An Elf’s Magic Santa’s Elves Book 4 Read online

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  An Elf’s Magic: Santa’s Elves Book 4

  Copyright © 2008 Lynn Crain

  ISBN: 978-1-55487-210-7

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  www.extasybooks.com

  An Elf’s Magic: Santa’s Elves Book 4

  By

  Lynn Crain

  Glossary of Terms

  beloved— muileach

  darling — àilleagan, cagaran

  druaightagh — druid, occult, charmer, charming, magician, druidic(al)

  good morning — Dia dhuit ar maìdin

  heart — cridhe, criodhe, croí

  hunter — sealgair, giomhanach

  I love you — Tha gaol agam ort.

  I’m sorry — Tha mi duilich

  league — aonaich

  loinnir — literal translation is shining glade; the area where elven magic exerts the most influence. In this area, elves are undetectable.

  love — bàidh, gaol, gràdh, liobh, seirc; báidhe

  May all your days be happy ones. — A h-uile là sona dhuibh’s gun là idir dona dhuibh

  mouth — beul, gionach; bél, béal

  nor’ahkeem — process of bonding together lovemates for all eternity. Once the process is completed the lovers will have eyes only for each other with a love that transcends beyond forever.

  of — de dhe

  scathach — (Scau-ahch) The Celtic goddess of healing, magic, martial arts and of prophecy. She is also known as the Shadowy One and She Who Strikes Fear. She was a woman warrior who lived in Albion and possibly on the Isle of Skye who taught those with the need to defend themselves using martial arts.

  slànaighear — healer

  The babe is mine. — An naoidhean thà e leamsa.

  Dedication

  To C.R. and J – you make my writing better just by being there and editing the heck out of my many foibles.

  To Tina for always being there. You’ll always have a special place with me just like you do for these characters.

  As always to the boys, Gordon, Kyle & Tom. You’re the light in my day.

  And to Kim and Brenda, you’re just fun to be around!

  L

  Prologue

  Cuinn looked out over the crowd and wished he could dance. Sometimes being a nerd didn’t pay while other times it was a definite advantage. In some physical matters he was far better than the basic jock, but most of those dealt only with a lover.

  The wedding was beautiful as expected. It didn’t matter the bride had been eight months pregnant. His sister, Aingeal, had found someone she could love forever. It was a good thing for Fearghus Brodie he returned the feelings because Cuinn wasn’t sure what his mother would have done to the man.

  Rarely in life did someone find the perfect person, a soul mate, but all of his older siblings managed to do exactly that. He sighed, glad he decided to come home for the event as his sister left the choice to him. Aingeal’s wedding had brought a bigger crowd than the other two because people couldn’t believe she would actually get married. All the family wanted to see if the wild child would follow through and make it to the end of the ceremony.

  He turned back to the bar set up for the reception and drank his beer. He supposed he should be careful since he really didn’t want his mother to catch him. Not that he didn’t drink, he did on occasion, but there was a whole lot of difference between grad school and home. College was in Boston and a whole world away from the North Pole. Down south was where he could be himself and not worry about his elven magic because he knew how to mask it well.

  “Dance with me,” a seductive voice said close to his ear.

  Tingles traipsed through his insides and his body tightened in response to the seductive nature of her voice. “What?” Instant attraction to the female caught him off guard. He turned his head and his mouth brushed against a pair of soft pink lips as an exotic scent wrapped itself around him.

  “I said, dance with me.” A pair of beautiful brown eyes stared up at him.

  “Do I know you?” The staccato beat of his heart tapped against his chest and he hoped she didn’t notice. She took a breath and the mere act turned him on even more.

  “We met in Boston. You’re Cuinn Locklin and I’m Lacey Sinclair. I’m a friend of your cousin’s. We met at a party, had a drink and even talked about going out sometime. Unfortunately that never happened.” She smiled and arched her eyebrow in what seemed to be an open invitation. “Yet.”

  His gaze widened. “I remember. How did you get here?”

  “The sleigh picked us up.”

  “What I meant to say is, what are you doing here? I don’t recall you knowing my sister, Aingeal.”

  She flipped her honey blonde hair off her face. “You mean what’s a human doing here, right?” She shrugged. “I told her she could practice her amnesia spell on me. You know the one where you make the person forget everything that’s happened at an event?”

  “I’m aware of it. But you shouldn’t know anything about it. And since Giselle’s human I know she doesn’t know how to do the spell no matter what she told you. She’s a lot of things but…” He tried hard not to stare at Lacey but couldn’t help it. She was beautiful. “Let’s just say, we only share genetics from one side of the family.”

  “I guess we’re busted.” She smiled at him again, her eyes lighting up with apparent amusement. “I guess you’ll have to practice it on me, ‘cause now I know a lot of things I’m not supposed to.”

  He smiled wryly. “I would say so.” He looked out at the dancers again, uncomfortable with the fact he didn’t excel in dancing at all. “But I’m not sure I’m someone you’d want to dance with.”

  “Why not?” she asked with a hint of a laugh, dazzling him with another smile and looked down at his feet. “Your feet may be large, but I can tell you don’t have two left ones.”

  He laughed. She was such a breath of fresh air. “Alright. But I’m not very good. “

  “I don’t think you have to be good for this one. It’s a slow dance. All you have to do is put your arms around me and sway with the rhythm of the music.”

  He grabbed her offered hand, pulled her toward the dance floor and, doing as she had instructed, took her in his arms and swayed gently to the music. A head length taller, his shoulder was the ideal height for her to rest her head upon while they moved to the music. Her alluring scent, her utterly feminine, soft contours that fit like a perfect match in his, stirred his passion. He willed his body to stop reacting, afraid if he couldn’t control it, he would embarrass them both.

  “See, this isn’t so bad, is it?” She smiled up at him.

  “No, it isn’t,” he agreed, hoping not to melt in
to a pile of goo at her feet.

  “So, what are you studying in Boston? We never got that far before.” She gazed up at him as if intent on memorizing every line.

  “History and computers right now. I haven’t figured anything else out yet, although my oldest brother wants me to help him design toys. But I’d rather have my masters in something I like, not what the family likes.”

  She chuckled. “At least you understand that much. It takes some people years.”

  “And you?”

  “I’m in pre-med. I hope to be a pediatrician some day. First, I need to get out of school and earn money toward my goal. I’ll graduate with a nursing degree specializing in pediatrics within the next few months. “

  “That’s a hard thing to do. My brother Ardan is a doctor and, while he loves it very much, I know it was really difficult. But you sound as if you have a definite plan in place.”

  “Anything worthwhile is always hard. Life wasn’t meant to be easy no matter who you are.”

  Puzzled, he nodded. She was right of course, but the only person he had ever heard say that had been his father. He looked down at her and smiled. Lacey was a stunning woman and she had sought him out. Maybe that was a good sign. But then again, there were elven matters she wasn’t supposed to know. Giselle was always doing something she shouldn’t. He would have to get back with his cousin on the issue later.

  “Coming through, coming through.” Eggther pushed his way through the dancing couples, stopping to stand next to him. “Eggther thinks you’ve found a very pretty woman.”

  He smiled down at the small elf. “I think she found me, Eggther. What’s going on?”

  “Aingeal and Fearghus want to cut the cake. Eggther needs to let cook know it’s time.” He shuffled off in the general direction of the cake, continuing to weave in and out of the other couples on the dance floor.

  “Is he always like that?” Lacey watched the little guy rapidly move away.

  His focus returned to the woman in his arms. “No, he’s usually worse.”

  She laughed softly. “I think I like your home. It’s pretty outstanding here.”

  Cuinn watched her for a moment, wondering why anyone would like it in this frigid environment. True, Santa had made it a paradise for those who lived here, but step one inch out of the loinnir and the winterscape was one scary place. “Why do you like it here?”

  “Why wouldn’t I? I mean you have everything you could ever want. A nice family, a wonderful community, people who care about you. I would say that’s pretty nice.” She looked away, her eyes taking on a sad, yet dreamy look.

  Suddenly, he saw her and his home in a different light. “I suppose it’s nice when you look at it that way. I never really thought about it before. It’s always just been where I grew up.”

  She turned back with a wry smile. “When you have it all, you don’t think about it.”

  “You’re alone,” he stated, remembering more about his introduction to her, the party and how his rich Boston cousin took her around as if she were a pet project. Giselle’s treatment of her had made him very angry at the time, which resulted in them having an argument the next day. He glanced around the room, catching a look from his father. And he knew that look.

  “Yes and no. I mean I have my grandparents, but my parents died when I was twelve. The only way I could ever go to college was to receive every scholarship possible. Even now I have to work extra hard to make ends meet.” She smiled sadly up at him. “Some people have called me focused.”

  “I’m sorry.” He could see the sorrow in her eyes and wished he could take the pain away even if only for a moment.

  “What do you have to be sorry for? I mean, it’s not like anything was your fault.”

  “No, but this will be.” He tapped her forehead between her eyes. “Remember me,” he whispered and gently kissed her before her eyes closed.

  Chapter 1

  Nine Months Later

  Lacey didn’t understand her life at all. Everything that could go wrong today had. “I take it this vomiting isn’t new?” she asked the mother of the vomiting infant. An affirmative nod from the woman confirmed her suspicions. “How long has this been going on?”

  The mother sighed, tiredness creeping into her voice. “Little longer than a day. I hoped it was just a twenty-four hour stomach flu or something similar. But I think I was wrong because everything he eats comes right back up.”

  She nodded, patted the woman’s arm and, with a sympathetic smile, looked in her tired face. “We’ve seen quite a few children recently with this same ailment. Are there any other symptoms we should know about?”

  The woman shook her head and tried to comfort the now screaming child.

  “The doctor will be with you in a moment.”

  After Lacey left the room, she eyed her smock again with distaste, wondering if she had another top at the office. In the break room, she leaned against the counter and rubbed her head. When she graduated six months ago, she had hoped to stay in school to continue her studies toward getting her medical degree. But life was known to throw people curve balls and she had been handed hers on a silver platter.

  “What’s up, Lacey?”

  She looked up as the office manager, Stella Monro, walked in with her coffee cup.

  “Ew…maybe I should ask what’s that smell?” Stella held her nose.

  Lacey looked down at her shirt once again and frowned. “You know, it’s happened so much recently I don’t even notice it any more. Are there any other scrubs around? I’m not sure I have anything else in my locker.”

  “You know, Dr. Andrew won’t like if you’re not wearing the proper clinic attire.”

  Her shoulders slumped. She was sick and tired of hearing how Dr. Andrew didn’t like this or didn’t like that. If the man treated his patients half as well as he treated his employees’ appearance and clothing, it would be standing room only. And it wasn’t that they didn’t have a lot of patients, they did, but the man thought more about how his workers looked than the actual care of the patients. And as far as she was concerned, a doctor having an attitude when one treated children really sucked.

  “Here’s the choice as I see it, Stella. I can wear the one I have on now and make other patients ill or clear the room when I walk in, or I can find a clean shirt and change. Which one do you think is the best choice?” She watched as the woman seemed to contemplate the question and tried hard not to cry, wondering for the millionth time why she took this particular job.

  “You understand I’ll have to let the doctor know you’re out of uniform.” Stella’s blue eyes swept up and down her body. “Again.” The woman turned and walked out of the office.

  Lacey took a deep breath and gazed at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, this gig wasn’t going to work out. While she was grateful to Giselle Paine for getting her this job, these people were unreal and, as far as she was concerned, didn’t practice real medicine. Real medicine meant you took care of patients, not your clothes. She was still leaning against the counter and rubbing her head once more when Dr. Andrew came in.

  “Stella says you’re not wearing your uniform again. What’s the problem, Lacey? I mean it isn’t brain surgery or anything here.” The man stood in the doorway and glared at her.

  How many times do I have to explain why I have to change during the day? “Dr. Andrews, this isn’t going to work out. We have different work ethics. You and I both know I can’t help it if a child gets ill on my smock. Yet you and the rest of your staff acts like it’s a tragedy.”

  He was by her side in an instant. “Lacey, you know you can call me Justin and it’s important in this town to make the right impression.”

  She looked up at him and shook her head. “That impression should never take precedence over patient care.”

  He frowned down at her. “It doesn’t.”

  “It does. You know it does.”

  He looked serious, taken aback. “We would never compromise patient care for
-for clothes!”

  “Well, I’m sorry if this upsets you, but when the office manager tells me I’ll be out of uniform because I want to change a puked-on shirt, I think it does.”

  “Stella never said your top was soiled.”

  She arched an eyebrow. This was worse than she thought. “Why else would I change my shirt?”

  “I thought you didn’t like the design or something. At least that’s the way it was presented to me.”

  “Dr. Andrews, can you even smell what’s on my shirt?” she asked incredulous, not believing he could be that clueless.

  “Not really. I mean my olfactory nerves have never been the best.” He stood and stared at her, total incomprehension in his eyes.

  I guess he is that dense. His lack of understanding explained a few things. She sighed. “I’m going to clean out my locker and leave.”

  “You’re coming back, aren’t you?” He looked hopeful.

  “I don’t think so. We have such different philosophies about patient care. I do want to thank you though. I’ve learned a lot during my time here.”

  He stepped in a little closer and rubbed his hand up her arm. “You know, we can work out something.”

  Her ears had to be deceiving her. “Work out something? I just quit.”

  He ran his hand up to her face, cupping her cheek. “You know what I mean.” The doctor leaned in as if to kiss her.

  “I’m sorry.” She quickly turned her head to avoid his advance. “I’m not interested in you that way. I told Giselle so when she said you wanted me to work here.”

  He stepped away, glaring at her. “Well, it’s not like you have any real prospects anyway. You just go ahead and leave. Good riddance is what I say.” He turned and stormed off.

  She stood there stunned. He had left like a petulant child who had thrown a dog a bone, then got angry when the dog didn’t like it. She really didn’t understand rich people and wished Giselle would quit trying to fix her up or get her jobs because they inevitably didn’t work out. With a heavy sigh, she went to the back room to gather her things. In her bag she found a clean t-shirt. After pulling off the nasty smock, she slipped into it. Once all her items were back in her bag, Lacey turned and looked at the room. There has to be some place in the world for me. Heaven knew it wasn’t here.