Page 10 of Cherished By Her Guardian

Santa chuckled.

Just as Bart took a step toward the Entrance, it activated and opened, revealing a small home. Two females stepped through, the first pulling the second by her arm.

Declan said, “Hey, you were supposed to wait for an escort.”

The female being towed froze as she was pulled through the portal. She lifted her head and her gaze clashed with Declan’s.

Holy crap.

He was staring into the eyes of his truemate.

Winterlyn couldn’t move. She was…frozen. Entranced. Captured by the dark gaze of the male who had spoken.

Her fox was doing cartwheels in her mind and chittering loudly.

As Annette moved away to greet Santa, Winterlyn remained rooted to the ground just outside of the Entrance, aware that thick snowflakes were falling around them, and the sky was a beautiful mixture of the yellows and greens of the Northern Lights.

Despite the gorgeous sky, she couldn’t stop staring at the male.

Holy crap, he was sexy.

And who the heck was he?

And why couldn’t she stop staring?

A word flitted through her mind like a whisp of smoke, but the meaning was all too real.

Mate.

“There you are,” Annette said briskly, “Santa. I must speak with you. It’s an emergency.”

Annette’s voice broke the spell between Winterlyn and the male. But she was still feeling the effects on the inside. Her heart was pounding, and her bones were tingling.

Then everything happened in slow motion.

Annette walked toward Santa, who looked exactly like Winterlyn had pictured: bigger than life, dressed in a dark red coat, with a long white beard, and sparkling blue eyes.

The male who’d spoken—her mate!—moved toward Winterlyn, never dropping his gaze from her.

Annette pulled something from her coat pocket and lunged at Santa.

It was some kind of weird looking knife.

Winterlyn’s mate—could she call him that already?—spun with a growl, snatched Annette by her hair and jerked her away from Santa at the same moment the nearby elf pushed Santa out of the way of the blade and disarmed Annette.

Annette twisted free and leaped through the portal with a loud sob, the portal crackling as it closed abruptly and stranded Winterlyn in Northernmost.

“What in the hell was that?” Santa bellowed.

Winterlyn took a step back, her eyes wide as Santa turned his gaze to her. “I didn’t know she was going to do that.”

“Who are you?” Santa asked.

The male she’d come to think of as hers moved to stand in front of her and faced Santa. “Let’s take this inside where it’s warmer. We need to find out what she knows and track the witch who tried to kill you.”

“Damn that male,” Santa said as he picked up the knife.

“What male?” the elf asked.

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