A Wizard for Christmas (The Protectors, #1)

She closed her eyes and her perfect fantasy family came into view. No. Holly opened her eyes and shook her head. She needed to stay focused on the very real dangers facing her right now. But oh, if only she could be with her family. They felt more real to her than any of this craziness. Wizards. Soul eaters. Insanity.

If she were with her family, she could join them as they prepared for the Christmas Eve festivities. Holly closed her eyes and inhaled the clean, piney scent of Christmas greenery as she escaped her prison and let the fantasy envelop her. There would be midnight church services. Her mother would dress in a dark green velvet gown. Dinner would be served early. And the little nieces and nephews would be anxious, bordering on naughty...as their grandfather would warn. They’d be looking at their watches and wondering, once again, why Holly wasn’t there.

“I should be at Priscilla’s with her family. Or with Karen and her mother.” She got up, put on her best dress, and ran a comb through her hair before packing her bag. “One thing is certain, I have no business here. I still don’t even know who these people are. Wizards? Of sorts? What did that mean?” Never mind. She really didn’t want to know.

Dragging her heavy suitcase behind her, Holly climbed out a small window that opened onto a ledge. She edged her way halfway around the building before dropping down onto the building’s metal fire escape. She tossed her suitcase to the ground and then climbed down the rusty ladder that moaned and groaned with her every step. She’d never been comfortable with heights. Her muscles quivered like a nervous bird.

The wind had picked up. Snow swirled in the air. It was going to be another frigid day.

“I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure this out,” Hadrian said. He was holding her suitcase and wearing a wonderfully welcoming smile.

“It took me this long to give up on you.”

“Ah...the damsel in distress awaiting her white knight to rescue her?”

She felt her cheeks heat. “Something like that.”

“But you never needed rescuing, did you?”

“I heard,” she told him. “I heard what you said and what the other man said. You intend to sacrifice me to that...that thing!”

“Knowing all that, it still took you this long to rescue yourself?” He shook his head. “I’m disappointed.”

“It’s Christmas Eve,” she said, hotly. “Give me my suitcase. I intend to find my perfect holiday. I probably won’t get the chance to live another one! I can’t pass up any more opportunities.”