Chapter 2
I need to teach my lille stjerne a lesson
KRAMPUS
A few minutes earlier
She needs me.
She’s alone.
Her fear ices over me through our bond, however weak it is in the mortal realm.
The voices of the board members blur and fade because all I hear is the beating of her heart, her deep prayer, and her silent scream…all for me. Her protector. Her monster. Her husband.
I rise from my seat at the head of the table. And barely give the simpering fools a second’s glance before I turn around and walk toward the door.
“Mr. Krampus? Mr. Krampus, we have not finished yet,” protests the board president, but I open the door. “We are voting on the matter of Krampus World here, with or without you!”
Without me.
I slam the door behind me.
Nothing is more important than min Twyla. Enginn.Nothing.
My spine tightens as I make for the nearest window. With how high the office skyscraper is, the floor-to-ceiling glass gives me an overview of all of Krampus World…and the ski lodge and slopes where I said farewell to min lille stjerne -my little star. The snow squall has turned into a whiteout of a storm. Most skiers and snow-shoers have returned to the lodges, but she’s not among them.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes, focusing on our bond, the invisible tether connecting us through the dark magic gifted to us by Hel herself, my mother. In the human world, it is fainter. It will require all my power to find her.
I sink deeper into the bond, as deep as I can possibly go. I smell her fear, her trepidation, her determination. It all bleeds to sheer terror. And adrenaline-induced spirit for a fight. I smell the evergreen trees all around her. And the sharp stench of wolves.
I open my eyes. And channel all my power into one quantum ‘Tween jump. With nothing but min Twyla, like the brightest stjerne lighting up my darkness, I hold onto that bond until I pass through time and space.
I land just beyond the clearing where the wolves surround her, closing in. There she is, my girl, bracing her pole, but she’s far too weak to fight. And she’s swinging her head all around, those golden amber eyes shining in the darkness, looking, searching, waiting…
The wolves snarl.
But I fucking roar!
Seconds is all it takes for my claws and teeth to make quick work of the alphas who dare to attack me. All the others scamper back into the woods, relinquishing the claim of their prey.
She is my prey.
She is my gift.
My Monstrous Mistress of the Solstice.
My Lady of the Winter Star.
Her Amorous Majesty.
With my breath huffing in sharp breaths like angry ghosts, I turn to Twyla, my Queen of Yuletide, and say, “Min kjaere.”My sweetheart.“What am I going to do with you?”
Her chest lurches. And she falls onto the snows, out cold in more ways than one. Sucking wind through my teeth, I lean over and pluck her from the ground. So featherlight. My pale little dream, who came to me like the naughty girl she is.
But not too naughty. She is still too sweet, ruled by her emotions that stem from the deepest love of her heart.
I remove her snowshoes and gather her close to my fur to keep her warm. Since I used most of my power to ‘Tween travel, a small trace is all I have now. Enough to find the nearest shelter but little more.
