I close my eyes and turn, not wanting to see her initial reaction, giving her a moment, so she has time to school her features.
But when I blink open my eyes, Candy isn’t looking at me with fear. No, in fact, she’s looking at me like I’m wondrous and not monstrous at all.
She approaches me, her legs working overtime to step in the snow. She’s only a foot away from me as she removes her glove.
“Can I touch you?” she asks.
Her head only comes up to my belly button. I nod, not ready to talk. My larger canine teeth and my tongue make it harder to speak.
Candy strokes the hair on my forearms and inspects my claws. It’s weird being touched in my true skin. The only other person to touch me is Calanis so she could take my measurements for my cloaks.
“You’re so soft,” she says with a giggle. “And warm.”
Candy rubs her cheek on the downy fur of my arm, and I’m careful, making sure my claws don’t accidentally nick her with the sharpened side.
“Is your tail prehensile?” she asks.
I answer her by wrapping my tail around her calf, which makes her laugh even more.
Laughter in this form is never something I experienced; it’s mostly screams or absolute silence.
“You never have to hide from me, Krampus. I think you’re quite lovely in either form,” she says.
With all the tenderness I can muster in this form, I pick her up, being extra cautious of my claws.
She grabs on to one of my horns and tosses her other glove so that she can press her bare palm against my face.
“You’re beautiful,” she says, bringing her lips to mine in a complicated kiss.
Kissing Krampus in this form is difficult. His mouth is bigger, as are his teeth and tongue. But somehow we manage as he holds me in the middle of the picturesque forest.
Fat snowflakes fall from the sky as we kiss.
I’m not sure why he hates this side of him so much, but I’m intent on showing him just how perfect I think he is.
While I’m not sure if I can take his cock when he shifts, I’m willing to try. But right now, it reminds me of something else he wanted. It’s genius. It’s the perfect way to put him at peace, and maybe some part of me likes how intense he is when he’s fully Krampus, while still being gentle to me.
“I have an idea,” I say, stroking his soft hair. It’s still long on his head, the same dirty blond shade. His ears are longer and his face is slightly different, but he’s still him, and he’s beautiful both ways.
“Yes, darling?” he asks in such a deep timbre my legs quake in his hold.
“I have a gift for you. Do you think we could go back to the cabin?”
“I’ll shift back,” he says. Some of his words have a slight lisp, and I find it precious.
“I’d like for you to stay this way.”
His heavy brows furrow, but he nods, as he carries me easily in the snow, his hooved feet leaving deep imprints as we make our way back to his home.
Krampus easily fits in the cabin, and now it makes sense why everything in here is so large. He spends a lot of his time shifted and in his home.
It makes me feel guilty that he thinks like he has to hide this side of himself from the rest of the world.
Krampus places me down and shuts the door behind him. His fireplace is still blazing and I realize there must be some sort of magic that keeps it perfect all the time, because he hasn’t stoked it or added another log since I’ve been here.
When I turn around, his horns are nearly touching the ceiling, but he has just enough room to get around.
It’s my turn to be bold, to prove to him that I’m all in. I start by ripping off my hat and unzipping my coat. Krampus watches me in confusion as I take off layer after layer of clothing.
