Her friend smiles enthusiastically and nods. “We live in the next town over, but the holiday scene here is always a big attraction. We planned all week to come out and have some fun while getting our Christmas shopping done.” She lifts her brightly colored shopping bags emphatically.
I return her smile and nod appreciatively at their shopping efforts. “That is great!”
Now how the hell do I get them to go to the tree?
“Have you been here before?” the friend asks, and I shake my head absently as I consider my dilemma.
“No, it’s the first time. I’m driving out to see family for the holidays.” Not quite a lie in the larger scheme of things.
“Oh! Then you should definitely stick around and explore a bit! Don’t forget your ornament!”
“My ornament?” I echo.
She nods enthusiastically. “You see that tree back there?” she asks, dipping her head in the direction from which I just came.
Mystified, I glance back at it with exaggerated confusion while I wrestle down my growing excitement.Keep playing the dumb tourist.
“There is a small greeting card shop across the street. They sell ornaments with a percentage of profit going to a local children’s charity. It is a local tradition to buy an ornament to put on the tree. In fact, we haven’t done it yet. Would you like to come with us? It will give you a bit of good luck for the coming year,” she adds playfully.
The shop will be a small delay, but it sounds like the most effective method of getting them there, so I nod in agreement. The one who spilled coffee on me, loops her arm through mine in an incredibly friendly fashion that makes me feel a little guilty and before I know it, I am being led back down to the road toward a small, brightly lit shop on the corner directly across from the large tree dominating the square. As we walk, I only half-listen to their excited chatter as we navigate the icy street to Nan’s Greetings.
The shop is small and almost has a confectionary appearance from the outside with its pristine white exterior and its adorable cottage-style architecture. Everything screams holiday warmth and cheer, right down to the lively Christmas scene painted on its window. Just beyond that, the cozy interior is visible and lively with the warmth of all manner of holiday decorations. It is definitely the picture of small-town charm that is completedby the sound of a bell over the door ringing and the smell of cinnamon rolls hitting my nose as we step inside.
Despite the charm, I’m getting impatient, and their giggling is getting on my last nerve. Can’t they just hurry things along a bit? I pluck the first ornament I see from a shelf and wait for them to collect what they want. I resist the urge to tap my foot, though I steal a couple of impatient looks out the window toward the tree. There is no ruckus over there, so I’m assuming no one has come across Jak yet. But time is dragging as the pair slowly makes their way down one aisle and then another, pointing out ornaments to each other and giggling quietly amongst themselves. This is wasting valuable time. Maybe I should have chosen a different target. They certainly aren’t in any hurry to head over to the tree.
And to make matters worse, my face is starting to hurt from this phony baloney smile I’ve pasted on my face. They look up and wave at me excitedly, and I return a cheerful wave as I grind my teeth anxiously. Finally, they make their way to register with their chosen ornaments, and I want to let loose a hallelujah, but I keep that to myself as I grin at them.
“You ready?” I ask, practically ushering them to the register.
They nod but then one looks down at the ornament in my hands and elbows her friend. As one, they stare at my ornament for a moment and briefly exchange a look before bursting into giggles. My brow furrows a bit with my confusion, and I glance down at the ornament in my hand. I sigh inwardly at the small, sculpted woman blowing a kiss at me while scantily clad in revealing Santa lingerie. Is that what I grabbed? Okay, maybe it’s not a fabulous choice as far as ornaments go, but I wasn’t exactly paying attention. I don’t even care about the ornament itself. It is just a means to an end. But the giggles coming from the pair of hyenas in front of me are already becoming tiring. As is thewhispering that I can hear coming from them as they bow their heads together as they stand in front of the register.
Yes, yes, so funny. I essentially got a Playboy ornament. Ha. Ha. I remind myself that these girls aren’t likely older than twenty and my temperament is currently too frayed for their harmless, carefree fun. Thankfully, they pay for their purchases quickly and proceed to nudge each other out of the way of the register where I promptly pay for my lewd little friend and follow my “companions” back out the door into the cold.
“Brr, let’s go hang these up so we can grab lunch,” one woman comments, and I smile gratefully.
“Yes, time to feed,” I murmur happily.
The other woman looks at me and gives an awkward laugh. “Yeah. I think we are approaching dinner time now. You care to join us?”
I nod and reply with an agreeable smile, but I am only half paying attention. Instead, I am focused entirely on the tree as we draw close to it... and to Jak’s hiding place. I manage not to twitch impatiently as we hang our ornaments on the tree, but I can’t lie. I am bubbling with excitement as we turn away so that we are walking immediately in front of the large painted boxes. My fingers twitch restlessly, my mind frantically trying to work out how this is to proceed next, when Elsiana suddenly steps between the boxes and blows something that looks like pink frosted vapor directly into their faces. Both women come to an immediate stop and greet her with silent, vapid smiles. I glance over at Elsiana in surprise.
“What the hell?”
She grins at me and crooks her finger, silently inviting the women to come closer. In unison, they walk toward her, moving as if they are in a trance as they slip between the boxes to stand docilely beside Jak’s unconscious body. I cast a worried lookdown at him. He surprisingly doesn’t look as bad as I thought he would.
“I have already passed a feeding on to him,” Elsiana explains as she circles the women standing in front of her with vacant smiles on their faces. “I stunned a robust and jolly sort of male just now and fed Jak the energy.”
“Stunned?” I echo, glancing at the rumpled Santa passed out in the snow. I gesture to the women. “Is that what this is?”
Elsiana dips her head in agreement. “It is necessary magic. Our bodies produce certain compounds that, when combined just right and dispersed through our saliva, make our survival possible. It makes our prey pliable for the feeding so that it feels like nothing more than a foggy dream that they will wake up from. Ideally, they would be brimming with holiday energy like fattened calves, but we shall take what we can.” She purses her lips at Santa. “Unfortunately, the inebriated must sleep it off for a short time before they come around. He will be fine.”
“I see,” I murmur in fascination as I watch her approach each woman and tip her head back so that they are looking up at superior height.
Elsiana’s lips part just inches from the first woman, and I watch with growing fascination as glowing energy suddenly lifts from between the woman’s lips and passes over to the demoness. She draws in more and more, but it doesn’t seem to last long before she is turning to the other one and repeating the process over again. At last, she abandons that one too and spins away from them to kneel at Jak’s side. Dropping to her knees, she lowers her mouth to a space within just a couple of inches of his lips and exhales a slow stream of energy into his lips.
Jak’s chest lifts in response to the flow of energy filling him, his back arching in reaction as she feeds more and more energy into him. He doesn’t struggle, but his muscles tense and strain as if subconsciously fighting it until the last bit passes from her andenters him. His chest heaves as he draws a deep, ragged breath, and his eyes snap open, glowing bright for a moment before slamming shut with a painful groan as he rolls to his side.
“No more,” Jak groans, and his wings flap pitifully as they cut into the snow. His tail thrashes, but the movement is so weak that it is more like the death throes of a snake collapsing beside him. “No more females.”
