As a young stag-shifter, all Pembroke dreams of is being harnessed to Santa’s sleigh. Yet his world comes crashing down when Santa is slain by the imposter Frost.<br><br>War erupts in the Arctic Circle, pitting elf against reindeer, and Pembroke is sent on a perilous mission. If he fails, his herd will be lost. When the mission goes awry, the stag-shifter must put his trust in an unlikely ally.<br><br>Where does one turn in a land of ice and blood? What happens when the enemy infiltrates your heart? What begins as a wavering alliance just might take Pembroke farther than he ever imagined.

Sugar Plum'd

There was no way Pembroke was going to pick up any reindeer’s signals, nor lock onto any coordinates to wink away to, not with his horns encased in ice. Pembroke’s antlers had been rendered nothing more than ornamental.


He chuffed, trying to get his bearings. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t lift his legs. In fact, Pembroke couldn’t feel his hooves. They were numb, as if they were encased in slippers of ice.


He tried to shift his weight, but his chest was held in place by the chill of a frosted leather harness. It buckled beneath his belly. He leaned into the harness, feeling the tug of leather across his chest, realizing that he couldn’t move, for the harness had buckles attached to leather thongs stretching far behind him, tethered to something in the shadows, farther than his head could turn to see.


A collar of spiky icicles kept his neck from turning wildly from side to side.


Pembroke shivered. His pelt felt heavier, as if each hair had been frosted.


Chapter 24