“It would summon a demon,” Willy said through clenched teeth as he glided around his desk.
“Psh.” She waved off his reaction. “Demons aren’t so bad.” She’d been in a room full of them once. They’d tried to intimidate her, but she could’ve taken them all on, easy peasy.
Ethan squeezed her hand. “You’ve only met the recovering ones.”
“True.” And that succubus did seem fierce. She might have given her a run for her money.
The Magistrate opened a drawer, shoved the bell inside, and pulled out a sheet of paper. “Fill out his registration form. Get some blood in him, and we will hope to hell that solves the problem with his brain. I’d hate to see the fae queen’s reaction if it doesn’t.”
Gaston visibly shuddered, and Ethan seemed to shrink inward. Jane didn’t know much about the fae, but she had a feeling they weren’t all fairy dust and lollipops based on her friends’ reactions.
She scribbled Santa’s information onto the form: First Name: Santa. Surname: Claus. Address? North Pole was good enough, right?
Willy…err…the Magistrate—she really needed to stop calling him that in her mind before she slipped and said it out loud—put his stamp of approval on the form and gave her a registration card for her charge.
He rose to his feet and moved so fluidly toward the door he seemed to float above the floor. “He will need to be licensed and sent back to the North Pole before Christmas Eve. Teach him quickly.”
“Aye-aye, Captain. I mean, Your Honor.” Jane saluted the Magistrate, and he paused in the doorway.
“And Jane, my dear. This really is your last strike. I appreciate everything you’ve done for the vampire community, but you’ve taken more than you’ve given. We’ve kept your undead condition a secret from the Texas Governor long enough. It’s time to come clean, and take care of this problem…” He gestured to Santa, who still sat in his chair, swaying and humming. “Or there will be hell to pay.”
A lump of hot coal lodged in her throat, foreshadowing how Christmas would go for her, perhaps? She nodded and swallowed it down as the Magistrate disappeared down the hall.
“Willy Wonka!” She slapped her hand over her mouth, trying her damnedest to hold in the fit of giggles threatening to escape. She could not break down in the coven house.
“Jane…” Ethan rubbed his temples.
“It must have taken incredible restraint for you to not say that in my presence,” the Magistrate’s voice drifted through her mind. “I am confident you will clean up your mess before Christmas Eve. Do not let me down.”
She blew out a breath, her shoulders slumping in relief. “Good goat cheese pizza. That was a hoot, wasn’t it?”
Santa held his hands palms up, and a ten-inch with ham appeared before her eyes.
“Thanks, buddy. Don’t mind if I do.” She picked up a slice and took a bite. Human food had no nutritional value for the undead, but she’d be damned before she’d give up life’s little pleasures. Especially if her undead days were numbered.
Chapter Five
Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets and walked a few paces behind Jane as they made their way into the French Quarter to look for Santa’s first meal. His brow furrowed, and he looked every bit the brooding vampire he was when she first met him.
“What’s wrong, babe?” She thought-spoke to avoid saying something that would trigger Santa to materialize a gift in front of the humans.
“Nothing,” he grumbled. Yep, he was laying his Edward Cullen act on thick.
They crossed Bourbon Street, and, as expected, Gaston hung a left and disappeared into the crowd. That was fine. As long as Santa didn’t faint at the sight of blood, teaching him to feed shouldn’t be difficult. His throat had to be a desert full of cacti by now.
The scents of sage and incense filled the breeze as they passed Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo, and the symphony of music and laughter quieted as they drifted farther into the residential section of the Quarter.
Quaint Creole cottages painted in shades of blue and yellow lined the street, their windows and porches adorned with tinsel and wreaths in December’s signature colors. Santa smiled, revealing dimples and an impressive set of fangs. Good. He was thirsty.
“Santa got run over by a vampire…” he sang.
“Seriously, man. Can you come up with another song to sing?” she asked. “That one’s getting old.”
He rubbed his beard, looking thoughtful for a moment before he crooned, “On the first day of Christmas, a vampire ran over me, while I was peeing on a tree.”
Jane lifted her hands in the air and dropped them at her sides. “I give up.”
Ethan looked so tense, you could have cracked a chestnut between his butt cheeks and roasted it in his glowering gaze.
She’d sensed he was stressed ever since they decided to invite her dad over for Christmas, and she understood now why he was nervous, but damn. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. There had to be something else bothering him.
She stepped between two houses, disappearing into the shadows and tugging Santa back with her. “Focus on being invisible. That’s the first lesson in vampire glamour. Blend in, so the humans don’t suspect they’re about to become a meal.”
Santa winked and disappeared.
“Wow. You’re a fast learner. Even I can’t see through your glamour.” She touched his arm, and the magical veil dissolved from her view.
“He’s using fae glamour,” Ethan said. “The only thing you’ll need to teach him is how to bite without hurting and how to seal the wounds.”
“That makes my job a whole helluva lot easier. Now, we just wait for someone to walk by.” She reached for Ethan’s hand, but he kept it shoved in his pocket.
She sighed. “Really, Ethan. Tell me what’s on your mind. Maybe I can help?”
He locked his brooding gaze with hers, and his jaw clenched. “I’m nervous about meeting your dad.”
“I know, but it seems like there’s something more.”
He ground his teeth, hesitating to go on, so she batted her lashes, imploring him with her gaze.
“I haven’t had a happy Christmas in twenty-five years, and I was looking forward to spending this one with you and our friends. Now, we’re coming clean to your dad and dealing with this.” He waved a hand at Santa, who waved back. “It’s not the Christmas I was hoping for.”
Well, damn. She’d forgotten how miserable Ethan had been before they met. Her bright idea to have her dad over had made him anxious enough, and now they had Sanity-Impaired Santa to deal with on top of it all.
Jane hadn’t saved Christmas. She’d ruined it for the one person who meant the most.
“I’ll call him and cancel. I can say I’ve come down with the flu.” She linked her arm around his. “He thinks I’m human, so he’ll believe it.”
“No. We need to tell him. We should have told him when we were in Texas last month.”
The boys had driven her to see the High Priestess of the Texas coven of witches to acquire a potion her best friend Sophie had needed. Jane briefly saw her father then, but she’d left Ethan and Gaston behind, not ready to deal with the fallout of telling him that not only was she a vampire, but she’d gotten married without his blessing.