8. Santa

Chapter 8

Santa

Giving out gifts to children had my heart soaring. There was something about matching them up with the perfect present. This event was very different than the one at the hospital. There wasn’t the undercurrent of fear and sorrow. Even so, this one was equally important. Whereas the parents of the sick children had their health as the top priority, the parents here had their own struggles. Some were facing financial worries, others struggling with their child’s disabilities, yet others had family issues. I learned a long time ago that no family was struggle-free, they all manifested themselves in different ways, was all.

Of all the things I expected to happen at this event, a random reindeer showing up just as the kids were asking wasn’t one of them. At first, I wondered if Ryfon had sent one of my reindeer here. It wouldn’t be like him, but still, it was the only logical solution.

Even though I knew I didn’t recognize him, it was the first thought that went into my head. But as he got closer, I saw the reindeer for what they really were. This wasn’t a wild creature that got lost—not that reindeer lived here—but still. This wasn’t a reindeer that had escaped from a zoo or farm, either.

No, this was a shifter. And more specifically, this shifter was Dario.

I wasn’t even sure how I knew that, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. This was Dario. If I were to guess, he was here in this form to make these children’s day. This event wasn’t something he did because he was a big event planner—that wasn’t how these things worked, they were all volunteers. He was here for a reason, and now that I saw him in his four hooves and antlers, I knew exactly what that reason was: These children.

They mattered to him. They mattered to him enough that he didn’t care that kids would be hugging him, pulling on him, grabbing him, trying to climb him—or, in the case of little Jonas, attempting to feed him a carrot that definitely needed washing.

Dario’s reindeer was stunning. Absolutely stunning. I wanted to run my fingers over his coat, to let him know that I knew who he really was, to spend time with him like this, just the two of us. It was ridiculous. I didn’t even know the guy, but that didn't change these feelings stirring inside of me.

When the kids asked who he was and I told them he was my head reindeer, Dasher, it felt wrong—like I was lying about who he was at his core. Which was silly. He was here to pretend, just like he probably thought I was, and Dasher was a beautiful reindeer—there was no insult there. But this regal beast wasn’t Dasher, he was Dario, and part of me felt like I was denying him in a way.

I’d known a lot of reindeer over the years. It came with the job. Not a single one held a candle to Dario’s beast. He was absolutely gorgeous.

Excitement filled the air, as the kids gathered around. I answered lots of questions about reindeer, especially the flying kind, and went over to pet him after he gave me a subtle nod that I hoped meant his consent. Did he know that I knew who he was? He couldn’t, could he? Except part of me was pretty sure that he did.

I continued to talk with the kids, and he leaned into me. I hugged him around his neck, kissing the side of his head, like I would have with one of my reindeer, before I realized what I had done.

The kids stared in wonder at all of it. A few of them were all about seeing him fly, a question that kept coming up on repeat, no matter how many times I tried to deflect it. Even if it were Dasher here, I wouldn’t let them see him fly.

“Reindeer only fly when children aren’t looking.” My explanation fell flat but led to a question about his hooves, so I took it as a win.

The real Dasher wouldn’t be putting up with this. He wouldn’t be horrible to the children—he wasn’t a wretched beast—but he would have walked away by now. That much was for sure. It was one thing to have a single child want to give you attention, but this group of children kept growing, and they weren’t the only ones interested. There were multiple parents that looked like they wanted to come over and pet the animal.

What I really wanted to do was take my new “reindeer” out of here, have him shift, and ask him if any of this made sense to him—the pull I felt toward him and that I was starting to suspect he felt toward me. He might’ve known what was happening, because I sure didn’t.

But before that could happen, it was time to make sure these children had the most magical experience they could. There were still more presents to be handed out, cocoa to be drunk, and from the way the crowd was still hovering, more reindeer talk to be had.

So, as any good Santa would do, I held up my hands like I was a conductor and asked , “ Do you know the reindeer song?” And when a bunch of kids shouted that they did, I began singing, loving their little voices chiming in on the second word. We continued on with the Rudolph song, adding all the extra little bits that kids had added on over the years. Even the adults were joining in.

Everyone was singing except Jonas, who was working his way toward Dario. He was a boy on a mission. It was going to suit him well when he grew up. But for now? It was probably giving his parents early grays.

The boy wasn’t going to stop until he fed that gross excuse of a carrot to poor Dario.