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“Stop saying that,” I said, pulling my hand away. “Just freaking spell it all out and don’t hold anything back, because you’re not making sense.”
“That hat is magical and belongs to the real Santa,” Tatum began, his cheeks blushing, which likely had nothing to do with embarrassment, as it was clearly frustration. And I kind of enjoyed seeing him revved up, for no other reason than the fact that he spoke circles and it annoyed me.
“Whoever wears the hat and makes a connection with it as you had could become the next Santa,” he continued.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I burst out laughing, the bubbling tickling my insides, and I slammed the table with my hand, unable to remember the last time my stomach had hurt so hard.
“Oh, shit, you guys are hilarious. You should see your faces. Very well played.” Once I settled down, none of them so much as smirked. Instead, they glared at me as if I’d mocked them. “What?” I asked.
“You’re not listening,” Leven snarled.
“Do I have to give you three the whole talk about Santa not existing? My twelve-year-old sister knows this, so…” I shrugged. What could I say except these three had lost their marbles if they honestly believed in Santa Claus?
“No one knows where the hat came from, but it selects a new person randomly to carry out the Christmas duties,” Jax explained. “But in order for the hat to be fully connected to a new owner, you must exchange a kiss with the previous Santa to close the deal.”
I nodded my head, figuring I ought to listen to these loonies if they were offering me a roof over my head in a storm, but after hearing all this, I doubted I’d get a wink of sleep. For all I knew, I’d wake up in a sleigh or something bizarre, like tied to a reindeer. My mirth dissolved when I remembered watching Leven change into one, yet I still struggled to come to terms with that whole incident. Maybe I was imagining these three men too because that would be the only reason for this strange conversation.
“Because you got to the hat first,” Tatum continued, “Krampus must kill you so your connection to the hat dissolves, then he can get claim it as his own. The hat can only be joined to one person at a time. Then as the last step once he does that, he kisses Santa and he’ll wreak havoc over Christmas. And probably do so all year round, punishing more than just naughty children. Beating anyone whom he sees fit and imprisoning them.”
“Have you see the skies darkening lately?” Leven added. “If Krampus takes over Christmas, our world will be plunged into darkness. Plants and animals will die.”
“Okay.” I tried to follow their explanation. “So Krampus wants Santa’s job and I’m now standing in his way because I connected the hat to me first?”
“Yes,” Leven said. “Krampus has been plotting to take the role for years, and the missing person we’re searching for is Santa and his reindeer. He and his other reindeer went down somewhere in this part of the woods, and now that we saw Krampus here, it’s obvious he’s responsible for taking the down the sleigh. Except we have no idea where he’s holding them.”
I shifted in my chair, attempting to piece it together. “So let’s say this is real—”
“It’s real,” Tatum said while the other two nodded.
“Anyway, so what you’re saying is that because I put on that stupid hat, I have two options. Get killed by Krampus so he can take over Christmas, or somehow find Santa first, kiss him, and then I take his place and deliver gifts to kids around the world once a year?”
They looked at each other. “Kind of,” Jax said. “We’re assigned to to protect whoever took the hat, even Krampus, until you select your team of warrior reindeers to lead your sleigh. But that’s all stuff to work out later.”
“So now you’re all reindeer?” My mouth dropped opened. “I’m pretty sure you just described a kids’ cartoon about saving Christmas. I might have watched it last year.”
Tatum was on his feet. “Don’t mock us, little girl. At first light, we head out. You don’t make any moves without us, and—”
I exhaled loudly and stiffened. But my words were stolen by the deafening knock on the front door. I froze, my thoughts flinging to the monster in the woods. Had that really been Krampus that had bitten me? I couldn’t ignore the throbbing wound on my arm. It was proof that there had been something that had attacked me. But as for the rest of the men’s story, it didn’t seem real.
All the men leaped to their feet, Tatum at the door, Jax checking the window, and Leven hauling me by the arm to the bathroom. “Stay here.” He shoved me inside and shut the door.
“Are you kidding me?” Of all the people to run across, I meet three incredibly gorgeous men of my dreams, only to discover they’re living in a make-believe world. Except their fear slithered up my spine, and now I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck would scare three large men.
A quick glance around the bathroom revealed no weapon, except for a toilet brush, so I grabbed it and gingerly opened the door.
The loud bang rang out from outside, and I flinched. What the hell was going on?
