Chapter 2

2

Kilgore

T he sound of a twig snapping has me freezing in place. I listen closely and hear the sound of crunching snow getting closer. Someone is here. With Christmas only days away, it doesn’t surprise me that another monster is attempting to steal Santa’s magic. They always come this time of year when his powers are at their greatest strength, but their attempts are pointless. No creature is a match for us. Not even the Sandman himself could get through me, though I’d wish he’d try. I could use a solid match of good vs. evil to shake up my boredom. The winters are long and cold. Not even a bear in sight to hunt.

Another crunch of ice has me moving quietly, keeping my big feet steady so I don’t give myself away. I sneak through the dark woods, sniffing the air, trying to determine who the trespasser is. A sweetness hits my nostrils, a smell I’m not familiar with. I inhale deeply and can almost taste the richness. It smells like sugar and vanilla with a hint of nutmeg.

Ogres and boogeymen smell like rotting flesh, but this smell…is delicious. Like something from my childhood but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I move in closer, following the mouthwatering scent. Scanning through the forest for the monster who’s trying to disguise themselves in that tempting smell.

“The entrance has to be around here somewhere.”

A soft melodic voice trickles through the woods on a crisp breeze. I crouch down, peering around the trunk of the giant pine, and see it. There’s a small figure cloaked in a cape, wandering toward the mouth of my cave. The tiny creature is a fool for thinking they stand a chance. The thing probably doesn’t even come up to my chest, and its frame is barely wider than my thigh. I could snap the thing in half with my bare hands.

“Hello!” the little voice calls at the entrance of my home. “Is anyone there?”

The dull light flickering on the stone wall barely gives me a better view. All I can see is the bright red hood of the cloak that she’s wearing, and what looks to be a basket hanging by her side. It’s probably filled with poisonous snakes or an explosive. I need to get closer and disarm the female creature of whatever weapon she is yielding. Curse the boogeymen for sending a female child to do their dirty work. They probably think we’re weak and wouldn’t dare harm a child, which may be true, but it does not mean I won’t be sending them back with a message.

I sneak in closer, weaving behind the tree trunks, keeping myself hidden. The creature turns, as if sensing my approach, and I freeze when her face comes into view. The flicker of the flame reveals her features. She’s not an ogre or monster or a child, she’s an elf. I’ve only ever seen them in books. Their pointed ears and sharp features. This one though… This one is different. This one is softer around the edges. This elf is…beautiful.

Her eyes remind me of polished emeralds. Her lips are the color of shiny red rubies. None of her features are pointy or odd looking. They’re soft and smooth, delicate. The pretty elf looks like a faery or a princess. She looks like a snow angel with her snow-white skin.

My feet carry me forward, needing to be closer to the little beauty cloaked in red. I’m desperate to see the detail of the tiny freckles painted across her cute little nose. I want to see the color of her hair hidden under the hood of her cape. I want to feel how soft her skin is.

“Is someone there?” she calls out, her eyes darting around nervously. “I come in peace,” she says, holding out the basket in front of her. A waft of that rich, decadent smell hits my nose and my stomach rumbles wildly. “I just wanted to bring some cookies to show how grateful we are for your protection.”

Cookies? So that’s the mouthwatering scent that she’s coated in. I’ve never had a cookie before, though I’ve read that Santa loves to eat them. Apparently, all the human girls and boys leave a plate out for him on Christmas Eve and Santa gobbles them up. They smell rather tasty, but the one looking like Little Red Riding Hood lost in the woods is what I’m hungry for. I’m famished for a taste of her quivering red lips. Starved to know how that soft-spoken little tongue feels sliding against mine.

“Is anyone there?” she asks again, having heard the low growl rumble from my chest. The animalistic sound seems to have startled her. “Please don’t hurt me.” Her light voice comes out stuttered. “I just wanted to say thank you. But I’m sorry if I came at a bad time. I’ll just leave these cookies here and get going.” She places the basket down and then shakily rises back up.

I have no intentions of hurting you, Little Red. But you won’t be going anywhere .

She turns and makes a dart for the woods leading to the Enchanted Forest entrance, but her little feet don’t take her very far before I’m blocking her path. She lets out a loud shriek as she nearly barrels into my chest.

Her decadent smell infiltrates my nose, and my entire body is rocked with a shiver, making the ground quake beneath our feet. Another scream startles from her as she wobbles from the earthquake. I reach out to steady her, but she backs away from my touch. Her eyes growing wider as they travel up my frame, taking in my full size. When she gets to my face, a gasp slips from her quivering lips.

I’m sure I look like a horrid ogre to the little elf. My features are not pointed. My chin is covered in coarse black hair making me kin to a grizzly. And I am by no means scrawny or small. I’m a beast even to my own kind, hence, the reason I am forced to live in isolation.

“Are you a Keeper?” she asks, her body practically shaking. She’s terrified. Though, maybe she should be because the thoughts running through my head are monstrous. There’s something about her calling to my primal need. The feeling is uncontrollable. Images of ripping off that little red cape from her body are flashing in my mind. I want to run my big hands over every inch of her petite form and feel her delicate curves. I want to explore her body with my lips and tongue and see if she tastes as good as she smells. I want to know if the womanly spot between her legs is soft and sweet like the rest of her.

I tip my chin forward in answer to her question, unsure of the words that will leave my mouth if I speak. The vile thoughts running through my mind are liable to give her nightmares.

“I…um… I brought…um…cookies. To say…um…thank you.”

My chin cocks to the side as I study the pinkness forming on her cheeks and the way her lip is trembling. It makes me want to suck on it until it calms. Gods, I cannot breathe right. My chest feels heavy and warm. No oxygen seems to be reaching my brain, at least not the one sitting on my neck. The one between my legs seems to be stealing all of it.

“I know cookies are such a small gift, but I hope you know how much I appreciate all that you do to keep us safe. And I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. I’ll get out of your way now.”

She moves to the right, trying to walk past me, but I block her path again. It was a sweet gesture for her to come and bring a gift; it’s something no one has ever done before, but she made a big mistake coming to my neck of the woods because I don’t want cookies in return for keeping the elves safe, I want her.

“I’m sorry.” She looks up, swallowing hard. “But I really need to get back before my mother learns I snuck out.”

So she snuck out. Interesting. That means no one knows where she is. That means no one will come looking for her.

She quickly turns and tries to make a run for it, but my arm snags her around the waist, lifting the little waif from the ground. “Please let me go. I meant no harm. Please. I’m sorry I broke the rules and came to this side of the forest. I just wanted to bring you a gift.” She struggles in my hold, pleading her case as I carry her back to my cave. I grab the torch off the wall and the basket of cookies then carry her down the stone corridor that tunnels throughout the base of the mountain. When I get to my front door, I blow the flame out before pushing on the secret rock on the stone wall to open it. Once inside, I pull the crystal on the ceiling to close us in before turning on the lights.

“Please let me go. I’m not trying to steal any magic or hurt anyone. I’m one of Santa’s elves. I love Christmas and would never want to ruin it.”

I place the struggling girl down and she falters on her feet as the blood rushes back down from her head. She gets her bearings and then her eyes begin to dart around my home, undoubtedly looking for an escape. She’s not going to find one. Even my own kind can’t get into my home, though they’ve made their attempts. Jealous of what I’ve built and wanting to take it for themselves. Besides, this wee little thing isn’t even tall enough to reach the lever to unlock my door.

“Why are you doing this?” she asks, the fear burning in the depths of those shimmering emeralds.

I cock my chin, deciding whether I should answer her question. I haven’t thought past the end of my hard shaft to know what the hell my plan is other than the fact that I intend to make this pretty little elf mine.

“You trespassed,” I state, my voice coming out as a gruff rumble. The tension is bottling up inside as my sac grows heavy between my legs. I’ve never been in this state of need before. It’s almost to the point of pain. My swollen member is leaking in my drawers, and I’m breaking into a sweat. My body engulfed in flames.

“I didn’t know this part of the forest was private property. I merely wanted to leave my gift.”

I pull the basket up to my nose and inhale. Maybe a cookie will curb my craving. But as I sink my teeth into one of the decadent treats, it only surges my desire. The sugar melts on my tongue, the vanilla tingling down my spine, the cinnamon tightening my gut. It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted, and it was made by her small, delicate hands. Hands not big enough to wrap around my giant cock, yet I’d love to see her try. I’d love to feel her soft skin rubbing all over me.

The cookie settles in my stomach, and I lick my lips, ready for a taste of the sweet morsel standing before me. I step forward and reach for the hood of her cape. She flinches away, but I ignore her shudder of fear and remove the cover from her head. When her silky red waves are revealed, a growl rumbles from my chest, making her wobble on her feet again. She’s a wicked temptation, turning me into a feral animal. Making me crave things I shouldn’t. I want to pin her down, tear the clothes from her angelic little frame, and do naughty things to her. Things that would get me cast down to the South Pole where the true monsters live.

I grip her hair and bring it to my nose, ignoring her scared little whimper as I breathe her in and try to sate my brutal desires. Her scent is more alluring than the cookie I just devoured. She smells like vanilla and sugar, mixed with pine and mistletoe…and joy. I’ve never smelled anything like it. It’s a smell I want to coat myself in. It’s a smell I want filling my home.

“What are you doing?”

Her question has my eyes opening. I run my fingers through her silky strands, feeling the lust roll through my nerves as the softness of her hair brushes over my rough skin. “You shouldn’t have come here, Little Red.” I shake my head slowly, daring to look into her mesmerizing eyes, afraid I will lose control. “You’re mine now.”

Her head jerks back, and anger sparks within her emerald jewels, making my cock strain between my legs.

“You can’t just keep me. I’m not a pet. I’m one of Santa’s elves.”

“And now you’re my elf.” I run my finger down her cheek and across her stiffened jaw. This little elf has fire, and Gods, do I love that.

“I am not yours! Now, let me go!” She pulls away from me and moves to the stone door, looking over the solid slate rock for some kind of handle or way to open it. Her tiny hands begin rubbing over every inch of the door and walls, but it doesn’t budge. Even if it did, does she expect I’ll just let her walk out of here? Even if I gave her a head start, she’d never outrun me.

“You wandered into my woods, which makes you mine now. Finders keepers.” I step up to her back. “Now, let me show you around your new home.”

Her head whips around and those stunning eyes are narrowing up at me. I’m twice her size and strength, though she’s trying to cut me down to her size with her glare. A smirk forms on my lips thinking of how fun this winter is going to be. I will no longer be bored out of my mind, trying to fill my days with chopping wood and painting the walls, or carving out more rooms in this giant mountain. This place is already too big for me. I have a kitchen, living room, multiple bathrooms, multiple closets, multiple ice boxes for food, more bedrooms than I’ll ever know what to do with. There’s even a room filled with stones and logs so I can keep up my strength when I’m snowed in. The only thing this place doesn’t have is a female’s touch. But that’s about to change.

“You’re not keeping me. I’m not something you can just have,” she huffs. “I’m an elf. A living, breathing magical being who has a family and a home and a job.” If she has magic, then why hasn’t she used it on me yet? I’m guessing she’s bluffing, otherwise, she would’ve opened my door and turned herself into a fly to fly away.

“Now, you will never have to work again,” I tell her. She won’t have to be one of Santa’s elves slaving away in the toy factory, working day and night to make dolls for spoiled little girls. Now, she can do as she pleases and I’ll be the one spoiling her.

“But I love making cookies.” She crosses her arms. So, she’s a cookie-making elf. I didn’t realize there were any other jobs.

“Good. You can make those tasty little treats for me every day. It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

The anger in her eyes slips for the briefest of seconds before she stomps her foot on the stone floor again. The urge to sweep her up and bend her over my thigh, spank the stubbornness out of her little elf tush, tempts my conscience.

“I am not going to make you cookies. I’m not a slave. Now, let me go.”

Amusement sizzles under my skin. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt a hint of the emotion, since I was a wee giant. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything other than bored and alone, seeking monsters to break up the monotony of my day. But even chasing the boogeymen away no longer brings me excitement. This little one though, has brought a spark back in just a matter of minutes. There’s no way I’ll ever let her go.