Ryan landed on the tarmac at The North Pole and shifted out of his reindeer shift once he was inside Santana’s Workshop, where Christmas elves were busy drinking cocoa and eating sugar cookies.

“Merry Christmas, kid,” said Krampus, coming up to Ryan and slapping him on the back.

“I need to get back,” said Ryan. “I need to get back to The Wreath.”

“It’s Christmas,” said Krampus. “Take a break. Relax. You earned it. That was one Hell of a Ride. Never seen anything like it.”

“I have to go, now,” said Ryan. “Can you send me to The Wreath with demoncraft or something?”

“I suppose,” said Krampus with a grin.

Krampus walked back out into the hall with Ryan and found an occupied spot. He took his chain off and tossed it in the air. The air came down to the ground, forming a perfect circle in midair. The chain didn’t slam down onto the floor. It floated down gently.

The chains filled with a green light. Ryan was impatient. Seeing the magic was at work, Ryan stepped into the circle.

“Should’ve shifted first,” said Krampus, shaking his head. “Get ready for one Hell of a landing.”

A landing? What did Krampus mean?

Ryan was sucked down into the portal and learned what Krampus meant, the hard way. There was a reason Krampus didn’t hop into his chain portal when it was filled with flames. He couldn’t see where exactly the portal was.

Ryan popped into the airspace about a hundred feet above The Wreath and was falling, fast.

“Shit!” cursed Ryan, his mark burning hard. “Dancer, buddy, you got any ideas?”

Ryan had never before shifted without willing it. As Dancer took over Ryan’s body, without waiting for Ryan to will himself to turn, Ryan wondered if this is what mate madness might feel like.

Great, thought Ryan as he shifted. I’ll be a big reindeer falling through the sky. Guess I’m going to become roadkill. Skykill?

Humans, said Dancer disappointedly. Reindeer fly. You saw that in person just under twenty minutes ago.

Ryan looked down. He was flying like he had when he was attached to Santana’s sleigh. He’d assumed he couldn’t fly unless Santana willed it or something, but of course, he could fly in his shift. Ryan looked down at The Wreath and found the dock at the Bear Claw Bakery. From there, he traced a path to the house Angelica was renting in town.

As they drew nearer, Ryan spotted a flash of red. It was Angelica, in her familiar bright red hoodie, opening up the back of her car. Ryan had caught his Little Red Riding Hood just before she’d left The Wreath.

There, said Ryan. Right there.

Get ready for a bumpy landing, said Dancer.

Dancer swooped down through the air, the fur on his breast getting covered with a thin layer of snow as Dancer practically danced through the falling snow. The only problem was Dancer’s dancing wasn’t like a ballerina’s dance. It was more like a heavy metal musician thrashing on stage. His movements were fast and hard.

Angelica was putting her first bag into her car when she heard the sound of jingling bells. She looked up and couldn’t believe her eyes. At first, she thought the reindeer must’ve fallen out of a plane or gotten swept up by a freak tornado. Then, she realized the reindeer looked familiar. It was the mysterious man who had saved her from the polar bear shifter at the bakery.

As the reindeer shifted into the form of a clothed human male, the question as to the were-reindeer’s identity was answered. Angelica couldn’t believe her eyes. Ryan, frikkin’ Ryan, was standing in front of her.

“What in the name of Christmas is going on?” asked Angelica.

“I’m here to apologize, to say I’m sorry,” said Ryan. “I’m sorry for standing you up last night.”

“You stood me up, Ryan,” said Angelica. “Give me one good reason why I should forgive you.”

“Because I had to save Christmas,” said Ryan.

“That’s not a thing,” said Angelica. “What? No. This isn’t a Christmas movie. There may be flying reindeer shifters, but I know Santa’s not real.”

“He is. Whose party did you think you were working?” asked Ryan. “Everything you think you know about Christmas, well, half is true, the other half is more incredible than you could ever imagine. My mark. On my chest. You know that’s not my mark, Angelica. You know it’s not.”

“Excuse me?” asked Angelica. “Why would I know about your mark?”

“Because I know you saw my real mark the time you ran into me skinny dipping and we stared at each other and didn’t say a dang word,” said Ryan. “The moment’s etched into my mind, and I’m sure it’s etched into yours.”

“Fine,” said Angelica. “According to you, what’s the deal with Christmas?”

“Christmas is real, Christmas magic is real, Santa’s real name is Santana Claus, your regulars Pandora and Jack are Santana Claus’s daughter and the son of Old Man Winter,” said Ryan. “Last night, there was a fire at a children’s hospital. We had to leave to put it out at once. There was no time to waste.”

“That was you?” asked Angelica. “I read about that online this morning. They said the fire mysteriously went out and all the children were saved…some claiming to have been saved by Santa Claus and his reindeer.”

“That was us,” said Ryan. “That’s why I had to leave the party. I didn’t have time to say goodbye. The Ride, the ride around the world to deliver presents, lasted longer than expected. I only just got back. It’s around ten in the morning here, so it’s around three or four in the morning on the last island we delivered presents to in the Pacific. We barely made it.”

“How do I know you’re serious about me?” asked Angelica. “How do I know that you’re not just saying whatever you can to make sure I don’t talk shit about you back in Nuthusk?”

“Because of this,” said Ryan, pulling the small wrapped gift out of his pocket.

Ryan passed the gift to Angelica. He hadn’t opened it, hadn’t peeked, but he knew what Pandora had conjured up inside the box.

Angelica opened the box which was wrapped with green paper and tied together with a red ribbon. It was small, with a bit of heft. When she saw what it was, she dropped the present as if it were a hot coal, but Ryan caught it in his hands and popped it open at the same time.

“Angelica, will you marry me?” asked Ryan, taking a knee and opening the ring box, exposing a white gold ring with a white solitaire diamond surrounded by tiny emeralds and rubies cut into a variety of shapes. “I’ve been in love with you for…well, a long time. Longer than I care to admit. I never thought I’d see you here at The Wreath when I was trying to turn myself from ‘bad boy’ to ‘somewhat decent guy.’ But here we are, on Christmas Day. I’m just a bad boy with a good ring, on one knee, looking for an answer. Will you marry me?”

Before Angelica could answer, Fate gave her a call. Angelica’s phone started ringing. Her ringtone was a Christmas song. She looked at the name on the phone.

“I have to take this,” said Angelica. “Hello?

“Why hello, dear, and Merry Christmas!” said a warm elderly woman’s voice. “You won’t believe what I found under my Christmas tree.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Nana Jessie,” said Angelica. “What did you find under the tree?”

“Do you remember how, when you were growing up, you’d come up to my house for the summers? I’d always make you a pie for your birthday,” said Nana Jessie. “And every year…”

“…The neighborhood boy, Ryan, would steal the pies,” Angelica said, her voice full of annoyance. “Oh, trust me. I remember.”

“Under my tree, color me surprised, but I found twelve pies! One for each of your birthdays where that boy came to visit us,” said Nana Jessie. “I know that boy has that naughty job in Seattle, so I’m a bit disappointed I found twelve pies underneath my tree…instead of twelve beefcakes, but, I’m not one to look a gift reindeer in the mouth. Why do you sound so serious about it?”

“Wh-what?” asked Angelica. “Nana Jessie! He stole pies off your windowsill!”

“If you think I’m dumb enough to leave a pie on a windowsill and not expect some little boy to come and poke a finger in it, or take the whole dang thing, I’ve got a covered bridge to sell you,” said Nana Jessie. “Honey. I put the pie there on purpose.”

“You what?” asked Angelica.

“Honey. I know when a little boy has a crush on a little girl. Every year, that boy Ryan would come over to my house to play with all the other kids, until you came over for the summer. He was too shy to say hi to you. Guess you stunned him with your sassiness,” said Nana Jessie. “Every year, I hoped he’d get the confidence to come inside and see you. I told him to come knock on the door if he saw the pie on the window sill. He knew that he was always invited to our small birthday parties. But he never did. I was surprised the first time he stole a pie, but after that, it became a little tradition between little Ryan and me.”

“What are you trying to say, Nana?” asked Angelica.

“Honey, I know when a boy’s in love with a girl,” said Nana Jessie. “In your case, age truly is just a number. He’s loved you since you were both little. He loved you through teenagerhood. He obviously loves you as an adult. Don’t wait until you’re my age to finally accept him. Heck, I thought I was picky, and I only made your grandfather court me for a year before we got married! Things were different back then.”

“I’m actually with Ryan right now,” said Angelica.

“Then what on Earth are you doing on the phone with your little old Nana and her silly tales?” asked Nana Jessie. “You need to tell that boy you love him, Angelica. It’s Christmas. Best gift you could give him, too, because it’s the truth.”

“Nana!” hissed Angelica. “I don’t…”

“Don’t you?” asked Nana Jessie. “Why are you with the pie thief right now, on Christmas Day, if you don’t love him? You play the part of humbug, but I know it’s just an act, like the kind you put on for a Christmas pageant. You secretly love Christmas and know it ain’t about the gifts. Singing songs and telling stories, well, that never cost our family a dime, now, did it? Have you ever spent Christmas Day with people you don’t love? Now. I’m going to hang up so you can’t argue with me anymore, but, when you roll into Nuthusk tonight, I expect you to bring Ryan, so the three of us can eat these pies before they go bad. They barely fit in my fridge!”

Nana Jessie, true to her word, hung up the phone.

“That was my Nana Jessie,” said Angelica. “Ryan…after all this time, after all those pies, you were in love with me, but couldn’t say it until we met again out on The Wreath?”

“I went to Seattle, right after you saw me skinny dipping and I didn’t make my move,” said Ryan. “If I couldn’t talk to my crush, then how could I ever find a fated mate? I was sure there were bound to be many crushes in my life, many women I wanted to bed, to find out if they were my fated mate. I tried, trust me, but nothing clicked. I never found anyone that made me feel what I felt when I looked at you.”

“So you went to Seattle to get laid?” asked Angelica.

“No,” said Ryan. “I went to join Bear Buns, to learn to be more confident, how to talk to women. But when I saw you here on The Wreath, all my training went away. I was that boy next door that couldn’t talk to you without putting a foot in my mouth.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me all this from the beginning?” asked Angelica.

“Because I wasn’t sure you’d want me,” said Ryan. “I’d never been sure, Angelica. I’m not even sure right now. I never got an answer to my question, the one I asked before your Nana called, but, I think I already know what you’re going to say.”

“You’re saying that you liked me, ever since we were kids, but were so shy you worked at a frikkin’ strip club to learn to talk to women, came out here as punishment for not finding your fated mate, met me, and fell for me hard all over again?” asked Angelica. “Ryan…Fate obviously has a plan for us. Our paths keep intersecting. Over the last month, I’ve learned so much about the boy who was too shy to just knock on my nana’s door all those years ago. I…I love you, Ryan. All this, the reindeer, Santana, the presents…I get that it’s real, but it doesn’t seem magical to me when we live in a world where shifters like you are real. What does seem like magic to me, true Christmas magic, is Fate bringing us here together, right now, today? I never believed in Christmas magic before, but now, I know it has to be real.”

There was a puff of smoke, and a few pieces of straw fell on the ground, followed by a puff of glitter that got all over the rental unit. Ryan instinctively got up from his prone position on the floor.

“Wait, what’s happening?” asked Angelica.

“Krampus likes to make an entrance,” said Ryan. “He’s a demon, after all.”

“Congratulations,” said Krampus, leaving the puff of smoke as Avery stepped out of her cloud of glitter. “You’ve earned back your mate mark, Ryan…and your shift.”

“Avery, what’s going on?” asked Angelica, arms over her chest.

“I’m a Christmas elf,” said Avery, pushing her hair back behind her ears and revealing a pair of pointed ears. “I’m Santana Claus’s woman on the ground here in town. I wasn’t allowed to tell you what was going on. Krampus here…well, he’s a Christmas demon.” Krampus’ horns spiraled out of his head and after a minute, he retracted them back into his head.

“So everyone here was magic the whole time except for me?” asked Angelica.

“You managed to turn a Naughty bad boy into someone Nice,” said Avery. “I’d call that pretty magical. In the end…you didn’t just learn to believe in Christmas magic, Angelica. You and Ryan both learned the meaning of Christmas. During Christmas, even the Naughtiest of us can become Nice. That’s the power of Christmas magic…and of love.”

Is this goodbye? asked Ryan.

For now, said Dancer. Remember what you learned here at The Wreath.

“You’ve managed to perform a good deed that got you off The Naughty List,” said Krampus.

Ryan looked down and undid his shirt. The mark had changed. The word ‘Naughty’ was gone, replaced by the word ‘Nice’ in pine green.

“I don’t understand,” said Ryan. “I didn’t do anything just now other than propose. Was that it?”

“No,” said Krampus. “You got Angelica to believe in Christmas magic. That’s the one deed that was guaranteed to get you off The Naughty List. After all, Christmas magic runs on belief.”

“I can’t believe you two are finally engaged!” squealed Avery. “Where’s the ring?”

Ryan got back down on one knee and slipped the ring onto Angelica’s finger before standing back up.

“Now, that’s what I call a happy ending,” said Avery.

“Well, not quite,” said Krampus. “Ryan. It’s time.”

Ryan nodded and walked up to Krampus. Krampus pressed a hand on Ryan’s chest. There was a strange feeling. Ryan looked down. His mark had returned.

Krampus reached into his pocket and pulled out the familiar snow globe. Inside was Ryan’s bear. Ryan brushed a finger over the snow globe and watched as the usual red and green markers of Christmas magic flowed around his hand and into his body. He felt a push and a pull, heard a ‘goodbye’ and then a roar. Dancer was gone, and Ryan’s bear was back.

“The present,” Avery said to Krampus. “Don’t forget that.”

“Shit, I didn’t get you anything,” said Ryan, expecting his chest to burn and feeling a bit bittersweet when it didn’t.

“Trust us, we don’t need gifts,” said Avery. “This is something for you to take with you when you go back home.”

Krampus reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. There was no way the box could’ve fit in his pants unless the pants were magic. The box was the size of a shoebox. It was wrapped in wrapping paper featuring dancing goats that looked more than a little Satanic rather than Santana-ic. He passed the box to Ryan. Ryan opened the present. Inside, there was something big, green, and wooden.

“This is…a very nice ornament,” said Ryan, confused. “Will it fit on a tree without pulling it down?”

“It’s not heavy, is it?” asked Krampus. “It’s for your tree. Make sure to put it up every year.”

“Why?” asked Angelica.

“Your work on The Wreath might not be done quite yet,” admitted Krampus. “We’re not just looking to reform bad boys. We’re looking to convert them to our cause. If Christmas needs saving, are you the shifter we can call to get the job done?”

“I’d be honored,” said Ryan, shaking Krampus’ hand. “How does the pickle help with that?”

“When the time comes, you’ll know,” said Krampus, snapping his fingers and disappearing in another puff of smoke.

“And Merry Christmas,” said Avery, pulling the newly engaged couple in for a hug before snapping her fingers and disappearing in another cloud of glitter.

“Now what do we do?” asked Angelica.

“We’re engaged now,” said Ryan. “Don’t you think we should ‘celebrate’? After all, it’d be odd of a shifter not to claim his fated mate.”

“You mean…” started Angelica.

“This is my real mark,” said Ryan. “It’s my true mate mark. The other one, well, all it meant was that I’d been Naughty. That I didn’t deserve my shift or my mark…or a mate. I’ve earned back the mark and the shift. All I have left to do is claim my fated mate.”

“Well then, I think I have a present to unwrap,” said Angelica with a sly smile.

Angelica led Ryan by the hand to the bedroom. She lay back on the bed and pulled Ryan on top of her.

“Claim me,” begged Angelica, unbuttoning Ryan’s shirt. “I want you to do it, Ryan. I have for a long time. A long time.”

“I’ve wanted to claim you too,” said Ryan. “I guess I couldn’t before because I didn’t have my mark.”

Angelica traced the dark lines on Ryan’s chest. The mark looked like an Aries sign, made up of a V that curled at the tips. On top of the V was a circle, or was it the letter O? It reminded Angelica of an alchemical symbol.

Ryan pulled down Angelica’s warm pants and exposed her thick thighs. He slipped a finger beneath her panties and felt her wetness. He took his time touching her, feeling her every part. He’d gotten off The Naughty List. Now, all he had to do was claim his mate by the end of Christmas Day. The prospect of losing his shift forever didn’t diminish Ryan’s drive. It helped him stay hard. He was going to bring himself and Angelica to the most critical orgasms of his life.

Ryan entered Angelica and thrust into her slowly. He pressed his fingers into her, feeling her canal slicken around his fingers. He undid his pants and took out his already hard shaft. He took off Angelica’s panties and dropped his boxers and pants to the floor.

Ryan helped Angelica remove the shirt from her ample curves. He tossed her shirt and bra to the side. He pushed Angelica back on the bed, put a pillow beneath her head, and got to work.

Ryan stretched out Angelica’s legs, wrapping them around his broad waist. It was a tight fit. Angelica’s thick thighs pressed against his trunk. He opened her up a bit more, and Angelica let out a gasp.

“Too much?” asked Ryan.

“You’re just big, is all,” said Angelica. “Not just your cock. Your torso, too. You’re spreading my thighs out.”

“Do you want me to stop?” asked Ryan.

“If I don’t get used to it now, when will I?” asked Angelica. “I’m a big woman. I can learn to handle a big man.”

Ryan entered Angelica slowly, pressing the tip of his cock against the entrance to her pussy. Ryan pushed forward, careful not to hurt Angelica’s thighs. He kept her thighs barely a quarter inch away from his skin so he wouldn’t chafe her. Having Ryan hold her legs open was uncomfortable, especially given Angelica didn’t have the luxury of resting her legs against Ryan’s torso. As Ryan fucked Angelica, her legs started to feel more comfortable, as if she’d stretched before doing hard exercise.

Ryan put Angelica’s thighs back down and let Angelica control the fucking with her calves and thighs for a while. Then, Ryan stopped Angelica and controlled the rhythm.

“You don’t want me to do any work?” asked Angelica.

“Not on Christmas Day,” said Ryan. “Just lay back and let me do all the work. After all, I didn’t come up to The Wreath just to slack off on Christmas. You showed me how you like it. Now, let me give you a late Christmas present.”

Angelica lay back and gripped the pillow in front of her chest. She needed something to act as a barrier between her and Ryan. She had cushion for the pushin’, but Ryan’s big, hard bod was like a wrecking ball. She already felt like she was about to shatter around his dick. She didn’t need a raw and chafed front to appreciate his fine cocksmanship.

Ryan slammed into Angelica, mimicking the rhythm she’d come up with, of a long stroke followed by three short, shallow strokes. He hit the right spots, the base of his cock rubbing against her clit with every thrust in and the head of his cock grazing against her clit with every pull out of Angelica’s pussy.

Angelica gripped onto Ryan’s back, hard, and wrapped her thick thighs around his waist, making herself even tighter as her canal clapped around Ryan’s cock. Her body was pulling him in and pushing him out at the same time.

Ryan couldn’t hold back. He’d brought Angelica to climax. Now, it his turn to explode. He let loose, and his candy cane filled Angelica with frothy cream.

Ryan and Angelica climaxed at around the same time. Each one’s orgasm made the others’ orgasm stronger in a seemingly endless feedback loop. Neither had experienced such pleasure before. Ryan’s eyes flashed a deep bright shade of amber that was nearly gold.

All of a sudden, the deep V-shaped mark on Ryan’s chest started to change. The mark glowed bright white in the well-lit room. Tendrils of light sprung out from the center of the mark, forming feathers along the two lines of the V, on the bottom of the two lines forming the V. Above the V, a golden light flashed, and a golden circle appeared.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Angelica. “It’s an angel, Ryan, a Christmas angel.”

Angelica was right. On Ryan’s chest, a pair of white wings topped with a golden halo had replaced the dark black mark on Ryan’s chest.

“No,” said Ryan, pulling Angelica close to kiss her on the forehead. “You’re my Christmas angel.”

“My grandmother won’t believe what kind of a Christmas I had up here at The Wreath,” said Angelica.

“I’ve got a question,” said Ryan. “If you saw me skinny dipping, how come you forgot what my mark looked like?”

“Honestly?” asked Angelica. “I knew your mark was smaller than the word written on your chest this winter. I just assumed you had tattooed over it or something, and uh…I wasn’t exactly looking at your mark when I saw you shirtless. I was more interested in what kind of heat you were packing.”

“I knew it,” said Ryan, smiling and shaking his head. “You’re a bad girl, Angelica. You’re my fallen angel.”

“What’s next?” asked Angelica, lying back in the bed.

“Now, we’ve got to leave now if we want to get to Nuthusk in time to help your nana finish off all those pies,” said Ryan. “Merry Christmas, my fated mate.”