While You Were Creeping - Poppy Rhys Page 0,38

eyelid open when Kye pushed back the curtains in my bedroom. Snowflake clusters the size of golf balls gently fell outside, causing me to slink farther under the warm blankets.

Kye hadn’t been exaggerating. He’d fucked me many, many, many more times. On various surfaces. In multiple positions. In every room of my apartment except storage. Yes, even the shower.

He moved around the bed, wearing only boxers with mistletoe print. I grinned to myself at the irony.

He had something in those boxers I enjoyed kissing.

“Wednesday.”

I abruptly sat up and snatched my comm off the nightstand. “What? Really?”

“Really.”

I know we’d been playing naked tango for a while—our food, sleep, and shower breaks kind of blurred together at this point—but I hadn’t realized we’d lost a whole day and then some.

Obviously, we both had some pent-up frustration that sorely needed to be worked out.

Kye sat on the side of the bed and pushed a glass of juice into my hands before chugging his down. “Thanks,” I mumbled and took a sip.

****

KYE

“Welcome.”

If I could take a picture of Holly right now—hair wild and uncombed, eyes slightly puffy with lack of sleep, and kiss-swollen lips an alluring dark pink—I would.

Since I didn’t have a comm, I took a mental image instead.

The thought was cheesy as fuck, but oh well. My time was running short. Only a couple weeks before the crystal would do its thing, pull me back in and put me in stasis.

No dreaming. No thoughts. No nothing.

If I committed this, her, to memory, I’d at least have that when I woke next. Whenever, and wherever, that may be.

The thought of possibly never seeing Holly again wouldn’t have bothered me just a short time ago. Now?

Now it made the juice I just finished sour in my stomach.

Guess, deep down, I believed her about not being a berchta. And if she weren’t a berchta, the crystal wouldn’t remain in her possession for long.

Holly was human. Just plain old human.

Nothing made sense. I couldn’t wrap my head around the missing pieces.

“What were you saying about talking to an elf the other day?”

“Oh. Right.” She set her juice on the nightstand and tugged on a nearby night-shirt.

I groaned, hating the fact she wasn’t naked any longer.

“It’s not terrible news, but it’s not good news either.”

“Story of my life.”

A small smile drew her tempting mouth to the side before she frowned and tucked a curl behind her ear.

I was cracked. A day or so of having sex with Holly and I was thinking flowery shit and already wanting to dive under the covers and lose more time with her.

Lose more time.

There’s a lot of shit I’d do to get more of it. Time. Time awake, that is.

Time free.

“Hit me with it.” I rolled my shoulders. “I’m ready.”

Holly’s eyes darted to mine. Her long, dark lashes could knock the sense out of me with a simple flutter if I weren’t careful.

“I called Elvshkin Inc, which is apparently where the elves work. That grouchy elf I mentioned?”

I nodded, remembering.

“He said something really odd.”

Dammit, the way she nervously chewed on her lip made me want to forget there was bad news. “What?”

“He said there was no record of anyone giving me a gift that day. Which is crazy right? Because Nankino—the elf at school—walked right up to me, called me by my name, and insisted on giving me a gift. The cube, it was just wrapped at the time. Trust me, I tried to turn her down, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Her brow creased, the skin on her nose wrinkling. “Said she couldn’t return without an empty bag.”

“Hmm...”

I’d never known an elvshkin to be pushy. Annoyingly cheerful and always giggling, yes. Pushy, no. Especially about gift giving.

“There’s more,” she sighed.

“Guessing this is the not-so-good news?”

Holly twisted her fingers in her lap, the comforter pillowing underneath them. Her burn had healed, thanks to the wonders of nanobot salve.

“Bingo. The guy said Nan’s not due back at headquarters until New Years and there’s no way to guarantee she’ll get my message.”

New Years.

I hated New Years.

When everyone was ringing in a new beginning, mine was ending. Just as Auld Lang Syne would start up, I’d lose time. The crystal would take me back, my conscience would fade to nothing, and then I’d wake a year later only to start all over again.

I scrubbed my horns, frustrated.

“I’m sorry,” she said, resting her hand on my knee.

I believed her. Damn me, but I did.

“We’ll figure it out,” she reassured, sitting on her