Page 3 of Saved By Her Guardian (Yuletide Shifters #4)

Maverick Vaughn grabbed his duffel and checked the contents.

He was only going to be away from Northernmost for one night, so he’d packed light.

However, he was attending a party for his alphas’ new baby and needed a change of nicer clothes than his usual jeans and long-sleeved tee.

Alpha Knox and his elf mate Ivy had welcomed their baby boy, Kaelen, in November and the snow leopard leap was throwing a big party to celebrate Saturday night.

After ensuring he had everything for the night, he picked up his duffel and walked out of his apartment, catching up with Asher and Chase, who were waiting for him in the gathering room outside of their apartments.

Each shifter group had a set of apartments with a central room, so they had a place to hang out as well as their own private areas.

“Ready?” he asked, shouldering his duffel.

“Yep,” Asher said.

They walked out into the hall and followed it topside, stopping at the security office to pick up their fellow team members who were going along to ensure their safety as they headed through the Portal.

Shifters weren’t magical, so they couldn’t access the Portal, the only way in and out of Northernmost. Shifters, as well as humans, weren’t allowed in Northernmost save for the nine Yuletide Guardians who called it home.

“Hey, guys,” Sebastian, one of the wolf shifters, said when they walked into the office. “Ready to head to Kentucky?”

“Yes,” Maverick said.

Sebastian looked at the screen. “Marcus and Carver are on their way to escort you through the Portal, then I’ve got Heath and Alder opening a portal in the same location tomorrow at ten a.m.”

“Perfect,” Chase said. “It’ll be nice to get home, even if it is only for a day.”

Maverick agreed, especially after learning that witches and warlocks were missing and the signs pointed to Frost amassing an evil empire.

The male was as unhinged as they came, and Maverick was thankful he didn’t have magic for the male to take.

Not that shifters weren’t useful to him, because he’d been known to target shifters to try to get to Santa.

The door opened and Carver greeted them. “Let’s get you three home for the party.”

After saying goodbye to the security team, they headed out to the Portal, the huge structure made from the bones of an extinct magical creature. As they approached, Marcus, an elf like Carver, activated the Portal, which hummed to life and began to glow.

Because Jack Frost and his evil followers had targeted the Portal more than once last year as it drew closer to Christmas, the protocol now required extra security team members to check the area where the Portal was opened for signs of danger before allowing anyone else to go through.

Marcus walked through the Portal and was gone for a couple minutes, then returned and said, “All clear, and it’s so warm there! Holy crap.”

Maverick chuckled. “I used to think it was cold in the winter in Kentucky, but it’s all relative, you know? I think people farther south would think it’s cold here, but since we have to deal with such severe cold weather here in Northernmost, it seems downright balmy at home.”

“That makes sense,” Marcus said.

Maverick and the others walked through and then said goodbye to the elves, who passed along well wishes to Knox and Ivy and their new baby.

When the portal closed, Maverick and his friends were in a clearing near the alphas’ home that was used for outdoor ceremonies like matings.

“He’s right,” Asher said. “It is warm here.”

Maverick chuckled. “Let’s enjoy it while we can. Tomorrow morning will come fast enough.”

Something caught his cat’s attention and he paused, looking around.

He didn’t see or hear anything, but something made his cat sit up and take notice. After a long moment, the feeling passed and he shrugged, then hurried to catch up to his friends so they could all check in with Knox before going their separate ways until the party.

First on Maverick’s agenda after seeing his alpha was visiting his grandma.

And then he’d see if he was needed elsewhere.

He was glad to be home, even if it was only for a little while.

* * *

Maverick thought little Kaelan was adorable, the first half snow leopard, half elf born to the leap.

The leap had come together for the couple with an official party to welcome their first child, and Maverick’s grandma had made a quilt for them, which Ivy had teared up over, then asked if she’d teach her how to quilt.

He knew his grandma was tickled to pieces to be asked to share her knowledge of quilting with the alpha female, and he was glad his grandma had something to do to keep her busy while he was back at the North Pole.

He wouldn’t be able to come visit again until Christmas Day.

Things were simply too dangerous in Northernmost for the Guardians to be away for long, and each male was given an opportunity to go home during the month.

He and his friends had chosen this party as their time away.

As he stood near the bonfire and listened to the music filtering from speakers on the alphas’ back deck, he had another strange feeling like he’d had before. His cat was stretching inside him, pushing him to leave.

But why?

“You okay?” Chase asked.

“Yeah.”

“You seem distracted.”

“My cat’s acting up.”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know exactly, just kind of pushy.” He searched his feelings, his leopard letting out a yowl of encouragement.

“You don’t think you should pay attention to it?”

“I’m not really sure what he’s saying.”

“Maybe you should take a walk. It might clear your mind and help your cat let you know what’s up.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“I have them from time to time.”

Maverick snorted. “I’ll be back.”

“Good luck getting to the bottom of whatever your cat is trying to tell you.”

Maverick turned and walked away from the bonfire, touching the part of himself that was a leopard and feeling his senses strengthen.

He could hear better, smell better, and he knew he could run faster if he was inclined.

But he didn’t feel like he needed to run anywhere, just that he needed to be on the move.

To where? He wasn’t sure, but his cat was leading the way, and it looked like he was on a mission of some sort.

Curious, he let his cat lead.

Where the hell was he going?

* * *

The longer Maverick walked, the stronger his feelings grew and the more insistent his cat became that he was on the right path. He was aware when he left Wildwood Crossing, but he wasn’t sure where he was going.

He felt like he’d been walking a long time, but a glance at his phone told him it had been just half an hour. His heart panged sharply, and he looked up to see a stone fence and a decrepit-looking double gate that surrounded a Gothic-style church.

He’d never seen the church before. It looked like something out of a monster movie. The moon overhead made the whole place glow eerily, and the flickering gas lamps added to the Gothic vibe of the whole place.

Why had his cat brought him here?

He put his hands on the cold, wrought iron double gate and pulled them open enough to let himself in. Their hinges creaked loudly and he winced, freezing to see if some monster was going to come running toward him in anger for crossing into the churchyard.

Oh shit, it was a graveyard too!

What the actual hell was his cat doing leading him here?

A chill swept up his spine as he walked down the gravel path with gravestones on either side, and then his cat let out a piercing howl in his head and the sound nearly spilled out of his mouth.

Someone was here.

“Who’s there?” a feminine voice called.

Everything inside him quieted for a profound moment, his leopard practically purring at the few words the female had just spoken.

He opened his mouth to answer, but he was momentarily struck dumb when a female stepped out of the shadows and into the lamplight.

“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice wavering slightly with fear.

“I’m… who are you?” he asked. He couldn’t really make out her features in the low light, but there was something wholly intriguing about her.

“Excuse me, I asked first, and I belong here. You’re the one trespassing.”

He frowned. “You belong here? Are you a caretaker or something?”

She folded her arms with a harrumph and gave him a glare that made him realize she expected him to answer her questions first. “My name is Maverick Vaughn, I’m a snow leopard.

My leap’s territory is in Wildwood Crossing.

I don’t actually know where I am. I just was following my cat’s instincts and was led here. ”

He moved closer as he spoke, and then he realized why his cat had brought him to the church. She was his truemate. The one female on the planet meant for him.

She pushed back her hood, and he could see her more clearly now.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness and low light with the help of his leopard, who was eager to see her more fully.

She was beautiful. Long, dark hair with a shock of white at the temple, pale eyes, and a heart-shaped face with the most kissable mouth he’d ever seen in his life.

She was wearing pink from head to toe, but over top of her thick coat was a pale apron smudged with dirt and grime.

She glanced down at herself and brushed at the apron. “This is messy work.”

“So you’re the caretaker?”

“Sort of.” She tilted her head and looked at him, and then her eyes flashed with a pale, red glow for a heartbeat. She was supernatural, but what exactly?

“What’s your name?” he asked, moving a little closer. He inhaled, sorting through the scents of earth and decay around him to find her scent. It reminded him of the woods after a rainstorm, sultry and dark, like something exotic and rare.

“Aralyn Lethe.”

There was something about that last name, but he wasn’t sure where he’d heard it before. “You work here? Have you been here long? Because I feel like I would have felt compelled to come here sooner if you’d been here before.”

She tilted her head slightly with a curious look. “And why is that?”

He stepped closer again, so close that only a foot separated them.

She was shorter than him and had to tilt her head to maintain eye contact.

“I think you know why, Aralyn. I work for Santa in Northernmost as one of the Yuletide Guardians. I don’t come to my hometown much, but I was just here at Thanksgiving visiting my grandma, and I know for damn sure I would have wanted to come here to see you if you’d been here. ”

He wanted to haul her close. To find out how her lips felt when he kissed her. But she seemed wary, and he didn’t want to push her.

“I was just assigned here,” she said. “I’m a reaper.”