A Vampire's Christmas Carol

Ben walked through the small town until he found the pickup truck that waited for him. He’d left the truck near the town’s lone bar. He jumped inside the vehicle and was back at his little cabin within moments. The cabin was a dump, but he’d stayed in worse places. Far worse.

And to think…once, he’d lived in penthouses. The world had been at his feet.

Now he spent his time in darkness.

He slammed the cabin’s door shut behind him. Ben marched toward the empty fireplace and—

Flames erupted in that fireplace, shooting out at him. Swearing, Ben leapt back as the heat lanced over him. The flames rose, licking near the cabin’s sagging ceiling.

Then Ben saw the demon in the middle of those flames. William. Demons could control fire at will. The tricky SOBs could also teleport any place they wanted, in the blink of an eye.

Humans didn’t know about demons. They didn’t know about shifters and vampires—well, they didn’t know unless they were prey. By that point, it was generally too late to matter. The paranormal beings kept to the shadows, and the humans passed their days in blind ignorance.

“I don’t remember inviting you inside,” Ben snapped when the flames finally started to die down. The jerk demon had singed his ceiling.

Vampires and fire didn’t mix so well. Fire could kill a vamp, just as surely as a stake and beheading combo. A stake alone wouldn’t do the trick, not permanently. To keep a vampire from rising, the vamp’s head had to be removed.

Or the vamp’s body had to be burned until only ashes remained.

William laughed. “Your kind needs the invitation to enter. Not mine.” The flames vanished. William’s tattoos swirled. “I’m here to repay a debt, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Ben ground his teeth together. “I never meant to save you. Does that cancel the debt?”

William’s blue eyes glinted. “No.”

Hell.

The demon’s head cocked to the right. His hair was long and dark, hanging to his shoulders. “Do you know what tomorrow is, vampire?”

Sure he did. He might be a vamp, but he wasn’t an idiot. As he’d slogged through the town of Desolate, Ben hadn’t exactly missed the decorations that hung from every storefront. “Christmas.” Just saying the word made pain wrench through him. He’d become a vampire ten years ago, right before Christmas. He’d lost her, right after the clock struck midnight on what the humans thought was such a happy day.

Ben raked a hand through his hair. “I f**king hate Christmas.”

William’s lips twitched, then he waved his hand toward the bare cabin walls. “That would explain the lack of decorations in your, uh, charming abode here. You know, a tree, some garland—shit like that would really liven up this dump.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re a demon.”

“Talk about stating the obvious.” William sighed. “I’m a demon, but I’m not evil.” His lips definitely twisted into a smile this time. “And I f**king love Christmas. I mean, seriously—presents? Spiked eggnog? How does it get better?”

Ben’s temples started to pound. “Get out of my house.”

“I don’t know that this place qualifies as a house.”

The demon was a total dick.

William shook his head. “Besides, I can’t just walk away from you. That’s not how it works.” His gaze dipped around the little cabin once more. “Maybe I’ll decorate it for you. I’m sure she would appreciate some Christmas touches.”

Right. The demon was a dick, and he was insane. “There aren’t any women here. Just one psychotic demon and—”

“A vampire who is getting his last chance to change.” The words held no humor. Only cold, hard promise. “The others downstairs, they wanted to mark you as evil already. To just put your name on the list and consider your fate sealed.”

Ben stilled. Downstairs?

“The powers-that-be have looked ahead, you see, and they know what you’re going to do.”

Cold air seemed to fill the room.

“But I don’t think you’ve crossed the line yet,” the demon said with another shake of his head. “And since I owe you, I agreed to do this little routine once more.”

Routine? Ben felt so f**king lost.

William shrugged. “I’ve done it a few times in the past. Sometimes it works.” Sadness crept over his face. “And, sometimes there is no saving the lost.” His gaze raked over Ben. “The debt I owe you will be paid by midnight. One way or another.”

“I don’t care if your blood burns,” Ben said, pushed too far. “I’m about to drain you.”

The fire flared again, and in the next instant, William was right in front of Ben. The demon was fast. “You should be more grateful. You’re immortal. One of the most powerful vampires I’ve ever come across. But you’re going down a dark and dangerous path, a path you don’t want to take.”

Ben offered him a grim smile. “It’s the only path for me.” Blood and death and demons. Yeah, that all seemed right.

“Once you wanted more.” William grabbed Ben’s hand. The demon’s touch burned, and smoke rose from Ben’s skin. “You just need to remember that. Remember who you were before.”

Ben twisted his wrist, but, even with his vamp strength, he couldn’t break free from William’s hold. “Let. Me. Go.” Or he’d be ripping the demon’s head off in the next five seconds.

“I’m the first visitor of the night.”

The first?

“There will be three, and in the end, the choice will be yours.” William glared at him. “But I’m telling you, ass**le, make the right choice.”

Ben flashed his fangs and went for the demon’s throat. He braced himself for the acid burn to come. He’d drunk from a demon before, and he knew that taste would be a real bitch.

Before his fangs could slice into William, flames erupted around them. Surrounded them. And Ben knew he was about to die. His last thought…

Finally.

Chapter Two

Ben smashed, face-first, into the snow. He leapt up and spat out the snow that filled his mouth. “What in the hell—”

“Not hell,” William cheerfully told him. “Been there, done that plenty. This is New York. Your old town.”

Ben whirled around. His gaze darted to the left. To the right. Sure enough, he recognized the buildings that shot so high up into the air. New York. He’d lived and breathed in this city for so long.