“How do you know Kali?” Jasper lifted his chin. “I can tell she recognised you. So don’t pretend you don’t know her!”

  Kraghol looked down at Kali. His gaze softened. “She was orphaned and took shelter in this cave last winter. I raised her.” He looked back at Jasper. “I asked her to watch over you after you drowned. That’s why she has stayed by your side.”

  “You asked her to stay with me? You don’t miss her?”

  “Very much.” He swallowed. “But I am glad she is with you. I am pleased and proud that she is your familiar.” Kraghol knelt and patted her. “A life with you would be much better than a life with me.”

  Kraghol stroked his hand over her head. “I hadn’t even realised I should give her a name. Krampuses don’t have familiars or keep animals. I just called her little fox.”

  And once again, Jasper could hear the sadness in his tone. Jasper looked to the cave entrance, watching the snow fall. The light had started to fade from the sky.

  “I should head back,” Jasper said reluctantly. His head started to ache, and his limbs felt heavy. Which was odd. This was the first time he’d felt any of his illness symptoms in Kraghol’s presence.

  He should mention the whole sickness thing to Kraghol, see if he thought it was connected to the bond. But suddenly, Jasper felt sick of talking. He needed some time to think first.

  “Yes. That would be best.” Kraghol rose. “I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you.”

  Jasper shook his head. “No. Thanks for saving my life. Say bye, Kali. We’re leaving.”

  Kali rubbed against Kraghol’s hooved feet.

  Kraghol leaned down once more to pat her. “Goodbye, Kali. Take good care of him for me.”

  Jasper’s chest constricted at the words. After a moment, he turned and walked to the cave entrance.

  Kraghol followed him. “Perhaps I should escort you to the forest’s edge.”

  “I’ll be fine. It’s not even dark yet. And like I said, I’ve been walking this forest since I was a boy. I can handle myself.” He paused. “Goodbye, Kraghol.”

  “Goodbye, Jasper.”

  Jasper and Kali set out. Jasper glanced back to look at Kraghol. The krampus’s shoulders drooped. He watched Jasper, his face drawn and his head lowered. Sadness and loneliness radiated from him.

  Jasper turned away and kept walking. He had a lot to think over.

  Because despite what Kraghol thought, Jasper hadn’t given up on the two of them. Not yet anyway. Just because Kraghol thought something was best, did not mean Jasper agreed. He wanted to come to his own conclusion.

  Kraghol had dumped a lot of information on him. Jasper needed to process. He’d go home and sleep on it. Or maybe just lie in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, and ponder it all. Maybe he’d take a day or two. Then he’d decide for himself if he would keep his distance from the sad krampus or not.

  He wouldn’t merely disregard Kraghol’s opinions, of course. But Jasper might challenge them. However, at the end of the day, if Kraghol really wanted him gone, Jasper would respect that.

  Kraghol kept saying that they did not belong together. He referred to himself as a hideous creature of darkness. He’d called Jasper light and beauty and sunshine. Jasper huffed. He needed to understand what the fuck Kraghol was talking about.

  Furthermore, Kraghol was certain that Jasper’s feelings and desires only existed because of the bond. Perhaps that was true. Mates and all that stuff always perplexed Jasper. But he knew his feelings. And he knew he did not like to ignore his feelings no matter where they came from.

  He always went with his heart over his head. Even when it landed him in trouble.

  He had a feeling that even after a night’s reflection, he’d still go with his heart in this instance. And his heart yearned for the sad krampus who lived in the cave all alone in the forest.

  Hopefully pursuing him wouldn’t land Jasper in trouble.

  Chapter

  Eighteen

  The krampus stared at the stars that twinkled above in the clear night sky. He sighed, and his warm breath fogged the air.

  It’s for the best that Jasper and I fought. It will ensure that he stays away until the bond fades.

  Still, it did not sit right with Kraghol. He did not wish for Jasper to be angry or hurt by him. He wished they’d said goodbye on better terms, perhaps with a soft kiss and a lingering touch.

  He walked through the snow. The forest lay still and silent around him, except for a single owl hooting. He paused by the edge of the pond. The starlight reflected off the frozen surface. It had been only a few months ago when he’d pulled Jasper from its depths.

  He’d touched him then, and he’d touched the man today. And today they’d kissed and made love. Those brief moments meant more to Kraghol than he could ever express. He doubted he’d ever be touched or kissed like that again.

  And now I will never see Jasper again.

  He’d not expected today. He’d not expected Jasper to seek him out again, nor give him a gift. He stroked the red ribbon that had been wrapped around the box of truffles.

  He wished they could have had more moments together. But that would have been foolish. Jasper did not belong with him, no matter how much Kraghol wished it.

  Throat tight, he walked to his cold cave. It felt emptier than usual tonight. He still could not comprehend that Jasper would have been open to a full mate bond with him. Or even a relationship without the bond. But no doubt Jasper only felt that way because of the partial bond. Under normal circumstances, Jasper would fear and be repulsed by him.

  He started a fire. He gazed at the bed where they’d lain together. Then he spotted the small box of chocolate truffles.

  He opened the box. Two more truffles remained inside. He sat on the bed. Gazing into the box, he selected one with chopped nuts on the top. He bit into the soft, fudgy truffle and moaned. The nuts contrasted with the silky-smooth, rich chocolate. The flavours rolled over his tongue.

  Jasper made these. For me.

  He swallowed. The lingering sweet taste soon disappeared from his mouth. He stared at the remaining truffle. He closed the box and placed it by the bed, saving the last one.

  He inhaled deeply. He could still smell the scent of Jasper, himself, and their lust amongst the furs. He held up the red ribbon. He ran his fingers over the shiny material, watching the light from the fire reflect on it.

  Sighing, he stared into the flames, lost in thoughts of Jasper.

  “What is wrong with you?” his sister asked from the cave entrance.

  Kraghol startled. He’d been so preoccupied with his thoughts he’d not noticed her approach. He shoved the ribbon beneath one of the furs and jumped to his feet. He hoped the box of truffles could not be easily seen.

  “Freya! What are you doing here?” He walked towards her. He and his older sister didn’t usually interact outside the krampus gatherings. She rarely visited.

  “You acted unusual at Bonfire Night.” Her eyes narrowed. “I noticed. Grandmother noticed.”

  Kraghol tensed. Were they sensing the partial mate bond? “It is nothing. I have had things on my mind.”

  “What things?” Freya pressed.

  “Krampus Night.” It was the only answer he could think of. “I just want it to go well. Last year it went so poorly because of the snowstorm.”

  She stared at him, clearly not believing his words. Which was fair. She knew he’d never cared about Krampus Night previously.

  As his older sister, she saw him as her responsibility. That was why she always kept an eye on him. And why she always tried to keep him in line.

  She cared for Kraghol, in her own way. She wanted what was best for him. Which meant that she wanted him to be a strong and terrifying krampus, like herself and the rest of the family. Too bad he did not wish to be a strong and terrifying krampus.

  “Are you unwell?” She stepped in close, eyes travelling over him as if looking for a wound or injury. “Something is off. I can sense it.”

  The muscles in his shoulders spasmed. He shook his head. “I am fine. You do not need to concern yourself with me.”

  “Hmmm. Perhaps I should perform a cleansing ritual on you. That might fix whatever is wrong.” Then she froze, eyes widening. She sniffed. “Why do you smell of human?” she snarled, eyes glowing red.

  “I—” Kraghol scrambled to think. Of course his sister could smell that Jasper had been in the cave. “A human took shelter in my cave earlier. I kept away until after he had left.”

  She sneered. “You lie! You smell of human! And rutting!”

  “I…” But he didn’t know what to say.

  “You rutted a human!” Her red eyes glowed brighter.

  He pulled in on himself as if he could make himself smaller.

  “It is one thing to fuck a human on Krampus Night in the city! It is another to fuck one in your cave! This is unacceptable behaviour, Kraghol!” she yelled. “Completely unacceptable.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She breathed heavily. “Was it just the one time?”

  “Yes.” At least that was true. Thankfully she did not know of the partial bond. She would be even angrier about that.

  “Good.” She looked out into the darkness as if looking for the human Kraghol had rutted. “Some do seek us out, even outside of Krampus Night. They enjoy being chased and the fear our faces instil in their hearts. They relish the scratches of our claws and the beating of our switches.”

  Kraghol bit his tongue. That was nothing like what Jasper sought from him!

  There’d been gentle touches and kisses. He’d had his claws retracted the whole time. There’d been no fear between them. Jasper had not wanted that from Kraghol. And Kraghol had not wanted to give it.

  Her lip curled. “You are too old to give in to that sort of temptation. I expect more from you.” She paused. “Grandmother is right. You should find a mate. Soon. She told me she spoke to you about this on Bonfire Night.”

  She looked at the bed where he and Jasper had been together. She bared her fangs. “Grandmother would be disgusted if she learnt of what you did.”

  She did not speak for several moments. “I will not tell her. But you must find a proper krampus mate. That will straighten you out and put an end to any…inappropriate behaviours.”

  Kraghol didn’t answer, but he lowered his head respectfully. Even if he could take a krampus mate, he would never want to. He wanted Jasper. Even if he knew they could never be together, Kraghol still wanted him.

  “I will do better. I will take my duties seriously,” he said, trying to appease her.

  She stared at him. Finally she nodded. “Good.” Then she strode away.

  Chapter

  Nineteen

  Jasper rolled the chocolate rum truffles into spheres. He glanced at the window. Snow rustled against the glass.

  He had not returned to the forest the day before, despite his gut telling him to. In the end, he’d decided to listen to Kraghol and take some time to think on all he’d learnt. He’d spent all of yesterday thinking.

  And he had come to the conclusion that a full day was more than enough time to consider what he knew and come to a decision about how to proceed.

  Jasper had fallen into the pond. He had drowned or almost drowned. He wasn’t sure which. To save his life, Kraghol had created a half-mate bond by pouring his life essence into Jasper. This had created a connection between them. The mate bond could not be completed because Jasper was not a krampus. Therefore the connection would fade with time.

  It was because of this bond that Jasper had sought Kraghol in the forest. But Kraghol had avoided him. Jasper didn’t fully understand why.

  Was it because he thought Jasper would be upset about the bond? Because he didn’t think they belonged together? Or because although he was drawn to Jasper because of the bond, he didn’t actually want anything to do with him?

  Jasper hoped it wasn’t the last one. He definitely needed some clarification. And to get clarification, he needed to go back to the forest and speak to Kraghol.

  Also, he knew he should ask if the half-mate bond had created his strange illness and if it would go away when the bond faded.

  So once Jasper finished at the bakery, he’d return to the forest and Kraghol. He’d give him chocolate truffles and ask his questions. He should also ask how long it would take for the mate bond to fade. That seemed important to know.

  “That looks great,” Leo said to Percy. His twin brother stood with the phoenix, assembling pies.

  “Really?” Percy beamed.

  Percy was the phoenix customer Leo had previously hated. But since then, Percy had died, been reborn, and lost all his memories. Leo had found him newly reborn and taken him in. Now the phoenix worked in the bakery. He also lived with them and was fucking Leo.

  That morning, Leo had only glanced with concern at Jasper a handful of times. It was a definite improvement. It seemed his twin’s attention had shifted to caring for Percy. Jasper appreciated Leo not hovering constantly over him.

  Kit and Lachlan placed balls of dough onto trays. Meanwhile Trent washed up, a smile on his face. It seemed like things were going well with him and the siren he’d been seeing.

  The morning dragged as Jasper made more and more truffles. He hoped Kraghol liked them. He’d seemed to have liked the first ones Jasper had made him.

  At some point, Briar and his mate, Wulfric, came into the bakery and got to work.

  Trying not to look too obvious, Jasper sidled up beside his brother. “Briar, you read about mates and stuff, right?”

  Jasper had never paid much attention to the concept. He hoped his sudden interest wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. Thankfully, Leo, who would be most curious about Jasper’s sudden interest in mates, had taken off with Percy.

  Briar looked up from chopping dried apricots. “That’s right.”

  “I was wondering, do most races have mates?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

  Briar pushed his glasses up his nose. “It varies a great deal.”

  “Interesting. That’s really interesting. So I know werewolves, and orcs, and pixies can have a mate, but what about say, krampuses? They have mates too, right?” Being subtle had never been Jasper’s strength.

  Briar frowned. “Not much is known about krampuses in general. They tend to only interact with other krampuses. But I have read that they form a mate bond. But like with dragons, it is chosen, like with Avery and Jack,” he said, referring to Jack, their brother, who had mated a dragon the previous year.

  “So could a krampus mate a human, like how a dragon could mate a human?”

  Briar shook his head. “No. In the book I read, it said they only mate each other.”

  “I see.” Jasper held in a sigh, even though he had expected as much. After all, that was what Kraghol had told him.

  “In fact, the only time krampuses are known to interact with others is during Krampus Night.” Briar laughed. “I can’t imagine someone finding their mate then.”

  “Yeah.” Jasper chuckled.

  If Briar did wonder about Jasper’s abrupt fascination with krampuses, he didn’t say anything. He just resumed chopping apricots.

  When he finished with the truffles, Jasper took off his apron. “I’ll head off now. I’m going upstairs to rest.” Lying came so easy these days. Kali, who had been sleeping beneath the counter, stood.

  Everyone called out their goodbyes as he and Kali left the bakery. He walked straight past the stairs leading up to the apartment and continued in the direction of the forest.

  At first, he’d felt guilty about all the lies. But he was used to it by now.

  In his hands, he carried a small box of truffles. “I hope Kraghol likes them,” he said to Kali. “And I hope he is happy to see me.”

  Kraghol had said that them having sex had been a mistake. He had also stated that they did not belong together. Jasper needed to find out more about that.

  Was it simply because of their different backgrounds? Jasper could work with that. Because if Kraghol was willing to give them a chance, maybe Jasper could show him that they could be good together, despite their differences.

  Or did Kraghol say that simply because he didn’t want Jasper? Maybe it was his way of getting Jasper to stay away.

  Jasper swallowed. “Hopefully he won’t be unhappy to see me.”

  Still, Jasper had questions he needed to ask.

  But after that, if Kraghol truly does not want me, I’ll keep away. I’ll do what he says. Even if it hurts.

  Chapter

  Twenty

  Why is he coming back?

  Kraghol strode towards the edge of the forest. His stomach tensed, skin tingling as he felt Jasper approach. He quickened his footsteps. He paused amongst a copse of trees, waiting for Jasper to appear. The fur on the back of his neck prickled.

  Despite everything he’d said, he longed to see Jasper again. Every muscle in his body tensed in eager anticipation. He held his breath.

  He didn’t know why Jasper had returned and ignored his words, but Kraghol could not wait to see his half-mate.

  It was foolish to think of Jasper as his half-mate. That bond would disappear soon enough. But Kraghol couldn’t stop himself.

  My half-mate. My almost mate.

  If only he could remove the half and almost. He shook his head. It was a foolish thought. Beyond foolish even.

  We do not belong together. We do not belong together. We do not belong together.

  But then Jasper appeared like a ray of sunshine on this grey, gloomy winter’s day. Kraghol’s lungs expanded. Kali trotted along beside Jasper.

  But why had Jasper returned? He knew everything now. He should want to stay away from Kraghol. Taking a deep breath, Kraghol strode out to meet him. No point hiding now.

  A smile lit up Jasper’s face. Kraghol’s footsteps lightened. Kali bounded towards him, kicking up snow with her paws.

  Kraghol knelt and patted her, brushing the snow from her fur. She rubbed against his big hands. Then Kraghol looked at Jasper and rose. “You came back.”