Chapter 10
I woke an hour later. Nick remained asleep though he had all but kicked the blankets off the bed. It was hard not to admire the beefy man. My knees curled under his butt as my belly pressed into the curve of his back. I ignored my hardening cock and kissed the back of his neck.
I should have been racked with guilt for ignoring protocol.
It was hard to feel anything but satisfaction after what happened.
For the first time, I had needed to restrain my powers with a man.
More than mind blowing sex with a being older than time, I had watched as his body solidified during our time together.
An idea had come to mind just before I drifted to sleep. Sitting in this apartment wouldn't work. If my belief in Nick could restore him, I needed to find more belief like it. He needed proof that the world still had space for him. I doubt he’d take me on my word, so I had to come up with a plan.
I shifted carefully. Nick stirred but didn't wake. Walking to the closet, I reached for a pair of jeans not torn apart by shards of ice. I froze, eyeing the costume on the floor. To pull this off, I’d need every tactical vantage if I was going to survive the horned man.
I cringed at the thought of putting it on.
It had been years since I had thought of myself as a hero.
These days, I considered myself an officer, a cog in the wheel, anything but a hero.
It was more snug than I remember. The boots barely had tread, and the zipper up the middle needed coaxing to close. When I turned back, Nick was awake. Watching me with a smile, the first that reached his eyes.
"Get dressed," I said. "We're going out."
He didn't ask where as I tossed him a pair of jeans.
Minutes later, we were outside, climbing into the truck. Snow had blown in through the broken window. For anybody else, it would’ve been chilly. For a man wielding ice and a man who supposedly lived in the North Pole, no big deal.
The city was quiet in that pre-dawn way where everything felt suspended. Streetlights cast orange pools on fresh snow. A few early commuters shuffled toward bus stops. Shop owners unlocked their doors and turned on interior lights. It had been ages since I meandered through Vanguard at this hour.
“It’s beautiful,” Nick whispered.
I agreed.
His hand rested on his knee, fingers steady, tapping with a nervous energy. I caught the shimmer from the corner of my eye. Reaching over, I held his hand. Unlike before, it didn’t stop the fading. Whatever was happening was getting worse.
I drove to the city square, hoping my plan worked.
It was a long shot, especially on Christmas Day, but it was all I had.
Surrounded by historic buildings and lined with benches, the main plaza served as the heart of the city.
In the summer, it filled with food carts and street performers.
In winter, it transformed into a winter wonderland.
I parked on a side street and killed the engine. "Come on."
The inklings of a plan came together. There were so many factors at play. I missed villains I could freeze in a block of ice, deliver them to the cops, and be done. Who knew I’d miss the boring evil-doers?
The square opened before us. The city had strung lights through the trees that lined the perimeter.
They glowed soft white, not enough to light the park.
In the next hour, they’d fade against the morning sun.
In the center, an ice rink had been set up weeks ago, a reason to keep kids busy while parents watched from the bench. No one was skating yet.
But the square wasn't empty.
Nick looked around, the confusion showing.
It was a beautiful scene before Vanguard came to life.
The pond suddenly lit up as the sun broke over the high-rises.
We had survived until the next morning. Time wasn’t on our side.
If the horned man found us too soon, my plan would be moot.
If I could fast forward time another hour, and I think I could save Nick.
"Why are we here?" he asked quietly.
"Because—"
The sky darkened. Not clouds rolling in.
Just light draining away like someone had dimmed the world.
The temperature dropped twenty degrees. It couldn’t be any more ominous if they tried.
Wind hit next. Sharp and cutting, drove snow sideways across the park.
It carried the smell of burned wood and rotting pine.
It only needed maniacal laughter to complete the cliche.
“He’s here,” Nick whispered.
I grabbed Nick’s hand, pulling him into the park.
We moved past the water fountain and past the hot chocolate cart.
I didn’t think we could outrun him, I just needed to buy time.
One second I was holding Nick’s hand, and the next I was holding nothing but air.
He was fading faster. I prayed this plan worked.
Black ash spread along the snow, tainting the pristine white.
The geometric patterns formed, signaling the myth’s approach.
Behind us, the darkness gathered until the horned man stepped out, ragged robes blowing in the wind.
He still wore the twisted smile as he followed, his cane dragging, leaving a trail of frost behind him.
His eyes found Nick first. Then me. His smile widened, with even more teeth.
“You can’t protect the myth.”
I didn’t think about it as I spun around, hands raised.
I moved between Nick and Krampus, hands already gathering ice.
The cold answered instantly, flooding up my arms in visible blue light.
It came as a rush, my suit increasing my reach and storing more cold than I could on my own. I had forgotten the euphoric sensation.
The horned man kept walking, almost ignoring me as he focused on Nick.
I launched spears of ice. He batted them aside without looking.
I expected as much. My powers weren’t just generating ice.
Reaching out, I could feel the surrounding snow.
With a flex of the hands, the snow rose up, constructs that looked like white powdered versions of myself.
They lunged and attacked from three angles.
With a spin, his cane struck one, vaporizing it.
The others grabbed him, clawing at his robes.
With the back of his hand, he smacked one, causing it to explode.
Growling, he kicked the last, leaving piles of snow.
"You can't win this," he said, almost bored. “He's already fading. I’m just here to collect his essence.”
I glanced back. Nick had his hand pressed to his chest. His edges blurred slightly. It had spread throughout his entire body. My belief wasn’t enough to sustain him.
"Danny." Nick's voice came quiet. "You need to—"
"I'm not leaving."
The horned man laughed. "Adorable. The human thinks he can save the legend." He raised his cane. Energy gathered at the tip, black and crackling. “Tell me, Frost. Is he worth sacrificing yourself?”
“Yes,” I growled. Not because it was the mission. Nick mattered to more than just me. There was an entire world that needed him. I would gladly put my life on the line for him.
The horned man paused. The energy at his cane tip flickered.
"He's Santa Claus," I barked. It sounded foolish, but that didn’t stop me. “It’s not his time.”
I said it as much for the horned man as I did for Nick.
The sun had reached us. The ground brightened, but it didn’t remove the chill.
It had been years since I celebrated Christmas.
I hoped the kids had been awake for hours, tearing through paper as they — it finally dawned on me.
The shed. Charlene. That was the operations she had been working away at while I watched over the cabin.
The horned man snarled. "You think naming him changes anything?"
Yes. It did.
I channeled everything I had into the ice.
Not just power. Belief. Memory. The six-year-old who mailed the deputy badge had wanted nothing more than to carry on the legacy of his father.
He wouldn’t have let himself become a memory.
He’d have kept fighting, making the world a better place.
I had followed in his footsteps for a reason, and somewhere along the way, I had forgotten my purpose.
“I believe,” I growled.
In Nick.
In myself.
Snow swirled through the park as if a small hurricane had appeared.
My powers flared, the snow tightening against my skin until I rose off the ground.
A second later, the ice had turned into body armor.
I wasn’t going down without a fight. I wouldn’t become a distant memory. Vanguard would remember Daniel Frost.
“Cute,” the horned man chuckled.
On the side of the park, I spotted children tugging on the arms of exhausted parents.
Coming to the park on Christmas morning posed risks.
I should have dragged the horned man away from crowded areas to prevent collateral damage.
For my plan to work, it’d take more than one family.
I needed families to come out in droves.
I stomped forward as ice formed into a sword in my hand. “Cute, this.” I swung overhead. He blocked with his cane. The ice tried to shatter, but I forced it to maintain its shape. With my powers in overdrive, the cracks reformed. “Neat trick, huh?”
His smile faltered. Good.
I pulled back, taking another swing. The horned man moved quickly, blocking each blow.
He expected my sword to break, but my powers didn’t let up.
I thrusted, trying to drive it into his chest. He knocked it wide before his palm slammed into my chest. I slid backward, my ribcage reminding me I wasn’t invulnerable.
I spotted more families at the edge of the park. Cameras were out, recording the event. I’m sure they registered the fight with the HeroApp?. I didn’t want backup, I needed witnesses.
“You can’t win,” he hissed.
Bells from a nearby church chimed, marking 8:00am.
Normally, I’d still be in bed, sleeping on the abundance of spiked eggnog on Christmas Eve.
Thankfully, the children of Vanguard forced their parents out.
Some had ice skates hanging from the shoulders, while others had plastic snow sleds.
Even the shopkeeper had opened the shutters on the hot chocolate stand.
Over my shoulder, I glanced at a nearly vanished Nick.
“New hero,” I shouted. “Use the HeroApp?.” I pointed at Nick, bellowing, “New hero!”
I groaned as the horned man’s heel slammed into my back. The armor failed, all but falling off. Sliding along the ground, I could only hope my gamble paid off. If I knew anything about Vanguard, its people loved cataloguing its heroes. A new hero? They’d be fast to learn his origin story.
I rolled onto my back. The horned man hovered over me, his cane crackling with energy. He raised it overhead, preparing for the killing blow.
“You failed.” The sinister smile returned. “You’ll be forgotten, just like him.”