Chapter 5
Catching magical people had as much to do with skill as it did with luck, in Jack’s opinion. And he would know, since he’d been hunting and capturing magical people for years to extract their magic for his own replenishment and to add to his army of evil followers.
But tonight, it had been sheer dumb luck that had brought a witch to his literal doorstep.
When his guards had brought the screaming female into the underground lair and tucked her into a cell, Jack had at first thought to simply kill her since her magic was nearly depleted and she’d be worth hardly a drop of replenishment to him.
He could have turned her evil of course.
But he’d been so very meh about the whole thing.
Until he got the idea to turn her human to mess with not only his stupid brother but also Mother Nature, the embodiment of anti-evil if ever there was one.
Sylvaine. Such a flowery, tree-hugging bitch.
So he’d taken what little magic she had, and instead of killing her and dropping her on Mother Nature’s doorstep, he’d had the idea to send her through a portal outside Northernmost with her magic gone.
He’d watched from afar, hidden in the swirling snow and darkness, and enjoyed the pain-filled scream from the female’s sister, who was being protected by one of the Guardians.
And that was far more interesting to him than how one of Mother Nature’s own coven members had been careless enough to let her magic get so depleted that she was nearly human by the time he’d taken what little there had been left.
“It was a nice added touch to flip off my brother,” Jack said as he settled behind his desk and lit a cigarette.
“He wasn’t happy,” Azure said. “I liked it.”
Azure had been part of the Nicholas coven before Saint had become Santa and Angel had become Jack.
Azure was a kiss ass and had given up his good magic to follow Jack in his bid to take over the Well of Magic.
He’d been pissed when he’d been chosen as number three instead of number two, but then Valeth had died in a blaze of dark magic and a busted blade last Christmas Day, and the promotion had happened shortly after.
Evil followers were a dime a dozen, hence Azure being promoted to number two after Valeth died.
Jack was loyal only to Jack.
And his desire to take over the Well.
“So, can your brother fix it?”
Jack inhaled and let the smoke burn in his throat for a moment before blowing it out. “Fix what?”
“The girl’s magic. Can he use the Well to replenish it?”
“Nope.” Jack shook his head. “Once I fully take magic, it’s gone. Zip-a-dee-doo-fucking-dah. End of the story.”
“What about Mother Nature?”
He eyed his number two. “Are you suggesting that either my brother or that damned witch could reverse what I’ve done?”
Azure’s purple-ringed eyes widened. “No! No. I was just curious.”
“You know what curiosity did, right?”
The swallow was audible, followed by a low, “Killed the cat.”
“Damn straight.” After taking another satisfying drag on his cigarette, he continued, “Again, once it’s gone, it’s gone. She’s human for all intents and purposes. No spell can reverse it. Hell, even I can’t reverse it. I would have had to turn her evil while she still had magic for me to take.”
“You could have killed her.”
“This will be more fun.”
“What will?”
“Her sister is the mate of one of the Guardians, so now I have leverage.”
“But you had me leave the female at the Portal? Why didn’t we keep her if you have leverage?”
“Trust me,” he said, stubbing out the cigarette in the crystal dish.
“With the female’s magic gone, she’s going to be desperate, and she’ll do exactly what I want her to do.
In the meantime, set up spies around Mother Nature’s coven and let me know the female’s movements.
” As Azure turned to leave, Jack said, “I’m still waiting for the downloaded report of my brother’s trek around the world.
The one the human government publishes every year. ”
“I’m on it.”
“See that you are. It’s almost solstice, you know. The plan needs to be in place in time, and I need to put a dent in my brother’s security team before his big night.”
Azure nodded and left.
Jack settled back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. Last year, he’d been defeated because he’d clearly sent the wrong male to do the job. But Azure was a warlock, and Jack thought he would definitely be the one to carry out the plan and ensure it was Saint’s very last Christmas Eve run.
* * *
Emberlin watched Sebastian bring her sister through the magical perimeter and she could have cried. Talia looked close to death.
Sebastian carried her to the Well, but Santa put his hand up.
“It’s too late.”
“What? She’s not dead!” Emberlin said earnestly.
“No,” Santa said with a grimace, “I mean, her magic is gone. The Well won’t help her. Sebastian, get her to the infirmary and call for Trouble and Melody.”
“Are you sure? I have healing magic. Can’t I fix what he did to her?” Emberlin asked, pleading silently for Santa to say he was wrong.
He stared down at her. Shit, was he seven feet tall? He seemed like a literal giant right now, and she felt so, so small in comparison.
He flicked his gaze to Sebastian and nodded once. “I’ll be in the office. Keep me apprised of her healing.”
Sebastian settled Talia next to the Well and said, “Go on, sweetheart. Put her hands in the Well.”
“But, he said…” She started to speak but a sob caught in her throat. Then she numbly took off Talia’s gloves and dropped them, shoving her hands into the golden, glowing magic of the Well.
Nothing happened.
Emberlin could feel the magic like a warm weight under her hands, but she knew it wasn’t going to help her sister. Her healing magic could heal her physical issues, but not her lack of magic.
Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she sat back on her heels with a hitched breath. “Damn it, why? Why did Frost do that to her? She hardly had any magic left in the first place!”
Sebastian rose to his feet and looked down at her.
“Let’s get her inside and allow the healers do their job, and then we can talk.
The important thing, Emberlin, is that your sister is alive, and she hasn’t been turned evil.
There are elves in Northernmost who don’t have the luxury you do of still having your loved one be themselves, magic or not. ”
She nodded and stood, brushing at the tears on her cheeks.
They walked with other security team members into the big building, which she’d never been in before. In years past, she’d simply plunged her hands into the Well, replenished her magic, and headed home. She’d never even had an inkling that her truemate was here, and she wondered why that was.
He carried Talia to the infirmary and stood with her as two elves hooked Talia up to monitoring machines, placed warming blankets on her, and infused her body with healing magic.
Emberlin had offered to help heal her sister, but the two elves had promised they didn’t need her assistance since she was just unconscious from Frost taking her magic.
Trouble walked over and shook Emberlin’s hand. “She’ll be unconscious while our healing magic does its job. A few hours, perhaps. If you want to go rest, I can call you when she’s up.”
“I don’t really want to leave, if that’s okay? Except maybe I could get some dry clothes?”
“I’ll take you to the market for a change of clothes, and we can come right back,” Sebastian said.
She smiled. “Okay, thanks.”
“See you in a bit,” Trouble said.
Sebastian walked with her down a long hall to a small store near the dining hall, where she picked out a change of clothes since hers were cold and damp against her skin. Then they went to his apartment so she could clean up.
They’d both been silent most of the time they’d been together, but once she’d had a hot shower and changed into dry clothes, she found Sebastian in his living room holding two mugs of hot cocoa, and she took it gratefully and sat on the couch.
“Thank you for finding me out in the cold,” she said. She took a tentative sip of the hot brew and sighed.
She settled deeper into the comfortable couch and stared at him, aware she was full on gawking but unable to stop herself. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t even really gotten to look at him.
So she was dang well looking her fill.
Holy crap.
He was sexy as hell, and she was admittedly ashamed to be thinking sexy thoughts about a guy she had just met, even if they were truemates, when her sister was unconscious in the infirmary without her magic.
What the hell did that even mean for Talia?
One thing at a damn time.
“Tell me how you and Talia ended up near Frost’s lair.”
She nodded, sipping at the hot cocoa. She started into her story about waiting far too long to replenish her magic and taking responsibility for the whole damn thing.
“If I’d just told Mother Nature we were too weak after healing that waterfall to open a portal properly, Talia wouldn’t be human right now.”
He hummed. “You feel responsible for your sister.”
“Yeah, it’s just the two of us. She has—or had—water magic. Really different from my dual magic of fire and healing. We made a good team. Gosh, what’s going to happen to her?”
“I don’t know, but if she’s anything like you, she’ll figure out a way to be okay.
You’re clearly strong and a survivor. If you hadn’t been calling for help or flared your magic to ward off the evil followers, I might never have seen you.
My wolf was driving me nuts about something beyond the perimeter, but I couldn’t see anything. ”
“You’re a wolf shifter.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never met a wolf shifter before. How long have you been a Guardian?”
“Six years, since I turned eighteen. My cousins Gabriel and Declan are also Guardians. Declan met his truemate last year and she moved to Northernmost to stay with him until they have kids and want to be around the pack more.”
“She must be magical or a shifter if she’s allowed to stay here.”
“She’s a non-shifting arctic fox.”
“Sounds like a witch without access to magic.”
“For sure.”
She finished her cocoa and asked to go back to the infirmary. As they walked back toward her sister, she said, “I want to bind Frost.”
“What does that mean?”
“Binding is something a witch or warlock can do, and it stops the bound person from doing harm to others or themselves.”
“Frost is really powerful. He’s the second most powerful warlock in the world, right behind Santa. And he’s dangerously unhinged to boot.”
“I know that, but I’m dual natured with my magic, and that makes me uniquely powerful. I just need to catch him off guard. Bind him, make him pay for what he did to my sister. And make sure he can’t take magic from anyone else ever again.”
They stopped outside of the infirmary and Sebastian gave her a long, quiet look.
Damn it, she was going to fall in love with him fast, she could just tell.
Being truemates was like love at first sight on steroids.
It didn’t hurt that he was easy on the peepers with his dark hair and whiskey colored eyes, broad shoulders and muscles for days. And could he smell any better? Like leather and dark nights full of stars.
His nostrils flared and he growled softly.
Pulling her to him with a soft snarl, he said, “You’re so gorgeous, Emberlin.
I can’t believe that I went out on patrol and found you in the snow.
I’m sorry about your sister, and I understand the vengeance burning in your soul, but just trust that I’m not letting you go off anywhere without me.
If you want to help us take down Frost, we’ll do it with the full force of the Yuletide Guardians, a good plan, and Santa’s blessing. ”
She smiled at him.
She was full blown melting for the sexy wolf.
Leaning forward, she kissed him. He didn’t kiss her back for a heartbeat, but then he melted too, holding her tightly, kissing her like he was going off to war.
When he released her, she was dizzy, her magic flaring and making her warm from the inside out.
“Go see your sister,” he said. “Have Trouble call me when she’s up, I’m going to the security office and make sure the rest of my shift is covered.” He hesitated and then said, “I can escort you home if you’d like.”
Momentarily confused, she said, “What?”
“When Talia is up. If you want to take her home, I can go with you. Along with a full cadre of security members of course.”
She was tempted to tease him, but he looked so serious and also like he’d thought of something unpleasant. She realized he didn’t want to take her home and leave her there, but he wanted to support her if she wanted to do that.
“I’d like to take Talia home so she can talk to Mother Nature. I know what Santa said is most likely true, he would know after all, but she’ll still need to tell her everything. But then,” she lowered her voice, “I’d like to come back here with you. If that’s okay.”
His eyes darkened, the whiskey turning amber around the edges and his scent deepening. Oh hells bells, she was smelling his arousal.
Be still her freaking heart!
“Yes,” he said. “I’d love that.”
She nodded and opened the door to the infirmary before she made a very pleasurable but entirely inappropriate suggestion for how they could spend the rest of the evening. “I’ll have Trouble reach out to you when she’s awake.”
He kissed her cheek and turned on his heels, striding down the hall.
Good looking coming and going.
Leaning back into the infirmary, she closed the door and smiled.
What were the odds she’d nearly die in the snow and find her truemate?