Chapter 10
Ifroze, staring at Liam, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces.
The words hung in the air, suffocating me, twisting in my chest like a knife I couldn’t pull out.
You killed Dad. I gaped at him, unable to speak or move, my mind racing to make sense of how this was happening.
My son, Liam, looked at me like I was a stranger, a monster.
And then Krampus darted from the shadows.
His claws raked across my shoulder, the pain severe and searing, jolting me out of my shock.
I stumbled, biting back a scream as the warmth of blood trickled down my arm.
The world snapped back into focus, and instinct took over.
I spun, grabbing my saber and gripping it tight, before I drove it into Krampus’ side with all the force I could muster.
Then I twisted it severely before I pulled it out.
He roared, his voice an unholy mix of rage and pain, the sound echoing through the trees. His fiery eyes locked onto mine for a brief moment, and then he stumbled back, snarling before turning and vanishing into the woods.
I stood there, panting, the blade still gripped in my bloodied hand, my body shaking from the pain and adrenaline. But it wasn’t the wound or the fight that left me reeling—it was Liam.
He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t done a damn thing.
He just stood there, watching. His face was pale, his gun lowered at his side, but his eyes… his eyes weren’t full of concern or fear. They were full of rage. A cold, hard fury that cut through me more deeply than Krampus’ claws ever could.
“Liam,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, trembling with equal parts pain and disbelief. “He almost killed me.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t so much as flinch. He just stood there, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with anger. The son I had spent my whole life protecting looked at me like I was the enemy.
I stood there, frozen, torn between two impossible choices.
My instincts screamed at me to chase Krampus, to finish what we started before he hurt someone else, or worse, came back for us.
But I couldn’t move. My son stood just feet away, his body stiff, his face twisted in rage and confusion, and I knew I had to deal with him first.
My hands trembled as I gripped my blade, my shoulder throbbing from Krampus’ claws.
My mind raced, panicking, trying to make sense of it all.
Why was he remembering any of this? The potion from Eve was supposed to wipe his memories clean, to take away everything he’d seen tonight.
That was how this was supposed to work. That was how it had to work.
But here he was, still remembering, accusing me, looking at me like I was the villain in his story.
And then there was what Krampus said—purified. The word echoed in my head, chilling and cryptic. How? Demons didn’t have magic, not in the traditional sense. They couldn’t manipulate minds or memories. So how the hell had he done this to Liam?
My eyes darted to Liam as he stood there, breathing hard, his fists clenched at his sides. He didn’t look like himself. He looked haunted, twisted by something I couldn’t see or understand. The memory potion should’ve erased everything by now. It should’ve worked.
But it didn’t.
I swallowed hard; the panic rising in my chest as a dozen questions collided in my head. Did Krampus do something to him? Twist the potion somehow? Or was this something else entirely? My breath came faster, my pulse pounding in my ears as I tried to piece it all together.
“Liam,” I said finally, my voice shaky as I took a cautious step toward him. “I need you to talk to me. Tell me what’s happening. What are you feeling?”
He didn’t answer. His eyes were still full of anger, his body still radiating tension, and it was all I could do to keep my voice calm. Krampus had nearly killed me, and I couldn’t even focus on that, because my son—my everything—was slipping further away with every second that passed.
I wanted to go after Krampus. I wanted to stop him before he could hurt anyone else. But Liam was my priority right now, and I was losing him. I had to figure this out before it was too late for both of us.
Liam’s voice broke through the thick tension, sharp and cutting.
“Why did you kill him?” he asked, his words laced with a mixture of pain and fury.
His hands were shaking now, his jaw tight, but his eyes burned into mine like they could strip away every lie I’d ever told him.
“Did you just… want to get back to the supernatural life? Is that what this was about?”
I staggered back a step, the desolation of his question slamming into me like a physical blow. “No,” I said quickly, my voice cracking as I tried to hold it together. “No, Liam. It wasn’t like that. I loved your father more than anything in this world.”
“Then why?” he snapped, his voice rising. “Why did you do it?”
My throat tightened, my heart pounding so hard I could barely hear myself think.
“I had no choice,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Your father was already gone before I… before it happened. He wasn’t himself anymore.
I didn’t kill him, Liam. Not really. The man I loved, the father you knew, was already gone. ”
Liam’s expression twisted, his disbelief as plain as day. He took a step closer. “You’re lying,” he said, his voice shaking with anger. “You’re always lying.”
“I’m not,” I said desperately, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Liam, I swear, I didn’t want to do it. But I had to. I had to protect you.”
“Protect me?” he snarled, his face contorted with rage. “You call this protection?” He raised his weapon, the motion swift and fluid, and pointed it straight at me.
The sight of it made my stomach plummet, but it wasn’t the gun that hurt. It was the look in his eyes. There was no recognition, no warmth, nothing left of the son I’d spent my life protecting—just raw, unrelenting hatred.
“You’re a monster,” he hissed, his voice trembling with fury. “A murderer.”
I put away my blade and raised my hands slowly, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “Liam,” I said softly, my voice shaking but steady enough to meet his gaze. “I know you’re angry. I know you’re hurt. But you don’t understand the full story—”
“I don’t need the full story,” he snapped, his finger twitching on the trigger. “You killed my dad. That’s all I need to know.”
I stood frozen, my breath caught in my chest, staring at the boy I’d raised, the boy who now saw me as his enemy. My mind raced for the right words and explanation, but I knew deep down that nothing I said would change his beliefs.
“I’m still your mom,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. “And I love you, no matter what.”
His eyes flickered, a brief hesitation, but then the rage surged back. “You don’t get to say that. Not after what you’ve done.”
The weapon remained in his hands, but my heart wasn’t steady at all. It was breaking.
Liam’s hands trembled, his grip on the weapon faltering.
I thought he might pull the trigger for a moment, but then, slowly, he lowered it.
The tension in his shoulders eased just slightly, and a flicker of hope sparked in my chest for the briefest second.
Maybe he still loved me. Perhaps he’d give me a chance to explain.
“Liam,” I started softly, tentatively approaching him. “I can make this right. Just… let me explain. Please.”
He shook his head, his expression twisted with pain and anger. “No,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want anything from you.”
His words hit harder than the claws that had slashed my shoulder, and I froze, staring at him as my heart cracked wide open. “Liam, don’t do this,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please. You’re my son. I love you.”
Something flickered in his eyes—doubt, hesitation—but then it vanished, replaced by cold resolve. “I never want to see you again,” he said, his voice hard and final.
I stood there, helpless, as he turned and took off, disappearing into the shadows of the woods. I wanted to scream, to chase after him, but my legs wouldn’t move. I could only watch as he left, the sound of his footsteps fading into the night.
My heart dropped, the hope I’d felt moments ago crushed under the weight of his words. I didn’t even feel the pain of my dripping wound anymore; it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest, the hollow, gnawing emptiness that threatened to swallow me whole.
I sank to my knees, the cold snow soaking through my jeans, but I didn’t care. My son was gone. Not just physically, but emotionally. The bond we’d shared, the love I’d thought would always endure, felt shattered beyond repair.
Tears burned in my eyes, but I blinked them away, my breath hitching as I tried to pull myself together.
I couldn’t afford to break down, not now, not here.
But as I pressed a hand to my shoulder, feeling the warm, sticky blood beneath my fingertips, I knew that the wound was nothing compared to the one in my heart.
The pain of losing Liam—of watching him walk away from me—was unbearable. And I didn’t know how to fix it.
The moment Liam disappeared into the trees, something snapped inside me.
I couldn’t let him go—not like this. Not with those words hanging between us, ripping through my heart like a jagged blade.
I bolted after him without thinking, my feet pounding against the frozen ground.
“Liam!” I shouted, my voice raw with desperation. “Stop! Please!”
He glanced back, just once, his eyes meeting mine for the briefest moment.
But what I saw there shattered me all over again.
It wasn’t just anger—it was fear. Fear of me.
His gaze hardened, and then he turned away, picking up speed, running faster, as though he could escape everything I’d just tried to tell him.
“Liam, wait!” I yelled, pushing myself harder, the cold air biting at my lungs and the wound on my shoulder screaming in protest. But none of it mattered.
He ran through the woods like he’d been born to, weaving between trees with a speed and precision that made it hard to keep up.
My boots slipped on patches of snow and ice, but I refused to let him out of my sight.
Branches snagged at my jacket, scratching my face and hands, but I barely felt it.
All I could see was Liam, his figure growing smaller in the distance, and the panic clawing at my chest drove me forward.
The trees thinned, and then we were in town.
Liam darted between the quiet buildings, his boots slapping against the icy pavement.
Christmas lights blinked cheerily in the shop windows, their warm glow a cruel contrast to the chaos unraveling in front of me.
He wove through a less busy market square, past benches and lamp posts wrapped in garland.
A group of revelers exiting a bar barely spared him a glance as he barreled past, and I shouted his name again, hoping, praying he’d stop.
But he didn’t.
I pushed harder, my legs burning as I struggled to keep up.
He turned down a narrow alley, his silhouette briefly illuminated by a flickering streetlight before disappearing around the corner.
As I followed, my boots skidded on the icy cobblestones, the alley closing in around me.
The cold night air stung my face, and the sound of my breathing echoed in the narrow space, but all I could hear was the pounding of his footsteps ahead of me, growing fainter with each passing second.
“Liam, stop!” I shouted again, my voice breaking. “Please!”
But he didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow down. He was running from me, as though putting distance between us could erase everything he’d learned tonight. And as much as it tore me apart, I couldn’t blame him.
Still, I ran. Through the quiet streets and the glowing holiday displays, through the icy shadows of the town I’d sworn to protect. I ran because I couldn’t let him go. Because no matter what he thought of me or how angry or broken he was, he was my son.
As I ran, my breath came in short, wheezing gasps, each one feeling like it barely made it into my lungs.
It was like being asthmatic, like every step was pulling me deeper into a panic I couldn’t escape.
My legs burned, my shoulder throbbed, but none of it mattered.
I couldn’t stop. Not when Liam was still out there, still running from me.
And then, unbidden, memories surged forward, choking me as effectively as the cold air stealing my breath.
Luke’s smiling face flashed before me. The way his eyes would crinkle when he laughed, the warmth in his voice when he called me by that nickname I’d always pretended to hate. For a moment, I could almost hear him and feel his hand in mine.
But then his face changed. The warmth drained from his eyes, replaced by something dark, something hollow. That wasn’t Luke anymore. It was the thing he’d become. The thing I’d had to stop. My hands, slick with sweat and blood, gripping the blade as I—
I shook my head violently, trying to push the memory away, but it stuck, suffocating me as I kept running.
My breath hitched, my chest tightening further as flashes of our life together smothered me.
The way he used to hold Liam as a baby, the way we dreamed about the future.
Things that felt like a lifetime ago. The life I’d destroyed with my own hands.
I stumbled, nearly losing my footing, but I forced myself to keep going. I couldn’t fall apart now. Not here. Not when Liam needed me, even if he didn’t realize it.
Through the haze of my thoughts, I suddenly saw him. My heart leaped, relief and fear crashing together in my chest as I saw him duck behind an alley ahead. I pushed harder, my legs screaming in protest, and when I reached the alley, I knew exactly where it led.
The park.
My pulse quickened further as I turned the corner, knowing he was heading straight for the open, empty expanse of the park. There wouldn’t be any cover there, no one to help if things went wrong. Just him, me, and the memories I couldn’t seem to outrun.