Page 5 of Saved By Her Guardian
He put the ornament into his breast pocket and pulled out his phone.
With a hum of surprise at the name on the screen, he answered, “Hello, Mother Nature.”
“Hello, Santa.”
There was a brief pause at the formality in both their tones, and then they both chuckled.“How are you, Sylvaine?”
She sounded weary.“I’m well enough, Saint.How goes the good fight?”
I’m missing Maryann terribly.“I was just pondering how my brother might try to kill me this month.”
“He does like to put your feet to the fire in December.”
That was an understatement.
Sylvaine Calanthe, a.k.a.Mother Nature, was Santa’s magical counterpart, the most powerful witch in the world, and head of the most powerful coven, as well as the leader of all witches.
“What can I do for you?”he asked.
“I just got in the preliminary fourth quarter coven numbers, and I’ve noticed a disturbing trend.I believe your brother is involved.”
Saint listened intently as she shared her fears and asked for his help.When the call was over, he stared at the black screen for a beat, the echo of Sylvaine’s words rattling like sleigh bells in his mind.
The call was a warning.
Trouble was coming.Fast.
* * *
Santa paced near the picture window in the conference room that overlooked the Well.His whole body vibrated with tension, and he couldn’t stop moving, not with the news he’d gotten.
Nine Guardians filed in, their ranks made up of wolves, polar bears, and snow leopards.Alongside them came the elves who’d pledged to protect Northernmost.
Saint turned to face them as they took their seats around the large, oval table, resting his hands on the back of the chair at the head of the table, his knuckles turning white.Without taking a seat, he said, “Thank you for coming.I got a call a little while ago from Mother Nature.As you may know, each quarter she receives an accounting of the membership numbers for every coven in the world.While the numbers for the covens outside of North America are steady, the numbers in North America have fallen sharply.”
He looked around the room.
“Isn’t there a normal ebb and flow to coven memberships though?”Ventura, one of the elves, asked.“Retirements, relocations, deaths?”
Saint shook his head.“This is different.It’s numerous witches disappearing without a trace.No warning, no goodbye.”He let the truth settle over the males for a moment, and then he continued.“There is no doubt they’re being taken by my brother, but whether they’re being killed or simply turned, we don’t know.”
A heavy silence followed.
It was well known what happened to those Angel abducted.He stole their magic and then imbued them with his dark magic, turning them into his evil followers.Their skin would turn gray, their eyes entirely black.Their morality and goodness gone in a heartbeat.Some he did kill, but those he let live were forever corrupted.
Saint and the security team monitored Angel’s lair, but because it was underground, they had no access to it or anyone inside, save for the guards who stood watch.Jack had lost his number two last Christmas when the male had tried to kill Santa as he’d returned to Northernmost on Christmas Day, but the hole in his hierarchy had been quickly filled by Azure, a warlock who had willingly given himself to Jack to turn evil.His eyes weren’t just black, they were ringed with purple, denoting his magical history.
Shaking his thoughts to the present, Santa said, “I’ve looked at the warlock coven numbers, and just like the witch covens Mother Nature brought to my attention, members are missing without any indication of where they went.Jack could be amassing an army, and that means that we may be facing a battle the likes of which we haven’t seen before.Over the next twenty-five days, we’ll be changing schedules and upping security.Be vigilant and be safe out there.”
He dismissed the security members and stood in silence as they walked out.
Maverick, Chase, and Asher, snow leopards, remained.
“Yes?”Saint asked.
“Our alpha and his mate had a baby and have called for all members to return for the celebration this weekend,” Maverick said.“I know he reached out to you about letting us leave, but that was before things got considerably more dangerous with the abductions.”
Santa hummed and ran his hand over his beard.“What day is it?”
