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“There’s a fire if you want to keep warm.” She awkwardly gestured to the fireplace in the living room.

The demon simply nodded and sat in front of it. Naomi looked at them in distress and bit her lip, unsure what to do with herself now.

What have I gotten myself into?

CHAPTER 2

Knowing Krampus

KRAMPUS

The human woman was acting weird.

She fidgeted by the door of the living room, and she looked terrified at the idea of stepping into the same room as him. She was the one who invited him in, so why was she still terrified? Had her invite not been genuine? If that was the case, then why would she have said it?

He frowned, studying her. The sun rays from the window illuminated her light brown skin, enhancing the warm tones even more. A thick head of coils, darker than her skin tone by a couple shades, framed her head like a halo, coppery undertones glowing in the light. Her big brown eyes were wide and alert, staying on him as if worried he would attack if she looked away for a second.

Was there no one else in the house? It wasn’t safe for her to be alone out here, so far from the rest of human society.

“Do you live here alone?”

When she stiffened further, he realized that must have been the wrong question.

“It’s not my house. I’m only visiting,” she quickly said. An answer, but also not.

He moved his gaze to the flames in front of him, soaking in their light and warmth.

He had been close to death—way too close. When the krampuses had been released into the human world a few days prior, all he had wanted was to complete his mission as slowly as possible, then eventually return home to more unavoidable, mindless work.

Taking humans for punishment wasn’t the best, but it had its nice moments, too. It was better than the work they had them do for the rest of the year, since at least during this time, they let the krampuses roam free through this world.

He thought this would be a mission like all his past ones: punishing bad humans, exploring more of an unfamiliar world, then going home after a job well done. What he hadn’t accounted for was being ambushed.

Another krampus, a youngster with gray fur, had held a grudge against him for a while, although he never understood the reason. They hadn’t interacted much in the past, and any time they had to talk—always strictly about work—the other demon had always been rude.

He, instead, had always been civil, but clearly that gray demon still had a problem with him, given that he tried to kill him at the first chance he got. He was still confused about what happened, or even why it happened—and no matter what excuse he thought of for the assault, nothing made sense.

The gray krampus had attacked him so unexpectedly that he had managed to overpower him at first, inflicting the worst of his wounds. But he had fought back, and he cut deep, too. That demon should be dead now. At least he should be, since he had left the gray demon for dead when he dragged himself away to take care of his own wounds. He thought he would be fine, but the injuries had been deeper than he originally assessed, and he eventually dropped from the blood loss.

He imagined that’s how the human found him. He had been exposed so it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Yet he didn’t expect a human to approach even when he was unconscious, let alone nurse him back to health.

He could still hear the quick, shuddering breaths coming from her, and the constant reminder that she feared him was slowly wrapping itself around him like a choking hand. Somehow, it felt wrong to see such a pretty and seemingly kind creature in a distraught state.

He hadn’t known what happened after he fell unconscious, so when he had been freed from the shed, he had attacked. He wished she wouldn’t blame him for that. After all, it was instinct.

“I will not hurt you,” he announced. “I will not touch you or make you bleed. You have my word.”

That seemed to calm her and she hesitantly walked into the living room. Still keeping her distance, she sat on the couch to his left and he watched her curiously, trying to understand her. From her stiff shoulders and tense expression, she still seemed scared, but had still believed him when he said he wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe it was just the shock of the situation but she seemed too trusting of him—and while he wasn’t going to hurt her, he still worried about her general safety.

He wished he could know what she was thinking. There were too many emotions flashing through her eyes and he couldn’t decipher any of them.

“My name is Naomi,” she cautiously offered. “Do you have a name?”

Names… those were for demons with identities, and he had none. He was one of many, part of a bigger picture, an easily dispensable and replaceable cog.

“I don’t.”

His answer clearly shocked her. Her face suddenly cleared of tension, eyes widening almost comically. She quickly opened her mouth as if to ask him more, but immediately forced it back shut. She watched him quietly for a few moments, then eventually decided to change the subject.