With one sharp tug, I am pulled into the frost. It climbs up my body on contact, penetrating through my mouth and every orifice like I’m one of those damned frost-covered trees as I am drawn through the portal. I cannot breathe and it feels like my lungs are filling with ice, my blood freezing and skin rupturing beneath the pressure. I am suspended in ice until suddenly the ground is beneath my feet once more. I trip and pitch forward before staggering forward several steps until finally coming to a stop. The first thing I become aware of—other than the snow under my feet—is that I am breathing again, and cool air touches my skin like a warm balm after the frigid intensity I just experienced. I gasp for air, gagging as I stand hunched over, my hands on my knees.
A cool hand pats my back, and I glance up through watering, half-frozen eyes at the demoness smiling down at me apologetically.
“Just breathe for a moment. I did not realize that a direct portal would be so hard on you,” Elsiana explains.
I cough and shake my head. “It wasn’t like that when I crossed into your world,” I reply hoarsely. My eyes seek out and find Jak slumped against the wall just a short distance away. “Is he going to be okay?”
She follows my gaze and gives me another pat. “He will be fine. He is not even aware of what is happening right now. It was reckless of him to expend all his energy at such a critical time. His body is conserving energy now.”
Relieved, I nod again and slowly straighten. “Good.”
“As to your question,” she continues as we lift Jak between us, “the open portals that act as lures are... softer, for lack of a better word. They draw humans from unspecified places and deposit them randomly within our realm. These natural portals have always existed as frost demons move frequently between realms, but it was only by accident that we discovered that theyalso brought unwitting humans to us. After a time, we learned that we could cultivate human energy in order to replenish ourselves rather than hunting humans while we moved through the human world like our most ancient predecessors did. But because those natural portals are living conduits between our worlds, they do not affect you as much as the direct portals a frost demon can conjure. These direct portals between specific points have more concentrated and focused magic, which you naturally find quite unpleasant.”
“I see,” I mumble and adjust my hold on Jak.
So, it wasn’t even Jak who brought me there. I just happened to show up within the vicinity of his woods, and he did the rest to lure me to the cabin. It certainly puts things in a certain perspective. If he hadn’t lured me in with the intention of feasting upon my energies, I likely would have frozen to death long ago. I peek at Jak’s drawn face and my heart clenches. I need to take care of him now. I twist my head around as I glance at our surroundings. Upon emerging from the alley, the main street is lit up and brightened with seasonal décor, and there are many people cheerfully bustling about with their shopping bags. Some carry cups of steaming hot drinks, while others clutch their ice skates as they head for the ice rink.
“Where do you think we should start?” I ask.
Elsiana wrinkles her nose slightly as she peers along the street. Finally, she nods in a spot near a large, decorated Christmas tree in the center of the town square. The square itself is decorated with ropes of garlands and near the tree loom, several enormous boxes painted to appear like brightly wrapped gifts.
“We will put Jak over there. We can hide him there where no one will disturb him while we select our prey.”
My stomach twists a little at the word ‘prey,’ but I quickly nod my agreement before I have the chance to overthink things.I eye a pair of young, twenty-something year old women chatting happily as they walk by in their brightly colored matching hats, gloves and scarves. Each one carries shopping bags in one hand while the rich smell of lattes drifts from the cups they carry in their opposite hands as they pass. They both appear slender and cheerful... in a word, manageable.
“What about them?” I ask quietly.
Elsiana glances over but shakes her head. “Not women. I know my son. Now that he has bonded with you, his heart is unfortunately too romantic to consider feasting from other women. He will be furious with me if I allow it. No,” she sighs as she looks back toward the crowd, “it must be men.”
A little glow of warmth springs up inside me at the thought of Jak being that sincere and loyal to me, but then I groan as the full weight of reality crashes on me. I am expected to lure a strange man over here? Alone? Ah... no.
“That is sweet, but it is not practical,” I hiss back in reply. “With Jak unconscious and you out there hunting prey as well, it will be a lot safer for me to not tempt fate by trying to lure a man twice my size to go into a dark corner over here with me.”
Elsiana purses her lips slightly as she looks me over and grimaces. “That is a fair point. I forget that you human females do not have the natural protection that a demoness possesses. Very well,” she sighs, tossing her hair back off her shoulder. The air shimmers off her hair, and suddenly a frost sweeps over her and quickly draws away, leaving the image of a very pale, but very human, woman in her place. “We will call extenuating circumstances. Jakfros will have to understand.”
“Good,” I reply, relieved. I squint at her and gesture vaguely to her appearance. “What is with all of this? I didn’t know you could shapeshift. Jak never did anything more than invisibility.”
The demoness chuckles as she adjusts her clothes which have likewise been replaced with something very similar to what thewomen who passed us were wearing. “It is just a bit of frosting. A glamour,” she clarifies, her smile widening. “Jakfros never had the patience for more nuanced glamours, though I often told him that it can be a lot more useful than his disappearing trick. A holiday ghost seldom sets people at ease,” she scoffs.
I hide my smile, but I can’t disagree. If it weren’t for being half frozen and desperate, and the cabin’s magic relaxing my sense of self-preservation and observational skills, I probably would have found the entire situation far more unnerving than I had.
Elsiana’s head cranes and her eyes narrow on a target in the crowd as a tiny smile pulls at the corners of her mouth. She takes a step forward and the air temperature drops suddenly as she moves past me. “I have my prey marked.” Her gaze turns briefly to me, and she smiles. “Good luck.”
I want to protest that I’m not ready yet, but within a few steps she has seamlessly disappeared into the crowd, leaving me standing alone in front of Jak’s hiding spot. I am tempted to go take another look at him to make sure that he’s okay, but I have a feeling that it will be even more suspicious if I start ducking among the presents. Loitering here is bad enough and will eventually get noticed. Cursing under my breath, I scan the crowd, looking for the women I saw earlier. Have I lost them? No, there they are, standing next to the skating rink. Their heads are close together as they talk and sip their coffee in between shared giggles.
I head toward them, my head down-turned slightly so as not to draw attention to myself, though I keep them within my peripheral vision. I am casual in my approach, and mimic my usual habit and demeanor when I’m window shopping as I make my way over to them. I grab a cup of cocoa from a vendor and head over with the pretense of watching the skaters. My heartis pounding nervously, and Jak’s rapid deterioration weighs heavily on my mind, making me more anxious.
Just remain calm and casual, Shawna.
I make as if I’m intently watching one of the skaters gliding and put on a show of distractedly following the figure skater’s path as I purposefully sidestep into the woman beside me. I jostle her and she makes a sound of dismay as some of her latte spills... landing directly on me. The hot coffee scalds even through my glove, so it’s not all exactly pretense when I yelp in shocked pain. Granted, I had planned that and am definitely playing up my reaction, but it still hurts like a bitch and the relief I feel when I yank off the wet glove and expose my hand to the cold air is almost instantaneous.
“Oh shit, sorry!” my prey exclaims. “Are you okay?”
I give her a small smile as I shake my hand a bit. “Fine, fine. It is all my fault. I wasn’t paying attention. There are some talented skaters out there.”
Her face lights up with relief, and she nods as she resumes watching the skaters. “For sure! I think a few of them are involved in some regional competitions this year.”
“Oh? I’m just passing through town and was enamored by the holiday display. It must be a big draw for a lot of people. Are you locals?”
