“Please don’t do this, I… I love…”
“Nine,” I say.
He runs.
“Eight, seven, six, five, four…” I glance to the side, where Krampus emerges from the trees, his red eyes locked on the spot Louis disappeared. “Fuck it,” I whisper, and take off after my fleeing fiancé.
Chapter
Nineteen
There is something freeing about running through the forest, snow crunching under my boots, and knowing that for once I am the hunter instead of the hunted. I relish the sound of my prey crashing through the undergrowth ahead of me.
Krampus hangs back, following closely but not too close. He trusts me to catch our prey.
Louis may be a bit clumsy, but he’sfast, his long legs eating up the distance much easier than mine, especially with the weight of the crossbow in my arms. But I know he isn’t built for this. The man has never struggled or sweat or bled in his life. He doesn’t have the grit that I do.
As I expect, he tires out first. His sprint slows to a jog, and then a walk, and then a stagger. When he trips over a snow-covered tree root, he struggles to get up again. And all the while, I am following him, slower but far more relentless.
And when he does get to his feet, he makes the mistake of heading for a clearing. Maybe he thinks it will help him run faster, but it also gives me a clear line of sight.
I stop at the tree line, lift my crossbow, and take aim. My numb fingers close around the trigger, and the bolt shoots out.
Louis falls to the snow with a cry, the bolt sticking out of his leg.
I grin, tossing the crossbow aside, and walk toward him. He writhes in the snow, wailing in surprise and pain.
“I’ve got him,” I call.
When Louis sees Krampus emerge from the trees, he tries to crawl, dragging himself across the ground. But the monster plants a hoof right on Louis’s lower back, pinning him in place.
“No,” Louis gasps out, fingers scrabbling uselessly against the snow. “Please?—”
Krampus grabs one of his arms and twists it. He clamps a shackle over Louis’s wrist.
“No, no, no?—”
Krampus flips him over with one hand and shackles his other wrist. They’re bound in front of him now, and Louis is helpless and terrified in front of the monster. Krampus removes his hoof from his back, grabs the other side of the chain, and begins to walk, dragging Louis behind him.
I follow them deeper into the woods, smiling all the while.
Louis shrieksand cries as Krampus drags him through the snow. His boots kick uselessly against the ground. His weight doesn’t even slow the huge monster down as he treks through the forest.
I follow a few paces behind. My stomach is in knots with both fear and anticipation. I’ve been waiting for this—dreading it, craving it, I don’t even know anymore—all night. Krampus will decide what Louis deserves. Whether he will die here with the rest of his family or not.
And after that, I will be the only one left to be punished. My time is running out. Every time I think about it, the knot in my stomach winds tighter. It’s a feeling of both terror andanticipation. Standing at the edge of a precipice again, and this time I’m going to let myself fall.
Deep within the woods, Krampus stops outside of the rocky entrance to a cave. But instead of taking us inside, he grabs Louis and drags him up to his knees in the snow. Then he rakes massive claws down his back, shredding his shirt and leaving his torso bare.
I slowly step forward until I’m standing right in front of Louis, with Krampus behind him. Louis looks up at me, his beautiful blue eyes filling with tears.
“Diana,” he whispers. “Help me.”
I reach down and cup the side of his face, watching a tear trek down over one cheekbone. Behind him, Krampus is lifting his birch rod.
“No,” I say to Louis.
The rod comes down, slapping hard against my fiancé’s exposed back. He cries out, tears flowing freely now.
