Page 61 of Santa's Wish
"Outside my old dorm."
He took off before I'd finished my sentence, the bastard. He beat me, too, though he looked a little worse for wear after running through woods. His shoeswere caked in mud, and I wondered if he'd run through a creek.
"Vampire rule number one: don't stick to the roads." He finished his cup and tossed it in the large metal dumpster I'd battled countless times as a student. This time, when I lifted the lid, it didn't even creak on its hinges. Impressed, I next tried to lift it with my pinky finger, and it easily flipped open.
"Damn."
"Super strength," Santa said. "Anything in particular you want to do here?"
"Let's go to the North Corridor." I'd always been afraid to walk around the open spaces at night. I'd never once thought about vampires lurking behind the monuments, but now I wondered if we would meet anyone else out at this hour.
Santa followed me to the public space I'd always found a little spooky at night. I grabbed his hand, still too nervous. My friends had laughed and called me a worry wart, or worse, but Santa said nothing. He stayed by my side and held my hand as we strolled campus together.
"I was mugged when I was a freshman," I whispered. "Right here, beside this fountain. The guy was shorter and stockier than me, with his hand in his pocket. Maybe it was a gun or only his index finger. He told me to hand over my money, so I did. All twenty dollars. When he saw how little I had on me, hepunched me in the gut and ran, dropping my wallet at my feet."
"Asshole." Santa released my hand and slid his arm around my shoulders instead. "I'm sorry he hurt you."
"Thank you." My laugh sounded hollow. "I tried to shake it off, but?—"
"I could tell something had scared you in the past. I could even tell it happened here at Cambridge. When you're in Boston, you're more relaxed."
"I am?"
"You were." He sighed. "The club … I hope you don't have a similar aversion."
"They did most of the damage outside. Made it so I couldn't walk before they brought me in. I think I passed out, but not before they puked their guts out, just like Enid said they would." I didn't remember much after that, except the crash when Santa broke down the door and stabbed through it like an avenging angel in fuck-me jeans and a "Cum Slut" t-shirt.
"Come with me sometime soon?"
He looked so sweet and vulnerable, how could I say no? I hadn't felt like partying since I was turned, but this would be good. Returning to campus as the predator instead of the prey was cathartic. I could walk into Fanglory with the same confidence.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that."
I sank down onto a concrete slab bench, and he followed me. I'd always hated the sensation as the coldseeped through my jeans, but it seemed easier now. More soothing than annoying.
"When are you going back to work?" I asked.
"When you return to the office," he said. "Or in six months." He grinned. "You need a keeper until the urges pass."
"You've taken such good care of me." Whenever I got the tiniest bit peckish, Santa shoved another refillable bottle of blood in my face. Ever since his meeting with Empress Marcella, he'd been more conscientious about waste and the environment.
Thinking of the empress reminded me of my work assignment again. "Is it possible you met Cassius in Europe?" I finally asked.
I leaned against his shoulder, loving the contrast between the cold beneath us and his warm blood-filled body.
"It's possible I don't remember," he said. "If he's got the empress's mind control powers, he could have made me forget." He blinked. "Fuck. That was the wrong thing to say."
I held him on the bench as his body spasmed. Empress Marcella's presence left my head, which I assumed meant she'd ditched me for Santa.
I felt her return like a warm breeze blowing into my mind. It was both disconcerting, feeling wind somewhere it shouldn't be, and comforting, like welcomingan old friend home. An ancient, self-satisfied friend. I knew if I dared to ask a question, she would gloat.
"What did she show you?" I whispered.
"He was with my sire the night I killed him." Santa hid his face in his hands. "He's the reason I ran. He wanted me to flee, and then he intended to hunt me. He said he would find me in New York."
"He's been in Boston for the last ten years," I said.
"He must have been pissed when I didn't remember him." Santa shrugged. "Another vampire wiped my memory of him and said I could stop running." He tapped his lip with his finger four times. Then, he grinned at me. "But she added a little flavor so I wouldn't cause too much chaos around town. Said I should fear the old ones like any good little vampire should."
