Page 25 of Cherished By Her Guardian

“Yeah, when I was first brought up here to work. The elf who trained me had me touch it because the word in the shifter world at the time was that it was dangerous for our kind to be too close to it.” It had been like a living thing, even though it was just a glowing mass inside an infinitely deep well. Touching it had been like putting his hand in warm water. It felt nice, maybe even tingled a bit, but otherwise it didn’t do anything.

Winterlyn turned to face him and smiled, her eyes glittering with happiness. “It’s so magical here, but even if there weren’t Northern Lights and the Well and a portal that could go anywhere in the world, I’d still think it was magical because of you.”

He pulled her close for a quick hug and kissed her. “Sweetheart, you’re the most magical thing in my life.”

He released his hold on her and turned his attention to the perimeter. The inky blackness was filled with the darker shapes of the few trees that could survive the harsh temperatures. Beyond the darkness high in the sky were the swirling Northern Lights and the stars.

A star streaked in the sky.

Winterlyn gasped. “Is that Santa?”

“It’s a falling star,” he said. “When Santa comes back, it’s more like an explosion of stars than a single falling star.”

“That’s pretty dang awesome. I can’t wait to see it.”

He, Storm, and Knox left the females to talk quietly while they scouted the area, focusing on the perimeter and the Well. One year, Frost had tossed bombs over the Entrance, hoping to take out Santa. Another year, he’d sent a herd of stampeding moose through the perimeter and had caused a ton of damage. He’d done other things over the years but had thankfully never been successful.

But his ingenuity when it came to trying to kill his brother made it challenging to guess what he would try, so they simply had to be ready for anything.

The minutes ticked by as he stood guard with the others. The air was thick with tension as it drew close to the time when Santa would return.

Once his boss had replenished his magic, they could breathe a little easier but until then? It was stressful as hell. Even though he wasn’t magical, he didn’t want anything to happen to the world’s magic. If Frost got control of the Well, it would spell disaster for the world, for magical and non-magical people alike.

He turned his gaze upward once more to search for Santa and the sleigh. He saw a streak of stars and knew he was close.

“What’s that?” Winterlyn asked.

He didn’t drop his gaze. “Santa.”

“No, I meanthat.”

He dropped his head and looked at her. She was pointing straight ahead into the darkness. He didn’t see anything, but his hackles rose.

Was Frost out there?

Winterlyn wondered if she’d been staring without blinking for too long or if the lack of sleep had gotten to her and she was seeing things.

But no, she knew she wasn’t. She saw something in the darkness outside the perimeter that protected the town. A shadow that moved slowly, drawing closer. And the glint of something. Maybe metal or stone.

She might not be able to shift, but she had a keen sense of smell and sight. She touched the part of her that felt like a shifter and focused her senses. She could hear a scraping sound like something dragging over the snow-covered ice. The glint happened again, the tiniest of golden flashes.

“There!” she said, moving toward the spot.

Declan grabbed her back. “Hold on, let me look.”

“Do you see it?” she asked, looking at Seren and Ivy.

They shook their heads.

“Wait. There!” Winterlyn said.

The shadow moved again as a shower of stars erupted in the sky over them, and the sleigh appeared. The descent slowed as it approached the magical perimeter that Declan had told her was like a dome across the town.

She suddenly knew what she was seeing.

A knife, like the one that Annette had brought to harm Santa. Her gaze dropped to the shadow, lifted to Santa, and then back again. He wasn’t within the perimeter yet. He was vulnerable!

With a guttural growl from her fox, she raced forward, passing through the perimeter and knocking into the shadow.

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