A Very Levet Christmas (Guardians of Eternity)

“Tell Gia . . .” His words broke off as he caught the unmistakable scent of chamomile. Was the lethal magic making him delusional? Gritting his teeth against the pain, he turned his head toward the line of trees that framed the edge of the field. On cue, a slender female Were stepped out of the shadows and ran across the snow. Damon gave a slow shake of his head. “What the hell?”


The female halted at his side, clearly having overheard at least the tail end of the conversation.

“Tell Gia what?”

Damon desperately savored the pale, perfect face and dark, oblong eyes. The long, black hair was pulled into a tidy braid and her slender form covered by a sensible pair of jeans and bulky winter coat, but she’d never looked more beautiful to him.

“I love you,” he rasped.

Her eyes briefly lit with a joy that pierced Damon’s heart. Damn. Why hadn’t he simply appreciated what he’d already possessed? Why had he allowed the madness to consume him?

Easily sensing Damon’s distress, Gia’s happiness vanished, her gaze belatedly taking in the sweat that now coated him from head to toe.

“What are you doing?” She slowly lowered herself until she was kneeling next to him. “Damon? Tell me.”

He grimaced, caught between delight that he’d been blessed enough to see her one last time, and regret that she would be forced to witness his end.

“I must call upon the Telos,” he admitted in low tones.

“What?” She reached out to touch him, only to yank her hand back as if his skin had burned her. “Oh God, Damon, stop it.”

He gave a weak shake of his head, trying to distract himself from the fiery agony that was increasing with every sluggish beat of his heart.

“How did you get here?”

She futilely tried to choke back her tears. “I followed you, you stubborn, pig-headed Were.”

His lips twisted. “I should have known.”

“Yes, you should have,” she growled, her raspy voice revealing her wolf was close to the surface. “I can’t live without you.”

His own wolf struggled to reach her, understanding the need for death but still anxious to feel the comfort of its mate.

“I’ve been so wrong, Gia,” he admitted, his heart heavy with sorrow. “I allowed myself to be blinded by madness. But this time I will make it right.”

“No.” Tears tracked down Gia’s lovely face, her expression pleading. “Please—”

“All right.” A light female voice abruptly intruded into the very private conversation, and Damon jerked his head toward the side where Levet was standing next to a tiny woman with a heart-shaped face and long, black hair that tumbled nearly to her waist. In the moonlight her skin appeared as pale and smooth as ivory, and her ears were pointed. She also had a pair of gossamer wings in shades of white and silver. Fairy? “I believe that is enough.”

“Who are you?” he asked in confusion.

Levet gave a loud sniff. “This is the Christmas angel you refused to believe was real.”

Damon scowled, studying the strange creature with a wary gaze. “I’m still not convinced.”

The angel moved across the ground without leaving a trace of her passage in the snow, a beguiling smile curving her lips.

“You can call me Sera.”

Damon narrowed his gaze. The tiny creature might look all fragile and charming, but she’d put him through hell over the past . . . Damn, he didn’t even know how much time had passed.

“It is your magic that has been jerking me from the past to the future,” he accused in a harsh voice.

She gave a lift of her hands, her pretty face devoid of any hint of apology. “It was important for you to see the danger,” she informed him, as if he hadn’t just realized he was the doom of his people. “And what you were sacrificing.”

He flinched, his gaze briefly moving to the female Were who kneeled beside him.

He didn’t need any reminders of all that he’d lost.

“Oh, I see.” He turned back to glare at the angel. “But only after it’s too late.”

The jade-green eyes widened as if Sera was astonished by the savage pain in Damon’s words.

“But the clock has not yet struck midnight.”

Damon blinked, trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about as he aimlessly noticed that the snow had begun to fall again. Odd. Hadn’t they been bathed in silvery moonlight only seconds before?

He gave a shake of his head. Obviously the ruthless pain was clouding his mind.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he ground out, the smell of his burning flesh beginning to fill the air as he felt the flames ignite just beneath his skin.

Gia cried out, but as he bent forward, it was another hand that softly touched his shoulder.

“Damon, there is time to change the future,” Sera whispered into his ear. “Give me the medallion.”

Damon managed to lift his head, meeting the angel’s steady gaze. “You can destroy it?”

She gave a nod. “I can.”

He hesitated. Not that he wanted to keep the medallion. Hell no. The evil chunk of metal had caused untold misery for his family.

But, the night had been one long nightmare, and he couldn’t be certain that this wasn’t a trap.

He didn’t believe in Christmas angels. And he didn’t trust magic.

This could all be one elaborate scheme to . . .

To what?