Chapter 7
Working the night shift meant that everything was backward.
Instead of sleeping at night, he and Pixie worked from sunset to sunrise, give or take a few hours.
Then they’d have a few hours together after work before they went to bed and started the process all over again.
He’d worked different shifts over the years being a Guardian and never really cared which shift he worked.
Their apartments were underground so he didn’t have to worry about light blocking curtains if he was sleeping during the day, or any unnecessary noise because it was well insulated from topside goings-on.
He mused about working the night shift full time so he could be on the same shift as his mate as she was snuggled up next to him, smelling like sex and sweet dreams. She was really so beautiful, with her silver-lavender hair that was soft and silky, and her blue-green eyes and the most kissable lips of any female he’d ever known.
She was delicate but fierce, and she really loved her job.
His arm was against her back and he could feel where her wings were hidden, the pale, raised lines smooth against his arm.
She stirred next to him and he watched her slowly wake up, giving him a sleepy smile.
“Hi there.”
“Hi yourself,” he said. He brushed her pretty hair off her face and said, “I like waking up with you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Makes everything feel right.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “You’re being way too cute. I’m not awake enough yet to handle it.”
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. As they rolled out of bed, he said, “I’d like to take you on a date.”
“Really?” Her brows winged up. “When?”
“After our shifts tonight. What do you think?”
“Would we actually go somewhere or stay here?”
“Stay here. I’ll plan something amazing. I want to make sure you know how special you are to me.”
She beamed at him.
And then she looked toward the bathroom subtly and her whole posture changed, tensing.
With a giggle, she darted for the bathroom and he chased her, his bear loving every second of it. They crashed into the bathroom in a tangle of arms and legs and laughter, and showered together without getting too worked up, since they both had to work.
They dressed for work—him in his uniform and her in a pretty green tunic and leggings.
She put her wings away when they were intimate the night before and said she didn’t sleep with them out because it bothered her to roll over on them.
She extended her wings through hidden slits in the tunic and stretched them wide.
They shimmered in the overhead light, and he thought they were beautiful.
They both grabbed travel mugs of coffee at the breakroom on the way down to her portal.
He was always going to want to walk her there and be there when she came back.
It was amazing to him to see her use her magic and disappear through a portal.
Even though he hated being away from her, he was thankful she would be safe with Tooth Fairy and Santa’s magic.
She activated the portal with her magical tattoo and then pulled the ledger from the pouch on her belt. “A light night,” she said. “Seventeen collections.”
“Be safe, sweetheart.”
“I will. You too. I’ll send you a text when I’m on the way back here after dropping off the teeth at the garden on the island.”
“I’ll be here waiting. With bells on.”
Her smile was soft and sweet, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
He kissed her, inhaling her sweet scent, and then he watched her open the portal.
On the other side was a street of modest homes covered with fresh snow.
She blew him a kiss, covered herself in shadow magic, and stepped through, disappearing into the night moments before the portal closed and he couldn’t see her.
He turned from the portal, already missing her, and headed to the security office to start his shift.
And plan the best first date ever.
* * *
Hunter tugged on the cuffs of his jacket as he waited in the chamber for Pixie to return to Northernmost. The night had both sped by and dragged as he missed being with her but he had kept himself busy not only working but planning their first date.
The portal began to glow and hum and he breathed a sigh of relief when Pixie stepped through, her wings fluttering.
Her cheeks were pink and she pulled off a stocking cap and brushed snow from her shoulders before giving him a hug and kiss. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too,” he said gruffly, hugging her tightly. He released his hold on her and smiled. “How was your day?”
“Pretty great. No problems collecting teeth, and the tethered portal makes me feel really safe coming and going.” She took off her jacket and pulled her wings into her back.
“Are you ready for our first date?”
“I’ve been thinking about it all night! What do you have planned for us?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Fun! I can’t wait.”
He offered her his arm and they walked out of the chamber and headed toward the dining hall.
He’d gone all out for tonight. After reaching out to her mother—who had been so excited to talk to him—he’d learned that Pixie’s favorite meal was butternut squash soup, cranberry glazed chicken and smashed potatoes, and snowberry tarts for dessert.
When he’d gone to the elves in the kitchen to ask about creating a dinner for the two of them, Mattias, one of the cooks, had suggested having their date in the Aurora Sky Garden, which was a secluded rooftop garden nestled on top of the dining hall.
He’d been up to see the garden when he’d first come to Northernmost. It was used by the cooks for certain plants that required magic to grow—such as snowberries, glacier apples, frost pears, and winter carrots—planted in long beds with ice crystals infused with magic to help them thrive.
It was the perfect setting for their date.
“So where are we going?” she asked when they reached the dining hall that was filled with people coming off third shift and getting ready for first shift. “We’re eating here?”
“Not quite,” he said. He led her through the kitchen to the spiral staircase behind rows of gleaming cookware.
He took her hand and led her up the staircase, opening the door and stepping out onto the roof.
When she’d joined him, he closed the door and said, “Welcome to the Aurora Sky Garden, sweetheart.”
The garden stretched around them in a breathtaking display of magical winter plants that only grew in Northernmost. Frost flowers in big baskets hung from silver shepherd’s hooks, glowing in shades of blue and violet.
Snowberry vines curled along trellises, the icy-white berries glistening like they’d been dusted with sparkling sugar.
In the center of the roof was a table set for two next to an enchanted fireplace, its flames flickering without smoke, the heat creating an invisible barrier of warmth.
“Oh, Hunter,” Pixie said, her eyes wide as she turned to him. “This is incredible.”
“I wanted tonight to be special. Not just because it’s our first date, but because I’m already crazy about you and I wanted to show you how much you mean to me.”
They walked to the table, the warmth from the fireplace erasing the chill in the air. They took off their coats and hung them on the chairs before sitting.
He lifted the lids from their first course and set them on a small table nearby. She picked up her spoon and took a sip of soup, then brought her hand to her mouth with a gasp. “Oh my stars, this is amazing!”
He grinned, feeling damn proud of himself. “Butternut squash soup with pecans. Your mom said it was your favorite.” He took a sip himself, humming at how sweet and spicy it was.
“You called my mom?”
“Of course. I wanted to know what your favorite meal was, so I called her after you left for work.”
She stared at him in a mixture of awe and disbelief. Then she reached across the table and laced her fingers through his. “You’re perfect, you know that?”
“I’m in excellent company, sweetheart.”
The meal continued with her favorites, from the cranberry glazed chicken to the fresh-picked snowberry tart.
They talked about their childhoods, trading funny stories about their lives.
When the meal was over and they sipped peppermint hot cocoa and sat next to each other, staring up at the Northern Lights, Hunter was going to suggest they could walk around the garden for a bit when a sudden, unsettling chill swept over him.
Something was wrong.
“Did you feel that?” Pixie asked with a frown.
They both stood and looked around and then he saw that the Portal was glowing. But there were no Guardians or security team on standby.
No one should be coming through the Portal so close to Christmas without an escort standing by. He lifted his phone from his pocket and dialed the security office.
“Ventura.”
“It’s Hunter. I’m in the sky garden. The Portal is activated, but no one is there for security.”
“What? We don’t have anyone scheduled until after Christmas. Santa wants it closed down unless it’s an emergency. No one is supposed to open the Portal without permission.”
“I’m heading down,” he said.
“I’ll send the team outside to meet you there.”
He ended the call and turned to Pixie. “Stay here.”
“Hunter.”
“Pixie, please. The garden is enchanted and safe. I need to go check things out. I’ll be right back.”
She hesitated but then nodded. “Be careful.”
“I’ll be right back.” He sprinted for the staircase and rushed into the dining hall and outside, heading for the Portal. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his bones.