shook her head. I don t know where I am. Zeph frowned. May I touch your head? She nodded. The confused expression on her face didn t change. Zeph pressed his fingers to her temples. A bright light flared between his hands. He let her go. What did you do? Bob asked. She had a spell placed on her. I m surprised she made it here. Zeph shook his hands, trying to remove the tendrils of sensation tingling through them. Oh, thank you, Mrs Triplewine s eyes were clearer and she crackled with energy. I feel so much better. I don t suppose I can persuade one of you gentlemen to give me a ride back to the school. I have no idea how I got here. Did you scream? Bob asked. The headmistress scowled at Bob. What do you mean, did I scream? We heard someone screaming, Zeph offered. Mrs Triplewine shook her head. Not that I remember. But I was confused. I screamed. Zeph looked down at the tiny gargoyle he d rescued from the school. Why? The gargoyle fluttered its wings and landed on a table in the entryway with a loud thud. Because I saw a cat running around. I m afraid of cats. Sam rubbed his temples and looked stressed. Zeph didn t blame him. Did you want to be returned to the school? Zeph asked. No. I m a familiar. I want to find my person. I ve been watching that damned building for three hundred years and he hasn t shown up yet. It s about time I went to look for him. Mrs Triplewine pursed her lips together in a tight bow like a scroll librarian Zeph had once got into an altercation with. So you are just going to abandon your duties and run off? she asked, her tone disapproving. Yep. The gargoyle fluttered his wings. If he were a bird Zeph would ve thought he was fluffing them. The headmistress rolled her eyes. Fine, but don t come flying back to me when you want another job. Somehow I think I can find another building to perch on. The gargoyle s dry tone had Zeph biting his lips to hold back his laughter. This conversation was surreal. Why don t we go back to the school? Bob said, diplomatically. He escorted the headmistress outside with Sam trailing after. They are a strange couple, the gargoyle commented. I m going to go check on Nick. If Zeph stood in the foyer for even one more second, he would burst out laughing. He d had the strangest day so far. Good thing he d sensed when Nick woke up. He loved the fact he had someone to tell funny stories to. He ran up the stairs then opened the door. He came to a screeching halt when he realised that Nick no longer was alone in the room. Beside him stood a man with a snowy white beard, a rosy red nose and a belly so large he could barely reach down to touch Nick. Wait& What are you doing? Well, hello there! That large man turned to look at Zeph and grinned broadly. I m Nicholas uncle, Santa Klauson. Yeah, I kind of figured that, but what are you doing? Zeph twitched to rain down some angel fire on the man touching his Nick. He didn t like it when other people had contact with his mate. They never treated him properly. I m healing Nicholas from the damage you allowed others to do to him. Santa s eyebrows joined together when he scowled, forming a furry white caterpillar. It distracted Zeph for a moment from his words. I didn t let Nick be injured. It was out of my control. And didn t it hurt to admit that? It wasn t his fault, Nick defended Zeph. Of course not, dear boy. You are always the quickest to defend people. Now stay still so I can heal you with Christmas magic. Zeph wanted to rail against the white-haired elf elder, but he d rather Nick be healed than for him to get his two cents in. A tinkling noise like a dozen chimes rang through the room and small white sparkles lit the air. Even after seeing a great many feats of magic in heaven and on earth, Zeph had to privately admit Santa magic was in a category of spectacular all by itself. He didn t dare speak, he barely breathed as a crisp winter wind slid through the room. Zeph thought he tasted a bit of snow. Be healthy, Nicholas. You might only be half an elf, but you have the heart of a giant, Santa said. Before Zeph could agree with that statement, Santa pinned him with a look. I m going to be back here at Christmas. Remember to tell Mal that the kids who get the best presents are the ones who put out eggnog and sugar cookies, heavy on the sprinkles. None of that low-fat or gluten-free crap either. I ll remember, Zeph promised. He looked back at Nick. Take care, Nick. I ll see you soon. It s about time for another Klauson get-together. I don t think anyone will pick on you with your new partner. You knew about people bullying him and didn t do anything? Zeph asked. I m sorry to say I didn t know everything that was going on, and I still don t, but Nicholas is an important member of my team and if you catch anyone telling him otherwise, you have my permission to take care of them. Santa s expression was far from jolly. Thank you, I will. Good. I left you a present. Santa winked at Zeph then disappeared. Whoa, I didn t know he actually did that. Nick nodded. Yeah, the whole up-the-chimney thing is bull. He can go in and out of anywhere with his Christmas magic. What did he mean about leaving us a present? Nick scanned the room. I think he means that. He pointed a small bottle with a ribbon around its neck. Zeph snatched it off the table. Candy-cane-flavoured lube. There s something seriously wrong about getting that from Santa. Nick laughed. He s not a father of twenty for nothing. Twenty? Seriously? Nick nodded. He was ecstatic when I told him I was gay and didn t plan to add to the family. You don t want kids? Nick wrinkled his nose. Not really. Is that a deal-breaker? Nope. Relief swept through Zeph. I don t want any either. Good. I feel much better now. Why don t we get in the Christmas spirit? Zeph laughed. I think I can agree to that. * * * * [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |