“A test,” I repeat slowly, trying to understand.
“Yeah. Because Krampus only punishes you as much as you deserve. If you survive meeting him, that means you aren’t secretly some terrible asshole trying to take advantage of our family. You don’t have any serious secrets to hide.”
I lower my eyes, afraid I won’t be able to hide the flash of fury in them.A fucking purity test. As iftheyare so innocent.
Louis squeezes my shoulders again. “But next year we’ll be married, and you’ll never have to do this again.”
I force a small smile, slowly raising my gaze once I’m sure I can hide the disgust on my face. “Your dad said you do this every year, though?”
“We do. But you’ll be inside with us next year, not out in the cold. And Krampus never catches us here. That’s why it’s built like this.” He gestures to the shutters over the windows, the locks on the door. “You were right from the start. Itisa bunker, built just for this purpose.”
“But…” I shake my head, wordless. “Why?”
“Because if we evade him till morning, we get a reward. That’s the deal.”
“What reward?” I ask. But I already have a suspicion. All of those rumors online about his family’s wealth… the whisperings of shady deals, of dark secrets… maybe they weren’t far from the truth.
Louis only smiles, and pulls me into another embrace. “Let’s get you warmed up,” he says. “My family is waiting.”
He gives me little choice, pulling me by the hand toward the family room. But as I glance back at the door, I remember my promise to Krampus, and vow to find a way. One way or another, this family is going to pay.
Chapter
Nine
Low conversation drifts out of the family room as we approach. Christmas music plays quietly, underlaid by the crackle of the fire and the clink of ice. Louis’s mother laughs a practiced, charming laugh.
Anger sizzles in my chest. I was out in the cold at the mercy of a monster, dead for all they knew. And all the while, the family was sitting in herecelebrating.
As Louis leads me into the room, the conversation goes quiet. I raise my eyes from the carpet to glance around at each of them. They all wear matching expressions of surprise—except for Louis’s father, who wears a sly smile.
His mother glances at the clock. “An hour already?” She’s not trying to hide her disappointment.
Louis’s fingers remain entwined with mine. “She received her punishment,” he says. “She passed the test.”
He’s standing by my side like I wished he would all day. Little does he know it’s too late.
His father lifts his glass in my direction. “Very good,” he says, his eyes locked with mine. “A glass of whiskey for our newest member of the family, then.”
As soon asit seems like I can get away with it, I excuse myself. I suppress the urge to pull away as Louis presses his lips to my cheek before I head to our room.
In the attached bathroom, I pick the sticks and leaves out of my hair and drag a comb through the wild waves. I wipe off my smeared eyeliner and reapply it. But when I stare at my reflection, I immediately tear up.
I’m a mess. This whole situation is just so fucked.
I jump at the creak of a floorboard behind me, and whirl around to see Louis standing in the doorway. He stares at me, eyes big and brown and puppylike.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Diana,” he whispers.
Anger rises like bile in the back of my throat. For a moment, I’m struck by the desire to scream at him, to hit him, to pull his hair and sink my teeth into his skin. I want to see him hurt and scared, like he’s hurt and scared me today.
But I swallow the impulse back, along with all of my angry words. I need him to believe that everything is okay until I get an opportunity toreallyget my revenge.
“It’s—” I start to say, but then my voice breaks. My lower lip wobbles.
Louis steps closer and pulls me against him. I ball my hands into fists and cry into his chest.
“Shh,” he says. “It’s okay. Here, sit down.”
