Page 62 of The Krampus's First Christmas Gift

Kraghol couldn’t see anything obviously wrong with the human. He never appeared sick. But maybe he hid it well. “I did not know it impacted you so much.”

“It affects me more when you aren’t around.” Jasper pushed a hand through his hair. “When we’re together, I feel like my old self. The aches, pains, and exhaustion, they all fade away. But then when we’re apart…” He trailed off.

“I am so sorry, Jasper. I had not realised how bad it was.”

“It’s fine, Kraghol.” He gave a half-smile, but Kraghol could see the strain in it. “It will fade when the partial mate bond fades. I’m sure. So no need to worry.”

But that didn’t sit right with Kraghol. Not at all. “I will talk to my sister. She is a spiritual guide, and part of that involves being a healer. She might know why you are unwell.”

Although, Kraghol had his doubts. His sister only worked with krampuses. Never humans. But still, he’d ask her if it had a chance of assisting Jasper.

Jasper frowned. “Your sister knows about me?”

“Well…no. However, I could tell her.” The idea terrified him. She’d be shocked and repulsed to learn of their relationship. After all, she’d been disgusted that he’d just fucked a human in his cave. She might even refuse to help.

But Kraghol would try. For Jasper. “I will talk to her.”

Jasper shook his head. “Leave it for now.”

“But—”

“Please. No need to make a fuss. Especially since it will probably fade with the bond.”

Kraghol still didn’t like it. He wanted Jasper healthy and well. He wanted him flourishing. And he’d face his sister and her wrath, if it meant he could help Jasper recover.

But Jasper took his hand and squeezed it. “If the sickness doesn’t go away when the bond goes, then you can talk to her.”

Kraghol frowned. But he’d leave it for now if that was what Jasper wanted. “All right. But why has your illness affected your relationship with Leo?”

“It’s just…” Jasper sighed. “I don’t know. We’ve always gone through everything together. We grew up together, worked together, we lost our parents together. Everything we’ve experienced, we’ve experienced together.

“So I guess I’ve never really had to explain anything to him before. And if I did, he always got it immediately.” He paused. “This was the first time one of us went through something on our own. I did try and explain how I was feeling early on, about the never-ending yearning to go to the forest.”

Jasper rubbed a hand over his face. “I wasn’t great at explaining. And I’d get annoyed when he didn’t understand immediately or he suggested we go see the healer again. I’m not used to us being out of sync. It frustrated me and pissed me off. Then he kept worrying about me.

“Honestly, it felt so overbearing. I couldn’t handle it. And I couldn’t handle being the source of his pain. So I pushed him away.” Jasper gazed at the floor. “I shouldn’t have done that. But I did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll talk to him soon. I’ll explain everything properly. I need to. He deserves that.” Jasper continued to stare at the floor. “And I have to apologise for being such a shit brother.” Then his frown morphed into a smile. “At least he’s happy at the moment. He is consumed with Percy.”

“That is still going well, then?”

Jasper nodded. “Yeah. They are all over each other. I’m glad to see Leo happy.” Then he took a deep breath. He clapped his hands. “Now how about that hot chocolate?”

Jasper lit the stove. Then he paused and removed his undergarments, which he said felt sticky and pretty unpleasant because of what they’d gotten up to in the alley.

After that, Jasper mixed different ingredients in a cauldron. Kraghol had heard stories of witches brewing potions. But in those stories, the witches had never been creating delicious hot chocolate.

“So this is you making magic?”

“Yep.” Jasper stirred the cauldron. “Right now I am pouring my intentions into the hot chocolate. Those intentions should impact how you feel when you drink it.”

“What are your intentions?” Kraghol knew they wouldn’t be negative like the evil witches in the stories he’d heard. Jasper wasn’t that kind of witch.

Jasper met his gaze. “I want you to know that I care for you and that this is one of the ways I show it to you.”

Kraghol’s chest clenched. He wasn’t used to being cared for in such a way. His sister cared for him. His grandmother too. But it had always been a hard and unbending type of caring. The type that often hurt. Nothing like this.