A Midwinter Fantasy (24 page)

Sonja touched the long hair spread over her shoulders, willing Vidar to elaborate. “You know my father?”

“Uh-huh.” He tapped his fingers on the desk, frowning in thought. “Would you like to meet him?”

“No . . . Yes.” Sonja’s pulse raced. She pressed a hand to her heart. Did she want to meet him? As a child she had fantasized about her father coming to rescue her from her strict aunt. But in twenty-six years, he hadn’t even sent her a birthday card. Nowadays, she imagined telling him exactly what she thought of irresponsible men who abandoned their kids.

“He’ll be at the Yule Fest I’m attending tonight. Come with me,” Vidar said in a low, compelling voice. “You must be curious about him.”

She imagined coming face-to-face with her father in the middle of a party. How stunned he’d be to see her. How nervous she’d be to see him.

“That’s settled then. I’ll take you with me.”

“No!”

His elegant dark eyebrows rose. “Do you have a problem with me?”

“You? Of course not.” Darn, now she had offended him. But arriving at a party full of strangers with a man she didn’t know to face the father she’d never met . . . She wasn’t that brave. “If you give me his contact details, I’ll call him.” Or maybe she wouldn’t.

Vidar laughed—a low amused chuckle, as if she’d cracked a joke. “Your father is not the sort of man you just call.”

She set her jaw and clasped the briefcase on her lap. She hadn’t come here to find her father. They were getting off track. Just because Vidar owned one of the most successful theme parks in the world, she mustn’t let him browbeat her. “Let’s discuss business.”

He laughed again, this time a weary, self-mocking sound
that disturbed her. “You’ll get your deal after the Yule Fest, Sonja. Don’t worry.” He pressed an intercom button on his desk. “My guest is leaving, Hildur.”

Vidar rose. Sonja had no option but to follow suit.

“I’ll see you tonight then,” he said.

“I haven’t agreed to come with you.” She wanted the deal badly but not if it came with strings attached.

“There’s no need to be nervous about meeting your father. I’ll be with you. Go to your cabin and get some rest. You’ll be out late tonight.”

She bristled at his high-handed attitude. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to shove his deal somewhere unmentionable when the reassuring presence of her guardian angel flooded through her. Her fears slipped away, and she realized that she must take this opportunity to meet her father. If she returned to England without seeing him, she would never forgive herself.

“Where is the Yule Fest?”

“Valhalla—that’s Odin’s ice palace. There’ll be a lot of people there.”

The resort’s theme was a combination of Norse mythology and Santa Claus folklore. She couldn’t come to much harm surrounded by other guests. “All right, I’ll come with you, Vidar. Thank you.”

“I’ll collect you from your cabin at around six.” For the first time he smiled, a slow stretch of his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. A shiver of awareness fluttered through her.

Only when she was outside his door did she wonder how he knew that she had never met her father.

Vidar stared at his office door, the memory of Sonja’s slender form and the silky fall of blonde hair replaying in his mind. His body was tense with arousal just from sitting opposite her.

He slammed shut the file on his desk and cursed.
“Skitur!
” The last time he’d seen her she’d been a tiny baby. He’d been curious to discover how she’d turned out, to put an adult face to the child he’d protected over the years. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she’d look like
that
. Her long blonde hair and deep blue eyes so closely resembled those of Troy the Deathless that her appearance should put him on guard. Instead, he’d fought to concentrate on business rather than dwell on her full lips and the soft swells of her breasts beneath her blue jacket.

How could he want to kiss her when she reminded him of Troy? He swiped the back of his hand over his mouth. She was an innocent he’d pledged to protect. He would do well to remember that fact.

Sharp tapping sounded on the window behind his desk. Even before he pivoted, he knew he’d find his father Odin’s damn raven spies at the glass. His breath rushed out in irritation. He wrenched open the slider and the two birds swooped into the room.

The air around them shimmered as the birds took human form, their straggly black hair trailing over shoulders hunched beneath long dark coats. “Why did Una not accompany Troy’s daughter?” Huginn demanded, while his brother Muninn cowered behind him, afraid to meet Vidar’s gaze.

He wanted to throw the creeps out. He’d had enough of them hanging around watching his every move. But that would condemn them to suffer at his father’s hands and earn him a night of torment. He clenched his hand, feeling the bite of the slave ring on his little finger. “My guess is Una never saw my letter. Sonja came without her knowledge.”

“We’ll report to our lord Odin.”

“Tell him his plan can still proceed. I’ll bring her to the Yule Fest myself.”

The ravens sidled toward the window then changed into their feathered forms and flapped away. Vidar slammed the slider closed, leaned his forearm against the wall, and hung his head. He’d been depending on Una to protect Sonja while he kept his father and hers apart.

Odin had insisted they hold Sonja’s safety over Troy’s head to make him behave. The flaw in his father’s plan was that Vidar would never obey an order to harm her. He’d argued that bringing Sonja here would only inflame Troy’s anger, since he’d been adamant his daughter should never learn her true identity. There was no way to spare her from the shock of discovering her heritage. But if he were careful of what he said, he could hide the reason he’d invited her to the Yule Fest. And he would make damn sure she never heard mention of the Crystal Crib. He didn’t want her to discover her tragic history.

At six p.m. sharp, a knock sounded on Sonja’s log cabin door. She scowled at it, still not sure if she wanted to attend the Yule Fest or meet her father. Vidar’s invitation implied she would only get the business deal if she went with him. But he couldn’t be blackmailing her into attending a Yule Fest! The idea was ridiculous. She must have misunderstood.

A second knock roused her from her indecision, and she opened the door. Vidar stood outside, swathed in a long fur coat, the hood framing his face. With his unusual golden brown eyes and tawny skin, he looked exotic and out of place in this snowy world.

“Good evening, Sonja. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” If she were ever going to make her mark and impress her aunt, she must take risks to get what she wanted. And this might be her only chance to meet her father.

Over her pantsuit, she pulled on her champagne wool coat, then added her pink gloves and matching beret. When she stepped outside, Vidar scanned her from head to toe.

“You’ll freeze dressed like that.”

“Isn’t the party inside?”

He gave her a veiled look. “You’ll still need warmer clothes.”

She spread her arms and looked down at herself. “I only brought an overnight bag. This is all I have.”

With a resigned breath, he ushered her into one of the
resort’s shuttle carts. He squashed into the driver’s seat beside her. She hugged her coat close, acutely aware of him pressed against her in the confined space.

The cart headed out of a small gate manned by a security guard and took a narrow snow-covered track into woodland. Sonja peered back over her shoulder at the receding lights of the resort. Apprehension fluttered in her chest. “I assumed the Yule Fest was in the theme park.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, as if his mind was elsewhere.

“Vidar!” He glanced her way at her sharp tone. “Where’re you taking me?”

A wave of reassurance swept through her like a gentling hand smoothing out her worries, even as her mind told her something was wrong. “The Yule Fest is a little out of the way,” he said. One corner of his mouth quirked, nearly making it into a smile. “You’ll enjoy the next part of the journey.”

He stopped the shuttle and cut the engine. Sonja had been so focused on the resort disappearing behind them that she hadn’t noticed the view up ahead. Her breath caught at the sight of a glittering sleigh harnessed with a white horse. Decorated with golden lanterns and colored bows trimmed with silver bells, the magical carriage rested on a patch of pristine snow.

“It’s beautiful.”

Vidar shrugged. “Seen one, seen them all.”

He grabbed something from the sleigh and tossed it on her lap. She stared at the fur coat with distaste.

“I don’t wear fur.”

“It’s not a fashion statement, Sonja. It’s a necessity.”

“I prefer to stick with my own coat.”

She was a little chilly, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle for a short while until they got inside. She handed back the fur. He dropped it in the sleigh; then he pushed a
fleecy blue coat into her hands. The material felt just like fur. She squinted at it. He raised his eyebrows.

“Okay, I’ll wear this one,” she decided. She’d never seen a blue animal.

Vidar checked the harness on the horse while she changed coats. She slipped in the snow when she climbed out of the shuttle, but before she could blink he had a steadying arm around her waist. Her heart skittered as he hugged her to his side and guided her to the sleigh. She could get used to this type of gentlemanly behavior.

Once she and Vidar were seated, the sleigh glided forward, bells jingling. A thrill zinged through her. “This makes me think of Santa Claus. All we need is a sack of gifts and some reindeer.” She turned to grin at him but found him staring at her, eyebrows drawn together.

“You missed out on Christmas when you were a child, didn’t you?”

What was he, a mind reader?

She shrugged. “I survived.” She pushed down the sharp pang of pity for her younger self and stared at the passing tree trunks as the sleigh slid along the forest track.

Vidar’s hand covered hers and the guardian angel’s familiar loving presence swept through her like a warm wind chasing away the clouds. She glanced at Vidar, confused that they had both chosen that moment to comfort her. Vidar smiled, the shadows in his eyes disappearing.

“You’re in the right place to enjoy Christmas,” he said. “Perhaps you should try out some of the rides in the park. Maybe I’ll join you.”

For the first time in years, a magical anticipation filled the air, as if Christmas morning had arrived and anything was possible. Her fingers strayed to her jacket pocket where she’d stashed the resort button. Maybe dreams did come true.
After a lifetime of hoping, Sonja was about to meet her father. She didn’t kid herself he’d be pleased to see her, but at least he might explain what had happened to her mother and why he’d deserted her.

Tiny flakes of snow swirled around them. The forest thinned and the track became less defined. In the far distance, jagged icy peaks pierced the leaden sky. Sonja’s face stung with the cold, so she pulled the hood of the blue coat up over her hat.

“Where are you taking me?” she shouted, the wind whipping away her words. Vidar just snapped the reins, making the horse move faster. Out of the whiteness, a deep shadowy ravine loomed in front of them.

“Vidar, stop!”

Sonja’s heart slammed painfully, and she snatched panicked gulps of arctic air. She grabbed for the reins but Vidar caught her wrist to restrain her.

“You’re safe,” he shouted. A whisper of calm stroked across her churning thoughts. “Sit still and hold on.”

She clutched his arm and pressed her face into his furclad shoulder.

“I’m not going to kill us,” he breathed against her ear.

Her rational mind knew his words made sense; her survival instinct wasn’t taking any chances. She dragged her face up and glanced at the rapidly passing ground, wondering if she dared jump.

“Trust me, Sonja.” His words flowed into her, soothing and reassuring.

Then the horse leaped over the precipice. Her breath jammed in her lungs. Sonja squeezed her eyes closed. But the sickening stomach-flipping fall she expected didn’t happen. The sleigh shuddered and bumped; then the ride smoothed.
After a few frantic beats of her heart, she cracked open her eyes. Instead of falling, they climbed into the swirling cloud of snowflakes.

With her gloved fingers still fastened in a death grip around Vidar’s arm, Sonja peered down at the snowy valley hundreds of feet below them. She scrabbled to make sense of what was happening. They were at least two miles from the resort, so the sleigh couldn’t be a theme-park ride.

Shocked and angry, she punched him in the arm. “How are you doing this?”

A flash of remorse crossed his face. “I live in a different world from you, Sonja.”

“You’re telling me flying horses are normal in Iceland?”

“Not horses.”

Her gaze jerked back to the creature pulling the sleigh and her eyes bugged. A huge white cat the size of a tiger strained against the harness. A little squeal broke from her throat. In Norse mythology, the goddess Freya had a flying carriage pulled by giant cats. Like any sane person, she’d assumed that was fantasy.

“I’ll stay by your side at the Yule Fest. You’ve nothing to fear,” Vidar promised.

“The Yule Fest!” They were hanging in the air in a sleigh pulled by a giant cat and he thought she was worried about a party? “I don’t care about the stupid Yule Fest,” she shouted. “Take me back. Now.”

“Don’t you want to meet your father? We’re nearly there.”

Her breath rushed in and out, in counterpoint to the thudding of her pulse in her ears. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and tried to calm herself. “Where exactly is this Yule Fest?”

“My father’s place.”

His father lived in the freaking sky? “Who is your father?”

“Odin.”

“Odin—as in the Norse god?” Sonja wrinkled her cute little nose at Vidar, obviously wondering if he were mad.

Vidar nodded, wishing he could protect her from the horrors of his world—namely his father.

While she was here, he had decided to stay out of her mind unless he needed to calm her or soothe her fear, but he couldn’t resist slipping into her thoughts to test her reaction as the glittering icy turrets of the gods’ kingdom of Asgard came into view. Her wonder mingled with apprehension, but she didn’t panic. He was proud of how well she coped. But he shouldn’t have expected anything less. After all, she was the daughter of a man notorious for his emotional control.