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 revelation settling 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.
Blood streaked 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 you answers? 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.
My muscles tensed as I stepped forward, my voice low and dangerous. “You think you’re scary, horns? You’ve got no idea what you’re dealing with.”
Krampus’ fiery-red eyes narrowed, locking onto me as a feral grin spread across his bloodied face. His claws flexed, curling into fists at his sides. “Careful, mortal,” he growled, the sound more animal than human. “I warned you.”
“You warned me?” I snarled back, my voice barely recognizable, edged with a growl of my own. “You’re skulking around in the woods like a monster from a cheap fairy tale. You’re pathetic.”
The words hung in the air like a challenge, and Krampus’ grin twisted into something darker.
He leaned forward, his massive horns gleaming in the faint light.
“You should’ve stayed quiet,” he hissed, his voice low and dripping with menace.
“You have too much demon blood to punish. You’ll be my next meal. ”
My body coiled, the primal part of me roaring to the surface, daring him to make the first move. My breath came faster, my pulse pounding in my ears, but I didn’t back down. I couldn’t. This wasn’t about control anymore. It was instinct, raw and unrelenting.
Krampus growled again, his claws twitching. For a moment, the two of us stood frozen, a heartbeat away from violence. I could feel the others behind me, tense and waiting, but this fight was mine.
The tension snapped like a string pulled too tight. I didn’t hesitate, pulling the throwing star from my belt and launching it at Krampus. The blade sliced through the air and struck true, embedding itself in his shoulder with a sickening thud.
He roared, the sound shaking the trees and sending a shiver down my spine.
His fiery eyes blazed with fury as he reached up, claws curling around the star.
With a vicious yank, he pulled it free, blood dripping down his dark skin and steaming against the snow.
“You dare?” he bellowed, his voice echoing like thunder. “You’ll regret that.”
Before I could respond, he charged. I barely dodged in time, rolling to the side as his claws swiped inches from where I’d been standing.
“Go for his legs!” Aurora shouted, her blade gleaming as she lunged toward him. Nishi followed, her daggers flashing in the feeble light.
Krampus twisted, his movements unnaturally fast for his size. He ducked Aurora’s swing and spun, slamming one hoof into the ground to knock Nishi off balance. She stumbled but recovered quickly, cursing under her breath.
“Eve!” I shouted, dodging another swipe of Krampus’ claws. “Now would be a good time!”
Eve raised her hands, her magic swirling in bright, crackling waves. She hurled a bolt of energy at him, and for a second, I thought it would connect. But as the spell struck his chest, it fizzled out, absorbed into his skin like water on a sponge.
“What the—?” Eve muttered, already summoning another spell.
Krampus snarled, baring his teeth. “Fools,” he growled. “Your tricks won’t work on me.”
Eve’s hands dropped slightly, her brow furrowing in frustration. “He’s got some kind of magic immunity,” she said, her voice sharp.
“Great,” I muttered, circling Krampus as Aurora and Nishi flanked him. “That’s just what we needed.”
Krampus’ focus, however, didn’t waver. His blazing eyes stayed locked on me, as though I’d somehow become his sole target.
He lunged again, faster than I anticipated, and I barely managed to block him with the hilt of my blade.
The force of his attack sent me skidding backward, my boots crunching against the snow.
“Stay down,” he hissed, his voice dripping with menace. “You’ll only make this worse for yourself.”
I gritted my teeth, gripping my blade tighter. “Yeah, well, I’ve always been bad at following orders.”
I didn’t give Krampus time to recover. Pulling two more throwing stars from my belt, I hurled them at him, each one slicing through the air and striking true.
One buried itself in his side, the other in his chest. Before he could react, Nishi followed suit, her stars flashing as they found their mark.