Chapter 6
NOX
I sink onto the stool next to Neo, her palm steady as stone beneath my fingers.
She is gentle, precise, as if her touch could stitch flesh back together.
My knuckles are raw; a smear of blood and sugar dust clings to my skin.
I wipe it away with the corner of my coat; the fabric is cold against the heat of my anger.
Neo presses two fingers on the bruise; she’s searching for broken bone with the patience of someone who’s done this thousands of times.
When I flinch, she flinches with me. Softly, an apology slips from my lips for scaring her.
She leans closer, breath warm against my wrist. She murmurs something low and kisses me, making my jaw loosen.
Neo wraps my hand in a piece of red ribbon—hardly medical, but it’s hers.
She ties it off with a small, efficient knot.
Her thumb keeps rubbing the pad of my palm long after she’s finished, like it’s a promise.
A promise that says: I’m here, I’m infuriated and I’m not leaving.
The corner of my mouth tilts in a way that shows equal parts satisfaction and appreciation.
And Neo, sticky fingered and stubborn as ever, let’s herself relax into it.
"I am going to kill him!"
Her eyes trace the shape of my shoulders and the tense line at my throat and jaw in the quiet that follows her threat. She let's a breath escape her, soft and controlled, not a surrender but a ledger entry. "We need him…"
"Do we?" I ask.
Neo’s eyes slice into mine, amused and dangerous in equal measure.
"He’s the only one who knows where the gifts are," she says, voice soft but carrying the weight of a plan.
"Without them, there is no Creepmas... we need to keep the holiday going for the sake of all children." She squeezes my hand, and that squeeze is both a plea and an order. It’s a reminder of who we are when we’re together.
I swallow the burn of my upcoming rage and let the anger transform into calculation.
She leans in, her breath catching slightly as her lips hover near mine; close enough to feel the heat, the tension, the restraint. She kisses me softly, not rushed, not desperate. Just real.
My jaw loosens beneath her touch, and I know she feels the shift—the way my anger melts into something quieter, into something that belongs only to her. Her hand stays on my cheek, her thumb brushing the edge of my jaw, grounding me.
It isn’t just a kiss.
It’s a moment carved out of centuries of hatred and legends, where this little witch kisses me not because she is allowed—but because she loves me.
"Then we will use him to achieve our goal," I say. "We can make him suffer after we are done." My fingers tighten around hers, not so much possessive as anchoring. The promise of the ribbon feels heavier now, like it’s folded into the strategy.
Footsteps scrape the floorboards. One, two, one, two.
It sounds as if it’s deliberate, and the elf steps into the doorway looking like he freaking owns the night.
His bloody grin is all wrong for this moment; he’s drunk with pride and bad decisions.
He sees Neo and his swagger falters for a fraction.
That’s all the opening I need. I fucking hate how he looks at her.
I stand up, the movement slow enough to keep him guessing what I’m up to. I let my shadow stretch towards him, long and deliberate, making the air between us cool down again. Neo stands up right after me.
"What do you want exactly?" Neo asks him almost conversationally, as if they’re about to discuss coffin measurements. My hand slips from hers and lands on the small of her back.
The jolly creature laughs, and it’s a brittle sound. "You two ought to learn to be apart." He takes a step forward.
"If you step any closer, you leave without your balls," Neo says. Her calmness makes the threat sharper than any of her blades. Oh, how I love her wild side.
He gasps, his hand goes to his belt as if he’s got something they're worth using, but his fingers find only air and posture.
Neo watches him with a patience and amusement that makes men confess crimes just for the sport of it "Funny," he says, voice syrup-slow, "dangerous little snowflake.
" His green eyes freeze on Neo’s lips. "We have to bring Creepmas to your town. "
Neo walks to him.