its place. Holding the tinsel out, he dangled it in front of the child, who was instantly mesmerized by the shimmering threads.
“Rudolfus,” she repeated, then grinned as she placed a kiss on the little pink bump of a nose and it began to glow. “One day, he shall lead the herd,” she announced.
Epilogue
Veck, Zhuii and Griever and the rest of the Lo denaii in his hunting pack found themselves peering into what they thought was an old Zhubeast’s den. What they found had them all staring in disbelief. A family grouping of Krampus, along with the large blue glow spotted beast they’d heard of but never seen.
Veck had heard tales of the blue-eyed Krampus and the fearsome Baumbel but he’d never seen any of the like, not a one, until now. The black-eyed beasts that found their way through one of many portals hidden in their world were harsh and brutish—they brutalized and killed. He remembered a time when brides had been kidnapped and torn apart by a Krampus terrorizing their village.
This was nothing like that.
The large, beaked beast warning them off was curious but they kept a respectful distance from the hibernating bond group. That must be why they were so elusive, they chose to slumber in the coldest of the winters. It was so warm in their den the Lo denaii were all starting to sweat.
The rest of their party waited outside to hear what they’d found.
Griever and Zhuii both wore soft expressions as they studied the female and child huddled in the middle of their sleep pile. The fluffy furred baby at her breast suckled away in his sleep, his mother’s belly slightly rounded with the next of their brood. The Krampus female’s males protectively encircled the pair. Green eyes shot open as the beast watching over them snapped its beak with a clack. The Baumbel did not appear alarmed to wake and find a group of Lo denaii gaping at them from the base of their den entrance. If anything, he appeared annoyed. With a warning rumble for them to fuck off and a glance to assure himself his female and child were fine, he snuggled back in beside her and closed his eyes with a yawn.
The Lo denaii wisely backed out of their space.
“Sweet,” Zhuii commented as they brought the others up to speed, standing outside of the old nung-nung tree, thinking of the little family and baby.
They all grinned.
They couldn’t deny the grouping made a sweet picture, fierce as a Baumbel and bunch of Krampus could be. And it made them think of their own families.
“Leave ‘lone. We no tell. They be’d safe,” Zhuii grunted out with a look that said anyone who disturbed their peaceful sleep as they hibernated would not only deserve whatever they got, but be dealing with him as well.
They all grunted their agreement. Griever came up to Zhuii and patted the male on the back. He grinned, pleased with the son of his heart. He was a good male.
Veck, catching it, slapped Griever on the back. “Good male,” the hulking Lo denaii told him.
“Yes,” Griever said simply, proudly.
And the blue-eyed Krampus crew, plus one very agreeable Baumbel, lived happily ever after.
The End
Interested in more books in this world?
Lemme know!
Loved it? Please leave a review!
Thank you for taking the time to slog through my nonsense! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did coming up with this kooky nonsense I love so dearly. From the cheese ball in the sky and back, seriously, thank you!
About The Author
Jeanette Lynn
Jeanette Lynn lives with her Neanderthal, beyond awesome kiddlens, slightly eccentric terrier mix menace and Hobbit Chi-shweenie. She’ll most often be found traipsing around in a pair of her kooky themed leggings and one of many a comfy, nerdy T-shirt, a book somewhere nearby and a sarcastic retort on her lips. (Ooo. I sound so fancy)
She enjoys hangin’ with the Lo denaii before the big Bridal Hunt under a new moon, riding along the mint mocha moors of Hinter on her sled pulled by shifted Elkfen, sleigh bells ring-a-ling-in’, and making up odd crap for her author bio section in the back of her books that’ll have you blinking, double taking, momentarily questioning her sanity, and then rereading. Heh.
No, but really, she enjoys creating quirky, offbeat characters in out of this world stories. And, of course, a good happy ending.
Author’s note
First, thank you so much! For taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoyed The Snowmaiden, A Bride for Krampus, as much as I had a blast writing it.
Easter eggs, there be, in this book baby!
Questions there might be... Why didn’t Ded return to an Elkfen? He’d already fully gone Krampus. It was too late for him. But those blue eyes? He’d regained enough of his humanity due to his bond with his Snowmaiden he wasn’t the completely feral beast he’d once become. Lumi tamed, tempered him, you could say.
Dudes in the epilogue?
The Lo denaii are the beastmen from my Brides of the Hunt series, for those who aren’t aware and wondering who the what? Abominable beast men looking for women to form family groupings with and live happily ever after. Veck is from book one, The Bridal Hunt, and Zhuii is from book two, Bride of Glass. That series is RH, Reverse Harem. Lumi and her crew landed in Lo denaii territory when they jumped ship from Hinter. I wanted these stories connected when I started out.
More than a few of my book worlds are connected somehow, Adorn starting it all off and giving away to this.
Books by Jeanette Lynn
Cosmic Soul Mates Series
Stellar Proportions
Out of this Orbit
On Her Axis
Collide
The Brides of Mordenne Series
A Mate To Match
In Her Eyes
Tales of Mordenne- A Brides of Mordenne spinoff
Tails of Mordenne
Brides of the Hunt
The Bridal Hunt
Bride of Glass
Pumpkin Bride: A Brides of the Hunt Holiday Story
A bit of Serendipity
Jingle Belled & Mistletoed
When She Least Expected It
The Others: Cursed of The Lady
The Toll
Tauran of Tavros
By the Horns
The Elixir
Pick Your Poison
Halpert-McGonaugh Pack
Seeing Red
Trouble with Honey
Doom’s Day
One Lucky B
Just Her Luck
Wolves of Amrok Hollow
Until I Make You MINE
Gone with the Rift
Of Another Dimension
Adorn. (Where it all started!)
Beyond the Vinterlan Veil
The Snowmaiden, A Bride for Krampus
Keep up to date with all things Lynn
FB Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/authorjeanettelynn/
FB Group: Book Wyrms Anonymous
https://www.facebook.com/groups/210284942875661/
Newsletter sign up:
https://mailchi.mp/5e5386edd345/jeanettelynnnewslettersignup
Website:
http://www.authorjeanettelynn.wix.com/jeanettelynnbooks
Thank you a crapton
for purchasing and reading this book. I hope you enjoyed it.
Please consider taking a moment to write a comment about it from the site you got it from?
It would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again and happy reading!
You’re still here...? Cool. Let us continue.
Shouting it out and thanking y’all for a minute here.
Beta readers. Typo huntresses. Y’all are badasses and I appreciate y’all so much. Thank you!
Wonder P, Nina Beana, N Jen, Sarah O, you rock.
A big shout out to all my pod peeps up in Book Wyrms Anonymous, Jeanette Lynn’s Facebook group. Y’all are freaking awesome. You make me smile, daily, and are probably crazier than me. I love it. Keep being your utterly fantastic, supportive, fantabulously sarcastic and real selves. I’m still not sorry about all the weird Nic Cage memes. He’s muh National Treasure. Mwahahaha! You love me anyway. Admit it!
Catch all my podly peeps on the dark side!
Heartfelt thanks to all my author buddies. Y’all know who you are. *squishes faces* You’re all wonderful and super supportive—my book family—I’ll forever be thankful to have found such a fantastic group of book peoples. I’m an oddball and I know it, but y’all let me hang and make me feel like a part of the party anyway. I appreciate that so damn much, you have no idea. Thank you for not shunning this giant dork with all her quirks and eccentricities.
To anyone who has given my books a chance, like you, reading this right now, thank you!! You make my weird little heart happy.