Chapter 9

There was a flicker of doubt when they arrived at the mall, seeing as he had no clue how Artem might conduct himself around the hordes of people. Then again, the demon had mentioned more than once about having to fit in in the human world in order to do his job. Still, Drew crossed his fingers.

They nearly made it to the first store when it happened. Artem froze in place, his gaze trained on Santa’s throne and the man sitting there, a child on his lap.

“Artem?”

“What are they doing?”

“Telling Santa their Christmas wishes,” explained Drew, realizing Artem took in all the bits and pieces of the holiday like a young child just discovering the magic of the holidays. “And tomorrow he’ll travel around the world leaving gifts under trees for all the good kids.”

“Can I do that?”

Drew blinked. “Do what?”

When Artem turned to him, he saw the faint shimmer of unshed tears. “Tell Santa my wish?”