“I’m getting the fuck out of here,” Charlotte said. Her hands fumbled in the dark, searching for the keys she’d dropped in the entryway.
“Babe, it’s nothing!”
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way, haha ha
The song’s laughter bled into a malevolent cackle before the music halted. The lights flashed on just as tinsel from the Christmas tree wrapped around Louis’s legs. He fell to the ground with a scream. His hands tore at the tinsel, frantically calling for my sister, who stood frozen in fear. He was cocooned in seconds.
With a bang, the front door burst open. Cold air blasted through the room, nearly sending Charlotte to the floor. Christmas lights unwound themselves from the porch and started to drag Louis out of the house. Charlotte screamed and flattened herself against the wall, far out of reach. Colorful lights flashed as Louis’s screaming cocoon was dragged outside. The door slammed shut with a click of its lock.
“Shit, shit!” Charlotte moved to open the door, but it was sealed shut. Desperate, she banged against it, screaming for help.
With a gentle tug, Krampus pulled me from the painting. I found myself consumed by dark magic. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window and saw the spectral vision of my Nana staring back at me. The transformation was disorienting, and I could feel the aching weight of age settle into my bones.
He pushed softly at my back and whispered, “Time to shine, little one. Make it a show, would you?”
If it’s a show he wants, it’s a show he’ll get. I closed my eyes and pictured my Nana at her fiercest. Before all meds and doctors and grief. She was a force of nature. If she saw the dirty tricks Charlotte had employed to take what she built, there wasn’t enough Christmas magic in the world to save her. Spine straight as an oak, head held high with the might of a woman fierce enough to keep her family in check, I stepped forward.
The floorboards creaked beneath my feet and Charlotte whipped around. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream and she staggered backward. I looked down my nose at her and spoke with a voice full of authority, disappointment seeping through every word. “Charlotte Ann Cordova, you’ve always been a spoiled child, but I expected better of you.”
“Nan-”
“Did I give you permission to interrupt?” I asked and my words carried a weight beyond the grave.
“No ma’am,” she stammered.
“You defrauded me on my deathbed, you threw your sister out of the house I left her and for what? To lie next to a mediocre bastard?” When Charlotte remained silent, I raised my voice and ordered, “Speak child!”
“I…Nana, how could you know about any of that?”
“Did you think death could stop me? I always know what’s going on in my family and you, child, have been very naughty.”
Krampus stepped from the shadows of the foyer and his massive form loomed over her. With a bone-chilling rumble he asked, “Are you ready for your punishment?”
Charlotte’s face turned ashen as she stared up at him. She fell back on her ass, nails clawing at the wall behind her as if she meant to tear through it to freedom. “I’ll fix it!” she bellowed. “I’ll fix everything! I’ll transfer the house to Daphne, she can have Louis, the ring, anything!”
I held her gaze, letting the terror seep into her marrow before giving a final, spine-chilling command, “Get out.”
Charlotte was a track star in her youth, yet I’d never seen her run faster. She tripped over Louis, who had only just freed himself from the tinsel and the couple ran screaming to their car and drove off into the night, nearly crashing into the mailbox as they went.
Krampus closed the door and the house itself seemed to exhale. A quick glance at my reflection proved that his magic had faded as quickly as it came.
No, that’s not quite right. The magic of his illusions had faded into the night, yet the air still singed like a crackle of lightning just before the storm. For the second time that night, I found myself staring up at the monster silhouetted in my foyer. He stood motionless, his hand still pressed to the door as if he didn’t dare turn to face me. His sharp green eyes seemed to glow as he peered at me over his shoulder.
For a moment, nothing happened. A shiver rolled up my spine and I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or want or both. For the sake of the Christmas spirit, I’m just gonna go with both.
Then his hand left the door and the crackle of magic in the air sizzled through me until my body felt coiled like a spring.
Eyes hungry, he moved closer. His large body dwarfed my own as he gazed down at me. A crooked smile pulled at his lips. “It’s not too late, little one. I won’t stop you from backing out now.” Krampus searched my face and he must have liked what he saw. He took my chin in his hand and leaned down to trace his lips along my jaw. “But that’s not what you want, is it? I could taste it, you know. How much you relished punishing those who wrong you. Your blood practically sang with malice.” He leaned away and settled a possessive hand around my neck. “But it’s not enough, is it?”
Trembling hands wove into the gray ruff of his neck as I stared up at him. He was right; it wasn’t enough by a long shot. My eyes closed and I tried to steady the tremor in my voice as I forced out the words. “I-I’ve never been a bad girl.”
The rumble of his chest sounded more animal than man. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
My pulse quickened as his clawed hand tightened around my throat. His other hand slid along the curve of my waist. He dragged his claws along my thigh, sliding underneath my skirt until I felt them trace along the delicate fabric of my panties. My eyes fluttered open and the heat in his gaze sent a rush of warmth to pool between my thighs.
“Tell me, have you ever fantasized about taking a little something that didn’t belong to you? Or perhaps, seeking revenge before this?”
