Chapter 18
NOX
I lean against the candy shop counter, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded with my signature look of quiet calculation. When Neo takes a crumpled piece of parchment out of her coat pocket and reads it to us… her voice full of theatrical flair and snow still melting in her hair…
She is everything I want. I watch her with that slow-burning intensity that makes Zilla pause mid-toad cuddle and whisper, "Nox, are you okay, or are you plotting something?"
Neo doesn’t notice, she is too busy declaring war on Mournton’s lack of festive spirit.
But Zilla knows. She sees it in the way my eyes linger on Neo, like I’m trying to memorize everything she is.
She notices it in the silence between me and Neo.
She feels it in the air when Neo and I are near each other…
it’s charged, trembling, as if lightning is about to strike.
She knows I’m obsessed, how my hunger isn’t just a feeling of wanting, it’s a need.
It’s a gnawing ache curling inside me, playing like a melody made of longing.
She knows I crave Neo as much as blood, that my obsession is an all-consuming spell I cannot break.
Neo blinks once, then mutters:
"Carolers in matching blood-red cloaks, to sing eerie, minor-key versions of classic carols, with ghostly harmonies and fog machines. Slightly asymmetrical gingerbread skeletons, with white icing and edible glows-in the-dark glitter. Reindeer skeleton petting zoo. Mystery hot cocoa fountains, with cocoa laced with cinnamon, served in cauldron-shaped mugs. A meet and greet in the crypt, with a velvet wearing Santa that talks in riddles, his sleigh pulled by bats. A snowball charity toss, with targets that giggle and vanish when they’ve been hit.
Proceeds go to the Haunted Orphanage Fund. "
Zilla laughs and claps happily. "It’s perfect."
"Y’all need therapy." The elf stands up, and I give him a casual kick with my boot—nothing violent, just enough force and sound to make it a warning.
He jumps slightly, glaring at me.
"Relax, Rudolf. Everything’s going to be perfect."
The elf narrows his eyes. "You people are terrifying."