Page 3 of Caught By Her Guardian
She walked along a mossy pathway leading to the heart of the island, a commune where the tooth fairies in this part of the States lived.Their commune was large and in charge of the East Coast.
The tooth fairies on shift that night were returning from their territories the same as she did, making their way to the main garden to scatter the teeth.
“Hey, sis,” Calyx, one of her brothers, called from the garden where he scattered a handful of teeth to the blooming flowers dotted with dancing fireflies.
“Hey yourself,” she said.“How was your shift?”
“It’s cold as balls up in Massachusetts.I was not made for winter.”
She grinned and opened her pouch, grabbing the teeth and flinging them to the garden.“It was cold in Delaware too, but not as cold as you had to deal with.It’ll get colder too, once Frost gets winter really cooking.”
The winter solstice was tomorrow, and Pixie made a mental note to make sure she wore her fleece-lined leggings under her tunic.She didn’t get cold often, but a frigid blast from Frost was sure to make her feel chilly.
As the teeth she and her brother tossed into the garden turned to magic, glittery particles lifting into the air and flying away and some seeping into the ground, the colorful, glowing plants swayed in the breeze.
Somewhere in the world, a child would sleep a little more peacefully and hold on to the belief in the tooth fairy for a little longer, thanks to the unseen, protective magic of the fairies.
Someone called her name and Pixie turned and found herself in the presence of the most powerful fairy in the world, who was the head of the Tooth Fairy guild, Calista.She not only had control over shadows, like all tooth fairies, but she could also control the elements, bending sunshine and rain to her will as needed to keep the Earth in balance.
“How was your night?”she asked, her pale green eyes crinkling at the corners as she landed in the center of the garden and gently touched a sapphire blue lily.
“Great.”
There was a brief pause, and Calyx cleared his throat and said, “I’m going to get home before my wife wonders why I’m taking so long.Night, sis.Tooth Fairy.”
“Good night,” Calista said, her large wings shimmering in the moonlight.“My dear, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.”
“Of course,” Pixie said.“What can I do for you?”
Pixie was trying not to grin like an idiot.Tooth Fairy had never asked her for a favor.Ever!Holy crap.Her wings shivered in excitement, and she almost lifted off the ground.
Tooth Fairy smiled.“I’d like to change your territory for tomorrow night.”
“Oh.Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all.I have a project I’m dealing with and I need to change up the territories for several fairies to free up some people to help me.I’d like you to take over the Northern Pennsylvania territory.”Before Pixie could say anything, she put up her hand and said, “Oh, I know, tomorrow is the Solstice and Frost is an ass, so it’s going to be very cold.But I promise you’ll only need to cover this territory for a couple weeks and then you can go back to Delaware.I’ve tasked other fairies from Maryland and New Jersey to split your territory, so everyone will be stretched a bit thin for a while.But we can’t let any children miss having their teeth picked up.”
“Of course,” she said.“I don’t mind the cold, actually, and I haven’t been to Pennsylvania before.”
Tooth Fairy put her hand on Pixie’s shoulder and smiled benevolently.“Thank you so much.I really appreciate it.Your ledger will be altered for your new pickups tomorrow.I wish you good luck and good rest.”
“Thanks, you too.”
Tooth Fairy lifted off the ground and flew away, and Pixie hummed with a smile.
Well, well, well.
Her boss asked her for a favor and how freaking cool was that?
Instead of flying, she walked along the mossy path to her small home, a quaint little cabin covered with ivy and morning glories, in between her sister Marigold’s home and her parents’ home.With a yawn, she walked inside and closed the door, ready to grab something to eat and watch a bit of TV before getting ready for bed.The life of a tooth fairy who worked on the East Coast like her meant that her night started when the sun went down and children went to bed and didn’t end until she’d collected the teeth in her territory or the sun came up.
She didn’t mind being a night owl with her work.And someday, when she found her truemate and had a family, she’d take a territory in another part of the world so she could work during the day and sleep at night, following her family’s schedule.But she didn’t have her mate or a family yet, so she was content with how things were.For now, anyway.
She sure wouldn’t mind finding her Mr.Right someday soon.
Polar bear shifter Hunter McAdams rolled his shoulders as he walked out of the security office in Northernmost, his shift finally over.He followed the hallway underground to his apartment to grab his bag and his brother, Winter.
As a Yuletide Guardian, one of nine shifters who worked for Santa keeping the Well of Magic—and Santa and his elves—safe, Hunter had been living at the North Pole since he turned eighteen and had been chosen to train for the important job.His brother Winter was a Guardian, and their oldest brother Storm had been a Guardian until he met his truemate last December when she accidentally fell through the Portal into Northernmost.As a human, Seren wasn’t allowed to live in Northernmost, so they’d brought in a replacement for him, and the couple had headed to the clan’s home in Arctic Springs, Pennsylvania.
