Page 42 of Daddy Frost

For weeks he’d attempted to sketch Chelsea’s beauty, but something had always been missing.

But tonight was different. The strokes were perfect, the shadowing was incredible, and he had finally captured the twinkle in his wife’s pretty blue eyes, the curls in her long, chestnut hair, and her playful smile.

When he’d finally taken a break, he noticed how much time had passed since she’d left. Chelsea should have been home an hour ago, preparing dinner.

Worried, Kalen and his sons shifted into their wolf forms and went out to look for her. It had been Kalen who’d found her, with three arrows lodged in her furry body and a hunter kneeling beside her.

That night, hell had opened its gates as Kalen unleashed his fury in the most vicious way.

To this day he carried a dark mark on his soul from the way he’d brutally avenged his wife’s death in that clearing.

As he buried Chelsea, Kalen made her a promise to always keep their boys safe.

That was why he’d forbidden the use of magic in their home. He cared for both sons-in-law and his daughter-in-law deeply, but all three were dark fae.

And that had worried him. One slip-up, one spell gone wrong or one flared temper, and the consequences could be catastrophic. If one of his sons was hurt or killed, Kalen’s promise to Chelsea would be broken.

Despite finding it somewhat endearing when Elvine’s magic short-circuited during her pregnancy, Kalen still remained cautious of it.

Any wise person would be.

Yet here he was, breaking his own rule and allowing all three of them to use their dark powers on his mate in an effort to save Delta’s life.

Wiping a few stray tears away, Kalen knelt at Delta’s head, praying the magic worked. They’d just bonded tonight, and the pain Kalen felt at the thought of losing his mate was a hundred times stronger than what he’d experienced with the mother of his children.

Delta lay pale and still on the kitchen floor, and Kalen was terrified his mate was already dead.

But if their bond had been severed, he would have felt it. However, with the intense pain that was ripping through Kalen’s body, he wasn’t certain if he would even be able to tell.

His wolf howled, desperate for Delta to open his pretty eyes.

The dark web-like mist surrounding Delta glowed a little brighter as Casimir, Raidh, and Elvine continued to chant. Was that a good or bad sign? He hesitated to ask because he didn’t want to disrupt their concentration.

If Delta had been a shifter, he would have healed on his own. Although Kalen had passed some of his healing abilities on to Delta when they bonded, it wasn’t enough to save his mate from an injury this fatal.

Kalen glanced at the guy Arion had pinned against the floor then at the stranger Jaytee and Jax had found outside, and his rage felt darker than the magic being performed.

But until Kalen knew Delta’s fate, he wasn’t moving. He’d promised his mate he would stay at his side, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

Despite his worries, Kalen found comfort in the fact that Raidh was the most powerful among the dark fae, having taught Elvine all he knew for nearly a thousand years. And Casimir was an elite warrior with formidable magic.

If Kalen had to place his mate’s life in someone else’s hands, it would be theirs.

At last, Delta showed signs that the magic was taking effect. Kalen let out a relieved exhale as his mate took in a deep breath.

Raidh fell backward, but Kalen caught him before he hit the floor and gently sat him upright. Arion quickly released the person he had been restraining to catch Elvine as she slumped.

Even Casimir looked drained by their efforts.

Kalen glared at the human who had shot his mate and snarled, “Don’t you dare move a muscle.”

In just seconds, Jaytee was by Raidh’s side, gently taking his mate from Kalen’s grasp. “Thank you,” his son said gratefully.

But it was Kalen who was truly grateful.

“Did it work?” If the magic hadn’t helped heal Delta’s wounds, Kalen didn’t know what he would do. He couldn’t bear to lose his mate. Now he finally understood how Jaytee had felt the night Raidh had died and how his son could have wished for death. Jaytee couldn’t bear to live without his mate, and neither could Kalen.

“Yes.” Casimir confirmed with a weary nod. “We were able to repair all the damage caused by the bullet, and now your mate just needs to rest.”

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