Naughty or Nice: A Dark Romantic Christmas Tale of Krampus by Scarlett Devereaux

Author:Scarlett Devereaux [Devereaux, Scarlett]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

seventeen

Asher

"Ithink I want the head of a goat."

Her words ring through the air, and I'm genuinely shocked for the first time in a long time. I look over, and she looks completely determined and serious.

We finished eating and spent the entire night baking pies and other goods, only being able to lie down at 6 AM. Despite my protests, Maya returned at seven to bake a few more things before the festival began at nine.

"Can you help me grab some things from the storage room?" Maya calls to me from the kitchen.

"Of course, love, what do you need?"

"It's my bakery stand. I have to set it up out there. They should be clearing all the snow right now."

Maya is rushing around, gathering supplies and getting her baked goods in order.

"Do you think it'll be enough?" She is anxiously chewing on her thumb. She's been staring at the cart of baked goods repeatedly throughout the morning. "I could throw in some extra cookies just in case."

"My dear, this is more than enough. You've baked more than three times the amount of people in this town."

"I like giving some to the orphan kids afterward." She fidgets with her fingers, looks down at her hands, and my heart aches.

"My dear, you've done more than enough. Let me get your stand, and you should take it easy." I rubbed my thumb under her eyes, trying to help with the small bags that had formed from lack of sleep. "If you want to be on your feet, how about you make us some coffee or hot chocolate for the morning? It's gonna be cold out, and you'll be out there most of the day."

"I'll make us some hot chocolate," she says. Her voice still carries a hint of anxiety, but I let her walk off and made my way to the storage shed in the outback.

Around the shop is a small alleyway that leads to a concrete pad. The only thing hidden back there is a small shed that's no bigger than Maya's bathroom upstairs.

I unlocked the shed with the key she had handed me and began pulling pieces to her booth. I stacked them all on top of each other before carrying them out and setting them in the snow against the front of the shop. As I begin walking back, I glance inside and see Maya preparing hot chocolate. She's still wearing the thin dress she had grabbed after leaving bed last night.

I'll have to find her a warmer outfit for today.

I walk back to the back alley, lock the shed, and walk back up front. A glint of something shiny catches my eye in the snow. I bent down and picked up a small white coin with the engraving of a star on one side and the words Northstar beacon on the other.

I briefly turn it over in my hands before shoving it in my pocket. The name sounded familiar, like an old tale I had heard hundreds of years ago, but I couldn't place my finger on it for some reason.

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