Page 8 of Kraved By Krampus
I don’t care. I can’t stay here.
My foot crosses the threshold, but invisible hands grab my waist and pull me back. The door slams shut. My heart pounds against my ribs as Krampus steps closer, his presence making the air thick with power.
I struggle against the unseen force. “Let me go!”
“The cabin protects its own.” His warmth radiates against my back. “And like it or not, you belong here.”
“I don’t belong anywhere near you.” But even as I say it, the lingering taste of his kiss makes my blood stir, and it is reaching for him like a flower turning toward the sun.
“Magnus, release her.” Krampus commands, but the cabin’s magic only tightens its hold.
“Magnus, this isn’t helping.” Krampus’s voice rumbles through my bones. The invisible bonds loosen just enough for me to turn and face him.
Bad idea.His eyes glow like embers, and shadows dance across his sharp features. The memory of his lips on mine flashes through my mind, and the nearest window frosts over in response.
I press my back against the door. “If you want to prove you’re not the monster everyone thinks you are, forcing me to stay isn’t the way.”
“Force?” His laugh is dark honey. “I’m trying to protect you. Your magic is awakening, untamed. Without guidance, it could tear you apart.”
“I don’t have…” The words die as sparks of silver light dance between my fingers.No, no, no.“This isn’t happening. You’re tricking me.”
“Your denial only makes it more dangerous.” He reaches for my hand, but I jerk away.
Magnus let’s go at that moment and I stumble sideways, catching myself on the coat rack. “Stay back. I need to think.”
“Think about what? How to keep pretending? How to keep writing stories that cage your true self?”
“You don’t know anything about my true self.” But the manuscripts I burned tell a different story. Stories of darkness and passion that felt more real than anything I’ve published.
My chest tightens.Everything I’ve built could crumble.“My readers—”
“To hell with your readers.” The temperature drops as his patience frays. “What about what you need?”
The question hits like a physical blow. What do I need? The answer terrifies me more than this demon ever could.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold in the emotions that threaten to spill out. “I need you to let me go.”
“Even if that means watching you destroy yourself?” He gestures to the silver light now crackling around me. “Your power is part of you, Clara. You can’t burn it away like those manuscripts.”
The truth in his words makes my knees weak. Magnus’s magic surges up to steady me, and this time, I don’t fight it.
“Magnus, enough games.” Krampus’s voice rumbles through the fog in my head. The floorboards creak in what sounds suspiciously like laughter.
I test the invisible restraints. “Your house is as stubborn as you are.”
“He means well.” His breath fans across my neck. “Though his methods are... unconventional.”
The cabin’s magic shifts, pushing me forward against Krampus’s chest. Heat blazes wherever we touch, and my treacherous shadows leap to meet his.This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.
“Let me go, and we can pretend none of this happened.”
His deep voice vibrates through my chest. “You know I can’t do that.”
But the pressure holding me eases, and Magnus’s magic retreats like a sulking child. I don’t waste the opportunity. Lunging for the coat rack, I grab the first thing my fingers touch—a thick wool peacoat I don’t remember bringing.
“Clara.” The warning in his voice makes the shadows dance.
I jam my feet into my boots, not bothering with the laces. “Don’t follow me.”