Chapter 14

14

Kilgore

I halt in my tracks, nearly keeling over as regret guts me in half. This is wrong. I can’t do this to her. No matter how much I want to keep her, she’s going to hate me if I don’t set her free. If I don’t let her decide for herself what she wants, I’ll never earn her love or her trust.

The look in her eyes… It terrifies me. I believe she meant every word. She’ll never want me near her again. But why would she? I’m locking her away like a prisoner.

I change course and turn, stalking back to the chicken coup. “Luna, I’m sorry. I…” My eyes dart around the room. My girl isn’t here. Where on earth did she go? She’s gone. There’s nowhere for her to hide. No way for her to escape this room, yet she’s not here. It’s like she vanished out of thin air.

I look up at the crystal on the ceiling. The door was locked, and there was no way for her to get out. She’s too short to reach any of the crystals, but she’s not here.

“Luna!” I dart around the room, looking in each hen’s nest like a crazy person. There’s nowhere for her to hide in here, not unless she’s an egg. “Luna!” I run from the room, rushing down the hall, looking high and low. “Luna!” She’s not here. But there’s only one way out of this place. I would have seen her pass me. I would’ve heard the door of the chicken coup opening. But it was closed. It was locked. And she’s not here.

“Kilgore! Ho, ho, ho!” Santa’s voice has me jumping. Does he have her? I stomp down the hall, nearly shouting when I enter the living room.

“Where is she?” I roar, startling the jolly old man.

“Where’s who, Kilgore?” He looks concerned, studying my face for answers.

“Luna!”

“Luna who?”

“Lunabelle, your elf?” Gods, is he senile, or is he trying to trick me?

“I’m assuming she’s at home with her family.” His eyes narrow in. “How do you know Luna, Kilgore?”

If he didn’t send her home, then where is she?

“She came here,” I practically shout, searching under the table, behind the sofa, under the blankets. She’s gone. “Where is she?”

“Luna was here?”

I run my hands down my face, struggling for patience when the madness is closing in.

“Yes! She was here and now she’s not, and I need to know where she is.”

“Kilgore, stop.” I halt my pacing feet and look at the jolly old man who’s still dressed in his Santa suit even though Christmas was nearly a week ago. It’s New Year’s Eve, and my Luna isn’t here to share it with me. “Tell me what’s going on, son.”

“Luna came to show her appreciation for keeping the realm safe. She brought cookies. And she…” I don’t know what to tell him. He’s going to be livid if he finds out the truth. “The avalanche hit and she was forced to stay here. She was in the chicken coup before you arrived. But when I went back in to find her, she was gone.”

He smirks. “It looks like her powers must’ve finally found her. She’s probably at home with her family now.”

“But how?” Powers. She didn’t have any powers. She told me that hers hadn’t revealed themselves yet. How could it happen in the last ten minutes? “What powers?”

“Luna’s a special one, Kilgore. She’s akin to a genie in some ways. Anything she truly desires will come true.”

Gods, no! That means she left me. I reach for the chair, needing it to bear my weight as the pain sweeps through trying to take me down with its hard blow.

“She hadn’t come into her powers yet. She was a late bloomer. But sometimes extreme emotions will drive them out. She must’ve been homesick, or worried about her folks. Something must’ve switched them on.”

Me locking her in a jail cell is what did it. I saw it in her eyes. I saw the light go out as I shut the door. Why? Why did I have to be so barbaric? That’s something my father would’ve done.

“Bring her back,” I gasp, turning to plead with him. “I need to talk to her.”

“I can’t do that, Kilgore. Now, do you want to tell me why you’re looking like you’re having a panic attack? Why do you look like you’re about to tear something apart?”

“Because I...” I struggle to catch my breath. My lungs fight me perilously as I force the words out. “Because I love her. And I can’t live without her.”

He lets out a low whistle, shaking his head. “You know it’s against the golden rules, son. You know it’s one of the realm’s most sacred laws. Giants and elves are not supposed to mate.” I know what the laws say, but the law can take a hike.

“The law can’t stop the way I feel, Santa. She’s incredible. Gods, she’s so vibrant and joyous. She radiates this light and I need it. I’ve never met anyone like her, and there isn’t a rule—golden or otherwise—that can prevent me from loving her.”

“Then why did she leave, Kilgore?” His brow cocks. The all-knowing Santa Claus can see right through to the end of the truth and he knows I’m at fault for scaring her off.

“Because we got into an argument, and I did something I shouldn’t have.”

“If you laid a finger on her, I will banish you to the South Pole, Giant.”

I’ve never heard him take such a tone. The jolly old man is nearly terrifying me, and I don’t fear anyone or anything. Except… I’m terrified I’ve lost my Little Red.

“I would never lay one mean finger on her, Santa. I was afraid she’d leave with you, and so I locked her in with the chickens. I realized my mistake halfway down the hall. I was going back to let her out, but she was gone. And I need to tell her I’m sorry, so please bring her back to me.”

“I can’t do that, Kilgore. My elves are free creatures. They do as they want. I do not control them. She obviously left because she was hurt.” He cocks a brow at me. “And you can’t really blame her, can you?” I shake my head. I can’t blame her, but I want her to know my regrets. “But… I know why you did it, son. Your parents’ actions have made you believe she would abandon you. Their voices have gotten inside your head, and now, you don’t think Lunabelle could ever love you. Am I getting warm?”

I nod. Santa should take up therapy in his spare time. He nailed it right on the head.

“Kilgore,” he sighs. “What am I going to do with you? I should wring the necks of those parents of yours is what I should do. Out of all the giants, son, you are truly the most worthy of finding love. Your heart is pure and you are good. Unlike the rest of the naughty lot.”

“Take me to her, Santa. If you can’t bring her here, then take me to her.”

He shakes his head. “You know I can’t do that. Our worlds are not supposed to collide. She shouldn’t have even been here. You two shouldn’t have crossed a line. But…” His face turns thoughtful, the tension easing off his stare. “I’ll tell you what. If what you two have is true love, then even magic won’t stand in your way.”

It is true love. I felt it with all my being. Though after what I did, any love she felt for me is gone. She left me. She wished to go home, and her powers gave her her heart’s desire.

“So, what do I do, Santa?”

“Give her time. And if she’s truly in love with you, her heart will lead her back.”

And how am I supposed to breathe until then? How am I supposed to go on? And what happens when she doesn’t choose me? I locked her in a room. I stared her straight in the eyes and I closed her in.

He pats me on the shoulder. “If you have a message for her, I’ll make sure she gets it.”

“Yes, yes, I do have a message. I need her to know how sorry I am. I need her to know how much she means to me.”