Page 38 of Kraved By Krampus

My chest tightens. Everything I’ve worked for hangs in the balance. But something deeper, something raw, rebels against signing.

This isn’t just about my career anymore.

The shadows through the doorway behind Victoria deepen, and my heart skips. Krampus materializes from the darkness, his massive form a stark silhouette against the fire in the living room. His eyes burn like embers, fixed on the contract in front of me.

“The terms are quite generous.” Victoria’s perfectly manicured nail taps the signature line. “We’ll even increase your advance for the next three books.”

I struggle to focus on her words as Krampus steps closer to the kitchen. His horns brush the ceiling, and his chains whisper against each other with each silent movement. The temperature plummets further.

Victoria pulls her suit jacket tighter. “Is there a draft? This house seems to have horrible insulation.”

Don’t turn around. Please don’t turn around.

My gaze locks with Krampus’s blazing eyes. His expression shifts from concern to recognition, then to pure rage. The shadows around him writhe and expand, filling the corners of the kitchen. His claws extend, obsidian, sharp and deadly.

I shake my head minutely, silently begging him to stay hidden. But the contract glows brighter, and his features contort into something ancient and terrible.

“Just sign here, darling, and we can—”

Victoria’s words cut off as Krampus’s massive hand lands on her shoulder. She freezes, her eyes locking with mine.

“I believe,” his voice rumbles like an avalanche, “you were just leaving.”

My heart hammers against my ribs as Victoria’s spine goes rigid under Krampus’s massive hand. Shadows twist and writhe around us, the kitchen’s warm light dimming to an eerie twilight. The temperature plunges so low I can see my breath hanging in crystalline clouds.

“What is the meaning of—” Victoria’s words die as Krampus steps fully into view.

He’s still fully transformed from earlier. Gone is any trace of his more human appearance. Obsidian horns scrape the ceiling as he towers over us, his ancient fur-trimmed cloak billowing with living shadows. The chains across his chest chime discordantly, a sound that sets my teeth on edge this time. His eyes blaze like burning coals, fixed on Victoria with predatory intensity.

Oh god, my career. Everything I’ve built.

“This mortal belongs to me.” His voice resonates through the room, each word dripping with centuries of power. “Her stories are mine to inspire.”

Victoria’s perfectly composed mask shatters. Her face drains of color, making her silver hair seem even more stark. The contract in front of me bursts into blue flames, crumbling to ash.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice quivers as I stumble back from the table. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

Please understand. I can’t lose everything I’ve worked for.

Krampus’s burning gaze snaps to me, hurt flashing across his otherworldly features before they harden into something terrible. The shadows around him pulse darker.

“You dare deny me, little mate?”

“This is clearly some kind of misunderstanding.” I force a laugh that sounds hollow even to my ears. “Victoria, I’m so sorry about this... intrusion. I have no idea who this is.”

The lie tastes like ashes in my mouth. The temperature drops even further, frost crawling across the windows in jagged patterns. Magnus creaks ominously around us, the cabin’s very foundations seeming to shudder with Krampus’s growing rage.

Victoria rises from her chair with jerky movements, like a puppet with tangled strings. “I think perhaps we should continue this discussion another time.”

“There will be no further discussion.” Krampus’s chains rattle as he steps between us, his massive form blocking Victoria from my view. “The mortal is under my protection. Your contract is void.”

What are you doing?I want to scream.This isn’t how this works. I have obligations, commitments.

But the words stick in my throat as I watch Victoria backing toward the door, her perfectly manicured hands raised insubmission. For the first time, I notice how her jewelry seems to pulse with its own inner light, responding to Krampus’s power.

“You don’t understand,” I try one last time, desperation making my voice crack. “I have a brand to maintain. My readers expect—”

“Silence.” The command rolls through the room like thunder, and my words die in my throat. Krampus turns to face me fully, his massive form blocking out all light. “You would deny our bond? After everything?”

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