by Breezy Jones
“I don’t need Jack’s help,” Ryker snorted. “Besides, right now my pack is my priority. Not just Christmas Fae.”
“Figures,” Ava huffed, flipping her hair. “You know, for being protectors of the supernatural world, you guys sure seem to forget Christmas is a part of that universe pretty easily.”
Ryker continued to scowl, squaring his shoulders. “You know I’m bound by the council.”
“What if we took in a small team,” I said. “Just enough to sneak in and get Jack out.”
“That could work,” Lexi added, almost hesitantly as Ryker glowered at us.
“We already tried that remember, and they got taken down and turned into mindless guards themselves,” Ryker pointed out.
“With Ava we have magic, and we could ask Joe.” I said, flicking my gaze to the fire and back to Ryker again. “Well, even still, Ava has magic. She can help you get in undetected.”
“Please Ryker. Jack’s my sister, and my brothers are there,” Ava pleaded. “If we take a small group, we could get in and out without being seen.”
Vixen tilted her head, bringing a finger to her chin. “It could help us find out who’s behind all of this too.”
Silence filled the room as we each held our breath waiting for what Ryker would decide. He threw his head back frustrated. Suddenly, bringing his hands up in defeat.
“Fine!” he growled. “We will find Jack. But we do this my way and with my pack. Understood?”
Ava glanced at me, smiling as if to say silently, “Thank you.”
I smiled back.
“And you two,” Ryker stated, turning his attention to Lexi and me. “You’ll stay here with a guard watching the house until I get back. Clear?”
“What? No!” I protested.
“It’s too much of a risk right now.” Ryker said, raising a hand. I started to argue. Ryker cut me off.
“Hear me out. If these are the same men looking for you, then we can’t just bring you to them on a silver platter.”
“You’ll be there to protect me,” I said, jutting out my chin.
Ryker took a deep breath and gestured to Vixen and Ava. “I’ll have my hands full with these two.”
I gritted my teeth—seeing his point—but not wanting to admit it.
“Stay here and protect Lexi.”
It was the only thing he could have said to make me agree. But I didn’t have to like it.
“Fine,” I ground out.
“I’ll meet you in five on the porch,” Ryker told Ava and Vixen, opening the door for them to leave.
Chapter Eighteen
It was nearly three a.m. and sleep wasn’t even on my radar.
Ryker had left hours ago along with Ava and Vixen. According to Lexi’s count, he had about three quarters of the pack with them. They hadn’t returned yet. The thought of what any of them might be going through only encouraged my frenetic pacing across the bedroom floor. For the life of me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
They should have been back by now.
Making matters worse? I pushed Ryker into this.
Now decided, I darted to the door and listened hard. I could make out Lexi’s quiet breathing down the hall, and Seth’s not so quiet snores drifting up from downstairs.
As quietly as possible, I doubled back, tiptoeing to my bedroom window. With a click, it unlocked and slid upward. The cold snaked inside, and I shivered, peering into the darkness. It had been snowing for hours and wasn’t letting up. The clouds hid the moon, making the night darker than normal. The faint sound of bells whispered on the wind, making the hair on my arms stand on end. I shook the feeling off, focusing on the sounds coming from inside the house.
Looking out the window and wishing I knew how much longer Ryker would be, a figure caught my attention. I squinted trying to make out the person just as they stepped from the shadows surrounding the yard. My heart stopped as Lindsey stared back at me.
I blinked, and she was gone.
I collapsed against the window seat and contemplated what I’d just seen. A whirl of emotions swam through me. Excitement and anger collided and shook my nerves as I fidgeted my hands in my lap. My thoughts threatened to overwhelm me when someone rapped on the glass. I jumped and then I saw Lindsey holding onto the window seal for support, face stricken.
For a moment, I just stared at her, unable to breathe. How the hell did she get up here?
“Can I…?” she trailed off.
I sat forward gesturing for her to come inside.
“I can’t,” she mumbled, and I looked at her quizzically. I could barely hear her. “You have to invite me in.”
“Of course,” I said. “Come in.”
Lindsey didn’t hesitate as she bounded through the window and into the room. Her movements were too lithe and quick to be human. Despite the blue eyes, she was definitely a vampire.
“It’s you. I can’t believe it.” I took a calming breath and said, “Where have you been?”
Lindsey frowned. Bells growing louder, eerily in the distance, drawing her attention out the window. “There’s no time. We have to go, now.”
Her urgent message reflected in her eyes. I stared back, unable to force myself to move. I had so much I needed to ask, so much I wanted to tell her. I wanted to hug her, jump for joy, and yell at her—all at the same time. “We can’t go now. I have to—”
“Quickly, or it’ll be too late,” she declared, grabbing my hand, and tugging me back to the window.
I looked at the door and then back to her; the jingle bells getting louder. “I can’t just leave,” I protested.
Lindsey’s eyes bulged. “You don’t understand. You’re in danger.”
Panic rose snaking around my insides. Did she know something?
“I can’t leave. What about Lexi and Seth?”
Lindsey’s eyes bore into mine with the importance of her words. “He’s coming for you. If you get out now, your friends will be safe. It’s you he wants, not them.”
“Who’s coming? Do you know who’s behind the attacks?”
Lindsey started dragging me toward the window again. “There’s no time, I’ll explain later.”
“I won’t.” Setting my jaw, I resisted, knowing I couldn’t just leave the others here.
“Shit,” Lindsey grumbled. “Fine. Come on. We’ll bring them too.”
She threw the door open, and we rushed out into the hall.
“Stay here,” she whispered.
I nodded, and Lindsey darted off toward Lexi’s room.
Moments later she returned, dragging a groggy Lexi. Lexi looked from me to Lindsey, and I watched as realization dawned on her face. I whipped my hand across her mouth just in time.
“Shh… it’s okay,” I said. “Lindsey is here to warn us. She’s going to help us get away from whoever’s after me. Now, if I remove my hand, promise me you won’t scream. We need to get Seth, okay?”
Lexi’s eyes were round and huge, but she didn’t argue.
Slowly, I slid my hand away, and we continued silently down the stairs. The chiming had become a steady, ceaseless rhythm. An ominous feeling settled over me. I didn’t know the meaning of the bells, but something in my gut told me it wasn’t good. I stopped short just inside the living room.
“What the—” Lexi began then stopped beside me.
Seth should have been asleep on the couch, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, in the center of the room stood another man.
“Well, well, well,” the intruder said. “There you are.”
His voice rang out in tune with the bells and sent chills down my spine.
I forced Lexi behind me protectively as I lowered into a crouch.
The man didn’t move. He stood maybe three feet away, confident in his stance as a wicked smile spread across thi
n lips almost hidden beneath a snow-white beard. He was Santa Claus in the flesh, except he didn’t look at all like the kind man from the children’s stories.
Underneath the white beard, his red coat pulled taught with more muscle than even Ryker. Rather than milk and cookies, this guy reeked of steroids and protein bars. His treacherous grin tied my stomach in knots.
I growled a warning. “Get the hell out.”
“Melina, my girl,” Terminator Santa cooed.
His voice was light, but still held a note of crazed authority. I was so not his girl.
Beside me, Lindsey hissed and flashed her fangs at him. Santa waved his hand toward her, and she froze instantly. Crazy Santa laughed. “A popsicle statue,” he joked.
I gasped, looking from him to her. Santa only smiled with his vibrant green eyes shining.
“Who are you?” I demanded. The only other time I’d seen magic remotely like this was Joe. This guy was definitely a Winter Fae, but Ryker and the others had insisted Santa wasn’t evil.
He placed his hands on his chest and dipped his chin. “You wound me, my girl,” he said, taking a few steps toward me. “Has no one told you about me? A shame since I know exactly who you are.”
His eyes sparkled mischievously as he came closer. I took a step away growling again and revealing my razor-sharp teeth. He only laughed, the sound churning my stomach.
“I have those, too,” Santa teased, and his own fangs sparkled in the light. “We’re a lot alike—you and I.”
I took another step back, ushering Lexi behind me as he inched nearer.
“I’m nothing like you,” I snarled as he kept coming, backing me up against the wall. With a squeal, Lexi slipped out and darted toward the stairs. Santa pointed at her, and she froze in place.
I drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, we’re much more alike than you think, my girl,” he said.
I growled again, racking my brain for any possible way out of this. Where were the pack members patrolling the house? Where was Seth?
Santa stopped in front of me, and I held out my palms.
“What do you want?” I shouted, glancing from Lexi and then to Lindsey. I didn’t know how to save them. Were they still alive in there? God, I hoped so.
Santa’s intense, fiery green eyes landed on me. His lips curled, and he displayed those dangerous fangs. Saliva, the light reflecting in it, clung to the tips. Gone was the childhood picture of the smiling, laughing elf. This version was demonic with a grin so wicked it trembled my bones. As Santa closed the distance between us, I could smell the peppermint on his breath.
“I want a great many things, my girl, and you so kindly have handed me the most powerful of all.” He brought his hand to my face in what might have been interpreted as a loving gesture, but I knew better.
My skin crawled from the touch. I snapped my teeth at him as he ran a finger lazily down my cheek. I’d only nipped the flesh, but Santa ripped away his hand and growled—a low, dangerous sound. His eyes, turning dark and greedy, focused on my neck. He licked his lips. His gaze bounced between my eyes and my neck as if pondering something. Honestly, I didn’t know and didn’t care to find out.
“It will be mine,” he snarled, grabbing at my throat.
I jumped just as his hand curled around the thin chain necklace I wore.
The stone in the center surged with heat.
A light erupted around us, so blindingly white it blotted him from view entirely. When I blinked, Crazy Santa was gone.
Beside me, Lindsey defrosted and sprang instantly to where Santa had just been. A strangled gasp escaped my lips as I watched her stumble forward.
The ethereal light slowly receded. A hair-raising scream hit the air, and I jerked to see that Lexi had reanimated as well. She huddled on the floor where she’d fallen.
“Where the hell did he go?” Lindsey shouted.
I looked to her then to Lexi, uncertain how to explain or even make sense of what had happened.
The smell of pine cones filled my senses, and I spun toward the door. “Ryker.” The name was a whisper on my tongue, but it was him and he was close. I’d recognize that scent anywhere.
Lindsey shot up, listening intently. In the blink of an eye, she too disappeared, not even bothering to shut the door as she blazed past Ryker on the front steps and into the cold night air. Snow blew in through the door, wind whipping through my hair.
Ryker growled, his neck snapping as he turned in the direction Lindsey had gone and then back to me. His eyes grew wide as soon as he spotted us.
“What happened?” He ran to Lexi and me, looking us both up and down. “You’re not hurt?”
I shook my head.
“No, but it was… He…” Lexi looked to me as tears slipped down her cheeks.
“She’s in shock,” I said.
Ryker took her in his arms, running a gentle hand through her thick red curls. He glanced at me over the top of her head, and I noted the concerned glint in his golden eyes.
Ava and Vixen came through the door next—Jack limped between them. Pops, Joe, and Mason brought up the rear. My eyes grew wide as they fell on Jack. Once over the threshold, the Winter Fae stiffened.
Vixen pinned me with a hard stare. “One of our kind was here,” she said flatly.
“Who was it?” Pops asked.
My heart jumped into my throat, and I turned to Ryker. “Santa…” I said. “It was Santa. He was here, and he wanted me.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ava guffawed. “No way could Santa be behind all this.”
“I mean he looked exactly like Santa…” I trailed off trying to make sense of what had happened. “But he wasn’t the kind of Santa you read about in children’s stories. He was muscular and tall—like the Santa Claus from your nightmares.”
“That can’t be right. Daddy is far from scary, and there are no muscles to be found beneath his milk and cookies gut. Right, Jack?”
Jack bobbed her head up and down.
“Wait, Santa is your dad?” I asked, and Jack tilted her face with wide eyes.
“Jack and I are sisters, remember?” she said.
I blinked. “And how long since you’ve seen your dad?” I asked.
“Since Vixen told you two days ago that he’d been missing,” Jack said.
“Well, he’s different now,” I said. The mental image sickened me, and bile crept up my throat.
“What did he want?” Ryker asked.
“I don’t know.” I explained what Crazy Santa had said and what had happened. “When he reached for my throat, this light exploded. I don’t know where it came from or why. When it faded, he was gone.”
“And the vampire?” Ryker asked. “Does she work for him?”
My lips opened and closed. “Lindsey came to warn me. We were trying to get out. By the time we got downstairs, Santa was waiting for us.”
Ryker’s eyes narrowed, and he continued pacing. His consistent footsteps put my nerves on end. Watching him only made it worse. I huffed impatiently, wishing he would stop.
“The two have to be connected,” Ryker said. “It’s too much of a coincidence—Santa coming here… These other werewolves…”
I ran my hands up and down my arms. My nerves were still frayed from Santa’s visit.
“What about you guys, Ryker?” Lexi asked, standing from her spot on the couch. “Where’s Jake and Rick and the others?”
Ryker shifted his gaze away. “We barely made it out of the warehouse. This Santa has been collecting quite the army. It was all we could do to get ourselves and Jack out of there.” He stopped, looking solemnly to Lexi. “I’m so sorry Lex, but Rick…” He stopped suddenly unable to finish the sentence.
Lexi’s expression contorted in pain and tears flowed down her cheeks unchecked.
“Oh, God,” she whispered.
&nbs
p; “Rick died a hero.” Ryker took another deep breath. “And Jake was captured.” His words were soft as Lexi sobbed loudly.
I put my arms around her. I didn’t know these men—pack members I didn’t get to know—but it was clear they were important to her. My heart went out to her. I’d have given anything in that moment to take away her pain. I loved her—the fact shocked me. In such a short time, I’d come to care a lot for these people. A feeling I didn’t think I’d ever feel again after Lindsey’s disappearance. Well, outside of Joe that is.
I glanced over toward Joe, my heart buzzing knowing he was safe.
Mason and Pops stormed in with serious expressions. My heart sped up, and I shivered. Not from the wind chill they brought with them, but from the fierceness in their eyes.
“We searched like you said, son,” Pops blurted. His expression twisted, and his mouth opened then closed soundlessly.
“And?” Ryker prompted.
“Gone,” Mason breathed. “All of them…gone.”
Ryker’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean all of them?”
“The four guards you posted on the house and Seth all disappeared without a trace. There’s not even a track to follow—only the intense smell of Christmas and something else.” Pops paused. “I’m not sure what,” he said, suddenly looking tired.
“None of this is making any sense,” Ryker said. He rounded on Jack. “What happened to you when you were held? Tell me everything you saw and heard.”
“Well…” Jack started, her words slow and deliberate.
“There’s not much to tell, the only people we saw were the same shifters and Fae you’ve seen—the controlled ones.” She paused, rubbing her hand over her neck absently. “They took our crystals.”
“Crystals?” Pops asked. “Christmas magic is the only magic that can rival a djinn,” Jack said.
“Jack,” Ava warned.
Jack only waved her off giving us her full attention. “We need their help. We’re gonna have to be honest.”
Ava silently relented.
“Out with it, snowflake, or you will have overstayed your welcome,” Mason snarled, folding his arms.
