Chapter Fourteen November Twenty-fourth #3
“Because you are a besch?mtenmannskind yourself! You’re not permitted to breed unless a krampus chooses you to bear him a child. Anything you produce with a human is a payment due to your sire.”
“I don’t have a ‘sire.’ I don’t have a family, other than the one I made. If I had one, they should have shown up to take me and raise me. Love me.”
“But then the punishment of your mother’s husband would be incomplete. He must be saddled with you—at least until your true nature shows, and then you can be reclaimed.”
“True nature?”
“When you first kill a child, of course. Surely when you were younger, and you saw a bad little brat hitting another or stealing, you—”
“I never did such a thing, and I never will,” I snarl.
“Oh, don’t waste my time with lies. What, did you live in the middle of nowhere and never see a human child?” he laughs.
I say nothing, and his face changes. “Ohhh. That is how you escaped detection for so long. You weren’t raised by rebellious ones; you were hidden by humans. Well. It won’t be long now that you are around them.”
“Imogene! Imogene, are you all right?” Tessa’s voice.
“Hey, buddy, back off!” That’s Charlotte.
I can hear them running and shouting, moving towards me from behind, but everything is muffled by the blood pounding in my ears.
“Long until what?”
“Long until you kill one. One that you know. The ones you know best, usually. You spot all their flaws, all the things that need to be punished. Removed from the world.”
“Murderers seem like a real good start,” I growl, inching forward, hands clenching into fists.
Blase smiles and shakes his head. “Ohh. Poor pretty plaything. I’ll be back to collect what is due—and you as well.
How long have you been here? Days? Months?
You will probably break soon, and then you will willingly submit to me.
You will beg to come with me, to complete the hunt and take our sacred payment every year.
You will plead with me to raise your abomination of a child properly so that it can feel the same joy of our precious duty.
” His blazing eyes narrow, “What is more, you will do it before I must leave to prepare for Krampusnacht.”
“Not while I’m breathing.” I pull back my arm to strike, only to find Blase pushed against me, my fist in his grip like it's a rubber ball that was easy to catch.
“Then you won’t be breathing when I’m done. It is bad enough that there are those of us who are deserting the old ways. We do not permit them to spawn and further corrupt the noble name of krampus.”
And with that—he’s gone. He blurs with speed, runs, jumps, and springs away, hopping on his hooves towards the treeline.
“Who was that? Was he bugging you?” Charlotte reaches me and catches me in her arms as I reel back.
“Was that a krampus? Do you know him?” Tessa hisses, peering into the darkness.
Tessa is a powerful witch. Charlotte is part succubus. I know they understand being thought of as evil even when you’re kind and sweet. I know they might have had others like them, those still doing dark deeds, assume they act the same way.
I could totally tell them what he said. What he did. His threats.
Except that his words are ringing in my ears. You will kill one. One you know. Usually the ones you know best.
Illias, Milo and Libby’s little boy.
Mary or JJ., Sophie’s kids.
Charlotte’s son. Tessa’s twins.
My Laurel.
“He’s a—” I hesitate. If I tell them what he is, will they believe he swayed me? Or that I’m pretending, really here to harm their babies?
I want to believe they won’t, but they’ve only known me for a few weeks.
What if I’m the danger? What if I can’t fight it for much longer, just like Blase said?
What if the first time Laurel does something naughty on purpose, I—
I let out a sob and sink to my knees, both hands covering my mouth. This position is so familiar. I cannot count how many times I sobbed in silence as a child, hoping no one would hear and make it worse.
“Oh, God. Tess, call her husband.” Charlotte digs my phone out of my coat pocket and wraps her arms around me.
“He’s on the Night Watch phone chain. I’ll text the group. You stay with her. Call Libby! Call Libby and Milo.”
Fear is trying to crush me, but I am strong. I’m stronger than Blase or all of the foul monsters clinging to “tradition” know. “He said I was dangerous. That I’m a killer inside. That he’s coming back,” I choke out.
Charlotte and Tess exchange looks. Charlotte keeps rubbing my back.
“Well. I guess we’ll have to get ready for him,” Tessa says, and her hair is suddenly shimmering, and her eyes are opal white. “Don’t worry, Imogene. They say that stuff about all the monsters in the world. Witches, succubi, werewolves, vampires... Around here, they’re not right.”
I nod, still sobbing, but I don’t tell them what else I’m thinking. I wasn’t raised here. I never had people to teach me to love and do things right. I had jailers. Books and hope, and no knowledge of who or what I was. Never met another of my kind.
Sure, Blase mentioned there are rebellious ones, ones who don’t follow this horrible “tradition” of harming or killing humans. Dr. Vaughn didn’t seem worried when he met me, or about my ability to be a parent.
Maybe because I’m here, a place where monsters who want to live peacefully thrive.
Or maybe because we’ve lied to everyone here. Laurel isn’t really my baby. Or Artie’s. Does that make me more or less likely to hurt her?
“Did he hurt you?” Charlotte’s whispering in my ear, her hands flying over the screen of her phone. “You can tell us what happened. No one is going to judge you, honey. We know it can only take a second, and it doesn’t always matter how fast or strong you are.”
I nod. “Worse than I can tell you.”