Page 36 of Kraved By Krampus

Both sides are real. Both sides are him.

Chapter nineteen

Clara

The walk back to the cabin passes in tense silence. My legs feel like jelly, and I keep stumbling over hidden roots and patches of ice. Each time I stumble, shadows steady me before I can fall, but Krampus maintains his distance.

Magnus swings the door open before we reach it. The warmth hits me like a wall, and I realize how cold I am. My teeth chatter as I step inside.

Krampus moves past me, his massive form somehow fitting through the doorway despite his current state. His chains still chime softly, though the sound is muted now. “Sit.”

I sink into the nearest armchair, wrapping my arms around myself. The fireplace roars to life, flames turning a deep purple before settling into their normal orange glow.

How do I even begin to process what I just saw?

His hooves click against the wooden floor as he paces. “Vresh tarakul!” I hear him mutter. It is not any language I recognize. The shadows of his cloak writhe with barely contained energy. “You could have died.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

He whirls to face me, eyes blazing. “The wards were there for your protection. Magnus tried to stop you.” His formal accent is thicker now, each word carved from ice. “Yet you forced your way through.”

He’s right. I was stupid and reckless.

“Something was calling to me.” My voice sounds small, even to my own ears. “It felt... important.”

“It felt important?” He looms over me, horns scraping the ceiling. “That thing would have dragged you into the dark places between worlds, little mate. Places where time has no meaning. Where flesh and spirit blur together.”

I shrink deeper into the chair. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” A bitter laugh escapes him. The temperature drops several degrees. “Sorry does not undo the danger you put yourself in. Sorry does not erase—” He cuts himself off, turning away. His massive shoulders rise and fall with rapid breaths.

He’s not just angry. He’s scared.

The realization hits me like a physical blow. This powerful being, who just banished a monster to what I assume was literally hell, is shaken because I was in danger.

“I won’t do it again.” I stand on shaky legs, taking a tentative step toward him. “I promise.” The moment those words leave my lips, I notice a subtle golden shimmer in the air.

His back remains turned, but I see some of the tension leave his frame. The chains around him chime softly, a gentler sound now. “You cannot imagine what lurks in these woods, little mate. What hungers for magic like yours.”

Magic like mine?

Before I can ask what he means, he strides toward the door. “Rest. We will discuss this further when I am... calmer.”

The door closes behind him with a final-sounding click, leaving me alone with my whirling thoughts and the lingering scent of winter storms.

A flash of movement outside the window catches my eye. Through the gently falling snow, a sleek white Mercedes crawls up the winding driveway. My stomach drops.

No. Not now.

Victoria’s perfectly coiffed silver bob is unmistakable even through the frosted glass. I press my palm against the door frame. “Magnus, I know you’re listening. Please behave while she’s here. No moving furniture or changing room temperatures.”

The wood beneath my fingers warms in acknowledgment.

With a quick look in the mirror near the door, I smooth down my sweater and adjust my hair, grateful I at least somehow look presentable after everything that happened. The temperature in the entry hall stabilizes to a normal level just as Victoria’s heels click up the front steps.

Her signature three sharp raps echo through the foyer. I open the door to find her immaculate as always, in a white wool suit, not a single snowflake daring to land on her.

“Darling!” She air-kisses both my cheeks, her lips never quite touching my skin. “I was in the area for a writer’s retreat and simply had to check on my favorite author.”

---