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“This late at night?” She laughed. “Wine not?”
“Sorry?” I was confused.
“It was a joke.” She laughed harder. “Yes, wine sounds good. Thank you.”
I poured her a glass, then went back to assembling the meat and cheese board.
“Where’s Fluffy?”
“Right here.”
I leaned in, and when she saw him in my breast pocket, she squealed.
“He is so cute! Look at him sleeping in there!”
But she couldn’t help herself, so she scooped him out. The baby bunny woke up, and she squeezed him to her chest. I was glad to see he wasn’t scared. He seemed to like being held. Frost went over to Aura and sniffed at her hands.
“Look, Frost. You have a new friend. His name is Fluffy.”
Frost sniffed the bunny, and for a second, I froze, thinking the dog was going to open his massive jaws and swallow the tiny thing. He let out a whine instead, then shook his head and lay down at Aura’s feet. I didn’t know if that meant he accepted Fluffy as a pet, but for sure, it was a good sign. I’d have to keep an eye on them, though. Frost knew bunnies were generally food, not friends.
I finished arranging the board and placed it on the table. Aura and I ate with our hands and drank wine, and it turned out to be the best midnight snack I’d ever had.
“Starting tomorrow, I want to make an inventory of what’s in the kitchen, the pantry, and the...”
“Cellar?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“So I can see what I can cook. I have a few dishes my mother used to make. I miss them so much. I hope you’ll like them because I’ll be making them this week.”
“I will love everything you cook.”
She laughed. “Don’t be so quick to say that. Anyway, now that I can see...” She pointed at her eyes. “I can properly make this place my home.”
My gaze dropped in shame. “I’m sorry I made you wear that mask.”
She sighed, then reached to cover my hand with hers. “It wasn’t so bad.”
“You’re still mad at me, and you have a right to be. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“You’re right, I’m still a little upset. I don’t like that you lied to me, Krampus.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand why you did it. But you must promise me you’ll never do it again.”
“I promise, of course.”
“Okay. This will only work if we trust each other. And think about it... We’re all alone here, in the mountains. We have Frost, Snowdrop, and now Fluffy. And we have each other. We’re the only family we have, Krampus. This marriage has to be built on trust.”
“I know.” I looked into her beautiful golden eyes. I might’ve been centuries old, but my Aura was wiser than me. “I will never disappoint you again. You have my word. Even if it doesn’t mean much...”
“Your word is all I need.”
She placed Fluffy on the table and moved from her chair into my lap. I held her close to my chest, and we stayed like that for a few minutes, just listening to each other’s heartbeat. Then Fluffy decided to inspect the meat and cheese board. He found the cherry tomatoes and placed his fluffy butt right in the middle of them. Diligently, he started munching on the tomatoes, one at a time.
