by Breezy Jones
I sat down on a stool still processing Enzo’s words as I fidgeted with the pendant around my neck.
“What was all that about?” I asked.
Ryker sighed, picking up his discarded beer from the counter and taking a drink.
“Djinn are dangerous, and one of the two most powerful supernaturals in existence. That’s why they rule the council,” he said.
“Then why are you talking to him?”
Ryker gave me a smug look before responding, “Because they’re also the best at getting information.”
“You seemed to know him pretty well. Does he get information from you often?”
“We have a sort of business relationship. But the information always, and I mean always, comes with a price. Djinn are devious tricksters. If you’re not careful, they’ll have you trading your soul without even knowing it.”
“Didn’t the pack have any of those answers?” I asked.
Ryker ran a hand through his hair. “They haven’t been able to find out much.”
“What did they find out?”
“From what it looks like, the vamps teamed up with several covens for that attack. The survivors were caught and questioned, but they had no connection to each other or any memory of how they got there.” He paused, rubbing his fingers across his forehead. “It’s hard to get information from vamps. They’re so blood-focused you can’t just torture them for answers which is why I turned to Enzo.”
“They don’t know who gave the order to attack us either?” I asked.
“Not yet. They’re still investigating.”
I huffed once, trying to figure out what price Ryker had paid for the information Enzo had given him.
“What do you keep playing with?” Ryker asked, throwing me off guard.
I frowned, looking down at the small blue crystal I still held in my hands. “Uh, it’s just a necklace,” I told him, but his silent glare said it clearly wasn’t enough of an answer enough. I huffed at him in annoyance. “I’ve had it for, like, my whole life.”
Ryker looked thoughtful before asking, “Who gave it to you?”
I rocked back on my heel. “I dunno.”
It had been so long since I’d even thought about the small thing. It was just always there.
Ryker’s shoulders sagged as he made his way around the island. Frowning, he placed his hands on my shoulders. I stood slowly and leaned into him.
“Little wolf,” he whispered. “It’s late, and you’ve had a really long day.” I wrinkled my face then glanced up into his dark eyes as he leaned down and kissed me gently on the temple before saying, “We can talk about this more later. For now, go try on that black piece you bought and get some rest.” He said the last part with a wink.
My stomach flipped, and I demanded,
“Did you go through my bags?”
He grinned. “Goodnight, little wolf.”
Before I knew it, he disappeared into the living room and up the stairs. I stood rooted to the spot, staring at the empty doorway.
I touched my fingers to my lips, the flesh still hot and swollen from his kiss. Then I headed for the stairs. My body buzzed, making my head spin, and I glanced at my shopping bags thoughtfully. Out of pure spite, I decided to take his advice and grabbed the cashmere baby doll he had mentioned before going to change. I’d sleep alone tonight—but I’d look damned sexy doing it.
Chapter Ten
Every time the bookstore’s bell jingled announcing another customer, my insides twisted in contempt. The coming full moon, the events of Thanksgiving, Ryker’s kiss yesterday, and discovering Joe was Winter Fae made my nerves a frayed mess. I glanced out the window behind me and frowned. Ryker was canvassing the other packs for any information, so he had Seth stationed outside the shop on guard duty.
The sun was setting as the snow swirled through the pink and orange sky. I was forced to wait almost my entire shift before the store was empty enough to corner Joe.
I refocused my attention on my desk and caught sight of Joe making his way toward me. I squared my jaw. As soon as he reached the front of the store, I pinned him with a hard stare and announced, “We need to talk.”
“Sure, what’s—”
“About Thanksgiving,” I said with a frown. Folding my arms, I glared at the older man. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re not human?”
His shoulders sagged, and the lines on his face mirrored the motion. Joe’s eyes softened, and he said, “I know I should have told you.”
I snorted at the understatement of the century.
“I thought I was all alone, and all this time you were a supernatural too,” I exclaimed, my anger rising quickly.
His lavender eyes strained with pain. “Nina, I—”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I nearly growled.
Joe brought a hand to his temple. “I wanted to,” he began, pausing as if looking for the words. “I started to a hundred times.”
I gave him a pleading look, urging him—silently—to continue.
“You have to understand, in the supernatural world, it is highly uncommon for us to be friends.”
My eyes widened. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
He sighed. “We, Winter Fae, keep to ourselves, and we definitely don’t get mixed up with werewolves. But when you arrived, I saw how alone you were. I couldn’t turn you away without doing something. I knew there would be too many packs wanting to get their hands on the first female. They would have come looking. Hell, they’d have gone to war over you. So, I protected you.”
“You mean you protected you.”
“I care about you, Nina. You are my family.” His eyes flashed. “I would do anything for you and I have… Protecting you cost me, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
I pinched the inside of my cheek with my teeth. “I get that, Joe. I get it better than anyone. It was so hard to tell you in the beginning that I was a werewolf, but I did.” I ground my teeth together and continued, “You let me go nearly two years with no idea that I wasn’t the only supernatural here.”
Joe’s blew out a deep breath as he moved to lock the door and turn off the sign.
“Come on,” he said, motioning for me to follow him. “I want to show you something.”
Despite my anger, I did as he asked. This was Joe after all. He led me into the office. With a swirl of his hand, one of the bookcases lining the far wall disappeared, and a door appeared in its place.
“Whoa. What is that? How did you—?”
Joe glanced over his shoulder. With a gleam in his eye he smiled and said, “Magic.”
My eyes widened and my jaw fell open as we walked through the doorway.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, a light burst through the room, though I wasn’t able to pinpoint the source. I twirled around in amazement at the rows and rows of shelves that extended upward at least three stories high.
“Who does it belong to?” I asked.
“It belongs to all the Winter Fae. But I’m the librarian, that’s my real superpower,” Joe said. I quirked a brow, and he went on, “I figured you should know the whole truth.”
I stared at him. “What does a librarian do, exactly?”
“I keep the history of all supernaturals, but mostly I focus on my own kind.”
As he spoke the words, he walked toward the rows. I followed behind, doing my best to take it all in. When he stopped abruptly, I came close to a collision with him. Joe extracted a couple of books from a shelf and handed them to me.
“These should help you get some answers,” Joe said.
I read through the titles. Werewolves 101: A Guide to Everything Lycan, Mystic Government and Proceedings, and finally, Vampires, The Mortal Enemy. Staring down at the frayed book covers, my heart sped up. So much knowledge at my fingertips containing all the answers I
needed about the supernatural universe I’d been thrust into and knew so little about.
“So where did Winter Fae even come from?” I asked, eyeing the books in my hands.
Joe smiled. “From the Claus family.”
“Who?”
“Nick Claus, or Santa Claus as you know him, and his brother Kris Kringle Claus.”
I laughed unable to stop myself. “You mean Santa Claus as in ho-ho-ho Merry Christmas…Santa Claus?” I asked.
Joe’s gaze brightened as he smiled with a chuckle. “Yes, Christmas isn’t just a holiday. It’s a group of Fae,” he explained. “Santa or Nick, his true name, and Kris Kringle is Krampus...”
My eyebrows rose skeptically as he continued, “The whole lot are Christmas—Jack, Ava, and Winter Fae like myself who aid Christmas.”
My mouth hung wide, utterly confused as I tried to separate fact from fairy tale.
Joe continued, “Jack is Jack Frost. Ava is an avalanche of her own destruction. She’s still young and figuring out the whole natural disaster scenario. And don’t even get me started on Nick’s sons.”
I stared at him unsure I could believe his tale.
Joe muffled another laugh. “I know it’s hard to believe. All the stories you’ve grown up about Santa are true.” He paused thoughtfully. “Well, mostly… They’re a bit exaggerated, and some don’t fully even make sense, but it’s true enough.”
“You’re telling me a jolly, old fat man really does bring presents to all the boys and girls of the world all in one night?” I asked.
“Well, no,” Joe clarified. “Santa does make or send gifts sometimes, but his true goal is to spread the spirit of Christmas. To help mold children into being more open and honest adults.”
I glared at him, my brows knit together.
“Christmas Fae play a large role in different aspects of the holiday season, aided by the Winter Fairies for weather changes. Overall, they balance the good and evil in the world,” Joe said.
“And Krampus?” I asked. “What does he do?”
“You’ve never heard the legends of Krampus?” he asked, and I shook my head with a decisive grin and he continued, “According to legend, on the sixth of December—St. Nicholas’ Day—children check outside their doors to see whether they received goodies or a rod inside the shoe they left out. If the present came from Santa, it would be goodies or treats. Rods come from Krampus.”
Joe led me back through the rows of books. “See Krampus or Kris Kringle is the balance to Santa Claus. Legend tells of a half-daemon bearing horns, dark hair, and fangs. The anti-St. Nicholas comes with a chain and bells that he lashes about, along with a bundle of birch sticks to swat at the naughty children. He leaves them a rod as a warning. If their behavior doesn’t change, he hauls them down to the underworld where he tortures and boils them into a stew.” Joe laughed.
I stopped in the middle of the isle. How could he laugh about it? In a tight voice, I said,
“That sounds like a horror story.”
Joe laughed again, glancing to me with a wave of his hand. “Oh, he’s not like that in reality.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What is he in real life?”
“He takes care of the bad kids, the worst of the worst—the future serial killers and what not.” Joe paused and took a deep breath while my gaze darted to the endless rows of books. “But he doesn’t torture them. He uses the magic of the three ghosts—past, present, and future—to show them the error of their ways in the hopes that they change.”
When I looked up, Joe had already taken off in another direction. I jogged to catch up with him just as he stopped in front of a dust-covered shelf, this one looking much older than the rest. Most of the bindings were worn leather that had cracked at the edges. How old were these books?
With careful fingers, Joe removed a book and smiled to himself as he read the cover.
“Here.” His lips twitched, and he handed it to me. “This is a little about Christmas and Winter Fae history.”
I held it gently, afraid if I gripped it too hard it would crumble from age. Claus was all it said across the worn cover.
Joe smiled. “You’ll like it.”
He slid away from the shelf and headed for the entrance. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but with time, I promise you’ll understand.”
I eyed him skeptically. “Did you write all of these, or do you just take care of them?” I asked. Although I spoke just above a whisper, my voice echoed around the room.
“A little of both. I record our history, but others do as well. Every species has their own librarian. I keep a few of each of their works here and maintain them so that our history is never lost.”
In awe, I touched a hand to my lips. All this time, the information about what I was had been so close. The realization reignited my anger.
“You’ve hidden this from me all this time,” I accused. “All the answers to everything I ever wanted, and you never told me about it.”
Joe frowned as he stopped in front of me. He placed his hands gently on my shoulders. He studied me with such an intensity I shuddered. After a long, uncomfortable moment, he whispered, “I’m not allowed to share this with you. I’ve struggled with telling you this from the first time you changed.”
“Not allowed to?” I asked, shifting my weight, “By who?”
“Each species has their own set of rules and laws. Winter Fae are very secretive about what we do.”
I frowned still not understanding Joe’s words.
“If my people were to find out that I told you or showed you this place, I could be punished. They could take away my magic.”
“If you’re not supposed to show me, then why are you doing it?” I growled back.
Joe chuckled, shaking his head.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” He cut himself off, running a hand over his graying hair. “You deserve to know. I’ll deal with the consequences if it comes to that.” Joe grinned, an apology in his glossy eyes. “I’ve wanted to tell you from the beginning. To answer all your questions, but I couldn’t.”
“What about Jack and Ava?” I asked, unsure if I should worry about them too. “They’re Christmas Fae too right.”
Joe smacked his lips. “Yes,” he said. “They’re my extended family and more deeply rooted into the Fae world than I am.” Joe sighed, running a hand down his face, “That’s why Jack was here. She needed access to some of our records.”
I brushed my hair off my shoulders. “I’m guessing you can’t tell me why she needed them,” I said, eyeing Joe.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and favored his other leg.
“I don’t really even know. She didn’t say why. Like I said, we’re really secretive.”
I shifted my weight, flicking my gaze around the room and then back to him. “I guess I can get behind that,” I said with a shrug. “But I still don’t understand why you’re not supposed to tell me.”
The white lights from overhead bounced in Joe’s kind gaze. After a moment, the corners of his lavender eyes crinkled. “Our people are secretive because of how our magic works and because of our rivalry with the djinn.” He shuffled his weight to the other leg. “We can’t risk exposing a weakness. It’s how we’ve survived for centuries.”
“And werewolves are aligned with the djinn,” I said, finally understanding a small part of what Joe told me.
He nodded.
I pursed my lips, my shoulders sagging as my anger settled. I could forgive him because I loved him. “Yeah, I get it,” I said, relenting. “I can see the risks you’re taking for me and it means a lot. I can’t be mad at you for that.”
Joe’s grin widened, and I found myself smiling too.
He ushered me from the library back into the small store.
“Thanks,” I said, gesturing to the books wrapped in my arms
.
Joe shrugged it off as if it were no big deal. But it was. I was finally getting answers, and more than that, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Despite our differences, Joe and I were the same in a lot of ways. And he’d chosen me when it’d been dangerous to do so. That made us family more than anything.
He paused with his hand on the door and peeked at me over his shoulder, his face a hard mask once more.
“You need to keep this quiet, Nina,” Joe said, lowering his voice since Seth was just outside the door waiting to walk me home.
I faced Joe. His eyes were piercing, his lips set into a deep line, and I knew he was serious.
“Don’t tell anyone I gave you these books or about the library.”
“I don’t want to lie to Ryker,” I said. Even now, with everything else, I paused and considered telling him about Ryker and me. The thought made me wonder about our relationship. “I thought you said every supernatural species had a librarian, so why can’t I tell him that you’re one?”
Joe squinted at me. “It’s kind of like being an FBI agent. Telling others would put a target on my back.”
I frowned. “But why would that put you in danger?” I insisted, “Ryker would never hurt you.”
Joe’s features softened, and his shoulders slumped. “You can tell Ryker, but only him.” Joe took a deep breath before continuing, “Supernaturals could use you or Ryker to find me, so the fewer people who know the better.”
I was reminded of Enzo using magic to look into the vampire’s memories. I shivered at the thought of someone doing that to Ryker.
“The librarian would be the first person someone would look for to get information on my people.”
I glanced away before turning back to Joe.
He must have sensed my hesitation as he added, “At least for now, let’s keep it between Ryker and us.”
“Okay, I can do that,” I relented. “But what about the magic you’re using to hide me? Is that… I don’t want you risking yourself for me anymore. It’s not fair to you. You’ve done so much for me already.”
Joe laid his hand on my shoulder. “Of course, I’ll keep shielding you with my magic, Nina.”