Malled by Christmas (Operation Reindeer Retrieval Book 2) Read online

  When they left, she waved farewell to her teammate and locked up behind her. Nero was setting aside all of the items that he had borrowed from the different shops to use as props.

  “I don’t suppose you can lock these up for me?”

  She sighed. “Of course.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Just a moment.”

  She slipped to the tree and grabbed her makeup case. “Ready?”

  He grinned. “I thought that she had done a great job with her makeup.”

  “I can tell, she left lipstick on your cheek.” Dana smirked and shrugged. “She looked like she needed a hand.”

  “You are very good at assessment.”

  “You have mentioned that before.”

  They walked through the halls until she got to the security office. She left a note for the morning staff regarding the different shops involved in the samples. She included a note in the computer and another on Jeffrey’s locker.

  She put the makeup case back in her own locker and turned toward Nero. “Are you ready to go?”

  He nodded. “Just let me get my cameras and I will be happy to head home for the night.”

  She followed him to the grotto and led him to the doors near where he parked.

  They were nearly to his vehicle when lights flared a few rows away and one of the silent cars roared toward them.

  Three young men charged out, demanding Nero’s cameras.

  He swiftly prepared to defend himself, but Dana was in charge of his security, so she moved forward.

  Martial arts were a form of dance and so was bar brawling. She used both techniques to get them to the ground. The three men groaned.

  Nero was near her. “I called the police.”

  Apparently, that was the magic phrase to get two of the young men up and moving. They staggered to their vehicle and left. The third man couldn’t move. Dana was sitting on him.

  She looked up and nodded toward the security camera. The entire event had been caught on the camera.

  Nero asked, “Are you all right?”

  Dana grinned and then noted that she had a bloody nose. It was either that or she had bitten one of the buggers.

  “I am fine. I heal quickly.”

  The lights and sirens marked the arrival of the police, and what followed was a set of interviews that took her to the end of her shift. She had called Jeffrey in early and explained the situation. He arrived while she was explaining that she had the make and plate number of the car for the third time.

  Nero’s calm voice confirmed everything she said, and finally, she shrugged. “Well, my shift is over. I am going home.”

  The police appeared nonplussed. “We aren’t done.”

  “I am standing outside, and I don’t have a coat on. We have been here for an hour and even the butthead who tried to attack me is in a nice warm police car.” She faked a shiver.

  Nero snorted.

  “I have the recording of the event in the office. If one of you will follow me, I will have Jeffrey make you a copy and then I can go home.” She smiled brightly, and the officer seemed dazed. It was enough for her, and she headed inside, telling Jeffrey which camera and what footage.

  She really just wanted to go home and get some rest.

  Nero followed her in, trailing after her like an elegant puppy.

  She stopped in the centre of the hallway. “What is it?”

  “I realise that the timing is not ideal, but I would like to invite you to a formal ball this weekend. I have asked Toby, and he said that you have the night off.”

  Dana was more stunned by that than the attack. “A ball?”

  “The Snowflake Ball. It is a charity event that I have photographed in the past. This time, I am one of the paying masses.”

  She was trying to figure out what to say, but what came out was, “I don’t have a dress.”

  “You work at a mall. I am sure that something will appear that suits you.” He smiled and took one of her hands, kissing the inside of her wrist.

  “Well, then. Yes.”

  The police officer was behind Nero and rapidly getting closer.

  Nero inclined his head. “I will see you home.”

  She paused, looked around and nodded. “Give me ten minutes.”

  She took the officer to the security office, showed Jeffrey how to find the file and set it to copy to disk. When that was running, she changed out of her uniform and into her normal clothing. Her skates were in her car.

  “Okay, I am out of here. Officer, I hope you have a charming evening.”

  She swanned away and met Nero in the hall. “I am not going home yet.”

  “Where can I follow you?”

  “I get my own stalker? Nice.” She chuckled. “I am going to the all-night skating arena.”

  “They have one of those?”

  “Follow me and find out.”

  She had to stop and give all her contact information to the officer who was actually writing things down, but when she was behind the wheel with Nero behind her in his own vehicle, she had to admit that her day was looking up.

  After a short drive with her red shadow, she pulled into the arena lot and smiled as his car pulled up next to her.

  When he got out, she chirped, “You have seen me here safely. Job well done. Go home, you look exhausted.”

  He shook his head. “I can stay awake long enough to see you home. Do you do this every night?”

  She shrugged and grabbed her skates from her trunk. “Yes. I find it relaxing.”

  He followed her into the arena, and she showed her pass to the clerk on duty while jerking a thumb toward Nero. “He is here to supervise.”

  He nodded and returned to his computer.

  She led Nero to the seats and got her skates on. When she got to her feet, he chuckled. “So, you are taller now.”

  She made a face. “Still not taller than you are.”

  “Genetics in action.”

  Dana nodded and made her way carefully to the ice. When she was firmly on the frozen surface, she took off with all the energy that she had been holding in.

  Time blurred with the joy of motion as she shifted, twisted and felt the icy caress of wind on her cheeks.

  Her hair fluttered as her speed caused it to flick and flip.

  She listened to the pitch of her skates on the ice, jumped, turned and, after close to an hour, she pulled herself to a halt.

  She was sweaty but relaxed when she left the ice.

  Nero was standing next to the entryway, and he offered his hand. “You are amazing on ice.”

  Dana winked. “You should see me on silk sheets.”

  He paused, and a slow smile crossed his lips as he steadied her toward her shoes.

  She unlaced her skates and slipped her feet into the sneakers that she favoured. Her skates were dried off and tucked carefully back in her bag, and then, she got to her feet.

  “Okay, now, I am on the way home, and then, you will head to your own place, right?”

  Nero smiled. “Unless you take pity and offer me your couch.”

  “I have a queen-sized pull-out couch. That should do.” She put the skate bag over her shoulder and led the way back to the parking lot.

  He rushed up next to her as they made it into the pre-dawn light. “You are serious?”

  “I know where you work and can take care of myself. Follow me and you can spend what is left of the night on my couch.”

  Nero nodded and headed for his car.

  Dana called herself nine kinds of fool as she drove home.

  When he parked behind her and followed her to her door, she had definite second thoughts. As she stepped inside her home and invited him inside, she felt like she had just invited the devil. Her soul was definitely at stake.

  Dana cleared her throat. “The couch is a fold-out. You should fit if you lie on it diagonally.”

  She walked to the linen closet, opened it and grabbed extra blankets and puffy pillows. She hea
rd the squeak and thud as the couch opened, and she returned to the living room. The bed was folded out and Nero was removing his shirt.

  She blinked in surprise as he peeled off the fabric, but her surprise turned to shock when she saw the distinct snowflake mark on the right side of his chest. The silvery sheen was visible, even from across the room.

  “Is that a tattoo?” Her voice was high, even to her own ears.

  He paused with his shirt over his forearms. “More or less. I am guessing that you have one somewhere on you.”

  Dana stepped back. “Why are you here?”

  “I am here to retrieve one of the reindeer. We have some time, but I have to convince you to come back before Christmas.”

  She tried an obvious defense. “You are insane, is that it?”

  “No, just your average, run-of-the-mill elf. You are a reindeer inhabiting the human world for the first time. No sense denying it, your horns showed themselves for a second while you were fighting those thugs tonight.”

  Her hand went to the crown of her head. “They did?”

  “Just for a second. I wasn’t positive until then, but that locked it in.”

  Dana blushed. “Damn. I didn’t think about that.”

  She put the pillows and blankets down on the edge of the bed. “So, how are you going to do it?”

  He raised his brows, and she watched his abs bunch as he opened the button on his jeans. “Do what?”

  “Convince me to go back with you?”

  He unzipped his jeans, and she turned her back. He chuckled. “I will think of something, but I thought asking you out on a date was a good start.”

  She suddenly remembered. “Right. Formal evening in two days.”

  She heard the springs of the bed squeak as he slid under the sheets and he reached for the blankets.

  “Yes. You have to dance with me.” He settled, and she heard him give a deep sigh.

  A small peep behind her showed that he had tucked the bedding and sheets to his hips and the rest of him was gleaming and naked.

  She bit her lip and closed the drapes. “Set your alarm if you need one. The drapes keep most of the daylight out.”

  He grunted, and she saw him illuminated in the light of his phone. “Thanks for the tip. Argus mentioned that his reindeer was nocturnal, and it never struck me until now that it is probably when you are most comfortable working.”

  She shrugged and locked the door, turning off the hall lights as she headed to her bedroom. “It is all that we know, after all.”

  * * * *

  Nero listened to the footfalls and Dana’s movements in her bedroom.

  The loneliness of her last statement speared through him. At the mall, humans, who had accepted and welcomed her as one of their own, surrounded her. To go back to being locked up at the workshop wasn’t a fate that he wanted for her. She needed light and life.

  If she let him, he would like to offer it to her. To hell with Santa’s protocols. He hadn’t left the research department of the naughty-or-nice list in order to enslave one of the loveliest, most graceful creatures that he had ever seen.

  She would be free after Christmas whether Santa liked it or not. She deserved freedom.

  Nero settled back on the surprisingly comfortable bed and let sleep overtake him. He had his plan.

  * * * *

  Dana slept her four hours and got up, moving as quietly as she could. She took a shower and wrapped herself in a thick and plushy robe before sneaking out into the kitchen to make some coffee.

  Being stealthy in her own space was a little awkward, but she did the best she could.

  The low rumble from the couch made her freeze in her tracks. “Can I get a cup of coffee out of your preparations?”

  Dana cleared her throat. “Sure. Can I offer you some cinnamon raisin toast? I can’t get enough of the stuff.”

  “Please. What time is it?”

  “Around eleven in the morning. We got in kinda late, so I stayed in bed as long as I could.”

  “Four hours of sleep?”

  “The team has a lot of stamina. We rest when we are given unlimited time to do so.”

  “So, you rest on Christmas day.”

  “Pretty much. After that, we do all the filing for the naughty-or-nice list and spend our time wondering what we would do with unlimited freedom every other day of the year.”

  He gathered the sheet around his hips and got to his feet. His braid had come partially undone, and the loose hair was swaying as he walked. He opened the blackout curtains and smiled at her.

  “Somehow, when I imagine you in bed, I don’t think of that robe.”

  She held her arms out while the coffee machine chugged away. “Don’t you like these cartoons? I find that just looking at the robe makes me smile. You should see the onesie that I managed to find in my size. I am all about comfort.”

  When he looked down, he let out a blast of laughter.

  She wiggled her reindeer slippers, and the noses lit up with a red glow.

  “And amusement. You would not believe the kind of things you can find at the mall.”

  He grinned. “I would believe just about anything. I found you there, after all.”

  She cocked her head. “How did you find me?”

  “Christmas magic and one very important fact, you are female and carry the Spirit of Christmas with you wherever you go. You glow with it.”

  Dana paused for a moment, and then, she cleared her throat. “Right. The coffee is ready. Put your pants on.”

  He obeyed immediately, dropping the sheet.

  She whirled and turned her back to him while he broadcast a feeling of smugness through her home.

  The toast ejected, and she jumped, slathering butter on the hot surface of fruit and bread before pouring a cup of coffee and moving around to her eat-in counter.

  She returned to the kitchen, poured him a cup of coffee and popped the raisin toast into the toaster.

  Without looking into the living room where Nero was getting dressed, she managed to hop onto her stool and faced the counter as she ate her normal breakfast.

  When the toast popped, he took up her field of vision as he buttered his toast and picked up his coffee, walking around to sit next to her. He was completely dressed, and she glanced at him. “When do you start work?”

  “David is there until three. I will start just before you do.”

  “Well, you are an excellent and patient photographer. Do you really enjoy the kids as much as you seem to?”

  He nodded. “Of course. This is the job that I do all year round. I seek out the naughty and the nice, taking in how they react to those around them.”

  She paused, “You get to travel away from the workshop?”

  “I do. The entire naughty-or-nice-list department has something to seek out specifically. I specialise in kindness toward siblings.”

  Dana finished her coffee while that sank in. He got to see the children that Santa was bringing gifts to.

  “Well, this explains the reports that we spend the rest of the year scanning and filing.” Dana grimaced.

  “The reindeer do that?”

  “Yup. It is our make-work job for the rest of the year.” She set her coffee cup on her plate and went around the corner to wash them and put them away.

  “What are you doing for the rest of the day before work?” He seemed hopeful.

  Dana gave him a stern look. “I am shopping for a dress.”

  He gave her a shy smile. “Ah, right. So, you are still coming with me?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I said yes. I meant yes.”

  Desperate for a distraction, she turned on the television and flipped to the news channel. The images of the mall raiders from the night before were identified next to their mug shots and clips of her kicking them down kept scrolling on repeat.

  “Oh, geez. I had better check my phone.” She headed to her phone, and sure enough, there were dozens of messages that she hadn’t heard. She turned the sou
nd on, but kept it low because the notices kept coming.

  She checked her email and the mall was giving her a few days off until the furor died down. They were geared toward families, and they didn’t want to draw any of the news crews. She returned to her spot next to Nero.

  The messages were requests for interviews. Dana made a face at her phone.

  “Well, I am guessing that you are going to have to shop elsewhere for your dress.” Nero chuckled. He went through his phone and asked her, “What is your number? There is a shop that will definitely offer you an excellent selection just across the city.”

  She pouted, but gave him her number. A moment later, a ping from her phone told her that she had a message. “Thanks.”

  Nero smiled and patted her hand. “I promise to speak only good things about you if anyone wants to meet and greet the intended victim.”

  She gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Make sure that you do.”

  He nodded. “Well, I am going to head home and change before I have to go and face your adoring public.”

  He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She tasted coffee and cinnamon, barely registering the kiss before he was gone.

  The cool air from the door opening and closing brushed against her face and snapped her out of her bemused stupor. “Right. Dress. Need clothing to shop.” She muttered to herself as she returned to her bedroom to get dressed for shopping. The lights on her slippers lit with every step. Ru would get a kick out of them.

  The gilded lettering over the shop was so elaborate that Dana couldn’t figure out what it said. Regardless, she headed into the shop with a determined stride.

  The woman behind the counter paused and smiled as Dana came inside.

  The gowns on display took Dana’s breath away. She had the feeling that the bank account and earnings of her time in the human world were about to be passed into one of those dresses.

  Dana walked up to the woman and was direct. “I am looking for a dress for the Snowflake Ball.”

  The woman winced. “Last minute.”

  “I was just asked yesterday. We only met this week.” Dana wanted to smack herself for making excuses for the last-minute nature of the gown shopping.