Page 59 of Never Kiss a Krampus

“What if I wanted you to stop warning me and just… show me?”

His eyes glowed red again, swallowing the amber. His fingers flexed against my jaw. A low sound rumbled from his chest—almost a growl, almost a groan.

“Do not say such things unless you mean them.”

“I mean them.”

“Noelle.” My name came out ragged. “You do not understand?—”

The bell over the front door chimed.

We both froze. The spell broke. Reality crashed back in the form of a customer’s cheerful “Hello? Anyone here?”

He closed his eyes briefly, his expression pained. Then he released my wrists and stepped back, putting careful distance between us.

“You have a customer,” he said, his voice strained.

“I have terrible timing,” I corrected, rubbing my wrists where his chains had been. No marks, just the ghost of his touch and the heat of what had almost happened.

“Go.”

“Bastian—”

“Go, Noelle. Before I forget my discipline entirely and show you exactly what happens when you court danger.”

The look in his eyes made my knees weak. But the customer was calling again, sounding impatient, and I needed to work, needed to be professional, needed to not combust from unfulfilled tension in my storage room.

I went. But I could feel his eyes on me the entire way.

CHAPTER 19

The time until closing passed both too quickly and not quickly enough. The undercurrent of tension remained, but I was too busy to obsess about it.Mostly.When I finally turned the sign to closing and leaned against the door with a tired sigh, I looked up to find Bastian watching me.

“Shall we investigate the town records?” he asked, surprising me. With everything that was happening—or not quite happening—between us, I’d almost forgotten about Grinchly and evil magic.

“The town hall is already closed.”

“Hmm.” He stalked towards me, eyes glowing. “That would not prevent me from entering.”

“Wouldn’t that be… naughty?”

The glow intensified. “I am not bound by such things as locks.”

“But I am.”

“Indeed.” He hesitated, then inclined his head. “Perhaps you have a point. Besides, I am not sure that is where we will find the answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have been considering the matter. You said that the situation deteriorated after Grinchly acquired an antique store?”

I thought about it, then nodded. “The timing seems about right. Everything seems to have escalated since then.”

“Did he just acquire the building or were the contents of the store included?”

I tried to remember. “I know Chester had sold off a lot of his inventory trying to save the store, but I don’t think it was entirely empty. Why?”

“Because I was thinking about how you summoned me—from a book you found in an old chest. Perhaps Grinchly also found something old. Something evil.”