When a Gargoyle Pretends to be Santa Claus (Gargoyles Book 4) Read online

  “I thought Santa only liked milk and cookies,” said Daphne scrunching her nose.

  She was sitting opposite him, not eating, but holding onto her bear and studying Brom with avid interest. There was no fear in her expression. If anything she was awed by him. Something else to preen about.

  “I like milk,” he admitted gruffly. He wasn’t exactly sold on cookies. They had no meat in them so he could not see the point in eating them. This box, however, it had long pieces of food amidst pieces of beef and broccoli. This he could get on board with.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  “Beef chow mein,” she replied, “it’s Chuck’s favorite.”

  A small growl sounded in his throat, and he wondered at it. He narrowed his eyes. “Who is this Chuck?”

  “Mommy’s boyfriend. He bought the takeaway food for us about a week ago. Mommy doesn’t really like it but Chuck does so she eats it, and she put the rest in the fridge in case Chuck wanted it, but we won’t need it now.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Mommy says we won’t see Chuck again. I guess she doesn’t like him anymore.”

  “Ah.” He didn’t say it aloud, but strangely he was glad about that.

  He was also glad to be in the house for some reason. For all its shoddy appearance, it was charming inside, and that was not a thought he ever had about anything. Most gargoyles, with perhaps the exception of Annis, could care less about anything being charming or sweet or nice. Annis was strange, though.

  But the house was cozy, filled with pictures of Daphne from being a bright pink, wrinkled youngling right up to the redheaded, precocious girl she was now. The house felt warm and full of happiness. Plus it was imbued with a beautiful scent - it smelled like fresh icicles. Soft, beautiful and charming. There was that word again.

  He finished the beef chow mein warily, thinking about Chuck. There was certainly a male in the pictures of Daphne when she was a baby, but nothing more after that.

  He pointed a claw at one such picture on the refrigerator. “Chuck?”

  Daphne shook her head. “That’s my daddy. He’s dead.” She looked at him with such wide eyes he felt an alien sense of unease.

  “I am sorry,” he mumbled. A sentiment he rarely expressed to anyone, even when he was in the wrong, or rather, especially when he was in the wrong. “My family is dead, too.”

  Daphne’s small mouth gaped in horror. “What about Mrs. Claus?”

  Brom frowned at her. “Mrs. Claus?” Ah – she meant his female. He considered the gargoyle he was supposed to mate with – an arrangement made by his clan chief – and he tried not to shudder. Ugga had been a fine warrior, but she was more manly than him in appearance and possessed a bad temper that would make a polar bear blush. He had not been looking forward to mating with that bossy female. Their first coupling would probably be rife with her shouting at him that he was taking her incorrectly, and giving him directions on how to improve. Yet, she was one of the sweeter females of his clan.

  “There is no Mrs. Claus,” he said flatly.

  “Poor Santa.”

  Daphne slipped off her seat and scurried around the table, clambering up on Brom’s lap to give him a cuddle. He was far too shocked to stop her. It was surprisingly nice, and he felt something warm towards the small creature. He wanted to destroy anyone who dare hurt her.

  Daphne began yawning, and her eyes started closing. He knew what that meant for humans, having witnessed Kylie struggling to stay awake through the night on more than one occasion.

  “You must rest,” he said almost reluctantly. In truth, he was enjoying his time with her. It wasn’t something he had known before. In his clan, the younglings were born and then they were trained to be warriors. There was none of this cuddling and talking in between. It was… interesting.

  “Yes, Santa,” she said. She pushed her way off his lap and rubbed her eyes. “Will you come back tomorrow night?”

  “I, ah… if you promise not to tell anyone about me, I will. Will you promise?”

  Daphne smiled and nodded her head excitedly. “I haven’t written my letter yet, Santa, so I’ll tell you what I want tomorrow.”

  With that, she bounded off to bed. Brom drew a blank on the letter. He wasn’t entirely sure who this Santa was at all in fact.

  He chewed thoughtfully as he ate some more of the food. Seemed a shame to let it go to waste, so he finished off the remaining six boxes and patted his now happy stomach.

  Carefully he made his way out of the kitchen, pausing to watch Daphne’s mother snoozing gently on the couch. He had made sure she was asleep when he entered the house. It seemed likely she would scream on seeing him – that was a very natural human female reaction to things that surprised them.

  He noticed she was clutching a glass in her hand that was slowly slipping down her body. He only had a moment’s indecision before he glided over to her and saved it. He would not want her to hurt herself after all. Glass could cut her, and he wouldn’t want anything to mar her lovely skin.

  Daphne told him her name was Joely.

  Small upturned nose, pink cheeks, big red lips, and acres of flaming hair. Not to mention that the delicate icicle scent was coming from her. All thoughts of Ugga’s square shaped face and scowling mouth were banished. Joely really was something special. Not a thought he had about any humans. He looked at the female humans who lived at the mansion, and he saw nothing in them. But when he looked at her, something deep within him stirred.

  Something that damn near scared the tail off him.

  *

  Joely awoke late to find Daphne already awake, eating a cold toaster pastry – she preferred them that way – and watching cartoons.

  Thankfully, School had already ended else Daphne would be late, and she really would be a crappy mother.

  Joely stretched and pushed the blanket off her. Huh. Daphne must have covered her in the night, though she didn’t like the idea of Daphne getting out of bed, she was grateful. She’d be a lot stiffer if she didn't sleep with the blanket. At that moment she was just moderately stiff.

  Their house only had one bedroom, so that went to Daphne and Joely slept on the couch. Though usually she pulled it out and made it up as a proper bed. Usually – very occasionally she fell asleep watching TV and drinking a tad too much wine drink. But the wine couldn’t be blamed for her sleepiness last night – her lack of a headache was a testament to how little wine she had drank. No, she’d just been tired from her double shift at the diner. Speaking of, she also had a shift later that day. At least her boss was understanding. He didn’t mind when she had to duck out to collect Daphne from School and had no problem with Daphne sitting in the diner for an hour or so while Joely finished her shift.

  Holly bushes! Chuck was supposed to watch Daphne today while she worked. She better line up a replacement pronto.

  Joely kissed the top of Daphne’s head before shuffling to the kitchen. Empty Chinese takeaway boxes littered the small table.

  She’d meant to throw them out. Chuck loved takeaway food and traveled to the next town to get it. Joely didn’t particularly enjoy it, but she didn’t turn away free food, and Chuck always bought a lot. She’d kept the leftovers in the fridge in case Chuck wanted them, but they were a week old and had been getting slimy.

  Had Daphne really eaten all that food? Well, she was a growing girl…

  *

  “Don’t look now,” warned Carol, “but the dick is here.”

  Joely peered over her shoulder, and sure enough, Chuck was at the diner. He’d even made some semblance of trying to dress up. His hair was brushed, he was wearing a tie she had no idea he owned over his plaid shirt, and he was carrying a bunch of flowers. Shame all she could see was him ramming Lola when she looked at him.

  “Can you serve him?”

  “I tried, hon, but he won’t be served by anyone but you, and Marv won’t kick him out because they’ve been friends since they were in diapers… and probably will be until they’
re back in them.”

  Joely groaned and rubbed her eyes. Today was not going well. She couldn’t find a sitter for Daphne, so she was sitting in a booth at the back of the diner. The bank wouldn’t extend her overdraft limit, so she literally had no money to buy any presents for Daphne and earlier a young boy called her ma’am. The last one didn’t sound bad, but ‘ma’am’ is what older women are called. Up until that point, she’d been a ‘miss’. Now she was a ma’am apparently. The day just kept getting crappier and crappier.

  “Sorry, hon, but you’re going to run into him eventually. Probably better you get it over and done with now.”

  Joely nodded glumly and trudged over to Chuck’s table. His eyes lit up, and she resisted the urge to stick a fork in his head. That kind of thing can get you fired.

  “What can I get you?” she asked dully.

  “Cupcake…” he started, and Joely tapped her nametag.

  “It’s Joely, sir, what can I get you?” She gave him a savage look, daring him to do anything other than order off the menu.

  “Please, Joely, can’t we just talk?”

  “There is nothing to talk about. There is no excuse for what you did. I’ll bring you your usual. From now on, we are strangers, okay?”

  Joely whipped the menu out of his hands and strode away, feeling more annoyance than sadness. She caught sight of Daphne playing with her beaten teddy bear. Daphne was an angel and at least deserved a new teddy bear. Why did he have to show his true jerky colors before Christmas? What was wrong with being a dick on New Year’s?

  *

  The gargoyles awoke slowly. They were not affected by the cold in sleep, but they were slower to wake, and there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground. Luc quickly moved around the clan, ensuring everyone was well until he took off and flew to the balcony of the room he shared with Kylie.

  He was not the only one keen to get the night started. As soon as Luc was gone, Ric made his own way into the house, preparing for his mate’s arrival. Other gargoyles set out to hunt. Cai and his family decided to retreat indoors. Drago – moody, crazy beast – flew up to the roof so he could stare out over the town. The male was one fang short of a mouth.

  Annis begged for Gracchus to fly her over to Chris’ house. Annis could not fly, but she was so determined to be with her mate that if someone didn’t take her, she would surely walk all the way to Chris’ house. After a little teasing, Gracchus gave in.

  Really they were not supposed to be out flying and hunting at all, but Luc had become a little lax given the bad weather – few humans were out in it, and visibility was poor. Though they did have to be careful. More careful than Brom was last night.

  Brom was uncertain of his own movements. He had promised Daphne he would visit again, but would that be wise? He found himself wanting to see the small creature, but he did not know why. They could not fly or hunt together. She was not a brother or sister gargoyle – so what use was she to him? She could not regale him with stories of battle, so why did he wish to spend time with her? What could he do with her?

  His mind wandered over to Joely, remembering the curve of her body under the near-transparent t-shirt as she slept. The way her breasts pressed against the material, those shapely legs peeking out of the t-shirt. He wondered what her skin would feel like under his touch. He wondered how her breasts would feel in his mouth while he suckled at them. He gulped. Yes, he could think of something he could do with her.

  No, he should not be thinking that. She was human, and he should wish to mate with a gargoyle, shouldn’t he? His thoughts turned to Ugga, and he shuddered. The one time he touched her, her skin felt like sandpaper, and her breasts, they were so small she never even bothered to cover them – it was no wonder she was constantly mistaken for a male. Joely was probably smooth and silky to the touch…

  Brom smacked himself in the head. “Stop thinking,” he howled.

  Grey smirked at him but didn’t say anything as he took off. Probably thought he was as crazy as Drago.

  Right, he needed to see Daphne – but this would be the last time, and after that, he would never visit her again, or fantasize about clawing his way through her mother’s t-shirt to get to her supple body… yes, that too. In his defense, he had not coupled with a female in a thousand years – no wonder his urges were so strong. But they weren’t strong for any other female except her…

  He was ignoring that. For now, he had to find out just who the hell is Santa Claus.

  *

  Joely dragged her feet home. Chuck had stayed at the diner for three hours until he finally left. He’d tried talking to her, but she didn’t want to hear it.

  Daphne pulled her hand. “Hurry up, Mommy.”

  “Can’t wait to get home, huh?”

  Daphne looked away furtively, and she made the strange little smile she always did when she lied.

  “Daffy, what are you hiding?”

  “It’s a secret,” she said importantly.

  “Daffy,” she said sternly.

  “I promised Santa I wouldn’t say.” Daphne’s eyes widened, and she slapped her hand over her mouth.

  Joely chuckled. “Okay, then, we wouldn’t want to let Santa down.” Her little girl’s imagination was impressive.

  Daphne nodded. “Maybe you could meet Santa, too,” she whispered. “I’ll ask him.”

  “Okay, baby.” Though she’d seen more than enough of Santa in the last couple of days. She wasn’t sure she could ever look at Santa the same way again.

  *

  Brom waited until it looked like Joely was asleep again before dropping into the garden. Sure enough a few seconds later a redheaded ball of giggliness ran out of the house and launched herself at him.

  “Santa!” she squealed as he caught her in his arms.

  In spite of himself, he chuckled indulgently. “Ho, ho, ho!” he cried in a bellow. “Daffy, have you been a good girl?”

  She nodded and grinned. “Santa, how come you don’t come down the chimney?”

  He was prepared for this – he knew just what to do and say. He had been given a crash lesson in the myth of Santa Claus by Maggie who was very bemused by his request but humored him anyway; it was all very far-fetched and ridiculous – a fat man who delivered toys to all the children of the world on one night! But for the sake of Daphne, he would go along with it. Though he was a little put out by the fat part.

  “Santa only comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve.”

  He smiled triumphantly as Daphne nodded in understanding. Hah. Understanding humans wasn’t so hard.

  He tried to dislodge Daphne, but she clung to him tightly, so he shrugged and carried her into the house. The scent of fresh icicles hit him like an avalanche, but he only stumbled slightly, and managed only a cursory glance at Joely.

  Depositing Daphne on a kitchen chair he was warmed to find a huge slab of some kind of pie and a fork ready for him.

  “What is this?” he asked inhaling the heavenly aroma. It was no longer warm, but he preferred cold food.

  “Shepherd’s pie,” Daphne replied. “Hank the cook gave it to Mommy, but she doesn’t like it.”

  “Who is this Hank?” he asked sharply.

  “He works with Mommy. But I heard Mommy say that he would like to be her boyfriend but that she didn’t like him like that.”

  Good he thought as he heaved his bulk onto a chair and attacked the food. It was wonderful. Meat and potatoes with a few peas – delicious and perfect.

  “You eat a lot,” said Daphne, giggling.

  “Santa has to keep his strength up.”

  Too engrossed in the food, he didn’t notice what came next until it was too late.

  “What the hell?” screamed an angry yet still sultry voice.

  Brom looked up from his pie in time to see a mop coming straight for his head.

  “Baby get behind me,” yelled Joely, continuously whacking him with the mop.

  “Hey… woman, please!” Brom tried to cover himself from the sh
owering blows.

  “No, Mommy! It’s Santa!”

  “That’s not Santa!”

  Brom managed to stand. In between mops to the head, he blinked at Joely. Decked out in the tiniest of shorts and a very tight vest top, she was a very becoming sight. Though it was marred slightly by her fury.

  “Get out of my house!” she screeched.

  “Woman, would you just…garf!” The mop went in his mouth that time.

  “Mommy!”

  Daphne tried pulling on Joely’s arm but the female was relentless in her mop assault.

  Brom growled and as the mop made a particularly vicious jab at his nose, his wings involuntarily flexed, smacking Joely in the face, knocking her out cold.

  “Oof!”

  Joely went slack and would have dropped to the ground if Brom had not caught her.

  “Mommy!”

  This definitely was not good.

  *

  Something cold and wet pressed against her head. “No, Chuck, I’m tired,” she mumbled.

  The deep growl soon snapped her out of her reverie. Joely opened her eyes to find the… thing kneeling next to her. She was lying on the sofa, and Daphne was peering over her, pressing a bag of frozen peas to her head.

  “Daffy, get away from him!”

  She sat up far too abruptly and the room started to spin. “Ugh, Daffy, run, quickly!”

  “Silly Mommy,” chided Daphne, “that’s Santa.”

  “Santa?!”

  Joely looked at the creature in disbelief, and at least he had the grace to look a little embarrassed. He was the strangest thing she’d ever seen. Big, burly, with pale purple skin, short horns on his head, wings and a tail – surely he was a demon. He regarded her warily as if he was waiting for her to bolt, or perhaps find the mop again.

  “I…”

  She was lost for words. What could she say? Who or what the hell was this creature?

  “I am sorry you were injured,” he rumbled in a surprisingly velvety voice, the timbre of his voice at odds with his gruff exterior.