Chapter 1
This year, Christmas was supposed to be one of the most magical and beautiful times, but all the jolly hope vanished two weeks before the big day when my boyfriend of four years broke up with me. It happened two days after I rented a cabin in the woods of Oregon for us to spend the holidays. The worst part? I had to find out he hooked up with one of my best friends, not to mention the gossip about how they met behind my back. It was horrible, and the humiliation nipped at me like ice spikes on bare skin. Nonetheless, these events did not deter me from spending my Christmas alone. I already gave the cash advance for renting the cabin, so there was no point in losing that money.
That’s how I found myself sipping on a glass of red wine while sitting in the Chesterfield armchair next to the rich and immense Christmas tree while watching some comedy on the plasma TV. The cabin I rented was huge and on a more luxurious level. I used the money I had saved for this special occasion — which turned into a lonely vacation. Being almost 26 didn’t leave me with any other choices to spend my Christmas holidays. My parents made plans for the holidays months before, knowing I had ones of my own. My friends had their arrangements with their boyfriends or husbands, so I was the lone wolf, sipping on wine and wearing a frown along with a stupid, oversized Christmas sweater and fuzzy socks. So cliche.
Sighing, I finished my glass of wine and grabbed the bottle of Merlot, pouring the scarlet liquid into the empty glass. I set the bottle on the glass coffee table before I resumed my comfortable position in the plush armchair. You would think that having such high comfort and luxury around me, I would feel good, but being alone for the holidays made a wave of depression twist in my gut. I could have found a fast date on Tinder for this occasion, but the idea of desperately seeking companionship with anyone gave me a bitter taste.
After twenty minutes, the comedy movie was over, and silence filled the cabin, save for the electric fireplace, which mimicked the sound of wood cracking under the flames. Even if it was warm inside, I felt cold and longed to have someone’s arms wrap around me. Muttering some curses under my breath, I took a significant gulp of wine before I sat up, took the light grey braided blanket, and swung it around my shoulders. I marched toward the front door but stopped when I passed the full-length mirror. Tilting my head to the side, I took in my reflection — my wavy strawberry blonde hair, which reached my lower waist, the amber eyes, the slightly crooked nose, and the freckles over my cheeks and nose.
Maybe I wasn’t pretty enough? That’s why Nick decided to break up with me. Shaking my head, I pushed these thoughts aside. If I wasn’t pretty enough, he could have told me so in these four years we’ve been together. Opening the front door, the icy breeze outside and the dust of snow swirling around my ankles greeted me. I tugged the thick blanket more around my petite body, putting on the grey slipper boots before stepping onto the front porch, seeing the white winter wonderland basking in the darkness of the night. It softly snowed, with gentle breezes here and there, making my cheeks tingle from the icy kisses of mother nature.
The cabin was located at the edge of the forest without any other cabin close, giving me the perfect quietness and privacy. I could see the cold fog leaving my lips as I exhaled air. My eyes glanced around the lines of pine trees covered in a white coat of snow. Something caught my attention; movement at the edge of the forest and the fear of a carnivorous predator made me shiver more than the low temperatures outside. The anxiety vanished, and I managed to relax when a deer came out of the forest. The animal cautiously moved closer to the cabin, and my eyes squinted, noticing that the deer held something in their mouth.
Did it look like some sort of chain with a huge snow globe? Confusion filled me, and when I took a step forward the woods of the porch made a cracking noise that startled the deer. The object in their mouth fell into the snow, and the animal ran back into the forest.
Curious, I walked into the dense snow to pick up the intriguing object. It was a thick silver chain with a glowing snow globe. The swirling electric blue color inside almost hypnotized me. I never saw something like this before. Checking it out, there was no clue if this belonged to someone so I decided to keep it. Walking back inside the cabin, away from the frigid weather, I relax as the warmth of the fireplace engulfed me.
My amber eyes glued to the magic-looking thing I just found, or did the deer left it to me with a reason? Being so transfixed by its stark blue color, I didn’t look where I was walking, only to step on the long blanket and trip. The snow globe fell from my hands, and everything happened in slow motion. A groan left me when I made contact with the hardwood of the floor. The sound of glass shattering filled my ears. Opening my eyes, I saw the shattered snow globe a few feet away from me, but not only that.
A thick cloud of turquoise smoke erupted from the broken globe, twirling around like a tornado. My eyes widened when the smoke cleared up, and in its place, a man appeared, or rather, a monster. His height reached 7′0 at ease with defined musculature covered by snow-white skin. The red Santa jacket and pants only added to the stark contrast of his flesh. His facial features, on the other hand, were something else. Yes, he had human anatomy but with demonic elements, like his sharp teeth peeking from the grin he wore, his ruby red eyes which gleamed like the flames of the fire, and the most apparent attribute — the gigantic black horns rising from underneath his chaotic white hair. His horns reminded me of a reindeer. Judging from their sharpness, I am sure they could inflict some high damage.
What made him less intimidating, and dare I say, comedic, were the golden jingles bells and red satin bows adorning these horns. Another funny accessory he had, was the black collar around his sturdy neck, with the same golden bells all around the black leather. Each time he moved, these bells could cling. My eyes moved lower, and I couldn’t help but let my gaze linger more on his torso. The jacket he had on was unzipped, giving me a perfect view of the defined lines of his pectorals and abdomen. I bit my lower lip when I noticed his nipples. They were red, the same vibrant shade as his clothes.
“Are you done staring, human?” His raspy voice broke me out of my ogling, and my gaze snapped from his appetizing physique to his face. A smug smirk graced his eerie and sharp features. His entire posture gave off confidence, with his chin held high and his hands on his hips, looking down at me.
“W-Who are you? What are you?” These were the first questions that left my mouth.
“My name is Azrael, and I am a demon. Thank you for breaking me out of that damned and infernal globe.” He spoke, not once stumbling over a word.
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Holly Jolly Demon: A Christmas Monster Romance (Diabolic Lovers Series) by C.B. Blackburn
