Aurora rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue. “Let’s hope you’re right. Because if he’s hiding in plain sight, we need to flush him out fast.”
I nodded, my focus sharpening. Eve wasn’t wrong. Krampus might not be subtle, but he was cunning. And if we didn’t find him soon, he’d find his next victim.
CHAPTER 5
Ishook my head, frustration tightening in my chest. “He’s not going to be where we can catch him easily,” I said, my voice firm. “Krampus isn’t strolling around the village in a hoodie, casually blending in with the tourists.”
Nishi smirked. “Well, that kills my image of him ordering a peppermint mocha.”
Aurora ignored her, turning her gaze on me. “Then where is he? If he’s sticking close to Christmas, where would he hide?”
I took a slow breath, my mind clicking through the puzzle. “Where he would have in the old days,” I said finally, the realization settling into place. “He’s in the woods.”
Aurora tilted her head, her brow furrowing. “The woods?”
I nodded. “That’s where Krampus’ stories always go back to—he drags the guilty into the woods, punishes them where no one can hear their screams. It’s classic him.”
The others exchanged glances, the weight of the revelationsettling over us. Aurora didn’t hesitate. “Victor can handle the scene here. Let’s go.”
We left Victor behind to manage Santa’s Village, his grim nod the only acknowledgment as we set off toward the edge of the forest. The festive glow of the village faded quickly, replaced by the shadows of the trees as we stepped into the woods. The air was colder and sharper here, and the subtle hum of Christmas carols was swallowed by the rustle of the wind through the branches.
The snow crunched under our boots, the only sound as we moved deeper into the trees. The woods were dense, the bare branches twisting like skeletal fingers above us, and every shadow seemed to shift and stretch in the dim light.
“Great place for a demon to hang out,” Nishi muttered, her voice low but tinged with sarcasm. “Super cozy.”
“Quiet,” Aurora hissed, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead.
I kept my focus sharp and my senses on high alert. The deeper we went, the heavier the air seemed to grow, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. This wasn’t just a stretch of trees. It was something older, steeped in the kind of silence that made you feel watched.
“He’s here,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I can feel it.”
The woods were unnervingly quiet as we pressed deeper into the shadows, our breaths visible in the cold air. And then we saw him.
Krampus was crouched over the carcass of a deer, his massive frame looming in the dim light. His description in books of lore hadn’t done him justice. Horns curled back from his head, severe and jagged like twisted roots. His dark-brown skin was rough and gnarled, almost bark-like, and his cloven hooves dug into the snow as he tore a chunk of flesh from the deer with serrated, animalistic teeth. Bloodstreaked his face, and his fiery-red eyes glowed with a feral intensity that sent a chill racing down my spine.
I stopped, gesturing for the others to hold back, though none of us could tear our eyes away. “Well,” I said, my voice dry despite the knot tightening in my chest. “Guess he’s not a vegetarian.”
Krampus’ head snapped up at my voice, a guttural growl rumbling from deep within his chest. He rose to his full height, easily eight feet tall, and fixed me with a glare that made my skin prickle. “Who dares interrupt me?”
“Just a concerned citizen,” I said, folding my arms and tilting my head. “Didn’t realize venison was on the naughty list.”
He bared his teeth, the growl turning into a low, sinister chuckle. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, mortal. Careful, or it’ll be the last thing you use.”
I ignored the warning, stepping closer. “So, this is your big plan? Skulking around in the woods, playing butcher with the local wildlife? What’s next—raiding the gingerbread houses?”
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might charge, but he stayed where he was, his claws flexing at his sides. “Leave now,” he snarled, his voice a deep, guttural rumble that felt more like a growl than words. “This is none of your concern. Interfere, and I will kill you.”
Aurora stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her knife, but I held up a hand to stop her. “Bold of you to assume I’d make it easy,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “But let’s be real. You’re not exactly subtle. So why don’t you save us all some time and tell us what you’re doing in Mystic Falls?”
Krampus laughed low and humorless, and his horns seemed to gleam in the muted light. “You think I owe youanswers? You, who defend the filth that corrupts this world? You are nothing to me.”
I felt the tension ripple through the others behind me, but I didn’t back down. “Maybe not,” I said, my voice unflinching. “But you’ve been topside long enough to know you’re not going to get free rein. So, I’ll ask again… what’s the plan, horns?”
He snarled, his claws twitching as if he were fighting the urge to strike. “Consider this your only warning,” he hissed. “Stay out of my way, or I’ll make sure you suffer before you die.”
The threat hung in the air like a cloud of smoke, thick and suffocating. But I wasn’t about to let him scare me off. If Krampus thought he could bully me into backing down, he clearly hadn’t done his homework.
Something in me snapped. The weight of the day, the frustration, the fear, the anger. It all boiled over, and before I could stop it, my shifter side surged to the surface. My senses sharpened instantly. The cold air bit harder, the scents of blood and snow thickened, and the sounds of Krampus’ growl reverberated in my ears like thunder.
