Chapter 4
Frustration bubbled in my chest, a storm brewing just under my skin. My hands curled into fists, and I could feel my pulse hammering in my ears. The uncertainty, the lack of answers—it was all too much. My control slipped, just for a moment, but it was enough.
Nishi’s voice cut through the haze. “Your eyes are flickering,” she said, her tone sharp but controlled, like a verbal slap to the face.
I froze, exhaling slowly as I forced myself to pull it back, to calm the primal part of me that was clawing at the edges.
I wasn’t going to let it out, not here, not now.
My breath came slower, steadier, and after a beat, I nodded.
“I’m good,” I muttered, though the tension in my voice was unmistakable.
Reaching for my phone, I pressed Carnell’s number, and the familiar click of the line connecting grounded me. “Hey,” I said, putting it on speaker. When he picked up, my voice was still tight. “We have a problem. It’s Krampus.”
Carnell didn’t miss a beat. “Are you certain?”
“As sure as I can be,” I replied. “Victor’s pretty confident it’s him—everything fits. But here’s the thing—Victor’s also wondering if Sharun let him through the gate.”
There was a brief pause on the other end before Carnell answered, his voice calm but edged with steel. “Nobody has been through the gate in a week.”
My stomach twisted. “Then how—?”
“He had to have used a coin,” Carnell said, cutting me off. “Back before Sharun was enlisted as a gatekeeper. It’s the only explanation.”
“Oh my god,” I murmured, staring at my friends with wide eyes. “She wasn’t lying.”
Nishi frowned, confused. “What?”
My grip tightened on the phone, and I glanced at the others. The pieces were starting to come together, but I wasn’t sure any of us were ready to face the picture they formed.
Eve tilted her head, her brow furrowing as she leaned against the desk. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her tone distinct but curious.
I glanced at her, then at the others, exhaling slowly. “Remember the conversation I had with Dagna?” I asked, my voice tight with irritation at having to explain this all over again. “She said she had demons on ice.”
Nishi snorted softly. “Right, because that sounded normal for someone to drop into a conversation casually.”
Eve’s frown deepened. “I believe you called it her demon Tupperware container.”
I shook my head. “I couldn’t be sure she wasn’t lying. But this?” I gestured toward the camera, and the situation unraveling around us. “This proves she’s not. She has demons stashed away somewhere, and she’s figured out how to keep them contained—until she needs them.”
Standing near the window with her arms crossed, Aurora turned toward me, her expression dark. “Then we need to find her stash. If she’s sitting on a stockpile of demons, we can’t let her keep sending them out to do her dirty work.”
“Agreed,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “But first things first. We have to stop Krampus from ruining Christmas.” My gaze swept over the group, my voice hardening. “And I’d really like to do that before my son ends up in the middle of it.”
The room went quiet, the significance of what I’d just said sinking in. No one argued, and no one needed to. Whatever Dagna was up to could wait. Right now, Krampus was our priority, and I wasn’t about to let him drag Liam, or anyone else, into his twisted version of holiday justice.
Nishi leaned against the desk, arms crossed, her expression half thoughtful, half annoyed. “Where would an avenging demon with a hard-on for Christmas go?” she asked, the question dripping with her usual dry humor.
I still had Carnell on the line. He’d been silent so far, letting me process everything and relay the information to the others. Now, I shifted the phone closer to my mouth. “Carnell,” I said, “where would Krampus go? If he’s topside, what does he want?”
Carnell’s voice came through, calm and steady as always.
“He’ll stick close to Christmas-themed places,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Krampus is drawn to the holiday. It’s not just his reputation—it’s a compulsion.
The closer he is to the symbols of Christmas, the more powerful he feels. ”
“Well, that’s encouraging,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “Not only is he a literal Christmas demon, but he’s also got anger issues.”
Eve glanced at me, her brow furrowed. “So, he could be hiding in plain sight? Like wearing a hoodie and blending with the mundanes? Lots of them wear scarves around their mouths.”
I nodded, feeling the tension building. “Yeah. If he’s grabbed some clothing off a victim, he could blend in just about anywhere.”
Carnell’s voice cut back in. “But he won’t stay small for long. The closer he is to his prey, the more likely he is to revert. He’s not subtle when it counts.”
“Fantastic,” Nishi said, throwing up her hands. “A Christmas-themed demon with impulse control problems. Just what we needed.”
I ignored her sarcasm, gripping the phone tighter. “Thanks, Carnell. We’ll keep you updated.”
“Be careful,” he said, his tone heavy with concern. “Krampus doesn’t play games.”
I kept the phone in front of me, pacing the small cabin as the others watched me. Their expressions were a mix of anticipation and frustration. “Does Krampus have any friends topside?” I asked Carnell, my voice low but firm. “Is there anywhere he could turn to for help?”
Carnell was quiet for a beat, and I could almost hear him rifling through his mental Rolodex of supernatural knowledge.
Finally, he spoke, his voice level but certain.
“No. He hasn’t been topside in hundreds of years.
And even then, his last stay was brief. Krampus isn’t the kind to make allies, and anyone who might’ve worked with him before is long gone, or wouldn’t dare cross him. ”
“So, he’s alone,” I said, though it didn’t feel like much of a win.
“For now,” Carnell confirmed. “But I’ll dig into the archives, see if anything else turns up. Keep investigating, and I’ll be in touch.”
Before I could respond, the line clicked dead. I lowered the phone and sighed, shoving it into my pocket as I turned to face the others.
“So…” Nishi grunted. “No leads.”
I shook my head. “No friends, allies, or clue where he might hide. Carnell’s doing some research, but we’re on our own for now.”
Aurora crossed her arms. “If he’s on his own, that works in our favor. No backup means fewer moving pieces to deal with.”
“Unless he doesn’t need backup,” Eve said, her tone clipped. “He’s strong enough on his own to cause all this. If he’s sticking close to Christmas-themed places, he doesn’t need help.”
“Great,” Nishi muttered, running a hand through her hair. “So, we’re dealing with a rogue Christmas demon who’s got the muscle to back up his grudge and no one is holding him back.”
“Pretty much,” I said, my voice dry. “Which means we need to work fast. He’s not here to make friends or settle in for a long stay. He’s got a goal, and we need to stop him before he gets any closer to it.”
Eve nodded, her jaw tight. “Agreed. So, what’s our next move?”
I glanced around the room, my thoughts racing. “We figure out where he’s likely to strike next. If he’s drawn to Christmas and people he sees as guilty, he’s probably already hunting his next target.”
Aurora tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “And if we can figure out who that target is, we might be able to stop him before he gets there.”
I scrolled through my contacts and tapped Greyson’s name, the soft buzz of the ringing line filling the silence as the others watched. “Maybe Greyson has some useful intel,” I said, more to myself than anyone else.
The line clicked, and his warm, steady voice came through. “Hey, sweetheart. What’s going on?”
I didn’t waste time. “Hey. Sorry to bother you, but do you have anything on Krampus? Anything at all?”
There was a pause, then a low sigh. “No. That was before my family’s time in council protections. He’s an old-world demon and none of his excursions to our world have been sanctioned.”
I frowned, biting my lip. “Would the council help us, at least?”
“They should,” Greyson said, though his tone didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. “Lucinda is staying close to the chambers since Hunter made it clear she’s still under probation.”
“Yeah, she’s the last person I want to deal with,” I muttered, leaning back against the desk. The idea of navigating Lucinda’s bureaucracy on a good day made my skin crawl. On a day like this? No thanks.
“She’s the last person anyone wants to deal with,” Greyson agreed, his tone carrying just a hint of humor.
I exhaled slowly, letting the conversation shift gears. “Liam came earlier,” I said, keeping my voice casual. “Brought a coffeemaker.”
Greyson chuckled, the sound low and warm. “He did, huh? I can’t wait to meet him. Still doing some recalibrating.”
My stomach tightened slightly. “Recalibrating?” I echoed, already knowing where this was going.
“Glinda did a number on the prison,” he said, his voice heavy. “I’m still fine-tuning the rebuild. It’s stable, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me, my grip on the phone tightening. “Just… be careful, okay?” The last thing we needed was another demon outbreak.
“You know me,” Greyson said, his voice softening. “I’m always careful. And when I’m done, I’ll come back and help you deal with Krampus. If you haven’t already apprehended him by then.”
I smiled faintly, despite the heaviness in my chest. “Deal.”
We hung up, and I set the phone on the desk, turning back to the others. Greyson didn’t have the answers we needed, but at least we had his support—and right now, I’d take all the backup I could get.
Nishi leaned against the edge of the desk, her arms crossed as she watched me put my phone away. “Greyson works so hard,” she said, her voice softer than usual. “The council takes him for granted. You know that, right?”
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah,” I admitted, the truth of her words settling heavily in my chest. “I know. But I can’t focus on that right now. Krampus is still out there, and we’ve got bigger problems.”
Nishi nodded, her expression unreadable, though the flicker of something, empathy, maybe, crossed her face.
Eve, ever the pragmatist, broke the moment with a dry comment from across the room. “It shouldn’t be that hard to find a horned demon walking around a Christmas village,” she said, her lips twitching with a faint smirk. “At least now we know what we’re looking for.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “You’d think, but subtlety isn’t really his style, he’s probably not strutting around in his full form, hooves and all.”
“Well, I’m just saying,” Eve replied, holding up her hands. “If he’s sticking close to holiday-themed places, how hard can it be to spot a guy who screams bad Santa vibes?”
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.