8. Mortem

T he fire crackles as I hold on to Candy’s hips and stare into her rounded pink eyes.

Could it be that simple?

Could I really change things in Purgatory? Could I simply just think in terms of what Candy needs and not what I deserve?

“You’re overthinking it,” she whispers.

My hands slide up her waist, and I can hear Krampus in the shower. I wonder if he’s taking extra long to give me and Candy some time. I can’t deny that I’m somewhat endeared to the horned beast of a man.

“It doesn’t seem fair for me to have you.”

“I don’t really give a fuck about fair right now, Mortem,” she says, her thick ass rubbing against my thighs.

She leans forward, our lips only a breath apart.

“If you kiss me, that means you’re in. No more talk about what you deserve, no more running. Kissing me means that you belong to me. You won’t belong to your realm anymore. You’ll be mine and I say what you deserve,” she says.

My cock grows in my pants at her words, and from her soft body that’s pressed against my lap.

“You want me to be yours, little cupid?” I ask in awe.

“I haven’t had anything that’s my own, nothing that I really wanted. I’m not the best cupid out there. I’ve never been special. But…when you and Krampus look at me, I feel special. So, yeah. If what you need is to be mine, it’s what I want, and I’d be yours too.”

“You’re not special, Candy, you’re extraordinary.”

She blushes and shakes her head.

“That’s sweet, but I’m really not.”

“Maybe if you can help me see myself in a different light, that I’m not all darkness, I can help you see how truly wonderful you are,” I say back.

I shift my hand up her back, cradling the back of her head, her soft curls pressing against my fingers as I lean forward and press her lips against mine.

Kissing her all those months ago felt frantic and consuming, and while this is equally consuming, it’s different.

This kiss is a promise of something far more. It’s not just carnal urges fueled by the ridiculous pink drinks the cupids have at their functions. This is me taking a step I never thought I’d take, promising myself to someone else, belonging to someone.

Her lips are as soft as I remember. I hold her close to me, our bodies flush with one another as she grips my shoulders and kisses me back with just as much passion.

A small fear still festers in the back of my mind, but this kiss helps put me at ease. She feels so right in my arms—her smaller frame nestled against mine feels so fucking good.

I push away my guilt and focus on Candy. She deserves a present partner; she deserves someone who puts her needs first.

I can be that person. It won’t be easy, but this is a simple start, one that I can handle.

My other hand glides down her body, grabbing her ass in her cute silky pajamas. Her lips part against mine and she moans softly at the touch.

Fuck, hearing that sound slip out of her nearly has me rattled. The dark part of me wants to flip her over on Krampus’ couch and fuck her roughly from behind.

But I won’t, not until it’s on Candy’s terms. I want her to trust me, and believe in me, just as much as I want to believe in myself.

Candy cups the sides of my face as her ass grinds on my lap, and funnily enough, I don’t bother stifling my noises of pleasure. She seems to enjoy the way she affects me just as much as I adore the little sounds I pull from her.

“I see your chat went well,” Krampus says behind us, drying off his dirty blond hair, another towel wrapped around his waist.

You wouldn’t think he lived in the North Pole with how sun-kissed his skin looks, or the slight highlights around the base of his horns. In fact, you wouldn’t even suspect he was a monster, if it weren’t for his horns, or the fact he partially transformed while going down on Candy earlier tonight.

Candy clears her throat, ogling the half-naked attractive man-beast.

“Did you open your gift yet?” Krampus asks.

“Oh, I almost forgot about it.”

I glare at Krampus while Candy is facing his direction, and he just gives me a beaming smile.

What a cock-blocking motherfucker.

I grasp Candy’s hips, helping her off my lap as she tucks her legs under herself and unwraps the present. Krampus leans against the wall, smiling as he watches her open a gift he didn’t even give. This must be some freakish custom I don’t understand.

Once Candy has the paper torn to shreds, she opens the lid of the box. A loud squeak escapes her as she quickly puts the lid back on.

“Don’t be shy, what is it?” Krampus says.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing to see here. Uh. We will just put this back under the tree and I’ll take it home with me.”

Irritation floods me. What did that bastard Gloom get her that has her this embarrassed?

It might not be the right move, especially when I’m trying to earn her affections. But I can’t help myself as I grab the lid of the box and toss it into the flaming hearth.

My lips part as I take in the objects inside of the supposed gift.

“I’m going to kill him,” I mutter.

“No. No. He’s my best friend. You can’t kill him. This is a very cupid-like gift. In fact, there are exactly three sex shops per square mile in Cupidale. We’re very open there. Please, it was all in good fun.” Candy pleads for Gloom’s life as I pull out the first item.

It’s a butt plug shaped like a red Christmas light bulb. The one following that is shaped like a Christmas tree, with a dull tip. There’s a candy cane shaped dildo, four nipple clamps shaped like wreaths, a vibrator shaped like an Amaryllis, and of course a lube called Christmas Cheer.

I glance over at Krampus, who is holding a hand over his mouth, trying to hold back laughter.

“This is a casual gift amongst friends?” I ask, staring at Candy’s bright pink cheeks and the way she’s fidgeting on the floor.

She takes a deep breath, getting herself off the floor and yanking the overtly sexual Christmas gifts out of my hand.

“Yes, in Cupidale, this is a perfectly fine gift. If you’re not interested in exploring more sides of yourself, just say that. Don’t bash my gift.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. How do I move one step forward and then two steps back with this cupid?

“Aw, Candy darling. Mortem here is learning emotions. Let’s cut him some slack,” Krampus says.

First logical thing out of his mouth all night. Wait…I understand emotions.

“Fuck you,” I hiss back.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” Candy says, going to put the items back in the box.

“No. What about all that ‘if you kiss me, you’re mine’ talk only a few minutes ago? I reacted poorly. I take it back,” I say.

Candy bites her lip, and clearly I’ve hit a sore spot with the gift or her friendship with Gloom. Of course I’m not a prude, I’ve been around for, well, forever. It’s just been a long while, and the idea of another man gifting her these things made me uncomfortable.

“I won’t hurt Gloom. He’s your friend, I understand that. It was just a shock. I’m not judging you,” I reiterate, trying to explain my feelings.

“Perhaps he could prove it to you, sweetheart. We both could,” Krampus says, mischief written all over his pretty boy face.

“Oh?” Some of Candy’s embarrassment slips away.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” I reply.

“Whatever it takes?” Candy says with a wicked smile.

I swallow thickly and nod.

“Christmas tree or Christmas bulb?” Candy says. Krampus laughs behind her, clapping his hands. “Whichever one he doesn’t pick is for you,” she says over her shoulder, but his excitement doesn’t waver.

“Oh, Candy, darling, I was hoping you’d say that,” Krampus says eagerly.