Page 22 of Caught By Her Guardian
What would Frost try?
No matter what he threw at them, he couldn’t succeed.Even though Hunter wasn’t magical, if the Well of Magic was corrupted, every single magical creature would suffer.They’d have to choose to turn evil or lose their magic entirely.That meant that the whole world would fall apart—fairies like Pixie wouldn’t be able to do their jobs, elves wouldn’t be able to bring joy to children, and witches and warlocks couldn’t keep the world in balance.That wasn’t good for anyone—magic users, shifters, or humans.
Frost couldn’t succeed.
* * *
The night had dragged because he missed his mate, but he’d kept busy looking for any sign of Frost and his asshole followers.By the time his mate returned from finishing her collections, he was more than ready to see her.Hunter heard Pixie before he saw her as she made her way across the snow toward the perimeter.The snow crunched under her boots and her wings rustled ever so slightly as she moved.
She waved when she saw him.“Oh my gosh, you’re a polar bear!”
She walked through the perimeter and shivered.She touched him, sinking her fingers into his thick fur with a murmur of praise.He’d never been petted before in his shift.He freaking loved it.
“You’re gorgeous,” she said.“And you’re so big!”She hugged him around his neck, and he put a paw on her back under her wings to pull her in close.She giggled, resting her head on his shoulder.“So warm.You smell like snow.”
They stood in their embrace for a few moments, and then she leaned back and kissed him on the nose.“It’s an hour before Santa should come back.I’ll walk around with you if that’s okay.”
He nodded and they continued on his route.He listened to her talk about her shift as he watched everything around them—the sky, the cold darkness, and the snowy landscape.
“It was a pretty dang eventful night!A few kids went above and beyond hiding their tooth in their rooms, but I found them all.And then I almost got busted by a Siberian Husky.Sneaky thing.”
He let out a bearish chuckle.
“I handled it of course,” she said, her wings fluttering as she giggled.“I can’t wait until we get back here after the holidays and visiting both our families so we can start building the fairy garden.I love getting to see my folks and the other fairies on the island every time I drop off teeth, but it will be nice to have a place to store them up here.”
They walked for a while longer, but eventually as they rounded the Portal, she stopped and looked up.“It’s really quiet.”
If he could talk in his shift, he would tell her that it’s always quiet outside of the perimeter, but then he realized that it wasunusually quiet.
He nodded and grumbled, wishing he could talk.They kept walking, both watching the endless darkness around the perimeter.
If only he could put his finger on what he was feeling.
Uneasy.But it was more than that.
She looked at her watch.“It’s almost time for Santa to return.Should we meet up with the others in their shifts?”
He grumbled an affirmative, and they moved faster to make their way to the area of the perimeter across from the Well of Magic.She turned her head to the sky to watch for Santa and rested her hand on him.
Be safe, Santa.
* * *
Azure crouched in the shadows of the snow-laden rooftop, covered in a magically infused cloak that prevented him from being seen by anyone.Underneath his boots, the final house on Santa’s route sat in peaceful silence, the chimney unused, the windows lit by the lights of the Christmas tree.
He couldn’t believe that humans had helped him in his mission to take out Santa.Thanks to a Santa tracking website, he’d known exactly which home would be the last on Santa’s delivery route.
Foolish humans.
Frost’s magic allowed him to arrive unseen and utilize the cloak, which would enable him to pass through the protective perimeter around Northernmost without being detected.However, the rest of the plan was up to Azure.He was just the male for the job too.A warlock like Santa but happily evil like Frost.
He could feel the weight of the Frostfang knife in a leather pouch on his belt.The blade pulsed with dark magic, crafted by Frost from frozen iron exposed to an eternity of winter and infused with the heart of a dying star.
One stab was all it would take.
The sleigh appeared in a heartbeat, magic swirling around it like tiny snowflakes.Santa grabbed the sack and disappeared down the chimney.
Azure wasted no time.
