Page 21 of Caught By Her Guardian
Pixie turned and said, “Thanks for letting me see!”
“Anytime,” the elf said.
Santa strode out of the barn, adjusting his wide belt.He walked down the line of reindeer, talking to them in a low voice before stopping at the sleigh and looking at the group gathered.
“Thank you for keeping Northernmost safe.Tonight, I get to do what I was born to do.Be safe.I’ll see you in the morning.”
He climbed into the sleigh and gathered the reins.With his booming voice, he shouted the call that was known the world over, reciting the reindeer names and snapping the reins.The sleigh rose into the air, powered by his magic.“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”The sleigh was gone an instant later, leaving a magical, glittery trail behind.
“That was incredible,” Pixie said, her wings fluttering.
They stood for a moment longer, staring at the sky, and then Pixie said, “I should get going.There are teeth to collect.”
He nodded.“I’ll be back,” he said to the Guardians and security team.
“We’ll wait for you,” Maverick said, “then we’ll all shift together and start our rounds outside of the perimeter.”
Hunter walked with Pixie into the main building and down to the chamber where her tethered portal stood.
She took out her ledger, and he watched as the names appeared on the page.“Twelve tonight,” she said.“But every single tooth is in a different town, so it will take me most of the night.I will definitely be back before Santa returns though.”
“I’ll be in my shift the whole time,” he said.“So I can’t meet you when you come back here.”
“I’ll come find you when I return.”
“Be careful,” he said.“I know you’re protected with the magic, and you’re a kickass female, but I still want you to be safe.”
“I will be.You be safe too.”
The last kiss before she walked into the portal was one that lingered as they seemed unable to walk away from each other.But the night was already underway, and they both had jobs to do.Parting, he smiled and watched her activate the portal and disappear.
He stared at the portal for a long moment and then turned and walked away.He couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling in his bones, but he wasn’t sure if it was because he always worried about Santa on Christmas or if it was because he was already missing his mate and wished she was with him.
The time couldn’t pass fast enough.
The sooner she came back to Northernmost and Santa returned safely, the sooner they could head to the clan to spend Christmas Day with his family.He already had the perfect gift for her.He was falling hard for his truemate, and he thanked his lucky stars that he had found her.
* * *
“I hear you,” Maverick said as he pulled off his shirt.“Aralyn still has to reap souls and while we’re on the same shift, I don’t like that I can’t be with her.She’s strong and capable, but she’s my mate, you know?”
“Exactly,” Hunter said.“Pixie already proved she can fight, plus she can fly.But I still wish I could keep an eye on her myself.”
Sebastian didn’t say anything because he was fortunate enough to have his mate live and work in Northernmost but in the safety of the infirmary.
“We’re lucky though,” Hunter said as he set his boots in a plastic container by the perimeter to keep them safe from the elements.“We all found our truemates.I wouldn’t trade Pixie for anything.”
“Hear, hear,” Sebastian said.
“One hundred percent,” Maverick said.
Before they shifted, they agreed on where they would start their trek around the perimeter while the elves were going to patrol inside, focusing on the Well of Magic.Other security team members were inside the building monitoring the cameras and motion detectors, and there were elves on the rooftops, watching the darkness for any signs of Frost or his people.
“Good luck to us all and especially Santa,” Hunter said.
The males shifted.Hunter stretched, his big claws digging into the snow as he snuffled the air.They parted ways—the snow leopard, the wolf, and the polar bear—and headed out of the magical perimeter to patrol.
Hunter kept his head on a swivel, stopping to scent the frigid air every few feet and to listen intently for anything out of the ordinary.There was a strange stillness to everything, like the top of the world was holding its breath because something was coming.
