The Snowmaiden, A Bride for Krampus - Jeanette Lynn Page 0,56
to the side opposite the dangling Krampus, I curled my hands around the thick arm lifting, the fat, long claws tipping his fingers unsheathed, ready to do some damage.
“Please! Don’t!” As it occurred to me exactly just why I was trying to get him to spare the Krampus in question, I blurted, “I need him. I wanted to help him.”
At my admission, conforming my theory that while he couldn’t converse with me, he could more than likely understand some of what I was saying, either by the tone of voice or maybe he was around enough humans or English speaking Others, at some point, and gathered the meaning.
Grunting, chuffing, his tri-segmented jaw slowly let go of the air or whatever was filling them, flattening the skin puffing the sides of his cheeks, and his jaw slowly slid into place. One look at the gnarly teeth marks on my shoulder and his chest started to rumble ominously. My hand went to his chest, smoothing over the spot. His cheeks had begun to puff up but quit as I smiled up at him and began to hum the first thing I could think of. I was sure “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” wasn’t necessarily the best choice, all things considered, but it was the first song that had popped into my head. I loved that song.
The fur standing on end along the back of his neck and shoulders slowly fell and the tension riding those scads of neck muscle stacked upon neck muscle supporting his large head eased.
“Thank you,” I whispered. Relaxing against him, I rested my forehead against his thick, furry hide.
My head lifted when he gave a grunt, not churring, chirps, or trills, no happy noises or soft rumbles following. Something inside me wilted.
Baumb glanced from me to the Krampus. If Baumbel lips could purse, his were. He held Ded aloft like he was a skunk. Ded was looking so perplexed he’d lost his fight. Poof, it had just left the cursed beast altogether, leaving confusion in its wake.
Grunting loudly, Baumb turned without a word, not even a backwards glance for me, and lumbered into his sleeping area. Eyeing the wall near the bed, then the Krampus’ rack, he let go of Ded, sending me gasping as he started to tumble, to grab his head in one massive hand, a horn in the other, and embedded Ded’s horn right into the wall. Ded’s eyes widened when he tried to move to find his head good and stuck, horn impaled on the wall keeping him prisoner, hooves barely touching the ground.
Pleased with his handiwork, Baumb stepped away and turned, bright, glowing green eyes narrowing to focus on me.
“I’m sorry. I was cold and- You see- Uhm, heh, I guess I just can’t bring myself to say it, um, exactly...” My words trailed off as he stalked closer.
I half expected him to attempt to bite my head off.
When he was just before me, wide chest puffing up, the tendrils behind his ears slowly slipping free to move about his head like angry snakes, a life all their own, he grumbled something that sounded like our names, and bent to lean into my face. I flinched and would have cringed away but thought better of it at the last moment. Garbling out a bunch of warbling gibberish I didn’t understand, he jerked a thick finger at the Krampus, then shook it at me.
Right. He was upset. I’m an idiot. An apology was in order. “I’m sorry. I was cold and he-” No. Shaking my head, staring down at my hands, I took a deep breath and tried again. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” The idea of the Baumbel I’d friends-with-benefited giving me the boot sent my heart raising. “Please don’t make me leave,” I mumbled miserably, my voice cracking at the end. “I’ll- I’ll do better. I promise.” I’d freeze clean through if it meant I got to stay here under Baumb’s protection.
Anything was better than death by Krampus orgy. Unsure of my welcome as he pulled back and stood, crossing his thick arms over his chest, glaring down at me, I had no clue what else he wanted. Did he want me to beg, was that it?
Dropping to my knees, swiping my sweaty palms along my bare thighs, I began to mumble out a heartfelt plea, a long, rambling essay on all the ways I was going to be a better mate person roommate, whatever I was to him, if he’d