Page 32 of Falling for her Guardian

“Thanks for helping Storm rescue me,” she said.

After shaking her hand, Hunter said, “Are you going to take her home? We can cover your shift if you need some time off.”

“Yes, I’m taking her home after we talk to Santa about what happened at Frost’s lair, but I haven’t given any thought to taking time off.”

“It’s probably a given that you’ll want to take a few days,” Winter said. “You just met, it’s good to celebrate it.”

Hunter nodded. “We’ve got you covered. Just let us know when you decide.”

“I will, thanks, guys.” He fist-bumped his brothers, then took her hand and led her out of the gathering room.

In the hall, he said, “We’re going to take the freight elevator up to a storage room and then head to Santa’s house. It’s the fastest way to get to his place.”

“Sounds good.”

They walked down the hall and he pressed the button to call the elevator, which rumbled and squeaked as it stopped on their floor. “How far underground are we?” she asked.

“Only about a dozen feet. Santa’s ancestors used to live underground, but eventually he wanted to be aboveground so he could keep an eye on the Entrance, especially with Frost trying to take it over.”

The elevator’s motor was loud, but it was spacious so she didn’t feel claustrophobic like she did in the one at her old job. When it shuddered to a stop, it opened into a huge storage room that had rows of wooden shelves stuffed full of toys.

Her mouth fell open and she couldn’t help but walk over to one shelf and touch the soft fur of a stuffed polar bear.

“The elves make the toys?” she asked. “I don’t know what’s fact and what’s fiction.”

“Yes, they do,” he said. “Santa delivers one toy to every good boy and girl in the world from sunset on Christmas Eve to dawnon Christmas Day. The toys are always no-tech items like stuffed animals, dolls, and wooden vehicles or play sets. He uses his magic to put all the toys in his bag, and then more magic to power the sleigh and reindeer, and even more magic to transport them faster than the eye can see as he moves from house to house.”

“So that’s why he’s never been caught delivering toys? Because he moves faster than a human can see?”

“Yep.”

They left the warmth of the storage building. As the harsh temperature made her want to run back into the building, she was thankful she had Storm’s heavy coat. It was snowing and windy, so she could hardly see anything.

“I’ll get us there,” Storm said. “Don’t let go of my hand.”

She gave his big hand a squeeze and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Her toes were numb by the time they reached Santa’s house, a log cabin with a sprawling porch and pine trees lining the front walk decorated with tiny lights and red bows.

Storm knocked twice and then opened the door, pushing her through first and into the warmth of the cabin.

“Greetings,” Santa said. “You look frozen to the bone, Seren.”

He approached them as Storm was pulling off her gloves and hat because her fingers weren’t working quite right. Santa rubbed his hands together and they sparkled like snowflakes, then he cupped them around her freezing hands and warmth spread through her like a slow wave.

She breathed out a sigh of relief as the cold in her body was replaced with warmth.

“Yikes, it’s cold here,” she said. “Thank you so much for using your magic on me. And earlier with the permafrost. Storm told me you helped remove it.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he said. “Come have a seat. The elves brought breakfast fixings for us to share, so join me at the table and we’ll talk about what happened to you in Frost’s lair. I want to know everything you remember.”

“I’ll do my best.”

When they’d stripped from their coats, she and Storm sat at a large butcher block kitchen table that was laden with every kind of breakfast food she could think of, including cinnamon rolls topped with caramel and pecans, which were her favorite.

“So I got laid off from my job, and then my car broke down…”

When they left Santa’s, they didn’t have to walk through the elements to the portal, they were picked up in a small vehicle driven by one of the elves named Griffin. Willow, a female elf, was in the passenger seat, and she was going to escort them through the Entrance.

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