Johnny's North Star

by Lynn Hagen

“Johnny?” Hawk approached with furrowed brows. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” Johnny said a little too quickly. “We’re just having a discussion about world politics.” He’d heard someone say that at the coffee shop where he worked. It sounded smart.

  Hawk arched a brow. “And what was the topic?”

  With North’s hand still in his, Johnny took off toward the kitchen. He’d been busted and didn’t want to stick around for a lecture about lying to his mate.

  When they reached the kitchen, no one was in there. Johnny dropped to his knees so he could be eye to eye with North. “I’m sorry your mom and dad didn’t come get you. Do you have any idea where they might be?”

  As badly as Johnny wanted to keep North, he knew Keata and the others were right. She would eventually go home, and Johnny had to do the right thing. He had to try really hard to find out about her parents so they could return her.

  With a trembling lip, North threw her arms around Johnny’s neck and hugged him. He curled his arms around her small body and hugged her right back as his heart melted into a pile of goo. “I don’t remember who they are.”

  That was an odd thing to say. North was old enough to know her parents. They had to have dropped her off at the center. She hadn’t forgotten them that fast. “What do they look like? Do you know their names?”

  There hadn’t been any family pictures on the wall, nothing that said North had even lived there. Could Velius have given him the wrong address? Were they in another house worried sick?

  “Want to see a cool trick?” North pulled back and smiled at him. How could he resist such a sweet smile?

  “Show me what you got, North.” He was expecting some kind of magic trick that involved pulling a quarter from his ear. Johnny still couldn’t figure out how that was done.

  Cecil had pulled so many out of Johnny’s ears over the years that Johnny should’ve been rich already.

  She crinkled her nose, and Johnny gasped. It began to lightly snow in the kitchen. He tilted his head back and stuck out his tongue, catching some of the flakes. Yep, they were real. They melted right away as she giggled.

  When Johnny turned his head, he saw Maverick leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed, studying them. He jumped to his feet and told North to stop making it snow.

  The flakes disappeared.

  “Nice trick.” Maverick walked into the room and squatted in front of her, although he was still towering. “Can you tell me what you are, sweetheart?”

  North looked toward Johnny.

  Johnny had an overwhelming urge to step in front of her and protect her, though he knew Maverick wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Even so, he took her small hand in his.

  “I don’t know.” North shrugged.

  “She doesn’t remember her mommy and daddy,” Johnny said. “I asked her. She doesn’t even remember what they look like.”

  Maverick gave Johnny an odd look before he straightened. They both had to crane their necks to look at him.

  “You guys enjoy a snack,” the alpha said. “But no more making it snow in the house.”

  Johnny nodded and waited for him to leave. He wiped a hand across his forehead. “Phew. That was close. Next time, make it snow in the den, all over Cecil’s and Keata’s heads.”

  One minute North was grinning, and the next, she vanished. Panicked, Johnny spun around then raced from the kitchen. “North, where are you!”

  He was halfway up the steps to the second floor when everything around him started spinning. He wobbled and grabbed his head before the world around him righted itself.

  He was still on the steps, but this looked like a scary version of the Den. All the lights were out, and there was a ton of dust everywhere, as though Nero no longer lived there and cleaned every speck of dirt.

  Johnny rubbed his arms as he continued up the steps but at a slower pace this time. “North!” he shouted in a loud whisper. He tiptoed down the hallway toward his bedroom, looking all around. Where was everyone? There was normally a lot of foot traffic in the Den with so many people living there. But the huge mansion was too quiet.

  Johnny crept from room to room, looking for North. He had no idea what was going on, but he needed to find her. And Hawk. Definitely Hawk because Johnny was terrified.

  The dim lighting made it hard for him to see where he was going. Luckily he knew the house like the back of his hand. Johnny eased Gabby’s bedroom door open. “Hello?”

  “Who is it?”

  “Gabby, is that you?” Johnny stepped into the bedroom. It looked like Gabby and Montana’s bedroom, but not. The usually bright walls were painted dark, and cobwebs hung in the corner. The room was freezing, making Johnny’s teeth chatter.

  “Johnny?” Gabby crawled from under the bed. “What the heck is going on?”

  “I don’t know.” Johnny hurried over to him and helped the little vampire from under the bed. Gabby was on the pudgy side and simply wiggled his way out. “What happened to our house?”

  Johnny shrugged. “I have no idea. I was running up the steps to find North, and suddenly I was dizzy. When the world stopped spinning, I was here.”

  “Me, too.” Gabby grabbed Johnny’s hand. “I came into my room to grab something and everything went wonky, so I hid under my bed.”

  “Come on.” Johnny tugged Gabby’s hand. “We have to find North.”

  “Who is North?”

  “I’ll explain later.” They entered the hall, and Johnny went to the room North had slept in for the past two nights. He was relieved to find her hiding in the closet.

  “What’s happening?” she asked when Johnny pulled her out.

  “You didn’t do this?” Johnny asked.

  North shook her head. “I’m scared.”

  She wasn’t the only one. Johnny patted her hand. “Everything is going to be all right. We just have to figure a way out of here.”

  “Do you think anyone else got sucked into…” Gabby looked around. “Whatever this place is?”

  There was only one way to find out. “We search the Den,” Johnny said. “If we find a way out of here, we can’t leave anyone behind.”

  Keata burst from his room, racing toward them. He was running so fast that he slammed into Johnny and knocked them both to the floor. Johnny screamed, even though he’d seen who it was.

  “Am I dreaming?” Keata asked as he untangled his limbs from Johnny’s. “Are you in my dreams?”

  “This isn’t a dream,” Johnny said as he got to his feet.

  Keata looked on the verge of crying. “This has to be a dream. I want Cody. Where is my mate?”

  Johnny wanted Hawk. He didn’t like this place. It was like walking through a haunted house, only it was Christmas time, not Halloween. He gripped North’s hand tighter as they moved silently through the Den, trying to find anyone else who had come here.

  They made it to the den. That was where everyone hung out, considering the juice bar, pool table, couches, and video games. At times, the room became so crowded that Johnny went to the library just to get away. It was in that room that he worked with his arts and crafts. Making things from scratch always set his mind at ease.

  But it wasn’t at ease now. In fact, Johnny was seconds away from peeing his pants.

  Cecil popped his head up from behind the pool table, Blair right beside him. “What the hell is going on?” Cecil asked when he spotted them.

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Gabby said.

  Johnny looked around. The juice bar had a layer of dust all over the back shelves. The cloth on the pool table was shredded, and the sofas were stacked on top of each other, ripped and broken.

  This was not the den. Not the one Johnny loved so much.

  Cecil and Blair moved from behind the table and joined them as they went in search for others who might’ve been trapped here, too.

  * * * *

  Snowball burst into Nick’s office, his eyes wide and his heart racing. “We’ve got major
problems!”

  Nick rolled his eyes. Of all the elves that worked for him, Snowball was the most dramatic. Everything was an emergency to him. Nick was surprised Peppermint wasn’t right behind him. “Why aren’t you keeping an eye on things at the Den?”

  Snowball twisted his hands, his eyes filling with tears. “I was, but Johnny and a few other mates disappeared, along with North. I felt your twin’s presence.”

  Nick shot from his chair as he cursed. This was impossible. Krampus was locked away, had been for the last few centuries. How on earth had he escaped?

  Oh god. This was bad. Real bad. If he didn’t get the mates and North out of Krampus’s realm, they would never be seen again. And Nick knew exactly why his twin had gone there.

  North.

  Krampus had been drawn to her. Her powers weren’t half as strong as they would be once she got older, but his twin had vowed revenge against all Christmas elves when Nick had locked Krampus away. The mates must’ve gotten caught in the trap his twin had set.

  Nick had to save them.

  “Sound the alarm,” he said to Snowball. “We’re going to need all hands on deck.”

  “But it’s only a few days from Christmas,” Nick’s assistant said. “We’re on a very tight schedule. You can’t pull everyone away from their assignments.”

  Sprinkle had no idea about Nick’s evil twin. He hadn’t been at the North Pole very long, and Krampus’s existence was a well-guarded secret. Only a handful of Christmas elves knew about him.

  Nick walked to the wall and lifted the plastic casing.

  “No!” Sprinkle ran to Nick’s side. “You can’t press the red button. That’s never been done before!”

  With a look of determination, Nick hit the red button.

  * * * *

  “I told you something wasn’t right,” Hawk said as he stormed into Maverick’s office. “I can’t find Johnny or North anywhere. I’ve searched the entire house. It’s like they’ve vanished into thin air.”

  Maverick held a finger up and nodded to the other men already in his office. It was now six mates and North who were missing, and Maverick hadn’t a clue where they’d gone. Until Nick had called him. As soon as he’d seen that Santa was trying to get ahold of him, Maverick knew in his gut shit was about to go south.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Maverick growled into the phone. “That guy is a myth.”

  “So are shifters and vampires and everything else that isn’t human,” Nick argued. “Just because he’s been locked away for a few centuries doesn’t mean he isn’t real.”

  “But Krampus steals bad people. Our mates shouldn’t have been taken.” Maverick dropped into his desk chair, his canines descending. “If anything happens to any of them, I’m coming after you. Now tell me how the fuck to rescue them.”

  “Krampus is drawn to North. The mates are just collateral damage. I’ve got my entire workshop on this,” Nick said. “Only our kind of magic can be used in his realm. It’s about time I deal with my evil twin once and for all.”

  Maverick slammed his desk phone down when Nick hung up. There was no way he was gonna sit on his ass and wait for the jolly bastard to rescue the mates. Maverick looked at the warriors standing around him. They weren’t without their own kind of magic.

  “Go get Ruttford,” he said to Gunnar. “We’ve got an evil twin to kill and mates to return safely home. Men, get ready for battle.”

  Chapter Eight

  Harmon was seated on the couch, Brady’s head in his lap as he slept. He was still in awe that he’d not only found his mate but had claimed him. Things felt as though they were happening so fast, yet he didn’t want anything to slow down.

  Harmon had needed a swift kick in the butt. He’d been moping since his wife had died, not really enjoying life. He’d just existed. When you’d been with someone for a solid decade, it was hard getting used to them not being there.

  But in walked Brady, stealing Harmon’s very breath. Harmon still missed Ellen, but now he had a new focus. The only problem was Brady’s father. Harmon truly liked Arnold. The guy was fun, witty, and seemed to have a zest for life. Harmon still couldn’t believe how acidic the guy turned when it came to his gay son. The guy had spoken about Brady with pride. But that was when Brady was in Tampa. Now that his son was home, Arnold would be forced to deal with his son dating men.

  Harmon didn’t even care what Arnold might think of him being bisexual. That was the least of his concerns. He didn’t want Brady and his dad severing ties because of him, but Harmon wasn’t giving his mate up because of Arnold’s closed-minded ways.

  It was all too much for his post-coital brain right now. He just wanted to enjoy the moment without dwelling on anything else.

  “What the hell?” Harmon squinted as he looked out his living room window. There was a small guy in his driveway wearing a red-and-white outfit, along with a red Christmas hat. Blond hair was sticking out in all directions from underneath it. He was twitching his hands around, and as he did so, the snow in Harmon’s driveway began to melt.

  Then Harmon realized it had stopped snowing. The sun had come out, and this little guy was bopping around in a circle, seeming to have a good time. He had what looked like a dozen candy canes jutting from his back pocket. A few fell out as he danced around.

  Harmon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them. Nope, he hadn’t been imagining things. The guy was still there, doing some kind of twirl that made him topple over. The stranger jumped to his feet, dusted himself off, and kept right on dancing.

  I’m losing my fucking mind, Harmon thought. I have to be.

  “What is it?” Brady asked sleepily.

  “Get a load of him.” Harmon jerked his chin toward the window.

  Brady sat up, rubbed his eyes, and gazed out the window. His jaw dropped.

  “Who the hell is that?” Brady got up and walked to the window. “No, what the hell is that?”

  The little guy looked their way. He stopped dancing as his eyes widened. He spun and ran down the driveway—using the gayest run Harmon had ever seen—only to run into a parked car at the curb. He bounced off it as though he were made of rubber and hit the ground.

  Harmon threw on his clothes and raced out the door, but all he saw was a reindeer standing there looking innocently at him. Innocently? The reindeer took off then slammed into a parked car across the street. Seriously? Didn’t the strange creature have a sense of direction? It shook its head and took off while Harmon worried it had injured itself or, at the very least, rattled its brain.

  “Was that reindeer—” Brady snapped his head around. “Where’s the little guy?”

  “I think that deer was the little guy.” Harmon glanced around and saw that the snow was melting, which meant he and Brady could finally get out of the house.

  “Things sure have gotten strange since the last time I was here.” Brady turned and headed inside.

  Harmon fully agreed. He scanned the streets, but neither the little man nor the reindeer were anywhere in sight. With a shake of his head, Harmon walked back into the house.

  * * * *

  “House of Beauty, this is Cutie,” Brady said when Ronny called.

  “You’re getting soft on me,” Ronny said. “You usually come up with better stuff.”

  “I’m tired. Sue me. I was trying to come up with a really good Christmas one, but I got nothing.” Not after Harmon had fucked Brady’s brains out twice more before they left to go into town. Brady truly was exhausted but having a great time.

  “So did you break out of the stranger’s house yet?” Ronny said with humor in his voice.

  “I’m…uh…having dinner with him at this very moment.” Brady was glad Harmon had gone to the bar to get them some drinks. His absence gave Brady time to tell Ronny everything that had happened so far.

  “Wait. You’re telling me the guy you went home with is your mate?”

  Why did Ronny sound pissed? His best friend should’ve been railing a
bout the way Brady’s dad had acted. What the flip was going on? “Why’re you so mad?”

  “Nothing,” Ronny said. “Where did you go to eat?”

  “Lucky Clover.” It was an upscale tavern/restaurant that Brady would’ve never gone to on his own. But Harmon had insisted they come here, and who was Brady to argue about fine dining?

  “Which street is that on?”

  Ronny’s question took Brady by surprise. “Why, are you in town?”

  They’d agreed that Ronny wouldn’t come to Brac Village until Brady had secured a job and an apartment they could share. He was still technically staying at his parents’ house, and there was no way Brady’s dad would’ve let Ronny stay there, too.

  “Just got here twenty minutes ago. I checked into the bed and breakfast.”

  “But why?” Brady hadn’t meant to be so loud. A few customers looked his way, and Brady gave them an apologetic smile.

  “You should be thanking me.” Ronny sounded offended, which made Brady even more confused. “I flew all the way here to save you, pumpkin. You’re welcome.”

  “Save me from what?” None of this made any sense. Sure, Ronny had always been there for Brady. In fact it had been Ronny who’d come to Brady’s rescue when some punk tried to rob him outside a nightclub. They’d been best friends ever since. But Ronny had never done anything like this before.

  “From yourself,” Ronny said with a huff. “You’re always getting yourself in a pickle and I have to bail you out.”

  Brady spotted Harmon heading his way, holding one beer and one shot glass. His body tingled as he remembered all the different ways Harmon had taken him. On the floor, over the back of the couch, on the kitchen table. Funny, they’d never made it to an actual bed, but Brady didn’t care.

  He was sore in all the right places and loved it.

  “Since I’m going to be living here,” Ronny continued, pulling Brady from his lust-filled thoughts, “I might as well get a head start on saving you. Have you had a drink tonight? You know you shouldn’t drink.”

  “Why don’t you go back to your room and I’ll stop by later?” Brady lowered his voice. “I’m with my mate.”