A Very Levet Christmas (Guardians of Eternity)

Levet knocked the sword away with the wand still clutched in his hand, ignoring the angry sparks that spouted out the end.

“The truth is that I came to St. Louis to visit my dear friend, Harley, and to give my blessing to the pups,” he said, glaring at the stubborn Were. “Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding with the stupid cur who refused to let me into the lair.”

Damon rolled his eyes. “Shocking.”

Levet graciously ignored his rudeness. It was increasingly obvious that Weres were incapable of the least pretense of civility.

“It was unacceptable, but I am never one to create a scene, so I decided to return to Chicago,” he informed his companion. “I was minding my own business when I ran across a . . .” The champagne eyes narrowed in warning, but Levet wasn’t about to be bullied by a mere animal. “Christmas angel.” He deliberately emphasized the name he’d been forbidden to say. “Trapped in a portal.”

Damon’s fingers tightened on the sword hilt, but he managed to resist the urge to do any beheading.

“You expect me to believe this ridiculous story?”

Levet shrugged. He no longer cared if the dog believed his story or not.

“She gave me the wand and warned me that Harley’s pups were in danger unless I halted you.” He finished his tale with a loud sniff.

“Pups?” Damon appeared remarkably outraged considering he claimed he didn’t believe Levet’s story. “I would never hurt newly born babies.”

Levet pointed the still sputtering wand toward the Were’s irate face. “But you said that it would be a pity for the pups.”

“I regret they’ll be forced to grow up without a father,” Damon corrected stiffly. “I understand how difficult it is.”

“Oh.” Levet gave a flick of his wings, not entirely pacified. There had to be a reason for Sera to be worried. “Perhaps it is not your intention, but something you do will harm them.”

Damon’s lips parted in protest, but he forgot his words as the mist at last faded away, revealing the two large Weres who stood in the middle of the opening, circling one another as they prepared to battle.

“Shit,” Damon muttered.





Chapter 5


Damon felt the increasingly familiar tug deep inside him before he was yanked out of his body and into . . . hell, into his other body in the center of the clearing.

There was a brief sense of disorientation before he was able to get a bearing on his surroundings.

His senses easily picked up the various curs and Weres who were standing in the darkness of the trees, no doubt acting as guards to make sure no one managed to interrupt the looming fight. There were also, astonishingly, at least two vampires with the sort of power that made his skin crawl.

Or maybe it wasn’t so astonishing, he told himself. The rumors that the King of Weres had made a treaty with the bloodsuckers were obviously true.

And he was in the presence of the king.

Turning his attention fully toward the Were standing directly in front of him, Damon reeled beneath the impact of Salvatore’s stunning power.

When Damon and his mother had been forced to leave the pack, Salvatore had already been coming into his strength, but Damon didn’t remember it being this extreme. Clearly Salvatore’s defeat of the demon lord, as well as his recent mating, had catapulted him into a level of strength that had been forgotten by most Weres.

Slowly adjusting to the sizzling power that buffeted against his body, Damon struggled to understand what the hell was going on.

Before he’d been tossed into situations from his past.

He had known exactly how the scene would play out, even if he didn’t want to relive the memory.

This time he didn’t have a damned clue what the hell was about to happen.

Which was terrifying the hell out of him.

As if sensing Damon’s unease, Salvatore narrowed his dark eyes that glowed with the power of his wolf.

“I offered you the opportunity to walk away from this fight,” the king said. “That pathway is still open.”

Damon discovered that his awareness didn’t give him control over his own body. Instead he was an unwelcome passenger as his “other” self gave a low growl and bared his teeth in open challenge.

“I’ve waited my entire life for this meeting,” he found himself saying, his breath creating small clouds of mist in the frigid air.

Salvatore cocked his head to one side, his piercing gaze searching Damon’s grim expression.

“You are . . . familiar.”

Damon felt his lips twist in a humorless smile. “I have a faint resemblance to my father.”

It took a minute before the king sucked in a shocked breath. “Mackenzie,” he muttered. “Which means you must be his youngest son, Damon.”

Damon took a sideways step, his concentration focused on the Were in front of him despite the number of lethal onlookers.

This was a “challenge.” Tradition demanded that no one interfere unless Damon attempted to cheat.