Afterglow

Morning burns through the afterglow of our newly sacrificed virginity. His first night at my feet, and already there is a need for discipline at hand.

I gaze into the mirror, needlessly adjusting the perfect chignon. His silhouette is a blur in the background of my peripheral vision as I focus on his mark. The smooth white column of my neck is broken by a haze of mottled red, blemishing my skin and his service.

The slightest wrinkle of disgust pinches my lips. He will answer for this humiliation befitting an errant boy undisciplined in restraint and proper respect for his Mistress.

He approaches noticing my fingers lingering and inspecting.

Turning away from the reflection, I shatter any remaining vestiges of pleasure from our night. Holding his gaze as my hand moves fierce and quick across the stubbled flesh of his cheek, cracking the haze of adoration in his eyes and echoing throughout the silent hotel room.

Reflex puts his fingers tight around my wrist.

Defiance keeps them there.

Generously, I allowing him the chance to return to his proper place. Our gazes lock as I raise a single brow and wait for submission to return to his eyes.

Strong fingers flex against delicate carpal bones and I watch my lover boy fall away, the heat of my handprint reflected by the challenge in his eyes.

He is not the one, despite our night of debauchery. And he obviously does not know his place with me. But that can be taught. We will see.

My knee comes up quick, hard against flaccid flesh, both loosening my wrist and placing him at my feet. Stealthy stilettos stab the carpet as he gasps on the floor, “Please Mistress, forgive me, please, please...”

As the door slams behind me I purr, “We will see.”

Pixie's Peril

Pixie was still getting used to the strange dynamic within Miss Sweet's household.

It was a household, even though to many it appeared a simple bar. Above the smokey hardwood serving area were two stories of clean living space. And below, well, that was Miss Sweet's playroom. Don't go imagining a fully finished basement or something. No, way more fun than that. And way more dangerous.

Pixie knew about the extra curricular activities that went on downstairs, but she had never been invited to join in. Nor had she ever had the courage to ask.

But today was different.

Her courage had been slowly building along with her confidence over the past few weeks. Each night when she wasn't woken by screams or gunshots. Each morning when she dozed through an alarm instead of the rancid breath of teeth rotting in the head next to hers. She grew stronger.

And Miss Sweet watched over as she did all the others in her flock. A protective mother hen‚ but... no. That wasn't right. More like a beautiful and vicious hawk. Circling above her nest, ready to attack any threat. And not above pushing the fledgling out when they needed to learn to fly.

Pixie was sure her push would come, but she was also sure Miss Sweet would prepare her for that day. Armed and ready for the world again. To be her own person again, and not be defined by others.

Like that bastard Dante.

He had almost defined her as dinner. The perverted freak. And the worst part was, she had gone to him willingly. Unknowingly, but still of her own blind volition. He had seen her vulnerability and been drawn to it.

She had thought she had on a strong face. Brave and sexy and maybe even a little slutty. Anything to say, "Hey look at me. I'm young beautiful and you just might get some if you play your cards right." Yeah, well, she had gotten some. Way more than she could handle!

Thinking back... she had been fresh out of a broken relationship, the classic rebound girl.

No, she hadn't had a broken heart. Marcus had not been the forever type, but she had thought he could have at least been the faithful type! Nope. She had caught him jerking off on his webcam to some hottie two towns over. Worst part was, her coming into the room had NOT but a damper on things. In fact, she was pretty sure her screaming tirade had been what got him off.

Her pride in tatters and her labido far from satisfied, he had a nice cock no matter the circumstances, she had put on her tightest jeans, lowest cut shirt and darkest makeup and left his ass on the outside of her locked apartment door.

Heading to the bar, she ruefully acknowledged her already damp panties. She was going to be naughty tonight. Pick a guy and fuck him just like that. Hard and hot and no exchange of numbers please.

Strutting into her favorite techno place, she pounded two shots of her favorite tequila and settled down with a long island to find a bed warmer.

There were plenty of pretty boys strutting their stuff too, but they weren't much more than eye candy for her in this mood. Too much like Marcus and his bright white smile.

She needed a man that could handle her, manhandle her. The broader the shoulders, the bigger the arms the smaller she would feel and the more like a woman instead of an insignificant piece of garbage.

Her display of assets seemed to pull in quite a few fish but they all veered away once they got close enough to catch the vibe she was throwing. A cross between "I wanna fuck you like an animal" and "I'm gonna chew your dick off."

But one man kept his dark gaze on her.

Slouched in the corner, she couldn't quite make out his eye color or height, but as men passed by him she got an idea of his sheer breadth and it took her breath away.

He was the biggest one in the bar and he was the one she wanted. 

~

Throwing back the last of her iced tea, she slid off the bar stool and bounced her way towards his darkened corner.

The techno rock made the shuttering lights feel alive and, for a moment, she felt as if a whole drove of fireflies danced with her across the room. A pleasant high from the alcohol.

By the time she readjusted her brain back into reality she was less than a foot from the slouching giant.

Fear skittered across her shoulder blades as she took in the immense mass of him. He was easily twice as wide as her, and his arms could have been mistaken for thighs if you ignored the stripes of black ink encircling them.

Common sense wormed in past the alcoholic haze and had her stepping back before turning away. He was TOO big. She DID feel small. Very, very, small.

Before she could complete her about face, he raised his hand to... offer her a drink? A fresh long island iced tea glistened between his fingers.

Her eyes shot up to his and a smile flowed across his face chased by a wink. He had been watching her too.

Not used to the game, sudden heat filled her face and she fumbled for the glass in hopes it would cool her head and gain her a moment to think of something to say.

His fingers dragged across hers, damp from the glass, and ran down her arm before dropping off her elbow to rest on his thigh. A very huge thigh. The massive strength of which was barely concealed beneath his crisp new dark blue jeans.

She could feel heat flood her body again, but this time not just her face. Some women loved a man's tight ass or rippling abs, but she was all about the thighs. Damn.

She could just picture herself riding that taunt muscle. Her moisture soaking through the clean denim. Her heat branding his skin.

He caught her staring.

Of course he was watching her, she was in his personal space.

Of course he noticed the blush on her cheeks as she became transfixed on his bent knee. Gulp after gulp of iced tea doing nothing for her internal body temperature.

A soft growling barely reached her ears as that knee bent a little more and he widened his stance, just enough room for her to fit in between. His fingers kneaded that huge muscle and she finally found the courage to let her eyes travel up and up to meet his.

There was a darkness there, but she told herself it was the shadows in the corner, because there also was a hunger. A hunger she felt echoed in her own eyes.

His smile was still in place, despite her hesitant eye contact, and she found herself relaxing inch by inch. The alcohol must finally be working the stagnant anger about her ex out of her muscles, even though she had never had it feel quite like this before.

Perhaps the man lounging in front of her was to blame. For surely she had never had such a heady combination of strong drinks and a strong man all at once!

He swept his arm out to the side, inviting her into the circle of his body. The usual alarm bells were muffled in her head. The call of his strength and his sex overrode the access code and she melted against his chest.

The soft growl was back again, this time vibrating against her ear as his arms and legs closed around her. He encased her completely with the techno music as soft as a lullaby and the heat of his body her favorite down blanket.

And then she passed out from the drugs in his drink.

~

It was grey dark when she woke up, and all the warmth of his body was gone, but somehow the strength remained. She was still wrapped up tight and secure but this was no down blanket holding her almost completely immobile.

She attempted to fight off the panic of waking in strange surroundings. There was always a moment of disorientation after a one night stand, especially if she was stupid enough to fall asleep.

Had she fallen asleep? Had the sex been that good? Strange, she couldn't remember the sex, but she ached in all the right places. Maybe he was just tangled in the blankets, and had tangled her too.

Waiting for her eyes to slowly adjust to the dim room, she tried to twist under the sheets and lay on her back.

No go.

The panic tightened her chest again, creeping up her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the new sensory input.

That could not have been what she had just seen.

A mummy hanging upside down in the far corner. It wasn't even near Halloween. It had to be the shadows playing tricks with her eyes. Just a tiny bit of light and shadows turn into monsters.

But opening her eyes, it was still there.

And she still couldn't move.

And her brain made the logical jump and then she started to scream. And scream, and scream. Because that was all she could do.

Because she was wrapped up like a mummy too.

The darkness sucked her in and the gray sucked her out. Oscillating between sleep and consciousness, her sense of time became fractured.

All she could see was the dangling body in the corner.

All she could hear was a dripping that drove her crazy.

She knew another drop would sound but never exactly when it would come. Sometimes it would wake her out of unconsciousness, as loud as a gong and causing her heart to beat wildly in her chest and drown out the sound.

Other times it would become a distant hum to the noise in her head and the lights behind her eyes.

And then he came. 

~

The door opened spilling light across the floor and blinding her nocturnal sight.

With her senses reeling, each step across the room on hollow wooden floors pounded like a punch to her stomach. Vibrations and sounds becoming magnified in the stead of her deprived vision. But by the time her eyes adjusted, the door was shut and he was gone again. Along with the mummy. And the dripping.

Silence filled her ears and her head. The brief reprieve from the monster triggered a traitorous sliver of hope to wiggle under her skin.

She dozed lightly in a strange trance fighting back the nightmares of an idle mind, until she was roused to full consciousness by the comforting smell of fresh baked bread and apple roasted pork. Dinner?

That sliver of hope dug deeper into her tenderized mental state.

Was it possible his intentions were some twisted version of romance and not terrorism? Maybe she could charm her way out of these suffocating bindings. He would surely want to touch her bare skin. Wouldn't he? Her skin crawled at the disturbing images pacing just beneath the surface of her consciousness, nightmares of what a massive mute beast of a man might think was romantic on her skin. But she pushed them away and focused on the sharp stinging sliver and allowed the poison to fill her head. Better to dwell on the doubtful methods of survival than become consumed by certain death.

This time when she heard the door knob turn she squeezed her eyes tight against the light in hopes of glimpsing his body and perhaps his motives. But this time he came to her.

Steps approached slowly and solidly resonating against the wooden floor. She slit her eyes and struggled to keep her breathing below a sprinter's pace. His massive thighs came into her line of sight, no longer a stimulus to her libido but to her fear.

So large. He was so fucking huge. There was no way she could fight against whatever he wanted to do her. It had been burned into her consciousness hours ago that she was at his mercy. Now the important question was, did he have any?

He stopped and her field of vision was filled with denim taunt against flexed muscle. She closed her eyes and fought against a deep shaking growing in her arms.

His fingers corralled loose hair from her face and she twitched with such violence that her calf muscles screamed in the midst of knotted charlie horses. Tears streamed down her face and she refused to scream again.

That familiar deep growl accompanied his return caress across the wet tracks on her face. The pain of cramped muscles faded to the back of her mind as he pulled her chin up to gaze at his face. There was no pity there for her distress. Empathy was not be had. Lust was oddly absent as well. Her blood turned to ice at the dark detached gaze. There would be no mercy either. This mute beast had staked his claim on her.

Once he saw the terror widen and glaze her eyes, he left.

~

There was nothing to judge the passage of time. No clock, no window, no routine. Her stomach roiled, not from hunger but fearful anticipation. Had it been hours or days?

She could feel insanity inching along her spine and hovering at the dark edges of her mind. Her automatic mental defense against the screaming abyss was hyper vigilance. Attuned to every noise and breeze. Monitoring the massive mute beast and analyzing it all. Her brain was shooting out motives and plans with varying degrees of morbidity and detached psychopathic glee. Perhaps she was already on a twisted path to crazy but it was better than succumbing to a coma of fright.

Her data soothed her, a pewter shield of control. Useless but comforting. She knew there was a food preparation area right outside the wall, boiling water and rushing faucets betrayed the appliances while the luscious smell of fresh baked bread and apple roasted pork slithered under the door to further humiliate her into a drooling mess.

A whisper of rustling distracted her from imagining the savory feast and she strained to locate its position. In relationship to her it sounded lower and hollow but just when she thought she had discovered a rat under the floor boards the familiar heavy boots of that massive mute beast began to move towards her. Again.

She closed her eyes and struggled against her rapidly beating heart to feign sleep once again but she was too hyped up and he was too big.

Oh God, so big. She was denting her own shield with thoughts like that.

Each step closer. One creak before the door and two creaks and an echo before he was in touching distance of her again. But wait. No echo this time.

And then he was next to her. Touching her. Petting her hair. Wrapping it around his massive hands. "Ohmygod ohmygod ohdearlord God In Heaven Help Me Save Me. Oh oh oh oh oh." The pewter shield was bending as the screams resonated in her skull.

He yanked her head back with a snap. Hair ripped out of her scalp with that blazing snap and streaked fire across her head.

Her eyes flew open and tears clustered in her lashes as he grinned, the first emotion she had seen from him. Joy spread across his face as he bowed her neck in a vulnerable arc, his tongue tracing a slimy wet path from collarbone to the tip of her chin.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the crazy glee. If she didn't look at the monster, he wasn't there? A silent hysterical laugh sounded in her head. She wasn't a child and this wasn't the monster under the bed. No. Much worse. The monster ON the bed. She shuddered as adrenaline pumped through her, even though neither fight or flight were an option she had right now.

He wrapped his gargantuan body around her bound shape and settled with her on the bed, her hair still fisted between his fingers.

Stillness invaded his limbs as the adrenaline withered in her cells. W-was she some kind of teddy bear. W-was he sleeping?! Blackness came before her brain could formulate a probable answer and straighten out her pewter shield.

Oscillating gray became her world once again. A second defense against the insanity of the reality her body currently occupied. Her mind attempted to protect her from the truth. Butchering time into bite-size chunks between unconsciousness.

Dreams invaded her thoughts to the point where she couldn't distinguish the fantasy from the horrible truth.

Monsters slept at her side, holding tight with claws sunk deep into her flesh.

Corpses cozied close, the perfume of death wafting from their open screaming mouths.

Rats scrabbling underneath the thin plywood floor just waiting for the chance to feast on her fresh meat.

He was gone again. 

~

The gray gave her up, the respite of unconsciousness refueling her sanity for another attempt at coherent life.

Was he waiting for her now, preferring her screams instead as his soundtrack? What did he want with her? No. That was a dangerous questions to contemplate. Better to focus on... other things. Better to not let her mind wander down those twisted dark paths of what-ifs.

Her ears strained again as her brain scrambled for viable answers. Scrambled… rats. 

Did she really hear them or was it just another nightmare to add to the mountain? Rats would have surely found her by now. Bound and helpless, she was the perfect victim for not only the massive mute beast but any other carnivourous creature that could get to her, past him. 

The rats scrambled again. The sound echoed in her ears, a welcome diversion from her thoughts.

Listening intently she tracked the sound to the floor right next to her bed. 

But, that was solid. She knew from the massive mute beasts' footsteps. Every single time she tracked the terrifying echo of his steps, there was no echo there. 

No crawlspace for a rat to scurry. 

Or a human to crawl. 

No. Her brain was becoming creative with this game. That nasty sliver of hope was poisoning her tenuous grip on reality. There was not a person down there. 

She listened harder but all sounds cessed and those horrifying familiar footsteps resounded once again, coming towards her. 

Panic slithered inside her chest. What would he do now? Use her like a perverted teddy bear again or was there a new level of horror coming through that door? 

He was at the threshold now, swinging open the creaking wood. As her eyes went blind from the sudden light, her ears went deaf from what must surely be hell opening below her. 

The heat of sulfurous fires singed her face as the bed vibrated from a thunderous explosion. Floorboards turned into shrapnel aimed at the beast in the doorway as something blasted its way out from under the house. 

She struggled to regain some sort of mental grip on her suddenly shifting circumstances. Silence dueled with screaming static in her ears as grey and white spots danced across her eyes and pummeled her head. 

Hell belched again. 

A roar from the beast, no longer mute. 

The echo of strange boots, and then she was airborne as her sight returned. Returned to terrorize her with glimpses of that freshly baked bread and roasted men's heads as she was carried through the kitchen and out the door of the now burning house in another man's arms.


End, for now.


Originally posted in serial at Sweet Vernal Zephyr, November 20th - December 25th, 2010. A more complete backstory and introduction is available on the initial post with references to a parallel serial series, Mistress Sweet's Bar.

Reindeer and Demons

December 2010

Introductory Poem

Narrator

Malachai trudged through the freshly fallen snow with a grumble in his heart and a bag in his fist. Why did he have to spend his hard earned money on stupid trinkets for family members that only saw him once a year? A waste of time and money. But it loosened up the smile on his mom's face, so he did it. Begrudgingly.

A truck sped by too fast for the slushy road conditions and managed to splash dirty salt water onto his already snowy jeans. With a growl, he swiped at the mess only to jerk his head up at the unmistakable sound of slipping rubber. The bright red pickup was trying to make the turn but instead was skidding sideways towards a massive mountain of snow. In the amount of time it took him to turn all the way around, the truck had plowed into the pile and appeared to be very very stuck.

Unsuccessfully suppressing his smirk, he scanned the area for possible good Samaritans. Dammit! Looked like he was it. He double checked the street for any more possible high speed vehicular sledders and then crossed over to the now silent truck. The driver's side was firmly embedded into the packed snow and a peak through the passenger's window showed a dark head bashing repeatedly against the steering wheel. His smile broke free of his mild restraint and he knocked his knuckles on the glass.

Red eyes wiped the smirk off his mouth as that dark head turned to glare at him. Automatically putting his hands up in the universal "No Harm" gesture, he backed a few steps away from the door with his packages dangling from his fingers in the air. The angry occupant seemed to rethink his initial response and took a deep breath before climbing over the stick shift to exit through the passenger door and stand at Malachai's side.

"You need a cell phone or something?" Malachai asked. The guy just stared at him with those creepy red eyes. He was glad he had taken those couple of steps back. This dude was emanating serious Grinch! Apparently, turning your truck into an igloo didn't do much for holiday cheer.

"Hey, man. Do you need help with your ride or was this your final destination?" Not willing to waste kindness on an unappreciative dick, he waited another breath or two before turning to head across the street and back towards his apartment. Anyway, He had less than an hour to change his wet clothes and drive over to his mom's house for dinner. The Red Eyed Grinch didn't say a thing as he walked away.

Well, he attempted to walk away.

This time he didn't look both ways and a black sedan came speeding around the corner on an almost identical path to the little red pickup truck. Malachai only had enough time to turn his head toward that awful skidding rubber and studs sound and think that he was going down. It was going to hurt too, no matter that the car's speed was probably only around 30 miles an hour. The shiny hard blackness zoomed towards him, reflecting the horror in his face and... a pair of red eyes.

Grabbed from behind, he was rolled over the roof of the car and tumbled in a heap on the unshoveled sidewalk. Snow burned his face and nose, bringing tears to his eyes and blurring his vision and he looked back to the street. As he watched, the black sedan crashed into the immobilized red truck and turned it into a perfect sandwich.

Wiping the excess moisture from his face, he rubbed the exposed skin to bring back a little warmth. His mind was racing as he searched for the guy from the truck. That red eyed guy must have pushed him... over... the car and out of the way?

The passenger door of the black sedan opened and a very large, very angry, very hairy man struggled out. Cursing, he slammed the door shut and stalked around to the driver's side to the flattened red pickup truck. Staring through the smashed windshield he started a new round of cursing and an all out temper tantrum on the already demolished pickup's front end.

Malachai was impressed. The old man packed a mean punch if those dents he was leaving in the hood were any indication. Certainly the snow white beard and hair suggested a softness that was not currently evident. Thick suspenders held up black pants that seemed to shine in the twilight. As the man stomped away from the wreck, Malachai decided the pants must be leather. A good choice for this weather. Very warm. But the lack of a coat would negate that.

Still dizzy from the near miss with broken bones, Malachai was slow to realize the enraged man was approaching him. Though now the anger only showed his stiff walk. His eyes were neutral as he asked if Malachai had seen the other driver? For some reason Malachai was hesitant to divulge that information. Call it gut instinct, even though he had never had it before. Something didn't add up here. He gave the large man a watery smile and gave a short hard shake of his head. "No."

The fat man stared long and hard at him and made a huffing sound, not unlike a bull before the charge. "Don't lie to me, young man." Malachai just shook his head again, still sitting in the middle of the snow and feeling very much like a little kid. "Fine." Fatty turned on his black booted heel and strode away muttering something about "...already on the naughty list anyway."

Dazed, Malachai watched as the man got back into the black sedan and DROVE IT AWAY. No way! Not possible. He must have been nicked by the car and hallucinating. He shook his head to try and clear away any mental cobwebs and then tensed to wait for the inevitable pain an idiotic move like that should cause. Nothing. Wow. Umm... ok. Time to focus on something else. Something that made sense. Where was the other guy? The one that supposedly saved him from numerous broken bones?

Slowly standing up, Malachai glanced around. Icy road, snow, pretty houses, snow, random reindeer. Weird. He had never seen deer this far into town before. And then, between blinks, the reindeer turned into a glaring man. Dammit.

Deciding to take the offensive on this round of events, he started towards the freak. A bag bounced against his thigh, stopping him mid stride. Looking down, he realized he still clutched the bag of stupid trinkets for his family. And judging by the tinkling sound they made as the bag swayed, they were smashed to pieces.

Irrational anger surged through him and he ran the last few steps to the reindeer man, swinging the bag around like a mace and hoping that some of the broken bits cut through. He got three good bashes in before the man tackled him to the ground and he was once again eating snow.

Gasping, he pushed up against the weight on his back and fought the burning ice in his nose and tears in his eyes. Dammit! He couldn't buy new shit and now his mom was going to have that same old tight smile for him instead of the warm glow he saw once a year when he played Santa to the cousins.

Defeated he slumped back down onto the ground. Surprisingly, the brute on top of him rode his back down using his full weight to cover him. "Dammit, man! I surrender. White flag. Uncle. Whatever the fuck you want to hear. Just get off of me!"

He could feel the heat of the man on top of him seeping into his clothes and melting the slush from his roll on the sidewalk. He could also feel that this man sure did get off on winning a fight. His hard cock was unmistakable pressed against the cold snowy crease of his ass. Dammit.

Malachai bucked and must have caught the guy off guard because the weight rolled off his back and Malachai rolled up into a kneeling position before regaining his feet. A dark hand reached down to him. A peace offering.

He looked up at those still angry red eyes and clasped the hand. With a swift jerk he was on his feet and pulled into an embrace so strong he momentarily lost his breath, only to regain it through his nose as his mouth was assaulted by harsh chapped lips and smooth moist tongue.

The flavor was heady and rich, like hot chocolate spiced with pepper. He indulged in more, searching for whipped cream to top it off. Ah, but that would be found lower and certainly not to be discovered in the snow. His reindeer man broke the kiss to glare into his eyes. Those arms never loosened as he dazedly tilted his head to the side and asked, "Why are you so pissy? It certainly isn't me. You don't kiss a complete stranger if you don't like them."

Those blazing red eyes look to the side, taking in the now very little red pickup truck, and then shifted back to Malachai. His first words, "Why did you lie for me?"

Malachai struggled to compose an intelligent answer but had nothing more than a gut feeling, an instinct. So he improvised, "I'm a compulsive liar."

The man's hands convulsed on his back and Malachai began to question his sanity at being so close to someone with such obvious rage issues.

The stranger shook his long dark hair and countered, "You don't lie for a complete stranger if you don't like them."

That startled a laugh out of Malachai. The conversation was getting extremely murky and he wasn't sure if that qualified as an answer to his question. Determined to get to the bottom of this freak, he extended an invitation.

"Do you want to warm up? My house is just a block from here and you obviously aren't driving anywhere." And her wanted to spend more time with him. It was a long shot, but that hot chocolate kiss just might promise whipped cream in his future.

With a curt nod the stranger released him and let Malachi lead, his stare warming Malachi's ass the whole way.

Malachai

Once settled at the kitchen counter with a mug of hot coffee scalding my palms, I attempted to untangle the confusion of the last hour.

Focusing across the table on my sexy guest, those blazing red eyes glared back at me. I was beginning to think angry was a permanent state for him.

"So, um, Why are you so pissed?" I fiddled with the edge of my ceramic mug, waiting to hear if he would actually answer the question this time.

His mug thudded against the table and he wrapped his hands around it. The cream ceramic pretty much disappeared under that calloused flesh.

Not willing to hold my breath waiting, I broke his silence and changed my tactic. "Ok. You're probably pissed about your truck. It looked pretty sweet before it got turned into a snow-filled pancake. How about your name? I'm Malachai. Thank you for saving me."

Extending my hand toward him, I cocked my head and watched him. "You DID save me, right?"

Red eyes shifted from my face to my hand. His knuckles whitened as he clenched the mug tighter but replied with a single word. "Dolph."

As I pulled my hand back to wrap around my own cup, he added, "If you call body slamming you into the sidewalk saving then, yes. I did move you out of the path of the..." He hesitated, as if looking for the right word, and settled for, "vehicle."

I held my tongue, hoping his words would continue to flow if I just shut up and let him go at his own pace. And it worked!

Dolph held my eyes for a second and then stared out the window and continued. "I had a little disagreement with my boss and drove away angry this afternoon. Too fast on the corner and I ended up in the snow bank. I hadn't realized he was following me until he crashed into my ride."

He looked back to me but his eyes were not shining so bright. There was a haze over them, as if he wasn't seeing anything in the kitchen, but memories. With a sharp shake of his head he continued to speak, low and hard. "Bastard probably did it on purpose."

"Does he hate you that much?" I asked, curiosity and disgust tinged my tone.

He sighed and answered in a tired voice. "Prejudice is a sinister sin. The union will not allow him to discriminate against me, including firing for no reason. I worked my way up to the top of his team the hard way, and I'm not backing down. He's trying to get me to quit."

"Man, dead or unemployed? That's a rough spot you're in. Can't you just bring in the police or something?"

The slightest shadow of a smirk tightened the crease of his lips. "Nah. I can handle him." And I noticed that his red eyes seemed to flash as he made that flippant statement. "Now that I've met you, Mister S. will just have to suck it up."

Startled, I sloshed my coffee and sputtered, "What have I got to do with it?!"

Blazing eyes bored into me as he grabbed my coffee drenched hand, leaned in and whispered. "You must have felt it. It's why you lied for me."

Flustered by the slick feel of Dolph's skin against mine, I struggled to untangle the previous events in my mind.

I had been walking. Got splashed. Watched the red truck play snowplow. Investigated the accident. Walked away from the accident. Almost was run over by another car. Pushed from behind over the car. Landed on the sidewalk. Watched the driver get out of the car, beat the truck, and walk to me. Lied to the driver. Humm.... Why?

I tried to work the tangled memories out aloud. "You were being a total ass. I shouldn't have wanted to lie for you. But that man, Mister S?" Dolph nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Mister S just rubbed me the wrong way. It didn't feel right to tell him, well, anything."

Still feeling befuddled, I allowed Dolph to mop the coffee off our hands as I thought some more. When the mopping of the napkin turned to a caress of fingers against my palm, I pulled out of the confusing haze.

Struggling against the zaps of pleasure each touch brought, I asked simply. "Why?"

His caresses turned rough, fingernails carving white paths across my knuckles that faded seconds after appearing. But the lightning zaps they shot through my body lingered much longer.

"Because you are mine. And I am yours." The truth blazed in Dolph's eyes and burned through my body. "Don't you feel it?"

There was no way I could deny it. It didn't matter that I didn't understand the mechanics of it, the strange paranormality of it. It was the truth, shining bright in this stranger's eyes.

"But how did you know?" I laid my other hand over Dolph's, capturing the distraction of his roving nails.

He answered in low tones. "When I touched you, I knew. Throwing you out of the path of that car brought me in close physical contact with your body and your scent. It triggered a change in me. Unleashed dormant powers. Even now I can feel them tingling under the surface of my skin, begging to come out and play."

Curiosity killed the cat and all that. "What can you do?" I was afraid I might not want to know the answer but couldn't help but ask the question.

His reply was quick and consise. "Fly faster and longer. Suspend time. Shift into more complex creatures."

I gaped at him. "W-what?" I had known I was in over my head but it felt like I had just jumped in the deep end. Did he say SHIFT? Delight filled my chest and paralyzed my vocal cords.

Dolph let one corner of his mouth come up in a crocked smirk as he leaned in toward the center of the table, pulling our clasped hands closer to him. Slowly he repeated himself and I focused on his lush lips forming the words.

"Fly faster and longer. You know, increased stamina." He gave me a suggestive wink that sent my pulse racing. "Suspend time. We could spend a lifetime in bed." He squeezed our hands. "And shift. I know you saw me earlier. Remember, the deer?"

All I could do was nod. Visions of us covered in nothing but whipped cream and blankets danced like sugarplums through my head.

The ring of a cell phone broke through the silence. "Bow Chicka Wow Wow..." I blinked away the dancing wet dream and answered the phone.

Dolph

My mouth thinned out into a tight line as I registered, what I thought to be, Malachai's shocked state. It had been too much at once for him to comprehend. As long as he didn't run screaming, they could work through it. They had too. He was his mate. For Infinity.

Malachai's side of the cell convo sounded frantic. "Oh shit. I mean, yeah. Sorry. I'm on my way. Um, sorry. Yeah. Wait! Mom? Can I bring... a friend? Yeah. Ok. Sure. Bye. Loveyatoo."

Snapping the cell shut, he immedietly abandoned me at the table and moved towards the door. "We gotta go. I was supposed to be at my mom's 20 minutes ago."

I wondered at this sudden change in demeanor, but followed him out of the apartment and down the slippery sidewalk. Silence weighted between us, but I gave him the time to digest this sudden turn of events. Life changing was one way to put it. Especially for a human. The concept of mates was not so permanent in the human mind. Divorce was common place and widowers existed. Those were not the norms in my existence. Divorce was unheard of and when your mate died, you did too.

Malachai lead us to a small convenience store and I noticed the tension in his shoulders had eased. With a wry smile, he requested my assistance in the selection of an odd assortment of sparkling garland, jingling bells, and feathery toys along with a gallon of milk and a box of cookies.

Within 15 minutes we had made our stops and the atmosphere between us had warmed considerably. Malachai was even walking side by side with me, allowing our hands to brush with every other step.

We arrived at an adorable split level ranch with a humongous Christmas tree lighting up the bay window. Without knocking, Malachai opened the door and ushered me inside. Removing our coats and boots, we made it 5 steps into the plush carpeted living room before shrieks of childish delight heralded our arrival.

Within seconds Malachai was enveloped in the hugs of six young children, all appearing to be around the age of 3 or 4. As he bent down to their level, they covered him with amazing efficiency. One on each arm and leg, one hanging on his back and one staring intently into his face.

The very smallest was the one speaking to him with huge ernest eyes, apparently whispering in his ear. Looking to me, Malachai's eyes glittered with mirth as he turned back to her and stag whispered, "He's my elf. Santa's got to have a helper." He threw me a wink at and just missed the frosty expression that crossed my face at the mention of Mister S.

Of course, Malachai didn't know the whole story yet. I couldn't hold him responsible for his ignorance. But that would have to be remedied ASAP. There was too much Malachai didn't know that could get him killed. And now that I had finally found my mate, I would not be giving him up. Ever.

A red and white velveteen hat appeared on Malachai's head and he disentangled himself from the chaos of children and lead the way into the kitchen. Introductions circled as I met Malachai's parents and siblings. We had missed dinner but there were plenty of leftovers to nibble on as Christmas cheer filled the home and Christmas gossip lightened the hearts.

After an hour of socialization and adult libations, the children had lost all patience and dragged both Malachai and me into the small sitting room housing a large rocking chair and a bevy of pillows strew across the floor.

Malachai settled into the chair, obviously familiar with the upcoming tradition, and motioned for me to sit on the cushion beside him while holding the bag of goodies from the convenience store. The adults and children filled the tiny room, lounging companionably amongst the plush pillows and chattering.

With a grin, Malachai called out the youngest child's name. "Shasha!" She scrambled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Have you been nice this year?" Her siblings answered in a chorus of no's as she nodded her head. Laughing, he held out his open hand to me. I held up the bag and he fished inside, pulling out a long strand of sparkling green garland with tiny white snowflakes. Wrapping it around Shasha's shoulders like a shawl, he kissed her on the head and set her at his feet while she squealed with delight. As she scurried off, a stray feather tickled my nose and I suppressed a sneeze.

And so the pattern repeated for all six children. Each one strangely elated with whatever small shiny, jingly, or feathery trinket was gifted to them. Each gift causing my nose to exclaim as well.

He finally moved to sit beside me on the floor, leaving his santa hat on the seat of the rocking chair. All the gifts given, Malachai watched them with joy bright on his face. By the end of the night, my nose was bright red and my eyes were starting to tear. Taking pity on me, Malachai said our good byes and escorted me out the door into the cold winter night.

Holding hands on this return trip, Malachai eyed my red nose and asked, "Are you allergic or something?" I shrugged in response. "Sure, must have been a cat somewhere in that house."

I was dragged to a stop as I realized Malachai had ceased walking. Eyes shifting side to side, he mumbled, "There were 12 cats in the house." And then he started reciting the names, still not meeting my eyes, "... Shasha and Me."

After a moment of stunned surprise, I started laughing. Glee filled my eyes and stretched my face into a smile large enough to outshine the moon. I could feel Malachai moved closer to me, concern on his features. "Does this mean we can't be mates?"

I gasped as I struggled to rein in my laughter. "Fuck me." Gasp. "Guess that serves me right for popping the mate thing on you so suddenly." Gasp.

Malachai's still concerned eyes reminded me of his initial question. "Guess I better buy stock in Claritin, 'cause I'm not giving you up for nothing!"

Relief smoothed out the lines on Malachai's face and I suddenly found myself wrapped up tight between strong arms.

Narrator

Red eyes met blue and suddenly the night didn't feel so cold. "So you're a cat shifter, huh?" Malachai nodded.

"Guess I should give up my secrets too." Dolph stated.

Tightening the hug and sustaining the eye contact to read every reaction, he slowly spoke. "My name is Rudolph Devlin Asterok. My mother was a reindeer shifter and my father a demon. I work for the Demonic Union. We supply transport and protection to a variety of natural and supernatural beings. Pretty much whoever can find us and afford us. We recently won the bid for Mister S. or Santa. He's pissed that the Union won the job but won't be able to reject our offer now that you've upped my power level. No one else is strong enough to pull off the stunt he attempts every year. The naughty list is really just people low in his priorities. They get skipped if Mister S. runs out of time or energy on Christmas eve. Mean old S.O... DOWN!"

Malachai was shoved into the snow for the second time that day as Dolph launched into the air on jet black wings. Where had those come from?!

He sat up in the snow and stared up into the sky before the scent of burnt sugar reached his nose. Looking to the sidewalk he saw a candy cane half imbedded into the concrete, the snow already beginning to melt the sugary death threat. Dammit! That was close!

Snapping his head back up to the sky he could barely make out Dolph's black wings against the night as he chased a red blur. As he watched, the black sped up and seemed to surround the red and then they both plummeted like a stone towards the earth.

Malachai's breath caught in his throat as he stared in horror, waiting for the splat that would be both lover and hater combined on the ground. But just before the pair would have hit, they seemed to freeze in place. And then they were just gone.

Shaking his head, Malachi scrambled to his feet and strained to see any evidence of Dolph. Tense seconds later red glowed in the night, zooming towards him and landing at his feet.

Dolph stood, breathless, in front of his mate. Rage no longer burned in those red eyes as a grin cracked his face.

Before Malachai could smother him with another hug, Dolph proclaimed, "And to all a good night!"

Running a shaking hand through his hair he amended, "He won't bother us anymore tonight. Let's go home."

Instant love. Insane, but there it was. Filling his heart and bursting his face with joy. Clasping hands, they walked over the river and through the woods to Malachai's house. Their home.