I shook my head. “No friends, allies, or clue where he might hide. Carnell’s doing some research, but we’re on our own for now.”
Aurora crossed her arms. “If he’s on his own, that works in our favor. No backup means fewer moving pieces to deal with.”
“Unless he doesn’t need backup,” Eve said, her tone clipped. “He’s strong enough on his own to cause all this. If he’s sticking close to Christmas-themed places, he doesn’t need help.”
“Great,” Nishi muttered, running a hand through her hair. “So, we’re dealing with a rogue Christmas demon who’s got the muscle to back up his grudge and no one is holding him back.”
“Pretty much,” I said, my voice dry. “Which means we need to work fast. He’s not here to make friends or settle in for a long stay. He’s got a goal, and we need to stop him before he gets any closer to it.”
Eve nodded, her jaw tight. “Agreed. So, what’s our next move?”
I glanced around the room, my thoughts racing. “We figure out where he’s likely to strike next. If he’s drawn to Christmas and people he sees as guilty, he’s probably already hunting his next target.”
Aurora tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “And if we can figure out who that target is, we might be able to stop him before he gets there.”
I scrolled through my contacts and tapped Greyson’s name, the soft buzz of the ringing line filling the silence as the others watched. “Maybe Greyson has some useful intel,” I said, more to myself than anyone else.
The line clicked, and his warm, steady voice came through. “Hey, sweetheart. What’s going on?”
I didn’t waste time. “Hey. Sorry to bother you, but do you have anything on Krampus? Anything at all?”
There was a pause, then a low sigh. “No. That was before my family’s time in council protections. He’s an old-world demon and none of his excursions to our world have been sanctioned.”
I frowned, biting my lip. “Would the council help us, at least?”
“They should,” Greyson said, though his tone didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. “Lucinda is staying close to the chambers since Hunter made it clear she’s still under probation.”
“Yeah, she’s the last person I want to deal with,” I muttered, leaning back against the desk. The idea of navigating Lucinda’s bureaucracy on a good day made my skin crawl. On a day like this? No thanks.
“She’s the last person anyone wants to deal with,” Greyson agreed, his tone carrying just a hint of humor.
I exhaled slowly, letting the conversation shift gears. “Liam came earlier,” I said, keeping my voice casual. “Brought a coffeemaker.”
Greyson chuckled, the sound low and warm. “He did, huh? I can’t wait to meet him. Still doing some recalibrating.”
My stomach tightened slightly. “Recalibrating?” I echoed, already knowing where this was going.
“Glinda did a number on the prison,” he said, his voice heavy. “I’m still fine-tuning the rebuild. It’s stable, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me, my grip on the phone tightening. “Just… be careful, okay?” The last thing we needed was another demon outbreak.
“You know me,” Greyson said, his voice softening. “I’m always careful. And when I’m done, I’ll come back and helpyou deal with Krampus. If you haven’t already apprehended him by then.”
I smiled faintly, despite the heaviness in my chest. “Deal.”
We hung up, and I set the phone on the desk, turning back to the others. Greyson didn’t have the answers we needed, but at least we had his support—and right now, I’d take all the backup I could get.
Nishi leaned against the edge of the desk, her arms crossed as she watched me put my phone away. “Greyson works so hard,” she said, her voice softer than usual. “The council takes him for granted. You know that, right?”
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah,” I admitted, the truth of her words settling heavily in my chest. “I know. But I can’t focus on that right now. Krampus is still out there, and we’ve got bigger problems.”
Nishi nodded, her expression unreadable, though the flicker of something, empathy, maybe, crossed her face.
Eve, ever the pragmatist, broke the moment with a dry comment from across the room. “It shouldn’t be that hard to find a horned demon walking around a Christmas village,” she said, her lips twitching with a faint smirk. “At least now we know what we’re looking for.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “You’d think, but subtlety isn’t really his style, he’s probably not strutting around in his full form, hooves and all.”
“Well, I’m just saying,” Eve replied, holding up her hands. “If he’s sticking close to holiday-themed places, how hard can it be to spot a guy who screams bad Santa vibes?”
