The Snowmaiden, A Bride for Krampus - Jeanette Lynn Page 0,20

was about to try and bolt, ropes be damned, he lunged as I went to dive to my left. Strong arms came around me as Bels and I collided.

Frantic, I clamped my teeth down around the first bit of flesh I came into contact with. Howling, Bels jerked free and then his teeth sank right into me, clean through my coat. A scream left me as he snarled and began to shake my arm like a dog. The only thing that stopped the Elf from mauling me further was Ded jerking me back, a startled noise leaving him. The Elf flopped to his ass in the snow. His mouth was covered in strange brown ick. It reeked of molasses.

Glancing down at my bitten arm as Bels sneered and swiped the sticky mess from his lips, I gaped at all the blood and brown smearing my coat.

“Bring her inside,” Bels grumbled out, his voice a strange, strained, high pitched snarl.

“What the hell just happened?” I whispered wonderingly.

“You never wondered how the big guy has gone around for so long without being caught? It’s even greater if you realize time runs differently here. You have your Christmas once a year, but here on our time, in Hinter we’re ready every three cheese-ball-in-the-sky fullnesses for the big day, The Night. Four Christmases a year.” The arms banding around me gave me a squeeze. “You’ll like it here, you’ll see.” Clearing his throat, Ded leaned in to whisper, “Just don’t eat any of the fruit that falls, from the vine or off the branch.” Shaking his head, his fur dusting the top of my head with the action, he babbled on, “Spoiled as soon as it hits the ground. Makes a wonderful sleeping draught but it’s potent, dangerous to humans.”

“Ded!” Bels bellowed.

“We’re coming!” Ded called out hurriedly as a weird, foggy feeling slowly started to fill my head. I was lightheaded and the burning pain in my arm was suddenly no more than a light itch.

By the time Ded had lugged me into the dark, cavernous space to where Bels was waiting, I felt like I was in a weird dream state.

Chapter 10

“I’ve bitten you, that’s what you’re feeling,” Bels commented as he worked. The ties at my hands loosened, falling to my feet as I stood there blankly staring after him, pliant and loose. My jacket was next. I felt the cold, but it was like I’d shelved everything at the present and put it all into a little box to get to later.

I all but helped him get me out of my boots.

My toes pricked, the rest of me bared past the pinpricks feeling and cold to the point I couldn't tell if I was moving them.

“We need some more fruitcake,” Bels told Ded, who was staring at me with a glazed look in his eyes. Not personally feeling I was all that impressive in my underpants and nothing else, knowing in the back of my mind, should I have been in the right mind I’d have told him to quit staring, a funny noise left me that had the Elkfen ungluing his eyes from my breasts and glancing to Bels. “Fruitcake,” Bels barked at Ded.

“But what about-” Ded started to protest.

“She’ll get hungry,” Bels said with a much calmer tone, his voice almost soothing. “You don’t want her to get hungry, do you?” He was lying and Ded was buying it. I felt like a spectator in my own demise.

“Well, no, but I thought-” Ded mumbled, ears drooping.

“You better go then. Now,” Bels fairly hissed.

“Ah- Well- Well...” The Elkfen’s shoulders slumped and he seemed to deflate. “Alright then,” he mumble-muttered. Reluctantly, Ded collected my things and placed them in my hands, his thick fingers brushing mine in the process, lingering. “I’ll be back,” he said with the reassurance of someone who didn’t really know. “Perhaps,” he said as he started to trot off to stop. “Perhaps there’s another-”

“There is no other way!” Bels shouted, incensed. “And even if there possibly was, it’s too late now!” Glaring at Ded, daring him to argue further, the gross brown stuff was on his lips again. It was leaking from Bels’ mouth, as if he produced it naturally. Ew.

Ded left after Bels’ outburst, leaving me to my fate with Bels and his friend in need Shnikel.

With a deep breath, Bels put on a fake smile. “Well now then, shall we go and introduce you two kids?”

NO! I wanted to scream, but just stood there idly,