Stella Schumacher was humming a Christmas song to herself as she rolled out the sugar cookie dough. She took her first cookie cutter and started to cut out tree-shaped slices of cookies from the wet dough. She carefully put the slices of dough on to trays covered with slices of parchment. She took care not to let the dough rip. Any tree-shaped cookies that ended up tearing were put onto a separate tray. Those cookies could still be eaten by the staff. They were just a little goofy looking.

Stella put the trays of cookies into the oven and started to make forest green and chocolate brown icing. She laid out the gold nonpareils and red, blue, and yellow sprinkles, which would be used to decorate the Christmas trees. The nonpareils would look like ornament balls, while the sprinkles would look like Christmas lights — at least, they would once she iced the cookies and drew thin white strands of icing over the cookies, to form strands of Christmas lights.

“Hey, Stella, the boss lady wants to see you outside,” said Rebecca, peeking into the baking room. She was on register duty. There was a window between the cafe and the baking room, so the sweet and savory scents of the delicious baking streamed into the cafe’s seating area.

“Got it,” said Stella. She took off her gloves and grabbed her jacket.

“Here,” said Rebecca, coming up to Stella and passing her two mugs. “One for you, one for Avery — extra cinnamon for you, of course, and extra sprinkles for her.”

“You’re the best, Rebecca,” said Stella with a smile. She took in the sight of the cafe, which was starting to fill up with cheery families and cute couples. The only thing the cafe was missing was a Christmas tree.

Stella turned. She put the mugs of coffee down on the small table near the back door to Bear Claw Bakery and opened the door.

That’s when the wind hit her, and Stella realized that the Christmas season wasn’t all about jingling bells, bright, colorful lights, and freshly baked cookies.

Outside, the lake’s smooth icy surface had cracked. Giant white floes of ice bobbed back and forth in the water. Dark water peeked out from the cracks between the ice, splashing up and turning into mist. Above, the sky seemed to be churning like a witch’s cauldron, the white and gray clouds melding with the violet and pale blue dawn light.

A flash of light whipped through the air, followed by a thunderous cacophony that made Stella worried that the baking chimney had fallen off of the bakery’s red and green shingled roof.

Sitting outside, in the brewing storm, was Stella’s boss — Avery, who was looking at her cell phone.

“Hey!” shouted Stella. “You want to take this inside?”

“And miss this lovely weather?” asked Avery. “Never! Come on. This is just a little snow.”

“A little snow?” asked Stella. She walked over toward Avery and put their two mugs of coffee on the table. Before she could sit down, the wind whipped over the table. Avery had already picked up her coffee. Stella’s mug rattled in the wind. Rebecca had given Stella a generous dollop of whipped cream on her drink. Stella sat down just as the wind managed to whip her cream away!

“No!” shouted Stella, reaching out to try and grab the whipped cream, which floated away in the wind. “Darn it!”

“Strange weather we’re having,” said Avery. “Weather like this — it’s not common around The Wreath, but there have been a lot of strange happenings recently.”

“What kind of strange happenings?” asked Stella.

“Oh, Santana — my boss — is having a fight with his rival, this guy who thinks he controls the frikkin’ weather,” said Avery. “Would explain this weather we’ve been having.”

“Ha-ha, real funny,” said Stella, rolling her eyes. “What did you wanna see me about, boss?”

“I need you to work on a special project for me. I know you’re good with sugar cookies, but…can you handle gingerbread?” asked Avery.

Stella stifled a laugh. “Of course I can!”

“Good, because I need you to get twenty units of our catering gingerbread kits ready for an event on December twenty-third,” said Avery.

“That’s Christmas Eve, right?” asked Stella.

“That’s Christmas Eve Eve,” said Avery. “It’s the day — err, night? — before Christmas Eve.”

“Got it, chief,” said Stella. “Is the recipe in the book?”

“Yup, but remember — I need twenty units finished for that night so I would figure out scheduling now,” said Avery.

“How hard could it be to make twenty units?” asked Stella.

“Well, there are —” started Avery, but she was interrupted by a clap of thunder. “Ugh. This dang weather. Maybe we should’ve gone inside.”

“Why are we out here anyway?” asked Stella.

“Because of tradition,” grumbled Avery. “I, uh, have a friend coming over today. He’s a real gruff guy. Name of Krampus. He works for Santana — yeah, as in ‘my boss Santana’ — and so, if he or his lumberjack buddy order anything, you just put the receipt in the special red and white striped drawer, okay?”

“Got it,” said Stella. “Krampus, huh? Weird. I have this grandma, from the old country…she mentioned a ‘Krampus’ once. Isn’t Krampus the same name that some Christmas demon has, back in Europe?”

“Yeah, but uh, it’s the name this guy goes with, so don’t mention the demon stuff to him — or do, but, he’ll probably try to convince you the legends are based on him,” said Avery. “Half of them, I could believe, but half, I couldn’t. All I’m saying is…don’t let him cause trouble for you, okay?”

“How exactly could he cause me trouble?” asked Stella, quirking a brow.

“It’s not really him I’m worried about. I misspoke. It’s his lumberjack. If tradition holds, that lumberjack is a werebear bad boy looking for a fated mate. The last thing you need to be concerned with is dealing with shifter drama,” said Avery.

“A bad boy lumberjack?” asked Stella with a gulp. “Heck, that’s just my type. I’ll try to resist him, Avery, but, his manliness! It might overcome me! Oh no! I can feel it already, his, his alpha male shifter powers, claiming me! Avery, what’ll I do?”

“Ha-ha, ham it up all you want, but don’t forget that I warned you about this shifter nonsense,” said Avery, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

“Why are you out here?” asked Stella. “If you’re expecting company, why not wait inside?”

“Because they’re coming from over there, and if my eyes are seeing true, then they’re over on the dock right now,” said Avery, pointing to the lake. “That island, right there — that’s Camp Kringle, the Christmas tree farm, and the domain of Krampus.”

The Wreath — named after the classic Christmas decoration because it was in the shape of a circle, dotted in the center with a big island, Stella thought the island was more like a donut than a wreath. The town, which mainly ran around the lake, was also known as The Wreath. Whether the town was named after the lake or the lake was named after the town was anyone’s guess.

The side of the island — Camp Kringle — that was facing the bakery had a dock. On the pier, two figures were moving. Through the wind and snow, Avery couldn’t make their details out. She saw that one character was dealing with a metal boat, but then, the wind whipped it away! The boat landed in a tree on Camp Kringle.

“Holy shizz, did you just see that?” asked Stella.

“If they have to swim across, they will,” said Avery, sipping at her coffee. “If you’re too cold, you can go inside.”

“And miss this show? Not for all the whipped cream in the world!” said Stella, sipping her now cold beverage as she watched the men argue. One man led the other away from the small dock. Stella frowned. Had they given up on trying to cross the lake?

Then, she saw something moving on the side of the island. At first, she thought it was a lake monster.

“Oh Hell no!” exclaimed Avery. “He didn’t bring that out.”

“What is it?” asked Stella, peering. “Is that another boat?”

“It ain’t just any boat, kid,” said Avery. “That there? That’s a Viking boat.”

Stella couldn’t make the details out. All she saw was that there were two men in the boat, with a bundle between them, and a pair of oars in the water. The boat came closer. Stella was able to see the men more clearly.

The man at the front of the boat had his back to her. He was wearing a jacket.

The man in the back of the boat was facing Stella, and he was shirtless. His body was broad and dripping wet. Stella wondered whether the wetness would taste like against her tongue. The mix of snow, icy lake water, and sweat would taste salty, but would it still be cold, or would the man’s body make the droplets steam against her lips?

The man had thick, muscular arms. He had a scruffy, thick beard, nearly an inch long, and he had hair down to his shoulders. He looked like an actual Viking…

…Well, except for one tiny detail.

There was a thick white thing on his beard. It was fluffy. At first, Stella thought it was a snowball or some feathers.

The man walked up to her, bundle in one arm, and looked down at her. Then, he looked at her mug, then, back to her. He wiped the whipped cream off of his beard and put it on top of Stella’s mug.

“I think you dropped this,” said the man. “And you, this is for you.” He passed the big package to Avery.

“Yeah, Krampus, you carry that in,” said Avery.

“Really?” asked Krampus, raising a brow. “Kevin, take it inside.”

“No, you do it,” said Avery. “This one…intrigues me. Sit down.”

Kevin took a seat. Avery looked over Kevin, and so did Stella. That’s when Stella saw it.

He had one word on his chest.

It was in forest green.

It read ‘Naughty.’

That was the moment Stella realized she was about to have an exciting Christmas season.

She’d seen mate marks before. She knew what they were. They were the marks that led shifters to their fated mates – the true loves that they were meant to be with, fated to be with. When a shifter claimed his mate – sexually – then the mark would confirm they were fated.

She’d never been the kind of gal to fall for bad boys. Heck, she was running from one. But, Kevin…well, he was an exception to the rule. That in itself was a Christmas miracle.

“So you’re Kevin,” said Avery. “Where are you from?”

“Washington,” said Kevin.

“What do you do?” asked Avery.

“Forest ranger,” said Kevin gruffly, looking over Stella before looking back to Avery. “And I’m guessing you’re the baker Krampus has been bitching at me about.”

“Krampus talked about me?” asked Avery, blushing. “Whatever. Okay. So what did you do to get out here?”

“Same thing as every other bad boy — failed to find a fated mate, fell into the early stages of mate madness,” said Kevin. “My bear started taking over, so Krampus took it, took my mate mark, and made me into a reindeer shifter.”

“Who’d you get?” asked Avery. “Let me see…Cupid was here last year, so, you’re this year’s Donner?”

“Exactly,” said Kevin.

“Wait, what?” asked Stella. “What do you mean, you were ‘made’ into a reindeer shifter? That’s not a thing.”

“I’m a werebear. Well, I was. If a shifter doesn’t claim a mate, they can fall into mate madness — where they permanently turn into their shift,” said Kevin. “I was in the early stages of the condition, so my bear Clan, Clan Marron, of Nuthusk, Washington, and so Krampus took my bear so that I couldn’t keep acting like a feral beast, the beast I’d become. To earn back my shift, I have to claim my fated mate — after I get off of The Naughty List. Oh, yeah, that’s the catch. I’m working as one of Santa Claus’ flying frikkin’ reindeer. Right now, I’m on The Naughty List. Once I get on The Nice List, it’ll be proof I learned my lesson, stopped being a bad boy, and can finally earn back mate mark so I can claim a mate.”

Holy exposition, said Donner. Maybe printing a pamphlet out and passing that to her could’ve been more effective.

If I wanted the running commentary, I would’ve asked for it, growled Kevin. I’m already on The Naughty List. Besides – being honest might actually work in my favor.

Hey – I didn’t say that I disapprove, said Donner. If anything, I’m impressed. I like you.

“Wait, hold on, you’re joking,” said Stella. “Isn’t that mark on your chest a mate mark?”

“Nope. That’s a reminder of what I’ve done to lose what I had,” said Kevin. “I don’t know if there’s some rule about telling people about Christmas magic and stuff, but, I’m not afraid of breaking it. What’ll happen? I’ll get on The ‘Extra Naughty’ list? So, why are you here?”

“I like baking and Christmas,” said Stella. “The Wreath seemed like a nice place to work for the holiday.”

“Bullshit,” said Kevin, causing the Naughty mark to burn, as it did whenever he did something explicitly naughty, like cursing.

“What?” asked Stella.

“Let me see your hands,” said Kevin.

Stella put out a hand. Kevin turned it over.

“No burn scars? Long nails that have been recently painted? No finger hair — either waxing or some hair removal treatment like lasers,” said Kevin, giving Stella back her hand. “You’re no baker. You’re a rich girl, running away from something. So, what is it? Are you next in line to run your family’s orange juice empire or something?”

“No,” said Stella, crossing her arms. “But…you’re good. You’re not some detective hired by my parents, are you?”

“No,” said Kevin. “I’m just used to figuring out the difference between folks that work with their hands and folks that don’t. I see all kinds of campers on the grounds. You pick up on things. Plus, every rich boy who wants to play in the woods signs up for ranger duty and swiftly quits when he realizes that it’s not all s’mores and stargazing.”

“My parents…sort of kind of arranged a marriage for me,” Stella admitted lamely. “I have no interest in some ‘arranged’ marriage — no matter how much money it’ll make my family. There’s supposed to be a wedding this Christmas.”

“And so you’re here, hiding from them,” said Kevin.

“Yes and no,” said Stella. “I…just wanted one last Christmas to myself, one last Christmas where I could do whatever I want — all the things I was never allowed to do, like have a real job, in a small business like a bakery, where I can work with my hands. I can go ice skating without someone worrying about me ruining a designer wool pea coat.”

“You’re still going to marry the guy?” asked Kevin.

“I have to — because it’s bigger than just me,” said Stella, motioning over her body. “And, if you haven’t noticed, I’m a pretty big girl! If the problem’s bigger than me, it’s a plus-plus-plus-size-problem.”

“But why are you doing it?” asked Kevin.

“Because honor is important, and when my family makes promises, it would mean losing honor if we broke them,” said Stella. “If my parents owed a debt, I’d find a way to pay it…and in this case, the debt owed is me.”

“Stella, I just met you, but…you have to do what you have to do,” said Kevin. “If you need a friend this Christmas season, you don’t just have Avery, you have me.”

“I do?” asked Stella.

“You do,” said Kevin. “I can’t promise more than that, but…if you ask me for anything, I’ll try to make your Christmas dreams come true.”

Stella’s heartbeat quickened as she felt something she had never felt during the Christmas season before, a feeling she had always yearned to feel, the kind of feeling that, like true love, she’d only ever read about.

For the first time in her life, Stella truly felt the Christmas spirit.

Then, something magical started to happen.

Kevin’s mark started to glow.

Stella watched as the mark glowed green, then bright red, like a beacon of hope in the darkness. When the light faded, Stella saw that it had changed — and now, it read ‘Nice,’ in bright red letters.

“What just happened?” asked Stella.

“I don’t know,” said Kevin, looking down at his chest.

Just then, Krampus came out of the bakery.

“Can’t believe I got a fuckin’ splinter,” grumbled Krampus. “Kevin – I need someone to come and hold the tree while I screw it in. Kevin? Hello?”

“Krampus,” said Avery sharply. “Look at Kevin. Notice anything different?”

“Your mark,” said Krampus, looking over Kevin in disbelief. “It…it changed. From ‘Naughty’ to ‘Nice.’”

“So I’m off of The Naughty List?” asked Kevin.

“I think there’s been a mistake,” said Krampus. “This has never happened before. No bad boy has ever gotten off of The Naughty List this quickly.”

“So what are you saying?” asked Kevin.

“I’m saying that I was given the wrong bad boy from Clan Marron,” said Krampus. “After all, I don’t pick out the bad boys that are brought to The Wreath — Clan Marron chooses. Sorry, Kevin, but, it looks like a mistake was made. I have to send you back home.”

“Wait — “ protested Kevin.

Krampus reached into his pocket and pulled out the magic snow globe. He pressed it to Kevin’s hand…but nothing happened. Krampus pulled the snow globe away and peered inside. Kevin’s bear was inside the snow globe. Krampus had pulled out the right artifact, so why wasn’t it doing anything when it met Kevin’s skin? Krampus pushed it against Kevin’s skin, again.

“Is this thing broken?” asked Krampus.

What’s going on? thought Kevin.

Just shut up, let Krampus do what he has to do, said Donner.

But — started Kevin.

Just do what I say, said Donner. You were supposed to learn some lessons from me, were you not?

So this is your doing? asked Kevin.

Ever heard of ‘The Fifth?’ Because I’m claiming it, said Donner. I’m claiming it like a shifter claims a mate.

“Well, Kevin, when I figure out how to give you back your bear, I’ll find you and deliver them back to you,” said Krampus. “But, it’s December first, and I’ve already spent weeks training the wrong bad boy, so it’s time for you to go home. To make things even more annoying, now, I gotta go set this frikkin’ tree up on my own.”

“Put it over the —” started Avery.

“Damn it, woman, I know to put it on top of that stupid stain!” grumbled Krampus. “I put the damn stain there, after all — as you won’t let me forget. Just give me a damn minute!”

Krampus pulled his necklace off his neck and threw it in the air. It started to fall down in a circle around Kevin.

“Stella — “ said Kevin, wanting to explain, but Krampus pushed Kevin on the chest and then, on the shoulder, down into the portal.

Kevin popped up in Nuthusk.

The only problem was, he was about ten feet in the air, so when he hit the ground, he did what naturally happens.

He got knocked out.

Kevin woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom. He was underneath some warm, fluffy blankets.

“Did I just dream all of that?” wondered Kevin. “Or…is this the dream?”

I’m still here, said Donner.

Kevin looked down at his chest. It no longer read ‘Naughty’ — it read ‘Nice,’ in crimson red, his mate mark underneath the word. Krampus must’ve put the mate mark back on Kevin’s chest when he pushed him in the portal’s ring.

Great — so what happened? asked Kevin.

You’re not at The Wreath, said Donner. That’s for sure.

Thanks, said Kevin. And how do I get back there?

The fastest way to get back there is to get back on The Naughty List, said Donner. Krampus isn’t the only one who cares about the list.

“Any other ideas?” asked Kevin aloud.

“For one, you could explain why you landed in my fuckin’ lawn,” said a deep, familiar voice.

Kevin looked toward the open door. There was a familiar man who looked much like Kevin, although this man was well-groomed and clean.

“Well, well, well,” said the man. “If it isn’t Kevin frikkin’ Murphy.”

“Ryan? Ryan Rex?” asked Kevin. “Where am I?”

“My cabin’s guest bedroom,” said Ryan. “You’re lucky that me and the missus were up here on vacation. Otherwise, maybe one of the hungrier bears would’ve gotten to you first.”

“Ryan, you won’t believe what happened,” said Kevin. “There’s this guy, Krampus, and —”

“I know,” said Ryan.

“What?” asked Kevin.

“Same thing happened to me, back in oh-eight,” said Ryan. “I had Dancer. Who do you have, Blitzen?”

“Donner,” said Kevin. “So, you do know.”

“What I don’t know is why you’re back in Nuthusk, way before your assignment is over,” said Ryan, sitting down in the armchair in the guest bedroom. “I didn’t get off of The Naughty List until Christmas Day. You managed to get off by December first?”

“Yeah, and so Krampus said that meant I must not be the right bad boy, that the Clan Elders must’ve made a mistake,” said Kevin.

“Shit,” said Ryan.

“I need to get to the bottom of this because I don’t have my shift,” said Kevin.

“Let me make a call,” said Ryan. “Remember Sean? Jasper’s boy?”

“Shit,” said Kevin. “Was he one of us?”

“Damn straight,” said Ryan.

Ryan pulled out his phone. He called Sean.

“Sean?” asked Ryan. “Hey. Yeah. So, you wouldn’t believe who I’m here with — wait, how did you know?”

Ryan stood up from the chair.

“Can you stop it? What do you mean that Krampus already took him? Shit,” said Ryan. “I thought we’d have more time. I guess he wastes no time. Alright. We’ll figure this out.”

Ryan hung up.

“What’s going on?” asked Kevin.

“The Clan has already selected another bad boy, and Krampus picked him up already,” said Ryan.

“Who is it?” asked Kevin.

“The only other bad boy left in town, the one that never left to begin with,” said Ryan.

“You can’t mean —” started Kevin.

“Nivek,” said Ryan.

“I need to fly back to The Wreath, now,” said Kevin rushing toward the door. “There’s this girl, Stella, and Nivek…he cannot be around her. Anyone else, even Eamonn, would be fine, but Nivek? She’s not safe around him.”

“So you fly back up to The Wreath, and then what?” asked Ryan, stopping Kevin from leaving the room, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Krampus has a bad boy. He will have you sent back, over and over, unless…he can’t. Unless somebody else insists that you are allowed to stay, somebody above him. And, to convince that person, you’re going to need to get his attention…by getting back on The Naughty List.”