Chapter 4: Frost

I opened my eyes to see that I was standing in a huge bedroom, the walls were made out of stone with only one window looking out over a snow cover landscape with a frozen lake of in the distance. the room while large only had a huge four poster bed with thick white fur blankets and pillows on it and a huge fire place taking up an entire wall directly in front of the bed, on the bed laid the same man from before only now he looked….old and very frail with snow white hair, pale wrinkled skin and layered panting breaths.

"Come here child…we have much to talk about…but little time left." He said between pants.

Walking over to the bed I walked up the two steps attached to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

"Who are you?" I asked after a long moment of silent.

The now old man sat up and moved to lean against the huge pillows and starred at me for a long moment then let out a long breath.

"My name is Jack Frost, and I am the king of winter… or I should say old king" He said.

I frowned at him not understanding what he meant by that, and at my look he sighed and began to explain.

"My time on this earth is coming to a close, I will not live to see Christmas day."

I blinked in shock…he was dying?

"Um…I'm sorry." I finally said.

He smiled a bright, playful smile that showed that at one point this being had been young and earth shatteringly handsome at one point in time.

"You said that you use to be the king…so who is the new one?" I asked and he smiled that amazing smile of his.

"You are…. well more like the new queen." He corrected himself.

I stared at him in disbelieve, me…the fucked up mistake….queen of winter?

"I'm sorry but there has to be a mistake…I'm no queen." I said after some of the shock left me.

Jack to his credit let me have my moment of denial and shock without comment until I was done, once I was done freaking out Jack reached out and patted my hand.

"I wish we had more time together so I could teach you what you will need to know but I'm afraid I won't be around that long. After tonight you will be the winter queen and all of the powers of winter will be yours provide my staff accepts you." He said.

I blinked at him.

"And what if it doesn't accept me?" I demanded.

Jack smiled sadly at me and shook his head.

"That would be…regrettable." He said and add. "I wish we had more time…but before I go I think can give you one lesson."

Jack tugged on my hand until I was sitting next to him, and turned his head to look at me with those eyes so similar to mine that it was almost like looking at a male older version of me.

"You must always keep an eye of on your emotions, you powers are connected to your emotions and so long as you can manage them then you can control all of winter's gifts." He said.

"So if I get upset all could cause a blizzard and if I'm happy I'll cause light snow fall?" I asked and he nodded and sucked in a shallow breath.

"I wish I could tell you more….but I can't…after I have past…you'll need to come back here and try and take the staff of power...know that I believe in you…and that you are good.." He said and squeezed my hand hard enough to hurt.

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a thick fur blanket on top of me, sitting up it took me a minute to figure out where I was as memory came back to me in slow increments.

Krampus

Jack

Me

All of it swirled around inside my mind as I got up and looked around, Krampus must have brought me up here and gotten one of his minions to bring me the blanket, brushing back my hair with one hand. Off in the distance I could hear screaming and realized that Krampus must be over at Tom's and Sarah's house causing havoc snorting I got up and found my coat but didn't put it on, the cold wasn't bothering me at all which in itself was strange. It must have been below freezing because the glass on the windows had a light sheen of ice on it and the snow was falling down in a heavy down pour, but it felt like summer to me…why?

Shrugging it off as something to do with my 'powers' I let the coat fall onto the floor and made my way down stairs, the living room was still dark but a fire had been lit and there was a pot of something hanging on a hook, using one of the fireplace tools I managed to get the pot out of the fire place and poured myself a mug full of rich smelling hot chocolate, taking a sip I let out a long moan as the taste of dark chocolate filled my mouth. It had been made with real dark chocolate and not that fake powdery stuff that tasted like ground dirt, I had always liked the real homemade stuff better than the industrial.

"Damn this is good." I moaned and curled up close to the fireplace as the screaming grew closer, I mentally snorted.

They were getting everything that they all deserved and more, I felt no pity for them because in the end if it was me…they won't have cared either. I poured myself more hot chocolate when the sound of two hooves came closer then stopped. Turning I saw that Krampus was standing in the kitchen door way watching me, I smiled shyly at him and held up an empty mug.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" I asked and felt my cheeks heat up.

God what the hell was wrong with me?

Krampus moved farther into the room and sat down in the chair closest to me and took the mug from my hands gently then poured himself some of the hot chocolate, the chair groaned and squeaked in protest at his weight but held him as he sat back.

We sat together in silence the only sounds coming from outside of the wind picking up and the sound of distant screaming coming near.

"Can I ask you something?" I ventured and Krampus made a low purr like sound.

"You just did." he pointed out.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Be serious." I snapped and he laugh a deep base sounding hiss.

"Why do you do it?" I asked and watched as he froze in shock.

"Because when a person soul turns dark at a young age, it cannot be allowed to grow." He said.

I nodded and finished off my hot chocolate.

"We are quit the pair aren't we? Two shadows playing the rolls we were given to the fullest." I said and there was a slight tone of anger in my words.

"It is our place, but we can make our own rules." He said and to my surprise reached out and took my hand in his, I didn't pull away from his touch but held still as gently he stroked my hand with one clawed tipped finger.

We sat together quietly as Krampus held my hand, for one in my life I didn't feel like a shadow when I was this man. He didn't judge me for inner most thoughts but instead related to them and understood them, turning to face him I was surprised to see that his horror movie style Santa mask had been removed to reveal Krampus actual face.

Krampus wasn't beautiful by today's standers of male beauty, but he was beautiful in dangerous predator kind of way with dark black fur with indigo streaks throughout his fur coat, his face was humanoid in structure with he had goat silted tricolored eyes of dark orange then light yellow and finally blood red, his mouth was cupid bow shaped with dark lips.

We stared at each other for a long time before Krampus reached out a hand to gently cup the side of my face, I could feel the tips of his claws against the side of my face as he moved his face slowly forward until he was inches away from her, I held my breath as I felt his tong snake out to flick against my lip and then Kramps's mouth was pressed against my own.

The kiss was…wild and filled with passion as it was a mix of tongue and teeth, I moaned as I felt his tongue begin to suck on mine and gasped when I felt his hand begin to massage my breast gently with his claws. I arched back into his touch only to find that he had pulled back from the kiss and was gone, moving faster then she would have thought possible Krampus was out the front door and standing in the frozen lawn before I had time to blink and throwing his head back, I watched as he howled so loud that the windows shook and threaten to break and icicles that fell to the earth with the sound broken music as his howl echoed off the houses.