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“You’ve done the same for me,” he immediately replied.

She chuckled quietly. “It wasn’t really the same.”

“You saved my life. It’s the same.”

She smiled sadly at the conviction in his statement. Currently, both of them were a mess, neither having expected such a violent encounter, but it helped to be with each other. Naomi hoped they’d both feel better soon.

Kilean started playing with her fingers, and it seemed to slowly calm him down, his tension slipping. Eventually, she was lulled to sleep by the rhythmic movement of his chest.

When she woke up later that evening, there was no trace of Kilean anywhere. Not in the house, not in the shed, not in the woods.

CHAPTER 7

Wishing for Krampus

NAOMI

two years later

In the end, Naomi never sold the chalet as she had planned. She kept telling herself she didn’t want to get rid of something that Felicity valued dearly and had entrusted to her, but really, she wanted to keep it for purely selfish reasons.

The following winter, she took another trip to the chalet. She was more prepared this time, bringing enough food and supplies to spend a few weeks there. Naomi would wander the woods every day—and at first, she told herself she was exploring the nature, but in reality, she was looking for him.

Kilean had been clear about not being able to meet again, but she still hoped. Maybe if she wished hard enough, it would come true. They hadn’t said goodbye that night—now a full year before—and she couldn’t accept that day as their last.

Every day, Naomi hoped he was okay, that he didn’t get into trouble for killing that demon, that he was still alive and healthy. Every day, she hoped he’d hold on just long enough for them to somehow find each other again.

There was one certain way to meet a krampus, but Naomi wasn’t stupid enough to try. Being a real bad person would bring one of them to her, but there was no guarantee that it would be Kilean. Even if it was, he would probably be forced to punish her anyway. He had told her that he didn’t have much control over his work or life, and she didn’t want to test it.

The more days that passed with no sign of him, the more miserable she felt. She needed to be realistic, understand he wasn’t coming back. She had a nice day with a demon, and that was it. It was an experience she would never be able to replicate, and she had to be okay with that.

Naomi tried, she really did try, but she came back again the following winter. There was a voice in the back of her head nagging her, asking, “What if this is the right time? What if he comes back this time, but I’m not there to greet him?”

So she ended up in the mountains again, lonely in front of the fire. She was reading a book and sipping on hot chocolate when a noise broke the quiet of the valley. It was a faint rhythmic crunch.

Curious, Naomi peeked out the window, thinking it was an animal, but saw a big black figure instead. Her brain took a few seconds to process the image, not believing her eyes.

She threw the door open without thinking—not even stopping to put on a coat—and rushed outside, running to him. Kilean caught her when she jumped, pulling her up and letting her wrap her arms around his neck.

“It’s you,” he whispered, sounding as surprised as she felt. “I only wanted to check if the house was still here. I wasn’t expecting you’d be here, too.”

“I was hoping,” she whispered, digging her face into his fur.

He gently placed her back on the ground but before he had the chance to let her go, Naomi grabbed the fur of his face and pulled him until their lips smashed together.

He seemed surprised, but quickly gave in and kissed her back, cupping her cheek with his big hand, his knuckles bumping against her newly-made braids. She broke the kiss but his face followed her, as if he didn’t want to stop.

“Sorry, I regretted not doing it that year,” she whispered, embarrassed. “I thought I wouldn’t have the chance to ever do it.”

“That was really nice,” he told her, smiling slightly.

The happy moment, however, was short-lived as Naomi remembered the situation they were in. She leaned back and slapped him hard on his arm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, worried. “What did I do?”

“You left without saying goodbye!”

Realization washed over his face, as if he had forgotten. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, trying to soothe her.