Free Reindeer Games by Jet Mykles Page A

Rom, but that might
    not be a bad thing. Perhaps his parents and friends had been right all along and he
    wasn’t in love but rather harboring an extreme crush. All of his thinking had
    brought Lon to the decision to take Wod up on his offer. If it didn’t work out, so be
    it, but he had a good feeling about it.
    But fate and the crowd were against him. He kept an eye on Wod while he
    worked to free the second set of reindeer from the harnesses. The magic that
    released Wod from his reindeer shape drifted away to reveal every long line of his
    sleek body, and for the first time, Lon looked with interest. In the blazing light of
    the barn, Wod’s skin maintained its dusky tone and, together with his abundance of
    deep red hair and his greater height, helped him to stand out. Unfortunately,
    because of the crowd, Lon couldn’t get a good look at the lower regions of his body. A

    Reindeer Games

    59

    handler appeared almost instantly with a robe to cover him up, the same deep green
    one that served to bring out the red highlights in his hair. Beside him was a flash of
    blue as Rom tossed his head in laughter.
    After accepting a goblet of wine from another handler, Wod straightened to his
    full height. As he brought the cup to his lips, he scanned the tops of the heads
    around him, almost as though he were looking for someone. Lon stepped back to
    allow Comet and Donner to step free of the harness. When he looked back to the
    crowd, Wod’s dark gaze was on him. Lon’s heart swelled, pushing the corners of his
    mouth up. Wod smiled back.
    Someone bumped into Lon, forcing him to juggle his harnesses lest he drop
    them.
    “Hey!” Pol scurried around to his side to help Lon secure his harness. “Are you
    going?”
    Lon blinked at his coworker and friend. “What?”
    “The party.” Pol rolled his eyes, grinning. “Haven’t you been listening?
    “I guess not. What’s going on?”
    “The reindeer are throwing a bonfire on the hill tonight.” Pol’s brilliant teal
    eyes sparkled as he spoke.
    “A bonfire?” Lon’s eyes widened. About once a month or so, Santa or the
    reindeer would make use of the park that sat beside the workshop at the top of the
    hill. Although no property in Santa’s Village was really restricted, it was commonly
    held that only Santa or the reindeer could throw a party in that park, because they
    were the residents of the hill. Whenever it did happen, it was always a huge party
    that drew most of those living in the village.
    “Yep. Bill’s gone to set up the bar”—Bill was the proprietor of the Mistletoe—
    “and Gus has got a full spread of food. You have to come.” Pol’s grin widened as he
    threw a look over his shoulder toward the crowd around the reindeer. “Maybe you’ll
    get lucky.”

    60
    Jet Mykles

    Lon bit his lip and scanned above the crowd for a glimpse of Wod again. As a
    friend, Pol knew of Lon’s obsession with Rom. But he couldn’t know that Lon’s
    sights were set on a different reindeer tonight. A party on the hill wasn’t a night at
    the Mistletoe, but it probably was even better.
    But where was Wod? Was he sitting down? He couldn’t have left already.
    “Lon?”
    “Hmm, what?”
    “The hill. The party?”
    “Oh! Yes, of course I’ll go.”
    “Terrific! Let’s finish up, then.”
    Giving up his quest, Lon nodded and bent to his work of helping secure the
    sleigh for the night. With six of them working at a task they did every night, it was
    quickly done, and Lon even managed not to rumple his clothes. But once he was free
    of his nightly duties, the crowd had thinned, and the last of the reindeer were
    leaving.
    Oddly, Rom was the last. He stood by the door of the equipment room, tall and
    proud over the two men who talked with him. “Hey, little Lon!”
    Lon stopped, shocked to hear Rom hailing him. Rom stepped away from his
    companions and closed the distance to Lon in a few easy paces.
    He dropped his arm across Lon’s shoulders. “Are you