Page 75 of The Krampus's First Christmas Gift

Chapter

Forty

Kraghol stared down at their joined hands. He gave a quick shake of his head.

But Jasper pushed on. “You do! I know you are a krampus. I know how you were raised and what you were told.” Jasper cupped his cheek. “But I know you, Kraghol, and I know your heart and your soul.”

Jasper leaned in close. “I know you don’t want a life of darkness, fear, and terror. I know you want nothing to do with whips and switches.Youwant a cosy fire, cookies, and hot chocolate. You can’t fool me for a bloody second, you want a pretty Christmas tree.”

Jasper’s hand squeezed Kraghol’s. “And you want me by your side.” His voice softened, as if he was suddenly unsure. “Don’t you?”

“I do,” Kraghol breathed the words like a confession.

“And you deserve all that. You deserve me,” Jasper whispered. “So live with me in a life bathed in sunlight, far away from any darkness. You’re allowed to be happy, Kraghol.”

“I…” Kraghol shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was worthy of this man or of happiness. But as he stared into Jasper’s intense eyes, he found himself struggling to say that.

“I love you, Kraghol,” Jasper said.

“What? No! That’s not possible! You can’t!”

Jasper let out a shaky laugh. “I do. I love you. That’s the fact. Whether or not you think you deserve it, I love you and you have me. Body and soul. That is my decision. Your decision is whether you will accept me. So, Kraghol, will you accept me and my love?”

How could Kraghol respond to that? What fool would not? It was everything Kraghol could ever have hoped for. It was so much more than anything he could ever hope for. But how could Jasper love him?

Kraghol couldn’t speak as he tried to process Jasper’s words and the torrent of emotions they had stirred up inside him.

And still Jasper just kept speaking. “And I don’t just love you because of the bond. I love you because of who you are.” He let out a shaky breath. “I understand if we need to break the bond. But I still want us to remain together. I still want a future. I want us to find a way. Don’t you want that too?”

“I do. But I don’t know how. I don’t know how we could be together.” Kraghol dropped his gaze. He swallowed. “I tried to enter Anorra on my own years ago, outside of Krampus Night.”

“What?”

“I thought if I just walked into the city, the people might be okay with my presence.” Kraghol squeezed his eyes shut as if he could block the memories. “But they screamed. They yelled at me. They spat and threw stones.”

Jasper gripped his arm. “Oh, Kraghol.”

“And after Krampus Night with you, I stayed too long in the city.” He exhaled. “The city folk yelled and cried out. They were so scared of me.”

Jasper leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. “I’m so sorry, Kraghol. I didn’t know.”

Kraghol held on to Jasper. “I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want you to know how others saw me.” Now Jasper had to see that there was no place for them.

But Jasper barely missed a beat. “We could live in the forest. My brother lives out here with?—”

But Kraghol shook his head. “No. We can’t live here. My family will not allow that. They would not leave us be.”

Jasper didn’t speak for a moment. He pressed a kiss to Kraghol’s brow. “Then we will find another place. Another way. We could move.”

Kraghol jerked back. “You’d do that? For me? But what about your family?” He’d never thought Jasper would be willing to leave them for him.

Jasper nodded slowly. “It would be hard for me to leave them. If we have to leave, I’d prefer we don’t go far. That way I can come back often.” He paused. “Maybe some of my family would even be willing to move with me.”

Kraghol blinked, too taken aback for words.

“I want a future for us, Kraghol. And I’m willing to fight for that future. Are you?”

And as Jasper spoke, the last of Kraghol’s resistance dissolved. How could he turn down Jasper, who was willing to give and give up so much for him? And how could he turn down Jasper, when the man offered Kraghol everything he so desperately wanted?