Waiting until the crack of Ded’s horns echoed into the space to draw closer, he dropped the shovel in his hand with a clattering smack. Nudging the downed male with the toe of his jingle belled shoe, the Elf leaned over him.
One glance at me, then the Krampus hovering protectively as my Krampus’ cock wetly slid free of me, the Elf grabbed one of Ded’s horns and began to drag him by it. “Never thought Ded would fall but giving in to temptation seemed to be his downfall,” he muttered wryly. With a soft tsk, the sound of him dragging Ded loud in the quiet of the room as we watched, he almost seemed happy about all this. Ded’s chest was moving. He was still breathing, still alive.
“I’m wondering what felled Shnikel to begin with…?” Bels shook his head.
I wasn’t certain if he was talking to me or himself.
“Maybe he was naughty, and that’s the catalyst,” I suggested with a pointed look in his direction, insinuating this was all his fault and maybe he should jump off that damned high horse he was already teetering atop. I had a feeling I wasn’t wrong.
“And what makes you think it wasn’t yours?” the Elf sneered. “Think you this is the first Nic has heard of you, has searched for Lady Lyddie’s kinfolk in the other realms? Pfft.”
“How is an Elkfen I’ve never met before going Krampus my fault?” What was the Elf drinking? Who spiked his eggnog? What did I unknowingly have to do with it?
Dumping Ded into the cell directly across from us, he stood, dusting off his hands, and turned to study us. “Who do you think kept the news I’d found you from the big guy?” His eyes shimmered like tinsel sparkling on the tree. Stepping over Ded, he exited the cell, leaving the door to his friend’s new cage open to tromp over to us. “Think you these are the first friends I've lost to the curse? My dear, contrary to what I’ve said and poor Ded was led to believe, I’ve had my eye on hunting down your line for some time. That Elves gone dark to disappear business is for the partridges in the pear trees.” Lowering his voice to a whisper, he continued, “Sandy Klaus thinks he’s so smart, like I wouldn't figure it out. Merry Alfka didn’t run away, he sent her away, and after some research and thought, that’s how I knew it had to be true.” He shook his head. “That globe he loves sees all, but it’s hardly monitored, just left there in the main foyer for any fool who knows how to make use of it to help themselves.”
“So you’re saying...” I pressed, gesturing helplessly.
“That it’s you, your line, you imbecile. Your blood, you, whatever it is that idiot looming over you helped himself to that Cocoa monkey She-Kringle Mrs and Jolly ol’ Sour Paws thought to protect you from being party to. You really are the key to it all!”
“I wasn’t a random pickup,” I blurted.
“Of course not.” Bels waved a hand behind him at Ded. “A cleverly planned ruse on my part. I needed the bumble brains muscle to move you.” With a quick glance over his shoulders and a roll of his eyes, I huffed. “I suppose I owe him something…”
“Not a shovel to the head,” I pointed out.
Turning his pinched lipped, frowning puss my way, his eyes narrowed on us. “Shnikel is more himself than I’ve seen him in days.” As if I’d asked, and I hadn’t, he explained, “Normally he’d be rattling the cage trying to claw my face off.” Shaking his head, he blew out a gusty sigh. “I suppose I have you to thank for that.” Pulling a ring of keys from his vest pocket, he approached the cell door. “He looks done with you. Fur’s already starting to shift back and he doesn’t resemble walking death. Come, then, Christmas wench. I’ve the idiot for you to cure when he awakens.” Opening the door, strong arming it open as it seemed to have frozen over in parts, he gestured for me to get my generously endowed buns up and get to stepping into his accomplice’s cell.
When I didn’t make a move to comply, the fool took a step into the cell.
At the silent rumble rattling the beast pressed to me, I warned the Elf, “I wouldn't do that if I were you.”
“Because Princess Krampus knows everything?” he sneered, then took two steps closer, ignoring me. “No. Shnik won’t hurt me. He’s coming around.”
The warning growl issuing from “Shnik” grew loud and my possessive Krampus lifted himself up.
“You won’t hurt me.” Bels was so confident in the fact he boldly took two more steps closer. He was sweet potato-n-marshmallow casserole, straight-from-the-turkey’s-butt stuffing filling his brain cavity, coo-coo.
I didn’t say a damned word. He’d figure it out, and he’d deserve it.
My gaze slid to the only means of escape from this veritable ice prison. If we could just get past him…
Pulling another trick from his damned sleeve, Bels pulled a plum about the size of his small fist out of one of his vest pockets. There’d been no visible bulge to show he had it on his person. Magic coat pockets?
“You want this, don’t you?” the Elf crooned. His gaze locked on Shnikel as the Krampus lifted his head and began to sniff.
My hand reached behind me and I fisted the fur I found pressing into my back. Twisting the clump of belly fur in my hand, I pressed myself closer back against my cellmate. Turning to glance up at him when he growled at the pinch, my hair fell over me, a curtain to help hide my face from the Elf. Mouthing, ‘Don’t take it! It’s a trap!’ I hoped the big guy got the picture.
Staring down at me, Shnikel blinked, grunted, and glanced at Bels.
Bels grinned but his lips pulled too wide. The male looked like a goblin more than an Elf. Waving the plum around, he made a show of it. Shnikel’s gaze soon began to track the plum, following it so avidly I gave up any hope the Elkfen was in there more than his Krampus side. Krampus side was obviously winning.
Maybe I wasn’t the cure?
“Come and get it, big guy,” Bels sang.
Glancing at me, he ordered, like I’d just hop up and sing to his tune, “The second he takes it and eats it, he’ll be down within minutes of ingestion. Get your ass in there,” he pointed to where Ded was laid out, “and get ready to do whatever sexual healing malarkey you did for Shnik.”
Staring at him, realizing he was actually waiting for an answer, I wasn’t about to give his ass one. He could wait right there until the next quarterly Christmas rolled up in this wacky winterland, for all that I cared.
“If you don’t,” Bels warned, “I’ll slit your throat, and then Ded’s, and be done with the headache of both of you.”
Stiffening, lips thinning, I gritted my teeth against saying any of the things on the tip of my tongue
Shnikel made loud sniffing sounds, followed by louder and louder growls, practically crawling over me to head right for Bels’ plum waving hand.
Scuttling back, hugging the side of the cage, I slowly edged my way closer to the wall of bars nearest the door. One eye on my goal, the other on Bels and Shnikel as Bels eagerly approached the curious Krampus, I was on the wall of bars the cage door was on but still several feet from my goal, when Bels caught onto me and turned on me with a snarl.
Dropping the plum, he lunged at me. A shriek left me as he grabbed me by the hair, tossing me about like I was a rag doll, and sank his fangs deep into my neck.