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Too late. She was done listening to me. The door opened, and she walked inside. At least it was dark enough that she couldn’t see my face clearly. I could see her – her rosy cheeks, her full lips, her golden eyes and auburn hair – and I felt the urge to walk over to her and take her in my arms. She had her winter boots on, and her coat, but no gloves, scarf, or hat. It was a good thing the barn was heated.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked. “Why did you leave like that?”
She stepped closer to me, and I had to stop her.
“That’s close enough,” I said.
She frowned. “Why are you doing this, Krampus?”
She didn’t advance, though, and I was grateful. The look on her face told me she was feeling frustrated with me. Annoyed. She didn’t avert her gaze, which made me feel hopeful that, after all, maybe she wasn’t that terrified of me. Back in the cabin, she’d looked shocked. Now she seemed calm and collected, and maybe the simple fact that she’d come searching for me was a good sign.
What could I tell her? There were so many answers to her question, all viable.
“No more lies,” she insisted. “I want to know why you’re behaving this way. I know you lied about the mask. You just told me you lost your memory, and the only thing you remembered after the Shift was your name. So, you have no idea what your traditions were before the Shift. You made up that thing about the leather mask. It’s time for you to fess up and tell me why.”
A pause.
“Or this marriage won’t work.”
Chapter Sixteen
Aura
I hated that I had to be so harsh to him, but I was done playing games. I wanted to start our life together already. I wanted to make this place my home, but we couldn’t build a firm foundation if we couldn’t trust each other.
“Okay, I will tell you,” he said after a long pause. “But please... can you not look at me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just... don’t look directly at me.”
He covered his face with his hand. I frowned. What was he on about? This was ridiculous! But if I wanted to get something out of him, then I had to meet him halfway.
“All right.”
I studied the floor and chose a spot to sit down. The barn was spotless, and it was heated too, which was impressive. The way he treated his horse and his dog said a lot about Krampus, and it was one reason why I wanted this to work out. He had a good heart. As I sat down, I slightly turned away from him. I could see him from the corner of my eye.
“Is this good?” I asked.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
He took a deep breath, released it slowly, then started talking.
“You’re right, Aura. I lied to you, and I feel ashamed. There is no tradition that says the bride should have her eyes covered on the wedding day. Or after. I made it up because I didn’t know what to do.” He let out a heavy groan, as if he were in pain. “Look at me! How could I let you see me? You wouldn’t have even made it to the altar. One glance at me, and you would’ve turned around and left straight through the front door of the Temple.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know how the townspeople look at me when I come down to stock up on food. When I enter the store, they leave within minutes, and I can tell the store clerks want to leave too, but they can’t. People gather outside and look at me through the windows, whisper among themselves, and when they see I’m paying for my groceries and getting ready to walk out, they disperse.”
“I’m sorry...”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. Because I look like this.”
“Krampus, listen...”
But he wasn’t done. “I know what they say about me. That I’m ugly. That I’m the scariest creature they’ve ever seen. They tell their children that if they’re not nice, Krampus will come get them and do unspeakable things to them.”
