But there’s a difference between killing a killer who already has blood on his hands and killing a kid who cheats on his math test or doesn’t eat his vegetables.
Blase looks surprised, and he sniffs me again. “Human. Human andbeschämtenmannskind! You have another little abomination in your life. You have lain with a human and made another impurity!”
Strength that I fear to use is flowing in my arms. In my hands. I itch to claw the horrified expression from his face. “She’s not an impurity!” I growl.
“If she comes from an inferior human—”
“He’s not! Neither of them is anything wrong or bad! I love my husband and my daughter!” I hiss. “You’re the one who should be ashamed. How can you call a sweet little girl an ‘impurity’ when you don’t even know her?”
“Because you are abeschämtenmannskindyourself! You’re not permitted to breed unless a krampus chooses you to bear him a child. Anything you produce with a human is a payment due to your sire.”
“I don’t have a ‘sire.’ I don’t have a family, other than the one I made. If I had one, they should have shown up to take me and raise me. Love me.”
“But then the punishment of your mother’s husband would be incomplete. He must be saddled with you—at least until your true nature shows, and then you can be reclaimed.”
“True nature?”
“When you first kill a child, of course. Surely when you were younger, and you saw a bad little brat hitting another or stealing, you—”
“I never did such a thing, and I never will,” I snarl.
“Oh, don’t waste my time with lies. What, did you live in the middle of nowhere and never see a human child?” he laughs.
I say nothing, and his face changes. “Ohhh. That is how you escaped detection for so long. You weren’t raised by rebellious ones; you were hidden by humans. Well. It won’t be long now that you are around them.”
“Imogene! Imogene, are you all right?” Tessa’s voice.
“Hey, buddy, back off!” That’s Charlotte.
I can hear them running and shouting, moving towards me from behind, but everything is muffled by the blood pounding in my ears.
“Long until what?”
“Long until you kill one. One that you know. The ones you know best, usually. You spot all their flaws, all the things that need to be punished. Removed from the world.”
“Murderers seem like a real good start,” I growl, inching forward, hands clenching into fists.
Blase smiles and shakes his head. “Ohh. Poor pretty plaything. I’ll be back to collect what is due—and you as well. How long have you been here? Days? Months? You will probably break soon, and then you will willingly submit to me. You willbegto come with me, to complete the hunt and take our sacred payment every year. You will plead with me to raise your abomination of a child properly so that it can feel the same joy of our precious duty.” His blazing eyes narrow, “What is more, you will do it before I must leave to prepare for Krampusnacht.”
“Not while I’m breathing.” I pull back my arm to strike, only to find Blase pushed against me, my fist in his grip like it's a rubber ball that was easy to catch.
“Then you won’t be breathing when I’m done. It is bad enough that there are those of us who are deserting the old ways. We do not permit them to spawn and further corrupt the noble name of krampus.”
And with that—he’s gone. He blurs with speed, runs, jumps, and springs away, hopping on his hooves towards the treeline.
“Who was that? Was he bugging you?” Charlotte reaches me and catches me in her arms as I reel back.
“Was that a krampus? Do you know him?” Tessa hisses, peering into the darkness.
Tessa is a powerful witch. Charlotte is part succubus. I know they understand being thought of as evil even when you’re kind and sweet. I know they might have had others like them, those still doing dark deeds, assume they act the same way.
I could totally tell them what he said. What he did. His threats.
Except that his words are ringing in my ears.You will kill one. One you know. Usually the ones you know best.
Illias, Milo and Libby’s little boy.
Mary or JJ., Sophie’s kids.
