Merry And Bright - A Very Krampus Christmas (The Seattle Coven Tales Book 5)

A Holiday Town. A Missing Child. A Monster in the Snow.

Steven and Hu Metcalf wanted a quiet Christmas in a mountain town filled with lights, music, and festive cheer. But when children begin to vanish and whispers of Krampus echo through the icy streets, their peaceful holiday becomes a desperate fight for survival.

As a snowstorm cuts the town off from the outside world, and their own son disappears, the Metcalfs must join forces with local authorities and unexpected allies to uncover the truth behind the ancient evil stalking the town. But facing a legend is one thing—surviving it is another.

From the award-winning Seattle Coven Tales series, Merry and Bright – A Very Krampus Christmas blends supernatural suspense with holiday horror in a chilling, atmospheric tale of family, folklore, and the fight to bring the lost home.

Read Merry and Bright now and discover why N.N. Light’s Book Heaven calls the Seattle Coven Tales “the must-read supernatural series of the year.”

Excerpt from the book

December 13th, 2024

If looks could kill, the Hooper family would be mass murderers. Art and Linda Hooper, in their late twenties, and Jason, their five-year-old, stood outside the Hopsburg Beer Haus and Restaurant, waiting in line—which moved at a glacial speed. All three felt cold, hungry, tired, and cranky. Jason, who wore his yellow and black ski jacket, Wolverine-themed knitted cap, and Wolverine backpack, kept asking if he could take out his mini-action figures, but Linda insisted he wait until they got inside because he might lose them in the snow.

Around them, the Bavarian-themed town of Hopsburg glowed with over a half-million Christmas lights plus ornaments. Across the large town square, containing an ice-skating rink and an innertube slide area for kids and the young at heart, stood a gazebo, filled now with lederhosen-clad men and dirndl-clad women carolers, exhorting them to be filled with holiday cheer. At the moment, they just weren’t feeling it.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have come here on Friday the 13th,” Linda moaned, half in jest, but Jason took up the refrain.

He whined, “Why did we come here?” in earnest countless times over the next forty-three minutes.

A half-hour ago, when they reached the front of the line, they thought they’d be seated soon. But a large tour group preceded them into the restaurant, and no one left to make room for the family of three. The other eateries around the square all had lines, so Art insisted they wait. And wait they did.

“Mom, did they find her yet?” Jason pointed at a sign in the corner of the restaurant window.

The sign showed a small girl with a toothy grin and tousled hair—missing since December 5th. An early reader, Jason must’ve read the sign, copies of which Linda noticed posted around the town. Damn.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” she said. “Let’s hope so.”

“If they found her, they would’ve taken down the sign,” Art added, ignoring how this info might affect Jason.

Damn, thought Linda.

“Why did we come here?” Jason’s whine took on more weight.

Just then, a buxom blonde hostess ushered them in. The Hoopers followed her through the crowded, noisy restaurant. Above the alcohol-fueled voices, oompah band music blasted from speakers. The hostess seated them at a long table alongside other patrons.

An equally buxom redhead approached. “Can I get you started with something to drink?”

Art grumbled, “I thought I’d be ready for social security before we’d finally be seated.”

The waitress looked sympathetic and put a hand on Art’s shoulder. “I know,” she said with a flirty smile. “It’s crazy busy tonight.”

Linda plucked the girl’s hand off Art’s shoulder. “We’d like two large steins of your local beer.” She looked at Jason, who asked the waitress for a hot cocoa.

While waiting, the boy removed his backpack and dug out his collection of building block action figures. The waitress brought their drinks just as the superhero battle on the tabletop reached a fever pitch. Jason’s cocoa came topped with a mountain of whipped cream, and a miniature Santa hung onto a peppermint candy straw. Jason stared in awe for a few moments, then slid Santa off the straw. Santa joined Wolverine in a battle against all the other figures.