Page 5 of Wrapped and Tapped

I raised a brow at North as I traced the patchwork chihuahua puppy—my favorite—stitched into the strange, beautiful, blanket he’d draped over me. He shrugged in response, folding his arms as he mirrored my expression. “You looked cold and I didn’t like that. Isn’t this better?”

I nodded absently, pulling my legs up beneath me on the couch. I couldn’t make a run for it between the snow outside and their glowy key powers, so I might as well get comfy. It was kind of nice to be taken care of, truth be told, even if this was the weirdest situation I’d ever been in.

“Right. So.” Buzz cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable as he continued, raking a hand through his bright pink hair.

“The King of the Winter Court has this daughter . She’s fair and beautiful as freshly-fallen snow, all the things lore and legend claim.

What Lia is not good at, however, is rejection. ”

Tinsel patted Buzz’s shoulder sympathetically, gesturing at himself and the other two men.

“Neve, we’re called a Nosse among our people, the three of us a group woven in the threads of time, sworn to one another in brotherhood.

That means if one of us takes a mate, we all must—the same mate.

Lia has pursued Buzz, North, and myself with equal fervor over time, trying to find the—well, weak link seems an unkind phrase, but it stands, here—in our Nosse.

But none of us ever loved her or desired her as a mate, and she became, well, rather focused on changing that. ”

North huffed, his eyes narrowing angrily. “Lia went to her father, the Winter King, and spun false tales of treason, aiming to have us thrown in the dungeons. She wanted us at her mercy, hoping to wear us down and make us agree to take her as our mate.”

I barked a laugh, sitting up as the quilt slid down from my shoulders. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me the North Pole has dungeons and Santa has a dau?—”

Just like before, all three men dropped to a reverent knee when I named ol’ Big Red himself. As one, they muttered something in a soft, musically-tonal language before rising again and looking at me as if they hadn’t just assumed knight errant positions mid-sentence.

I coughed awkwardly. “O…k. So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that S— er, the Winter King bought Lia’s sob story but you three didn’t make it to these dungeons?

” I still thought they were crazy, but to hell with it.

It was a cold night and this tea was hot.

I could get down with elf society gossip; was it really any worse than reality TV?

North smiled sadly. “As you’ve guessed, my clever little gift, the Winter King ignored Lia’s demand, and exiled us instead.

When elves are exiled from the Winter Court, they are bound to the bloodlines of humans our kind are indebted to.

Long ago, someone in your family saved an important elvish noble, and thus we are now yours. ”

My eyes snapped up from the quilt hem I was toying with, eyebrows sky-high now. “What the hell do you mean mine ? You're your own hum— elves…whatever! You don't belong to anyone but yourselves.”

They all seem surprised at that, giving each other shocked glances. Tinsel looked at me curiously. “But we want to give you your heart’s desire, serve you however you wish. We must, in fact, in order to satisfy our people’s debt to your ancestor.”

I frowned, wriggling out from under the blanket and setting it in my lap as I sat up further. “No way. You can change a few light bulbs for me while you're here if you feel really strongly about it, but I'm a pretty big proponent of autonomy, guys.”

A stray thought slithered through my brain, providing me with some delightful mental images of what this trio of holiday hunks could do for me. Buzz looked at me with a hungry expression and a sly smirk. “Ah. But what if we offered something freely, as our thanks for releasing us from the bond?”

My cheeks burned, panic blooming that these magical invaders might also be mind readers.

If North could read intent from some homewrecker’s stray underwear, it wasn't impossible they could read me too.

“Y-yeah, like I said. Light bulbs.” I waved vaguely in the direction of the hallway, my face still hot.

Their expressions had all changed to something determined, a playful, sexy sort of mischief that stirred things in me that had lately been as neglected as my houseplants.

Tinsel dropped smoothly to his knees a few feet in front of me on the carpet, speaking to me eye-to-eye from under his adorable flop of teal hair, ticking off each to-do item on his fingers.

“If you’re willing to help us, we must answer you a question, aid you in a task, and bring you your heart’s desire. ”

North smirked at me, the gentle glow from the fireplace at his back making him a hot Winter King himself, beard and all. “So, Neve, what would you like to ask?”

My stomach flopped like a fish out of water, but I diligently shoved aside what the naughty-list side of my brain wanted to ask of this December Daddy posing in front of me. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Why are you glowing?”

His expression blanked, confused, before Buzz cracked a laugh beside him. “North, she’s probably never seen bodies like ours before—show her!”

My eyes widened as North’s hands went matter-of-factly to the waist of his pants, mentally scolding myself to look away. I didn’t listen.

Well, it wasn't like the naughty list had levels, right?

To my disappointment, Tinsel’s eyes followed my laser focus and he reached up, touching North’s hand lightly. “You can just show her your chest, you know.”

North smiled knowingly, sliding his hands up to unbutton his shirt instead. “Just making sure she’s paying attention.”

Oh buddy, was I.

Still, I gasped as the plaid fabric fell away to reveal two small red Christmas light bulbs where North’s nipples should be, about half the length of actual twinkle lights on a strand.

They shone merrily, and when North caught my fascinated stare, he bounced his pecs with a wink, making the lights blink for a moment.

“Whoa. Are they…like, can you feel…?” I couldn't take my eyes off the bizarre sight, which somehow worked perfectly for his muscular chest. A soft dusting of blue chest hair made his unusual accessories almost…charming.

He dropped to a knee beside Tinsel, his smirk still firmly in place. “Yes. Would you like to see for yourself?”

Before I could chastise myself about feeling up a complete stranger, my fingertips were already tracing the thin, smooth glassy points and marveling at their warmth.

North gave a soft, pleased grunt at my exploration, the edges of his eyes creased with humor.

“You like them? Don't worry, you won't break me. They are sturdier than the lights you humans use for decoration. The only downside is that when one goes out, the others do too.”

At my startled expression he let out a loud laugh. “Ah, I wish you could see your face! I'm just kidding, I promise.”

Even though I told myself it was probably a bad idea and I was being nosy, the question spilled out of my mouth before I could stop it. “So you have…other…lights?”

North gave me a blinding grin. “Yes, little gift, but that would require me to take off a lot more clothing. We all have unique features, actually.” He nodded over his shoulder at the kneeling Tinsel and Buzz, who gave me a wink as he leaned against the edge of the conjured hearth.

My thumb traced a glass nipple point as curiosity got the better of me, enjoying an illicit thrill as North swallowed hard at the contact. “What…so how are you two different? Do you have lights too?”

Buzz shook his head, and I could have sworn Tinsel’s pointed ears turned red, but it was hard to see in the dim light from the fireplace.

“No, we're all different,” Tinsel said softly, his tone strangely embarrassed. “Elves are like snowflakes in that no two are ever the same.”

“Would you like us to show you?” Buzz asked eagerly, shoving off the hearth and stepping closer.

My stomach fluttered at the mischievous smirk on his face, hinting at a secret I wasn’t privy to yet.

The room had become suddenly stuffy, growing hotter by the second, and it had nothing to do with the crackling fire nearby.

“Just say the word, Neve,” Tinsel said, his bright eyes locking with mine. “We won't do anything you don't want. All you have to do is ask us to satisfy the bond.”

I’d already asked them a question, but the growing heat that sank between my thighs had me abandoning the rest of my logic. Modesty be damned, when the hell was I ever going to get another chance like this?

“Yes,” I muttered, almost too quietly for them to hear, but Tinsel’s eyebrows shifted upward.

“Yes what, Neve?” he prompted, tentatively reaching to place a hand on my knee, North’s hand cupping my own against his chest. Their touches were electric where they skipped across my skin.

I swallowed, my throat tight. Heat was churning through me now, scorching my insides and fueling my spiraling thoughts.

I wanted to know what was glowing in North’s pants, what was hiding beneath Tinsel and Buzz’s clothes.

Besides, I was just asking to see what made them so different.

It wasn't like I was asking them to jump my bones… yet.

“How are your bodies different? Show me,” I said, a little louder this time. “I… I want to see.”