Eight
Krampus studies me. He sniffs the air again, and I have the chilling sense that he’s scenting more than just my fear.
“How?” he asks.
“I can get into the house,” I say. “Or… I can get them out of it.”
For a moment, he just stares at me. Then he shifts his weight. I instinctively brace myself for a blow. Yet instead of striking, he hefts his chains over his shoulder to free up one hand, and extends it to me in offering.
His hand is huge and very, very warm. He lifts me to my feet so quickly and easily that I gasp, my knees weak. He holds on to me until I’m steady, and then releases my hand.
“This doesn’t mean I will let you go,” he says. “I punish all who deserve it.”
I swallow hard. I never expected I’d be able to walk away from this, no matter what happens. All of my lies, my greed. The people I’ve used up and left behind. I don’t expect mercy after all that I’ve done… But seeing the Kohlers punished before my inevitable end will have to be enough to satisfy me. “I’m not trying to escape.”
“Then why are you doing it?” His eyes narrow as he gazes at me. His nostrils flare again, scenting.
How much can he smell? Will he sense a lie? It doesn’t matter right now; I can be honest about what I want out of this.
I lift my chin. “Revenge.”
The monster grins, sharp teeth glinting in the light.
My heart thumpsin my ears as I approach the cabin’s back door.
I’ve been out here for at least an hour now, probably longer. I can’t feel my face, or my fingers, or even the toes shoved into my snow boots. It’s the kind of cold that makes my bones ache. When Idofeel anything, it’s usually a twinge of pain; my body is battered after falling down that hill and crashing through the forest, so the numbness is probably a blessing.
There’s a fire in my chest that keeps me going despite the loss of feeling in my extremities. A spark of anger that only burns brighter as I approach the house. Yet I know I have to bury it for now. Krampus and I have a plan, and it requires patience.
I wipe my nose, take a deep breath of painfully chilly air, and slam my fist against the back door.
“Louis!” I shout. “It’s Diana! Please, open up! Let me in!”
I don’t know if he can hear me above the howling wind. Even if he can, I’m not sure he’ll let me inside. But I have to try. So I yell and plead and wail until my throat is sore and my tears are freezing on my cheeks, and then I keep going, banging away with my fists when my voice fails.
I’m on the verge of giving up when I hear a metallic sound, and look up to see a narrow slot on the door slide open. A pair of familiar eyes check left, right, and behind me—and I’m glad thatI asked Krampus to hide nearby until I found a way to let him inside.
The slot slams closed again, and there’s the click of the deadbolt unlocking, the swish of a metal chain. I plaster on a look of teary relief, and the door swings open. Warmth spills out from the cabin, but instead of being a relief it stings my frost-coated skin. I flinch away, wobbling on unsteady legs.
Louis throws his arms around me and pulls me into the cabin before slamming the door shut behind me. I stiffen up, hands bracing on his chest in preparation to shove him away. But instead I find myself leaning into his warmth, pressing my face into his chest, letting him hold me up.
“Diana, oh my God. Are you okay?” Louis reaches over me to lock the door. He cradles my face, tilts my chin up so he can look me in the eyes. His are glittering with unshed tears, relief etched in every inch of his expression. “Did Krampus catch you?”
I swallow back anger as I remember that he was complicit in this. He knew exactly what he was bringing me into, and didn’t give me so much as a warning. He left me out there. The fact I survived is due only to my own resourcefulness.
“No,” I say. “I got away.”
The surprise in his face kindles my rage anew. I do my best to suppress it. I can’t let him know yet. Not until I get my revenge.
“How?” he demands.
“I… I don’t know. I slipped and fell down the slope, and then I ran and ran and…”
“Okay,” he says. “I mean… I’m glad.” He squeezes my shoulders, lowers his voice. “But, listen. It’ll be easier if you just tell my dad that Krampus caught you.”
I search his face. “Why?”
“Because…” He hesitates. “There’s more than one reason we do this. It’s a test for people who are marrying into our family.”
