My heart melted. I could see the warmth in his eyes when he spoke about kids. He had a real passion for them.
Human social etiquette be damned, I wanted to know more about Angelonow.Was he dating anyone? Did he have a mate? The scent wafting around him like perfume was pure and distilled. It didn'tsmelllike another person's scent mingled with Angelo's, but that wasn't a guarantee. He could've had a long-distance partner, or one away for business.
The thought made me bristle. If my tail was out, it would've flicked in annoyance.
"Do you have kids of your own?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite burning up inside.
"Oh. No," he murmured, glancing at the counter. "I wish I did. But I'm single, and I wouldn't want to raise a baby on my own."
My soaring spirit was only dampened by the tinge of sadness in Angelo's voice. I never wanted him to be unhappy. If we were openly mated, I'd pull him into my arms right now and kiss him right in front of the whole cafe. It killed me that I couldn't do that.
Like a plume of smoke from a fireplace, a thought curled up in the back of my mind: what if Angelo was my fated mate?
My immediate reaction was pleasurable before I realized that couldn't happen. Angelo was a human. I was...
Krampus.
During the day, everything was fine. I could shift and walk among humans, blending right in. The leather outfit and chains drew attention, but I looked human enough. But at night I changed into my true form—a tall, dark furry beast with horns and a tail. I was the antithesis of Santa Claus. At least in my appearance—people got the story wrong when it came to my motivations. My image had been warped into a scary legend, a demon who went around whipping 'naughty' kids. As if I'd ever do anything like that.
It didn't matter. Angelo could never see my true form, so we couldn't be fated mates.
"Two large hot chocolates with marshmallows!" the barista called out.
I was mired in my thoughts and didn't notice until Angelo took both drinks and handed mine to me.
"Here, Karl," he said.
"Ah. Thanks."
When I reached for the cup, our fingers brushed. A tingle shot through me like lightning. I quickly took the hot chocolate and sipped it to distract myself. The chocolatey liquid was sweet, but not as sweet as Angelo.
We exited the cafe. Angelo nursed his drink with an adorable expression. As he pried the lid back to pop the marshmallows in his mouth, he was almost like a kid himself. I smiled as I watched him, utterly smitten by his cuteness.
"This is really good, Karl," he said. "Even better than the one I had before."
"I'm glad to hear it."
Angelo checked his watch. "And I have plenty of time to enjoy it, since there's still an hour before our shift starts."
I'd been so distracted by Angelo that I'd forgotten about work. Now I'd have to rush to prepare. But even so, I didn't regret this moment we spent together.
"Thanks for having hot chocolate with me," I told Angelo in a hurry. "Excuse me, but I have to get to the dressing room!"
Angelo laughed and encouraged me. "Go! Run!"
I managed to squeeze my Santa transformation into a single hour. The leather and chains were gone. Now my body was covered in a bright red with fluffy white trim. A drooping red hat sat atop my head, adorned with a white puff ball at the tip. The hidden padding I used gave me the appearance of a round, jolly belly. Even my heavy-duty boots were replaced with simple galoshes.
My face underwent a makeover, too. A fake white beard covered up my naturally scruffy jaw, because Santa's facial hair was more pleasant to kids than Krampus's. A mix of foundation and pink blush for rosy cheeks, along with sky-blue contacts, helped bring the look to life. Finally, I walked into a spritz of peppermint candy scented cologne as a finishing touch.
Since walking in the costume was unruly, Angelo was assigned to me as a handler. He waited for me outside the dressing room.
When I walked through the door, I declared, "Ho ho ho!"
Angelo's eyes went wide and he broke out into a huge grin. "Santa! Where did you come from?"
"The North Pole, of course."
"Right! You flew in on your sleigh. Did you find plenty of parking at the reindeer stable?"
