Page 13 of Kraved By Krampus

The fire dims, matching my darkening mood.Of course she’d heard those tales. Everyone has.

“Is that what you believe?” My voice comes out rougher than intended.

Her hands pause on my chest. “I used to. Before tonight. But I saw how you were with that boy. You put yourself between him and danger without hesitation.”

The warmth of her touch seeps into my skin, making it harder to maintain my usual distance. “The stories aren’t entirely wrong. I am a punisher.”

“Are you?” She applies antiseptic with gentle strokes. “Because what I saw was someone who protects children, even from themselves. You could have let that cursed magic go out of control. Instead, you took the hit.”

If only she knew how many I’ve failed. How many I couldn’t save.“I’m not the hero you’re trying to make me into, little mate.”

“Then what are you?”

I meet her gaze, expecting to find fear or revulsion. Instead, there’s only curiosity and something softer I don’t dare name.

“I am what winter demanded I become. A guardian who must sometimes be cruel to be kind. The darkness that keeps the light safe.”

Her fingers trace one of the ancient marks on my chest, sending sparks of heat through my body. “Maybe that’s why your story called to me. Even before I knew you were real, I wrote about someone misunderstood. Someone who carried darkness but wasn’t defined by it.”

I don’t deserve this understanding. This gentleness.Magnus creaks disapprovingly as if he can read my thoughts, the fire popping louder in agreement.

“The truth is rarely as simple as the stories make it seem.” Her hands move to another wound, but her touch feels more like a caress. “Maybe it’s time for a new story.”

Her words pierce through centuries of carefully constructed walls. The fire dims further, shadows creeping closer as my control slips.

“You want the truth?” I pull away from her gentle hands. “I’m not just some misunderstood creature of winter. I was created to maintain balance.”

She sits back on her heels, head tilted. “Balance?”

“Magic seeks out children, little mate. It’s drawn to their pure belief, their endless possibilities.” The shadows dance around us as memories surface. “But untamed magic is dangerous. What you saw tonight? That happens when there’s no one to guide them.”

“So you... teach them?”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “I find them. Protect them. And yes, sometimes I must be cruel to save them from worse fates.”

Her eyes widen as she processes my words. “The naughty list isn’t about punishment, is it?”

“It’s a way to track magical children before their power becomes unstable.” I lean forward, needing her to understand. “I take the difficult cases.”

She reaches for me, her fingers ghosting over the marks on my chest. “And what are these? Protection symbols?”

Her face is so close now, those warm brown eyes searching mine for answers I’m not sure I should give. The air grows thick with magic.

Just one taste...

I catch her hand before it can wander further. “Let me show you instead.”

She blinks, the spell broken. “Show me what?”

“The truth. There’s a town nearby where some of my charges live.” I stand, careful to put distance between us. “If you promise not to run again, I’ll take you there.”

“You’d trust me after I already tried to escape once?”

“I’m choosing to believe you’ve learned the forest isn’t as safe as you thought.” I extend my hand. “What do you say, little mate? Ready to see what I really am?”

Her fingers slide into mine, warm and sure. “Yes.”

Magnus’s floorboards groan beneath our feet, the sound distinctly disapproving. The cabin’s temperature drops a few degrees – his way of getting my attention.

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