A Very Levet Christmas (Guardians of Eternity)

The wolf continued forward, obviously distracted by his inner thoughts. It wasn’t until he was nearly on top of Levet that Damon came to a sharp halt, his brows snapping together in annoyance.

“What the . . .” His gaze dismissively flicked over Levet’s tiny form. “Who are you?”

Levet performed a deep bow. “Levet, Savior of the World and Knight in Shining Armor, at your service.”

Damon scowled in disbelief. “Savior of the World?”

“Oui, it is true.” Levet straightened, his chin tilting to a defensive angle. Really, the demon world was so ungrateful. Had he not defeated the Dark Lord and saved the world from disaster? His name should be emblazoned in the stars. Or at least given front page in the Demon Daily Express. “Surely you have heard of my great deeds?”

The Were looked predictably unimpressed. “Get out of my path, fairy. I have no time for drunken idiots.”

Levet sucked in a horrified breath. “Fairy? Are you blind?” He puffed out his chest. “I am a gargoyle.”

“Nice try, fairy,” the man scoffed. “But I’ve met my share of gargoyles. You’re way too small.”

Levet gave a flick of his wings. “I might be a tad more . . . petite than some, but that doesn’t make me any less a gargoyle.”

“Fine. I don’t care if you’re a cross-eyed pixie.” Damon allowed his eyes to glow with the power of his wolf, the air suddenly heating. “Get out of my way or die.”

“Zut. Are all dogs foul-tempered?” Levet gave a shake of his head. “It must be that nasty fur.”

“Enough.”

Damon moved to circle around Levet, giving a hiss of impatience when Levet moved to once again block his path.

“Wait.”

The champagne eyes narrowed. “What?”

A good question. Levet cleared his throat, not at all certain what he was supposed to do.

“I cannot allow you to challenge Salvatore for the throne,” he at last muttered.

Damon stiffened. “How the hell did you know?”

“The Christmas angel warned me.”

“The Christmas . . .” The Were cut off his words, the temperature rising along with his temper. “Shit. I don’t have time for this.”

Levet held up his hands as the Were started forward, the magic wand sparkling in the moonlight. “Stop,” he tried to command. “I do not particularly like Salvatore.” Levet grimaced, recalling how he’d been turned away as if he weren’t Harley’s bestie. “Especially not tonight. He’s a rude beast. But he has very young pups who need his protection.”

A shadow seemed to pass over the Were’s face. “Yes. It’s a pity about the pups.”

“Pity?” What did that mean? Was he ruthless enough to . . . Levet made a sound of distress. He couldn’t allow his mind to form the hideous thought. “Non, I will not allow you to harm them.”

Damon appeared genuinely startled by Levet’s shrill words, but before he could respond Levet rushed forward.

He didn’t actually have a plan.

The wolf was twice his size and strong enough to rip Levet into itty bitty pieces. But he had to do something. There was no way he was going to allow those babies to be in danger.

In the end he settled for taking wild swings at the Were. Unfortunately he missed the Were’s nuts as Damon grabbed Levet’s horn to try and hold him back, although Levet did manage to hit Damon on the leg with his wand.

There was a moment of profound silence. As if the entire world had come to a sudden halt. Then, without warning they were surrounded by a choking blackness that sucked them into a portal.





Damon roared in fury as he felt himself being catapulted through the darkness.

Dammit. He’d waited all his life for this moment.

He’d trained. He’d planned. He’d sacrificed.

Damon grimaced, inwardly accepting that the words didn’t ring entirely true.

Oh, he had trained and planned and sacrificed. But he hadn’t waited for this moment.

In all honesty, he’d dreaded this moment.

He didn’t want to be in the frozen wilds of America, stalking a man he’d once admired, so he could challenge him to a duel.

But if Damon was nothing else, he was a wolf who understood the meaning of duty.

It’d been drilled into him from the second he’d been born.

Now the damned gargoyle had somehow managed to tumble them into a portal that led to God only knew where.

Hoping the stunted demon hadn’t managed to dump them into the pits of hell, Damon felt a jolt as he landed on a hard stone floor.

Slowly the black mist began to dissipate, allowing Damon to view his surroundings with a wary gaze.

His hand instinctively gripped the holster of his gun as he took in the decrepit hovel, his gut twisting at the sight of the faded wooden walls and the rough table and chairs that were the only furnishings in the cramped cabin. On one side of the room was a large, stone fireplace and on the other was a rudimentary sink and wooden shelves.

It wasn’t the pits of hell, but it was close enough.

Turning his head, he glared at the tiny demon at his side.

“What did you do?” he snapped, his wolf prowling restlessly just beneath his skin.