“Maybe this is our year,” Gabriel said.
“The year’s almost over.”
“Ah, right.Crap.”
“It’ll happen when it happens, I have faith in that.”
“Me too.”They bumped fists across the table.
After their meals were finished, they parted ways, Gabriel heading to his apartment and Sebastian to the security office to check in for his shift.
He walked into the large room with banks of security monitors and found polar bear Winter behind the main desk.
“You’re on for the night shift?”Sebastian asked, greeting the big male.
“Yep.Anything I need to know about?”
He opened a closet door and pulled out his winter coat and dressed for the long shift out in the elements with a stocking cap, heated gloves, and hiking boots.His favorite accessory—a battery-powered travel mug filled with hot cocoa—was waiting for him to grab on the way out.
“Nothing danger-wise.Frost hasn’t shown his face since last week.I’ve got you on patrol with Royce, Willow, and Finn.Your first break is at nine.Oh, and it’s snowing with a brisk wind, so visibility is going to be an issue.”
“Got it.”
He grabbed a walkie and hooked it to his belt, picked up his hot cocoa, and left the room, heading toward the main exit.
He clicked the walkie button as he stepped out into the cold.“It’s Sebastian.I’m starting my rounds.”
“Visibility sucks,” Willow said.
“I heard,” he said.“See you guys around.”
“Have fun,” Finn said.
He put the walkie back, took a drink of cocoa, and set his mug down on a small bench for when he made a circuit around the perimeter.The magical perimeter was put into place by Santa and kept anyone with dark magic—such as Frost and his evil followers—from entering the town or accessing the Portal.Because Frost couldn’t replenish his magic from the Well, he stole magic from others—witches, warlocks, fairies, and elves—and replenished his magic and that of his followers.When he stole magic, he could turn the person evil, kill them with the force of the removal, or turn them essentially human without a trace of magic.He used the turned-evil magic users to form his army, and they were easy to pick out: gray skin and black eyes and existing only to do his bidding.
He had a number two named Azure, who was the only warlock to ever voluntarily hand himself over to Frost to be turned.Sebastian thought a person had to be seriously warped in the head to want to be evil on purpose.
He made his way to the edge of town, where the magical perimeter made the world beyond it look a little hazy.Above, the Northern Lights danced their yellows and greens across the dark sky, and below, the whole area was blanketed in fresh snow.
He inhaled, using his wolf senses to sort through the scents in the dry, cold air and picked up nothing out of the ordinary.
While he always hoped it was an easy and safe shift with no evil magic fuckery, he would be prepared for whatever might happen.
While he walked along the paths shoveled free of snow before his shift but already filling with the fast-falling snow, his mind wandered to his conversation with Gabriel.He couldn’t deny that his life was missing something,someone.He enjoyed his family and pack, but he really couldn’t wait to find his truemate.
And he wondered if he needed to start leaving Northernmost more frequently in the off-season.How the hell was he going to meet his forever girl if he never went anywhere?
But there wasn’t anything he could do tonight about the loneliness that had been his companion for a long time.That was a problem for another night.
“I screwed up,” Emberlin said as she stepped out onto the front porch.
“What?How?”Talia asked, joining her.
“I need a warmer coat.”
Talia hummed in understanding.Emberlin had never waited so long to replenish her magic and now she was paying the price for it.She wascold.And she never got cold.Healing the waterfall earlier had really done a number on her waning magic and now she was in trouble.
“Go grab one of mine, then we’ll open a portal together.”
