And what if something happened to Jasper in the forest? There were creatures here who would and could harm him. Or what if another accident befell Jasper? Kraghol must be there to save him if need be. So he had to stay close. For Jasper’s sake.
Kraghol would never forgive himself if something happened to Jasper in the forest.
After all, this is all my fault. Jasper would not be coming to the forest if not for me. But what else should I have done?
A few months ago, he’d seen the human fall, crashing down the side of the hill before landing in the pond. Kraghol had sprinted to the water’s edge, staring into the depths. Below he could just see the human thrashing. But the man had not swum towards the surface. The thrashing had stopped.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kraghol had dived in. He’d swum and pulled Jasper out.
The man had been so small and frail in his arms. He’d not been breathing. So Kraghol had saved the human, the only way he’d known how. He’d not even been sure if it would work at the time. But it had.
He had done what he needed to do to save Jasper’s life. He’d had no other choice. Now they were both suffering the consequences from it.
But I couldn’t just leave him to die!
Still, the guilt ate at him. Because that was why Jasper kept coming to the forest. That was why he kept searching for the krampus.
Jasper looked around. He paused and petted the little fox, speaking softly to her. The wind tossed Jasper’s brown hair. Snowflakes rested amongst the strands.
Was he cold? Kraghol longed to pull Jasper close, wrap his arms around the man, and keep him warm and protected.
But he couldn’t do that. He would never be able to do that. He could not step forward and approach the beautiful human. Jasper was a creature of light and joy. He should not have anything to do with Kraghol or any of his vile kind.
And if the krampus did step forward, how would Jasper respond? With fear?
He would be horrified if he learnt what I’d done to him. He’d be disgusted. He’d hate me.
So he stayed hidden and watched. In time, the compulsion the young man felt to come to the forest and search for Kraghol would diminish. Then he’d stop coming completely. That would be a good thing.
Still, Kraghol’s lungs squeezed at the thought of never seeing Jasper again. He let out a slow breath. Every nerve and cell in his body demanded he go forward. But he could not. He would not. The young man deserved so much better than a monster like him.
So the krampus would keep watching, admiring, longing from afar, and keeping Jasper safe. There was no other choice.
The fox Kali glanced back, looking directly in the krampus’s direction. Kraghol couldn’t tell if she saw him or just somehow sensed where he was. But she’d always been such a clever fox. Even as a starving, little orphan kit.
Kraghol wished he could pat her soft fur once more. He ached with how much he missed her. But he was glad she remained by Jasper, looking after him.
When he’d pulled Jasper from the water and saved his life, he’d heard Jasper’s twin frantically shouting his name. The krampus knew he’d need to disappear before the brother arrived. So he’d asked his fox to look after Jasper in his stead.
And the fox had done just that.
Jasper approached the edge of the forest. The muscles in Kraghol’s body tensed, as he knew the human would soon depart. Jasper glanced around once more, searching for him. But the krampus remained firmly hidden.
He stared at Jasper.
My almost mate.
Because that was what they were. That was what Kraghol had made them. He’d created a partial mate bond between them in order to save Jasper’s life.
It had been an accident! Well, not really. But if he’d not acted, Jasper would be dead. It was the only way Kraghol had thought he could save him.
The creation of a mate bond could heal a partner of practically anything. So as he’d held Jasper’s lifeless body, he had decided to pour his life essence into him. He’d doubted it would work. After all, krampuses only ever mated other krampuses.
But Jasper’s body had accepted his life essence. And his chest had risen and fallen as he had started to breathe again.
I saved his life.
However, for a mate bond to be properly completed, each individual had to pour their life essence into the other. Still, the partial mate bond had saved Jasper’s life. But a mate bond could never be completed between a human and a krampus. As far as Kraghol knew, humans didn’t even have life essences.
