Chapter 18
My skull throbs as I force my eyes open; the edges of my vision are blurred by the falling snow, making it hard to see. The air is filled with screeches and cries of agony from the reindeer until the sound of a blade slicing through flesh silences them, leaving only the howl of the wind.
A hand cups my face, tilting my head upward, and I’m met with black, voided eyes and long white hair that shimmers like icicles. I groan as I try to shift from my side, but they grip one of my horns, keeping me in place. “Fool,” says a dark, feminine voice. “Fucking idiot.”
I gasp for breath, one that burns my lungs. “It’s good to see you too, Lussi,” I wheeze.
She watches me, dark eyes flickering to bright amber. “You are lucky I found you when I did, Kryx.” Her voice is light, yet dark—whole, yet hollow. “Or you’d be nothing more than a fresh meal for those beasts.”
Lussi is more than a spirit of Christmas. Her abilities far exceed mine, as she can shift into anyone or anything she desires; her true form remains unknown to most—except for me.
Her eyes turn black again, her white hair flowing past her waist—a striking contrast to her flawless ebony skin. She lowers herself into the snow, unbothered by the crimson stain of my blood soaking into her white cloak.
She places her hands on my chest, her eyes widening as she pulls them back, surprise evident on her face. “A mate?” she says softly, as if it’s a devastating secret. She looks around the forest, her gaze settling in the direction of Nick’s castle. “Does anyone else know?”
“No, but I need to get back to her,” I croak. “I’ve been gone too long already.”
Her eyes flash, her face going blank as she shudders with a breath. In a blink, she’s pulled back into reality. She turns toward the castle, then quickly spins her head back to me. “Someone knows,” she whispers hurriedly, pressing her hands against my chest. “We need to hurry.”
Warmth flows through me, heating me from the inside out as she heals my wounds. I gasp, drawing a deep breath as my lungs expand, stitching themselves back together. She rises, examining me before stepping back and extending her hand.
I slide my palm against hers, and she pulls me to my feet, running my other hand along my torso over the now-smooth, healed skin.
Lussi watches me intently. “She is here, Kryx.” Her voice is as dark as a storm cloud, her eyes swirling with emotion.
“Ripped from her home by icy hands, eager to offer her to the Saint himself as a gift of good tidings.”
I look at the castle, watching the storm approach, marked by only one person.
Jack.
My hands curl into fists. “I’ll fucking kill him,” I snarl. “And I will feast on his soul.”
Lussi places her hand on my chest, her magic forcing me to look at her. “You cannot kill him without it putting Nick at risk.” Her eyes lighten, her irises shining like clear blue water before they revert to their inky black pools. “Your bargain with Nick is his bargain with Jack.”
“Fuck.” My nostrils flare, flames burning bright in my eyes, reflecting in Lussi’s white hair.
My mind reels, and my body burns to run to the castle—to Nicolette.
“Then I’ll take him within an inch of his life, remind him how easy he is to dispose of, and maybe Nick will just let him rot in a cell for all of eternity. ”
“Kryx.” Her voice echoes in my mind, drowning out the chaos. “Ask the right questions of her when you arrive. Some skeletons are ready to come out of their closet.”
My gaze shifts to the castle and then back to her, the wind blowing between us, stirring up the snow. “What questions?”
“She is your mate, brother, but that is not all she is in this world.” The snow begins to spin faster, encircling her. “'Twas the night before,” she says smoothly, and with a strong gust of frigid wind, she’s gone.
I stare at the castle, and my vicious thoughts come crashing back, reigniting the fire burning in my chest. Jack will pay for laying a finger on what’s mine and trying to take her from me.
Just because I can’t kill him doesn’t mean I can’t hurt him—lash him with my whips and chains.
Throw him into the fire and watch him burn, only to drag him out, let him heal, and do it all over again for eternity.
My rage intensifies, and my breath turns to steam in the freezing temperatures.
I grab my whip from the snow and communicate through my mind, desperately trying to warn my mate—to let her know that Krampus is coming to punish the person at the very top of my list, and to show her exactly how it’s done.
I come crashing through the doors, Jack’s name a roar that rips at my throat—the room shakes and the fire blazes out of the hearth.
The scene in front of me makes the whole room turn red as I see where Nicolette is standing, wearing nothing but lingerie, as if she’s one of their fucking pets. I step into the room as Nick pushes her behind him. Clara’s hand is around Jack’s throat, her eyes widening as she takes me in.
“Kryx,” Nick says, a hint of panic in his voice. “What are you doing here?”
My gaze shifts from Nick to Jack, whose eyes bulge from Clara’s grip as he gasps for breath, before turning back to Nicolette. She’s trembling, fear coursing through her, as she stares me down. “Taking back what’s mine,” I growl, letting the words resonate through the room.
Nick glances between Nicolette and me, furrowing his brow slightly. “Yours?”
Clara shoves Jack away, disgust clear on her face. “Get her the fuck out of my castle,” she yells, the words dripping with disdain. “And you,” she says, fixing her dark gaze on Jack. “I will deal with you later.”
Nick turns toward Clara, his eyes wide with fury. “Your castle?” he snarls. “You don’t call the shots here, Clara. This is my fucking castle. My fucking kingdom.”
Her eyes burn as she lifts her chin defiantly, her human pet retreating further under the table and out of the line of fire.
“Do you really believe that, Nicholas?” Her words drip like venom from a snake’s fangs.
“Or is that the lie that you tell yourself as you fuck your pets—fuck me—all while imagining them to be someone else?”
He crosses to Clara in a few strides, gripping her chin and forcing it upward. He stares down at her, the room heating as the fire in his eyes intensifies, igniting the evergreen sea within them. Tension thickens the air, vibrating between them as she narrows her gaze on him.
Nicolette wraps her arms around herself as her teeth chatter, and I’m on her in a few steps, my hooves loud on the stone floor—warning anyone trying to get in my way of her.
“Little vixen,” I breathe, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her tight against my chest. She lets loose a sob, her body shaking in my arms. I kiss the top of her head, breathing in her scent, letting it fill my lungs and the deep hole in my chest. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
Out of the corner of my eye, Jack starts crawling across the floor toward the door.
That bastard isn’t going anywhere—not until I’m done with him.
I raise my hand, a whip forming in my palm.
With a flick of my wrist, a cracking sound slices through the tension as my whip coils tightly around his leg and drags him toward me.
“Kryx, wait,” he says like a plea. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. ”
My hand wraps around his throat, squeezing so tight that my veins bulge against my skin.
Lifting him, I hold him at eye level, the toes of his boots scraping against the floor as he gasps for air.
“You took what’s mine and tried to give her away.
” My voice starts as a whisper, growing louder with each word.
“You knew what you were doing the whole fucking time, and now, you’re going to fucking pay. ”
His nails dig into my arms as he gags, his eyes pleading. “Y-you can’t kill me,” he wheezes.
I bring him close to my face, snapping at him and showing all my teeth. “I might not be able to kill you, Jack, but I can make you wish you were dead.”
He stammers a response as Nick’s voice cuts in, grabbing my attention. “Who the fuck is she?” he asks, his voice rising as his gaze shifts between Clara, Jack, and me, searching for an answer.
I open my mouth to answer him, but Clara cuts in. “You really don’t know who she is, do you?” Her shoulders are squared, maintaining her air of power and elegance, but her words are almost... sad. If I listen closely, I can almost hear the quiet cracking of her heart.
“And you do?” Nick retorts, his words like a blade ready to cut her down.
Clara crosses the room to us, looking down her nose at Nicolette.
I growl as she raises her hand, but she doesn’t strike her; instead, she runs her hands down the red rivets of Nicolette’s hair, cupping her jaw.
Narrowing her eyes, she scans every inch of Nicolette’s face, as if searching for something she lost long ago.
“Do you know who you are and how you’ve found yourself here?
” Her voice is low, the question only meant for Nicolette.
Nicolette steadies her breathing as I listen to the whirlwind of reasons she comes up with, running through scenarios but settling on Jack’s revenge. And while that’s the answer on her mind, it’s not the one on her lips.
“Because I’m on the Naughty List,” Nicolette says, shame thick in her voice.
Clara tilts her head but stays silent, leaving the floor open for Nicolette to carry on.
“Because I’m the daughter of a con artist, and I’ve used the same tactics he did to cut down unsuspecting yet deserving men at the knees.
Tear their lives apart as I take them for all they’re worth and carry on as if nothing happened. ”
Clara’s face remains neutral, embodying the Queen of the North Pole. “And what about your mother? What role does she play in your life?” she asks, her voice icy.
Nicolette’s brows furrow, and I see the pain flicker in her eyes, the image of her mother front and center in her mind. She clears her throat but still struggles to say the words. “She was the only good in the world—in my life.”
Clara’s neutral face cracks into a look of disgust. “She was no good, you insolent child,” she seethes. “Nothing more than a harlot. A whore.”
Nicolette pulls back, anger blazing in her eyes. “How dare you speak of her like that?” she snaps, her fists clenched at her sides.
Clara’s eyes flick from Nicolette to me, her lips tightening before she shifts her attention back to Nick.
“It’s a shame you never got the chance to go back, isn’t it?
To give her the storybook ending you both so desperately wanted.
” Her words are cold as she looks at Nick, whose gaze shifts from her to Nicolette.
I drop Jack, letting his limp body hit the floor with a thud. “What are you fucking saying, Clara?” I grit out, pushing the words through my teeth, my lips curling into a snarl.
Her eyes flash, but she keeps them fixed on Nick. “That maybe, Krampus, the father she knows isn’t her father after all, and that she’s actually the spawn of another monster entirely.”