kidding me?” Jack groaned, angry with his cousin for showing such poor taste. “That’s the Rein Dear you were talking about? Good luck with that.”
“What’s he on about?” Vixen asked, looking insulted, though the simpleton had no notion as to why he was being insulted. Why was Jack even dealing with this ridiculous elfling crush?
“Ignore him,” Vale muttered, casting Jack an unpleasant glare. “He’s not himself at the moment.”
Not himself? The words greatly disturbed him. Was he not himself? How was he not himself?
“Jack?”
Tim’s voice interrupted his thoughts. There was nothing wrong with him. He was carrying out his duty. Was he supposed to skulk about like some timid elf? “Go home. You two are nothing but a nuisance. Go pester someone else. I have work to do.”
“But….” Tim looked up at Jack with his big, innocent eyes. The sight made him furious for some unseen reason.
“I don’t need a tiny, worthless little elf slowing me down. How you could be the son of a toy soldier I’ll never know.”
Tim gasped, his eyes growing glassy. Sweet, merciful Heavens, he was surrounded by children.
“You miserable bastard! I’ll—”
“Noel! No.” Tim threw his arms around Noel, and held him close. “Please, don’t.”
“Tim….” Noel wrapped his arms around the tiny elf, crushing him in his embrace as if to shield him from Jack. Good, they should fear him. Everyone should fear him. There had been a time when the mere mention of his name was enough to instill alarm. He didn’t need these pathetic little creatures.
“Leave him. He doesn’t want our help.” Tim looked up at Jack, the strange look in his eyes sending another sharp strike through Jack’s heart, and he clutched at his chest. What was it about the tiny elf that cut so deeply, and why? Why should he care about the runt? What use was he? He couldn’t fight, couldn’t summon magic. He was so small. Useless.
Even as the thoughts crossed Jack’s mind, his chest grew tighter. He had to get away from here, from them, all of them. Why was he even here? Fig. That insolent elf had betrayed him. Jack walked out of the room into the raging snowstorm. He would make an example out of the traitorous elf. It was time these Christmas elves knew their place.
Chapter Ten
“R UDY !”
Rudy sat up in his bed with a groan, concerned by the panicked voice of his sweet friend. Tim came running into the room, followed by Noel, Vale, and Vixen. Plum pudding , it was worse than he thought.
Vale quickly went to Rudy’s side, taking his hand in his. “I didn’t want to believe it. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Rudy assured the handsome toy soldier, touched by his concern. Vixen plopped himself on the bed beside Rudy, his expression dismal and so very unlike him. If there was one Rein Dear who was always in high spirits, causing mischief wherever he went, it was the handsome, fair-haired Vixen.
“What’s crawled up your lover’s stocking and died? You’d think he made the naughty list the way he’s stomping about glaring at elves as if the gesture alone would turn them to ice.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Not that it’s all that different to how he usually is, now that I think about it.”
Rudy cast his Rein Dear brother a weary glance. It seemed as if Vixen and Jack were always arguing. There was some truth to what Rudy had told Jack. Vixen did tend to have bouts of jealousy concerning Rudy’s relationship, but only because in his friend’s eyes, Rudy had managed to “snag himself a prince.” Vixen also thought it wasn’t fair Rudy had been chosen for Captain above the others, as if Rudy hadn’t worked himself to exhaustion at Clause College and the Rein Dear Academy to earn his post while Vixen had been out getting merry on eggnog and going through helper elves as if he were trying to break a world record. At times Rudy wanted to strangle Vixen with his own ostentatious candy cane bowtie.
“What’s he on about?” Vixen asked, looking insulted, though the simpleton had no notion as to why he was being insulted. Why was Jack even dealing with this ridiculous elfling crush?
“Ignore him,” Vale muttered, casting Jack an unpleasant glare. “He’s not himself at the moment.”
Not himself? The words greatly disturbed him. Was he not himself? How was he not himself?
“Jack?”
Tim’s voice interrupted his thoughts. There was nothing wrong with him. He was carrying out his duty. Was he supposed to skulk about like some timid elf? “Go home. You two are nothing but a nuisance. Go pester someone else. I have work to do.”
“But….” Tim looked up at Jack with his big, innocent eyes. The sight made him furious for some unseen reason.
“I don’t need a tiny, worthless little elf slowing me down. How you could be the son of a toy soldier I’ll never know.”
Tim gasped, his eyes growing glassy. Sweet, merciful Heavens, he was surrounded by children.
“You miserable bastard! I’ll—”
“Noel! No.” Tim threw his arms around Noel, and held him close. “Please, don’t.”
“Tim….” Noel wrapped his arms around the tiny elf, crushing him in his embrace as if to shield him from Jack. Good, they should fear him. Everyone should fear him. There had been a time when the mere mention of his name was enough to instill alarm. He didn’t need these pathetic little creatures.
“Leave him. He doesn’t want our help.” Tim looked up at Jack, the strange look in his eyes sending another sharp strike through Jack’s heart, and he clutched at his chest. What was it about the tiny elf that cut so deeply, and why? Why should he care about the runt? What use was he? He couldn’t fight, couldn’t summon magic. He was so small. Useless.
Even as the thoughts crossed Jack’s mind, his chest grew tighter. He had to get away from here, from them, all of them. Why was he even here? Fig. That insolent elf had betrayed him. Jack walked out of the room into the raging snowstorm. He would make an example out of the traitorous elf. It was time these Christmas elves knew their place.
Chapter Ten
“R UDY !”
Rudy sat up in his bed with a groan, concerned by the panicked voice of his sweet friend. Tim came running into the room, followed by Noel, Vale, and Vixen. Plum pudding , it was worse than he thought.
Vale quickly went to Rudy’s side, taking his hand in his. “I didn’t want to believe it. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Rudy assured the handsome toy soldier, touched by his concern. Vixen plopped himself on the bed beside Rudy, his expression dismal and so very unlike him. If there was one Rein Dear who was always in high spirits, causing mischief wherever he went, it was the handsome, fair-haired Vixen.
“What’s crawled up your lover’s stocking and died? You’d think he made the naughty list the way he’s stomping about glaring at elves as if the gesture alone would turn them to ice.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Not that it’s all that different to how he usually is, now that I think about it.”
Rudy cast his Rein Dear brother a weary glance. It seemed as if Vixen and Jack were always arguing. There was some truth to what Rudy had told Jack. Vixen did tend to have bouts of jealousy concerning Rudy’s relationship, but only because in his friend’s eyes, Rudy had managed to “snag himself a prince.” Vixen also thought it wasn’t fair Rudy had been chosen for Captain above the others, as if Rudy hadn’t worked himself to exhaustion at Clause College and the Rein Dear Academy to earn his post while Vixen had been out getting merry on eggnog and going through helper elves as if he were trying to break a world record. At times Rudy wanted to strangle Vixen with his own ostentatious candy cane bowtie.
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