A Very Levet Christmas (Guardians of Eternity)

Sacrebleu. This was the . . . Worst. Christmas. Ever.

Not only was he stuck with an ill-tempered Were who didn’t have the least amount of gratitude for Levet’s attempt at playing a Christmas angel, but Levet had been forced to watch that . . . that nightmare cloud of death and destruction.

Even as the image faded, and he was once again alone in the darkness with Damon, Levet felt himself trembling with fear.

That had to be a glimpse of the future.

The grand, horrifying conclusion to Damon’s determination to challenge Salvatore for the throne.

Turning, Levet waited for Damon to return to the body that was suddenly naked and covered with wounds. Well, perhaps he did not precisely wait.

He kicked and punched at Damon’s leg until the traitorous creature at last gave a groggy shake of his head.

“Stop that,” the Were growled, taking an awkward step away from Levet’s furious attack.

Levet grudgingly gave up his attempt to hurt the beast. Without his magic he could do little more than chip his claws.

“What did you do?” he instead demanded, his wings trembling with panic that continued to race through him.

Damon shook his head, reaching up to yank the medallion off the leather strap around his neck. Even in the gathering mist it seemed to glow with a malevolent golden light.

“Nothing.” He shoved the finely etched piece of metal toward Levet. “It was the medallion.”

Levet took an instinctive step away from the medallion, sensing the evil that pulsed from the intricate carvings.

How had he missed the danger of the golden artifact? He was a master of magic. Even if it had been wrapped in illusion, he should have sensed the danger.

Of course, it could have been that the magic was dormant until it was triggered by a specific event.

“Magic of the demon lord,” Levet breathed, shuddering with revulsion. “How is it possible?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Damon snarled, glaring at Levet with a barely leashed terror. “Destroy it.”

Levet shook his head, his tail twitching. “My powers cannot defeat such evil.”

“You have to do something.” Damon pointed toward the clearing that had nearly disappeared behind the mist. “This can’t happen.”

A surge of outrage stiffened Levet’s spine. How dare the ridiculous beast imply that this was Levet’s mess to clean up?

Had he been the one plotting for years to challenge the king?

Had he accepted a tainted medallion from his crazed mother?

Had he left behind his beloved mate to satisfy his arrogant ambitions?

Non. Non. And non.

Levet pointed the wand in the Were’s face. “It was your choice.”

Damon’s lean face was a sickly shade of ash as he licked his dry lips, the champagne eyes dark with regret.

“It was my mother’s dying wish.”

His muttered words sparked a sudden question in Levet’s tangled thoughts.

A demon lord artifact didn’t suddenly appear out of thin air. Did it?

“How long did your mother possess the medallion?” he demanded.

Damon regarded the golden artifact with a grim hatred. “Since my father banished us. I assume she stole it as a reminder of her position as Queen of Weres.”

Levet was beginning to suspect it was more than mere vanity that had urged the theft.

“Maybe she was compelled to take it,” he suggested in soft tones.

Damon scowled. “What are you suggesting?”

“The medallion clearly holds a connection to the demon lord that Salvatore battled.”

The Were shuddered. “And?”

“There are some objects that are created to manipulate those who own them,” Levet pointed out. He had seen entire villages controlled by the power of a magical artifact. One mere Were wouldn’t be too difficult to sway. “The medallion could have first tainted your father and then, sensing he had tumbled into his madness, encouraged your mother to steal it before she was forced to leave.”

Damon sucked in a harsh breath, his expression twisted with a soul-deep pity for the female Were who’d been tormented for decades by her lust for power.

“It could have caused her obsession.”

“Oui.” Levet held Damon’s troubled gaze. “And your own.”

A strangled groan was ripped from Damon’s throat. “God. What have I done?”





Chapter 6


Under other circumstances Damon might have been relieved to discover that his family had been controlled by the magic of a demon lord. After all, it was preferable to believe that it was the medallion that had made his father an abusive bastard, and his mother a demented lunatic, and himself a . . . a selfish idiot who might very well destroy the world.

A sound of acute pain was wrenched from his throat.

It didn’t matter how he’d come to this point in time.

All that was important was making sure that the Weres were protected from destruction.

With an effort he forced himself out of his fog of grief, grimly squaring his shoulders as he glared at the miniature demon at his side.