Page 20 of Wed to Krampus

Tomorrow, I was going to be honest with her. No more lies, no more hiding. I was going to let her look at me and judge me for my sins.

Chapter Twelve

Aura

It was impossible to fall asleep with my hands tied to the bedframe. The position was uncomfortable, and on top of that, my left brow started itching because of the mask. Then my nose started itching because of the brow, and all I could do was rub my face on the pillow. I squirmed and fussed, hoping Krampus would notice and decide to untie me.

This was ridiculous!

To make matters worse, I soon heard him snore softly behind me. Of course. He could sleep in peace now that he knew I could barely move a few inches. If I wanted to, I could kick him with my foot, but what good would that do?

I didn’t get him. He’d done the things he’d done to me just an hour or two ago, and it had felt amazing, yet he refused to let me touch him. Didn’t he want me to return the favor, so to speak? If it didn’t matter to him, at least he should’ve wanted to hold me. We were mates. We were supposed to cuddle!

I was his wife, and it was my right.

I felt him turn onto his back, and within a minute, his snoring became louder. Had my eyes not been covered by the mask, I would’ve rolled them hard. So, I was going to spend my first night with my husband tied to the bed, unable to see, move, make myself comfortable, or sleep. Great.

I was torn, really. Because on the one hand, he was so sweet and caring. He’d cooked for me, fed me, taken care of all my needs so far. He seemed to have everything ready for me, including the nightdress I was wearing, which had clearly been made for a human woman. I wondered if he’d bought it in town. I imagined him going into the department store, straight to the women’s aisle. Now that I knew he was big, with horns and a lot of hair on his body, I was fairly certain he was the monster the townspeople kept talking about. Too bad I’d never gotten a chance to see him. I should’ve gone out of the house more often.

Okay, so he was so sweet, but then he had these moments when he went all growly and stern, and told me “no”. “Don’t remove your mask, Aura.” Or, “Don’t touch me.” Or, “We can’t cuddle.” Well, he hadn’t exactly said it in those words, but that was how I translated his actions in my head. It was a pretty poor attitude, and not very sexy, and I didn’t know if it was because of me, or because of him.

What was he hiding? I really wanted to see his face. Had he not tied my hands, I would’ve removed my mask just a little and peeked. He was asleep, and he would’ve never known. Now I regretted trying to make him cuddle! From now on, strategy first.

No matter how hard I tried to fall asleep, it just wasn’t going to happen. I spent hours going in circles in my mind, imagining scenarios, trying to figure out why Krampus didn’t want me to see his face. I imagined what he’d say if I simply asked him. I thought about what my week would look like if he didn’t let me remove the mask and stuck with the silly idea that it was tradition. I wondered if he was going to tie my hands to the bed every night.

Could I live like this? Could I survive like this for a week? Being spoon-fed and walked around the house? The fact that he did everything wasn’t that bad, but I wanted to do some things too. For one, I missed knitting. Which reminded me I had no yarn, since all of it had burned in the fire. Tomorrow, I’d ask Krampus if he could get me some. If it came to it, I was sure I could knit with my eyes covered. No way was I going to spend an entire week completely idle.

I thought about this place. I’d only seen the bathroom, but it was enough to tell me that the cabin was huge. I wondered if Krampus had built it himself to fit him. It had all the amenities, and it seemed to be very cozy and comfortable. It smelled of wine and spices, and delicious food. All surfaces seemed to be covered in blankets and pelts. I wanted to see it with my own eyes so badly.

The bed seemed to be huge, too. Because I knew Krampus was massive, yet as we lay next to each other, we weren’t touching. To prove my theory, I extended a leg toward him and felt around with my foot. I couldn’t reach him, which meant he was probably sleeping at the very edge of the bed. I briefly considered stretching my body diagonally and trying again. I was sure that if I did that, I would eventually find him, and with an expert shove, I could kick him out of the bed.

I was so tired that my thoughts were becoming sillier and sillier. I yawned and tried really hard to fall asleep. Who knew what was waiting for me tomorrow? I needed rest, or else I wouldn’t be able to think clearly.

What if tomorrow I begged him to let me remove the mask? What if I started crying and begged so hard that it would be impossible for him to refuse me? It could be an idea... A strategy.

What if I just... took it off, no matter the consequences? What could he do? Kick me out of the house? Tell me he didn’t want me anymore because I broke one of his sacred traditions? Hm. That could actually happen. And then I’d have to return to town with my tail between my legs, and ask Mina to take me in.

The thought that I might fail at this... at being a wife, at making this marriage work was... unpleasant. Krampus and I were meant to be together. We’d been made for each other. At least that was what the DNA test said. I had to trust it, and I had to trust this process, even if I didn’t understand it. Maybe he had a good reason for which he didn’t want me to see him or touch him. Maybe patience was the answer.

I fell asleep feeling a little calmer after deciding to just... go along with it.

Chapter Thirteen

Krampus

It wasn’t usual for me to sleep in, but I did. Even so, I woke up before my Aura. She was lying on her right side, with her back to me, and her arms slightly raised toward the headboard. I felt an invisible claw grip my heart. I’d done that to her. Tied her up so she couldn’t reach for me or remove her mask. The mask seemed to help, though, since the sun was high in the sky, its bright rays filtering through the curtains and illuminating the room, and she was sleeping soundly.

I got out of the bed, put on a pair of pants, then moved around to her side. I was careful and silent, not wanting to disturb her. Last night, I’d promised myself that I’d let her remove themask today. But as I looked at her, then out the window at the beautiful day unfolding before us, I thought... what if I waited one more day? The risk of her seeing me and changing her mind was too big. Especially with our marriage not having been consummated yet, she could easily say she wanted out.

Today was going to be sunny. It was probably one of the last nice, warm days we were going to have this year. I wanted to spend it with her. I wanted to show her around the cabin, tell her about my life here, maybe convince her it wasn’t so bad that we were isolated and alone, without a community. We had the mountain all to ourselves.

Well, show her... Not exactly show her, since she wouldn’t be able to see anything.

What a conundrum.But there was one decision I could make right now.

I leaned in and started untying the belt from around Aura’s delicate wrists. I did so gently, and she only stirred a little. She must’ve been truly exhausted, or maybe she fell asleep late last night. I rubbed her wrists, which were slightly red. I felt guilty, and I almost couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I’d done this. I’d never planned for it, but last night, when I felt her close to me, wanting to explore my body with her tiny hands, I panicked.

She let out a sigh and mumbled something, then tucked her hands underneath the duvet. I fluffed up her pillow, and she smiled sleepily.