I expected snarling anger and avoidance from the Krampus when I handed him the photo, but not this. He lashed out, but not directly at me. He dug his deep claws into the walls and tore strips in the maroon wallpaper, tore the books from their shelves, smashed ornaments and sent the stacks of completed paperwork flying into the fireplace.
I had to dodge several times to avoid objects he flung about the room in his blind rage and stayed out of the way until he finally fell to a weeping heap on the floor, sobbing into the carpet.
“I gave her everything,” the Krampus wept. “Everything I had. But he had more. He always has more.”
Tentatively, I approached and lay my hand on his shoulder. He turned, gripping me so tightly his claws dug into my skin.
“He won’t have you, though. I’ll never let him have you. Finally, I’ll have something he cannot touch.”
“I can’t love you,” I told him firmly. “I won’t. I’ve already got people I love, and I don’t want that to change.”
“You will forget them in time,” he insisted.
“I won’t,” I said firmly. “I know they’re out there, and my heart will always call me back to them. That’s not going to change.”
“Then I’ll kill them,” the Krampus roared. “You can grieve them, forget them, and then you will be mine.”
“I won’t forget them,” I repeated firmly. “And if you harm them in any way, I will never forgive you.”
He let out another rage-filled cry and pounded the ground like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I stroked the hair on his back soothingly, waiting for him to calm down enough to talk again.
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“Why do you love them anyway? They didn’t even give you a gift. I have given you five thus far, and it still isn’t enough for you.”
I shook my head. “Love isn’t about stuff. Besides, we did actually prepare each other gifts. I just needed to give one away to a friend to spare him your punishment, and then Bastion and Jackal sacrificed one of theirs each as well to make sure I wouldn’t have to be on my own.”
The Krampus glared at me furiously. “So, they are here fraudulently,” the Krampus said accusingly.
“They made a sacrifice for me that is worth far more than a hundred gold or a year’s worth of labour. Love is about more than mathematical reciprocity, and I’m honestly really sorry that you’ve never experienced it yourself.”
He wept again, clawing at his own face with his sharp nails, leaving long red lines in their wake.
“Hey, none of that,” I said, pulling his arms down. “I get that you’re lonely, that you feel betrayed and heartbroken. That’s honestly all pretty normal when you have a breakup – especially a messy one like this. But it doesn’t have to define you.”
“But sh-sh-she rejected me. I wasn’t enough for her. Everything I did wasn’t enough, and we were m-m-made for each other,” he sobbed. “She’s the only other person of my species in this damned world and if she never loves me, I’ll be alone forever…”
“You know, succubi don’t seem to be well matched to other succubi either,” I said. “Not that there’s many of us since we were written in as a species on the brink of extinction. But while you were made to mirror each other, I don’t think you were made to actually compliment each other. I know the one who built this world, and… I don’t think giving you a happy ending was high on her list of priorities. If you want to make one for yourself, it’s going to take a lot of work.”
“Enough!” the Krampus roared, pulling himself to his feet and wiping the tears from his eyes. “I am through talking about this! I need… I need… Get out! I need you to get out!”
The Krampus punched the wall so hard the wood splintered under his fist, and I retreated hastily, shutting myself safely back in my room, my heart pounding.
I stared at the dying embers in the fireplace in my bedroom, wondering if I would have to resort to trying to escape through the chimney. The very idea made me feel claustrophobic and nauseous, but I promised myself if I did not receive a summons for a sixth present, I would have to try.
