Tulip cackled and started walking toward the door, looking over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.Anyway, I’m sure he’ll want to meet you when he finds out that it was you who made the whole castle shake. See you around!”
Billy didn’t like the sound of that. He needed the new Santa to let him keep experimenting. If he were ordered to go back and work in the workshop he’d go crazy within a year.
Waving his hand so that the magic would start cleaning up the mess of the explosion, Billy headed for the door and made his way up to the workshop. With his great machine postponed a year, he might as well help out until the Christmas rush was over.
Nick surveyed his new office with a frown. It was terrible. Snow globes, twinkling lights and gaudy red baubles shone and sparkled, and the whole room smelled like pine, cinnamon andbeta.
This was not what was supposed to happen.
“Is there something wrong?”
Nick turned to the trembling little elf giving him his tour and forced his face into an impassive expression. It wasn’t the cloying little elf’s fault that Nick hadn’t been given the post he wanted.
ButSanta?It was the opposite of everything Nick was as a person. Jolly, fat and good-natured were never words that had been used to describe him.
Uncompromising, cruel and intimidating—those were the words that described Nick. He was an alpha through and through, and entirely unsuited to take over the position as Santa.
He’d wanted to be Krampus. He’d have beenperfectfor it. Dishing out punishment for naughty elves and giving children coal for Christmas… he would have been so happy.
“No. I’m sure everything is fine,” he said. No matter what he’d wanted, he was Santa now. He might not like it, but he’d be fucked if he messed up the job.
“Oh, good. Well, like I said, this is your office. And the down here we have—"
Whatever the little elf had been about to say, an ear-shatteringbanginterrupted him. The whole building shook like they were in the middle of an earthquake.
“What the fuck was that?” Nick shouted, taking a wide stance and holding on to the wall for support. The little elf with him just sighed, not looking the least bit concerned.
“That’s just Billy,” he said. “He works in the experimentation room. He must have tried turning on his toymaking machine again.”
Nick straightened, a scowl twisting his features. He felt humiliated. The little elf with him had barely reacted to the loud noise, while Nick had startled like a cat seeing a snake.
“He tried what?” Nick pulled himself up to his full height and scowled down on the blasé little elf. The poor creature seemed to realize he had made a mistake of some sort and shrank back.
“We have an experimental department. They look into ways that we can make toys better or faster. Billy is one of the elves who works there. He’s been trying to build a machine powered by magic that can make toys, but he hasn’t gotten it to work yet. He warned everyone that he was going to turn it on today, so we were expecting the explosion.”
When Nick just kept scowling, the elf continued, “It wasn’t dangerous! The room is shielded, and Billy knows not to turn his inventions on before he’s cleared the room.
Nick crossed his arms and squared his shoulders. “And no one thought it would be a good idea to tellmethat this was going to happen?”
The little elf gulped. “I’m sorry… Billy announced it at dinner last night. I guess I just forgot that you might have wanted to know.
Nick forced himself to relax. There was no point in scaring his new underling.
“It’s fine. You may continue the tour, but I want this Billy sent up to my office after dinner. I think you were going to show me my living quarters?”
The little elf swallowed and nodded, tripping over his feet as he moved down the hall. “Yes, sir. Right down the hallway here. Only you have access to these rooms, and the magic will let you set them up however you like.”
“However I like?” Nick grinned deviously, and the little elf took a step back. Nick schooled his expression so he wouldn’t look quite so…devilish.
“Yes, sir. However you like.” The poor little elf sounded like he wanted nothing more than to run away.
“I can work with that,” Nick said, licking his lips. “All right, carry on. What’s next?”
The elf looked at him. “Don’t you want to go inside?”
Nick shook his head. “No. I’ll get it all set up tonight. I want to see the rest of the castle first.”
The little elf nodded his head and shrugged, gesturing for Nickto follow him down the hall toward a set of stairs.
