Free Nice and Naughty by Viola Grace Page B

see if the matches are correct?”
    Ru sighed. “You trust my judgment?”
    “I always have. We have been together far longer than the team has. I trust you, Ru; that has never changed.”
    She snorted. “I doubt that. Well, did you want me to examine them now?”
    “It would help. They don’t know how to find your ladies.”
    She stayed in her chair, and she lifted her feet up to Santa’s desk. “Send ’em in one by one. I will tell you what I think.”
    “You can’t decide if they are in a group?”
    “Nope. Send them in with the band of the match you figured out. I will see if it is any good.” She set her teacup down. “You will have to send them back through time.”
    He nodded. “I am willing to expend the energy, but we need that team.”
    Ru smiled, tapped her teacup and it refilled at her command. “In that case, send in the first offering.”
    Santa sighed and got to his feet. “Your roots are showing.”
    She smirked and lifted her cup to his in salute, inhaling the peppermint that she loved so dearly.
    She eyed the elf coming through the door with Dasher’s collar in his hand, and she narrowed her eyes. The two of them vibrated a lovely golden brown.
    “You will do.”
    He paused. “Don’t you need to know my name?”
    “Nope. Next.” She flapped her hand at the amused elf, and he turned his wide shoulders to leave the office.
    The choices that Santa had made went along well for the first six, but when she got to Donder’s match, she paused.
    “Nope. You won’t do. Sorry. She is a little darker on the inside. She needs someone who is a little more anchored.”
    Ru lifted her hand, used her magic to pull and caught the collar.
    “Next!”
    When the elf left, the next came in. The smell of candy wafted off him, and he carefully held Blitzen’s band in his hand. Her team member would be safe with him.
    “Good. You can go. Remember that she likes to be useful. She has always enjoyed having busy hands.”
    He inclined his head. “Yes, madam.”
    He left as well, and Santa came in. “Why did you toss Randal out?”
    “He isn’t stable enough for Donder. She needs a man with a home, a base of operations. A house or something. He also needs to have a dark side. She does, so they need to match and meld that way.”
    Santa lifted his tablet from his desk, and he flicked his fingers swiftly across the screen. “How about this?”
    Ru read the dossier and covered her mouth as she chuckled. “This will do very well. Donder is a holiday decorator; this is going to be perfectly odd.”
    Santa rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “The collar, please.”
    She slapped it into his palm, and he left the room for a few minutes.
    It was rare that she had a chance to rummage through the elf database, but she did it now, learning about the men that she had just sent out to bring her team back.
    She was giggling and tears were running down her cheeks when Santa returned.
    “What has tweaked your funny bone, Rudolph?”
    “I am desperately glad that I sent them off with the snowflake magic. They would be hopelessly outclassed if there hadn’t been an info-dump involved.”
    Santa sat down and rubbed his forehead. “Is there a cup of tea around for me?”
    Ru smiled and waved her hand. A pot appeared between them, just like in the old days.
    “I don’t understand why, Ru. I don’t understand why they chose now?”
    “I will tell you later. Well, I suppose that I should return to the archive. Is Rin still around?” She set her cup down and made to get up to her feet.
    “You aren’t going anywhere. You are staying in the tower for the next week.”
    That was surprising. “Why?”
    “You can pull the sleigh by yourself if you have to. I want to make sure you are where I can find you.” Santa scowled.
    She leaned back in her chair. “You were a lot more fun before you became a living avatar of Christmas.”
    He sighed. “And you were much more obliging when you were fresh out of the forest.