Chapter 4
Merri winced as the frigid air bit into her skin. She was thankful for Rhys’s warm jacket and clothes. The Mrs. Claus costume would have provided zero insulation against the severe cold.
She turned her head, and Rhys wrapped his arms around her, sheltering her from the frigid wind. “Is it too much for you?” he murmured in her ear.
“Just give me a sec,” she said. Truth be told, while it was frigid, she liked the way his arms felt around her. There was something strangely comforting about this super sexy guy protecting her against the cold. She’d been terrified of what had happened to her – grabbed in the street, pushed into the alley, whizzed away to who-knew-where, and told she couldn’t be taken home.
Her gloved fingers curled into the wool coat he wore, anchoring herself more firmly to him, as if she were afraid he might disappear and she’d be stuck with the idiots who had kidnapped her. Rubbing her cheek against the soft front of his coat, she frowned at her odd thoughts. Why wasn’t she scared anymore? She was outside – she could run away screaming for help, but instead she was cuddling up to a guy who appeared to be the leader of the guys who kidnapped her.
Tilting her head, she looked up and their gazes locked. Heat simmered between them, a slow burning, all-consuming kind of heat that made her feel like going back into his room and finding out how comfy the big bed in the corner was.
Before she knew what she was doing, she’d lifted onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. She flicked her tongue along the seam of his lips, and he parted them, touching his tongue to hers for a brief moment before he hauled her close and twisted her toward the building, pushing her gently against it. He tasted like sugar and snow. Unlocking her grip from his coat, she moved her hands to his head and ran her fingers through his dark hair. She fisted the short strands and sucked on his tongue. He groaned, and it rumbled in his chest like a growl.
Nipping her lower lip, he blinked golden eyes at her. “Mine.”
“Your eyes,” she said, her fingers tightening in his hair at the sweetly possessive word.
He eased away slightly, keeping her shielded in his arms. “It’s part of what I am.”
“Color changing eyes?”
“Among other things.”
She licked her lips, and his golden gaze tracked the movement. He grabbed her hands and squeezed. “Are you used to the cold yet?”
“I don’t know if that’s possible. I thought it was cold in New York, but it’s freaking arctic here.”
He smiled. The gold was slowly eclipsed by hazel, until his eyes were back to normal. “Beautiful,” she said.
“You are,” he said, tugging the cap down farther on her head and then taking her hand.
She blushed. “I mean your eyes.”
He glanced at her and said, “Let’s go. What I want you to see is past the buildings.”
He walked swiftly but not so fast she couldn’t keep up. The cold seeped into her, through the coat and warm shirt and deep into her bones. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get warm again; although asking Rhys if he’d be willing to help her warm up was very appealing.
She looked over her shoulder and saw the building they’d exited. It looked like a hotel, with white walls and roof. Buildings surrounded them, connected with cobblestone streets and sidewalks that were plowed. All the buildings were entirely white like the one they’d come from. Judging from the old-fashioned wooden signs hanging from the roofs of each building, she could see there was a cafeteria, a tavern, a doctor’s office, a post office, and a large building called The Factory.
“Is that a club?” she asked as they passed by The Factory.
“It’s a toy factory.”
She snorted. “Really?”
“Yep. My mom worked there when she was young. She specialized in porcelain dolls, but she could also make amazing teddy bears. Now she works in the commissary.”
She could hear the pride in his voice.
“What about your dad?”
“He’s a mechanic.”
“You’re a security guard, right? I heard one of the guys who took me say they had to talk to the head of security.”
“That’s me,” he said, drawing her around the corner of the toy factory toward a bridge. “I’m the head of security, partly because of what I am but also because of my other position here.”
She brushed a few snowflakes from her nose and said, “You say a lot of cryptic stuff.”
He chuckled. “Sorry. It’ll be clear in a minute.”
The bridge creaked as they walked over it; icicles that had formed on the railing cracked and shattered as they crossed. On the other side, the snow was plowed in a straight line up a small hill. Something glowed in the night sky, not the moon or the sun rising, but something else. Curiosity piqued, she followed Rhys to the top of the hill.
She opened her mouth to ask him what she was supposed to see at the top of the hill, but the view made her shut her mouth with a click. They were standing in front of a large frozen lake that was bordered by huge pine trees laden with snow. It was a beautiful scene. But beyond that was what captured her attention – the Northern Lights twinkled and moved across the sky.
“I’m…oh my…what?” She couldn’t form a complete sentence.
Rhys slid his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, lowering his head to whisper in her ear. “You know what this is, Merri.”
She shivered at the warmth of his breath against her skin. “The Northern Lights.”
“I want you to think about what that means for where we are right now.”
She looked behind her at what resembled a small town in the middle of nowhere, with all-white buildings that blended perfectly into the surrounding snow. A hidden city. She frowned as she turned back to look at the beautiful colors swirling and dancing in the distance.
“When the two guys grabbed me and we landed here, they said they’d made a mistake. That I looked like their boss’ wife.” She chewed on her lip for a moment, thinking about her outfit. “I was dressed like Mrs. Claus. The woman who bumped into me in the city looked just like me. She had the most amazing hug.”
Rhys chuckled. “That’s her special brand of magic – she can invoke fond memories with a touch. It helps put people at ease.”
“Magic?” Merri snorted. “Someone has a magical hug?”
“They both do, actually. I haven’t hugged SC since I was a kid, though, but I remember in one hug feeling like I always did on Christmas morning, with my parents waiting by the tree in their matching pajamas, the scent of fresh pine, and the sound of the crackling fire in the fireplace.”
“Who’s SC?”
He gave her a steady look, like he was willing her to know what he was talking about. The trouble was that she didn’t really know…did she?