Chapter 8
A week after Christmas, Mire was woken by a loud pounding on the door. He jumped to his feet, blurry eyed and confused for a moment, and then he shook his head to clear away the fog of sleep. He opened the door just enough to peer out, blocking the view of his sleeping mate.
Jack stood in the hallway. “Noelle’s father is awake, and he’s asking about her.”
“We’ll head over right away,” Mire said. “Thanks for the wake-up call.”
“Sorry it had to be at three a.m., but I knew you were both waiting for news, and I was on duty in the security office when the alert came in.”
Mire thanked his friend again and closed the door. He hurried to the bed, where Noelle still slept, and gently shook her awake.
“Sweetheart?”
She mumbled an argument against waking up, but he persisted, saying her name several times.
“What?” she asked finally, peering at him through heavy-lidded eyes.
“Your dad’s awake.”
She sat up so fast that he narrowly missed them having a head-on collision. He grabbed her as she jumped from the bed and tried to walk to the door.
“You’re naked, sweetheart,” he said.
She froze and looked down at herself and then grinned at him. “Oh. Oops.”
They both dressed swiftly and then went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Within minutes, they were on the way to the medical center.
“This is a really neat way to start the year off,” she said. It was New Year’s Eve, and later in the morning they were moving into their new home, a charming three-bedroom cabin next to Rhys and Merri’s cabin. “I’m so glad he’s awake.”
When they reached Tobias’s room, Noelle rushed into it, and Mire watched as she hugged him tightly and started to cry.
“I wasn’t sure you’d ever wake up!”
Tobias hugged her, and his eyes squeezed shut as tears streamed down his face. He opened them slowly and met Mire’s gaze. “I heard it’s been an interesting week.”
Noelle snorted loudly and then laughed. “You have no idea.”
His brows rose. “Your ears are fixed!”
She tucked her hair behind her ears and tilted her head, rubbing the tip of one ear with her finger. “SC did it on Christmas Eve. Being around the shifters when they changed form made them hurt for some reason. They’re perfect now.”
“You were perfect before,” Mire said.
She looked at him and smiled sweetly. “You’re biased.”
He shrugged. “And truthful.”
She faced her dad and reached for his hand. When their fingers were joined, she said, “Dad…all these years. Why didn’t you tell me what you are and what I am?”
“Oh, honey, I wanted to. Every time I came to see you, and I saw a little bit of my nature peeking through your eyes, I wanted to tell you the truth. At first you were too young, and I didn’t want to upset your mom, and then it seemed like it was too late.”
She wiped tears from her cheeks, and Mire lifted a box of tissues from a side table and handed her a few. She smiled in thanks.
“I was going to ask you this time if I could come live with you. Turns out that even if I’d moved to Canada, I still wouldn’t have been with you.” She smiled to soften her words, but Mire could see the anguish and hints of betrayal that stirred in the depths.
“I’m sorry, honey. I made a lot of mistakes. I hope you can forgive me.”
“I want to know everything. I don’t want any more secrets between us.”
Tobias grabbed a pillow at his side and put it behind his back to prop himself up. “NPC is a magically protected city. Everyone but SC can only leave this area for twenty-four hours starting at six a.m. on Christmas Eve morning.”
“Santa can leave whenever he wants?”
He nodded. “He’s the only one powerful enough to come and go as he pleases any time of the year. During the year, our people are busy working on the toys for the Christmas delivery as well as the day-to-day aspects of life. If anything needs to be ordered from the human cities, it’s done in a way that it will be available on Christmas Eve, so that our people can retrieve the items and return home safely. If one of us were caught outside of the city after six a.m. on Christmas Day, we’d be trapped for the year
“As a builder, I leave on Christmas Eve morning to head to various human cities to pick up supplies. We transport back and forth to carry supplies as needed. One year, twenty-four Christmases ago, the group I was with finished our supplies run, and we decided to check out the local nightlife. Your mom was a cocktail waitress, and we hit it off immediately. We spent the night together, and I left before dawn, leaving a note to let her know I was heading out of town and wouldn’t be back until the following year. Back then, the builders didn’t have Internet access, only the elves and shifters who handled purchases did, so I really had no way to stay in touch with her, and it wasn’t like I could write her letters. I felt bad for leaving, but I hoped she’d let me see her the next year.
“Much to my surprise, the next Christmas, she answered the door with you in her arms. She’d waited for me that whole year, wondering if I would show up again. Your ears were pointed, so I knew you were going to take after my people. I let your mom believe it was a birth defect, and I thought about taking her with me to NPC right then. I was young, and I knew I’d be in trouble with SC. I was worried that he’d wipe her memory of me and I’d never have a chance to know you. Now I know that was selfish and ridiculous.”
Tobias stopped speaking for a moment, and Mire could see that Noelle struggled not to cry. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t want to intrude on their time together, so he kept his distance, knowing that Noelle would turn to him if she needed him.
“Our people don’t use money within NPC, but I’d taken some that had been left over from the supplies orders and invested it. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but the stocks ended up doing well. I gave your mother access to that money for the both of you. I asked her if she’d move away and live with me, but her parents were sick and she was taking care of them and didn’t want to leave. They both died a few years later, but by then, you’d had your ears fixed and started school, and…I don’t know, honey. I don’t know why I didn’t say anything then, or any of the other years.”
“When Mom died?” Noelle asked with a sob.
“You were so mad at me for missing her funeral. I wished like hell I could have been there for it. Been there for you.”
“Was she your fated mate?”
He shook his head. “No. I cared for her a great deal, but she wasn’t my fated mate. I could have asked Mrs. C to mate-match me, but I chose to stay true to your mom. One day a year I got to spend time with my family, and I cherished those hours. Thankfully, as technology evolved I was able to stay in touch with you more, with video calls and emails. Oh, Noelle,” he said, his eyes shining with tears, “do you hate me?”
She looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes, tears leaking from the corners. She inhaled shakily and then looked at Mire. “I wish a lot of things had been different. That mom had known your secret so we could have been together, here, as a family. But I get you in my life – full time – and I also found Mire. I can’t hate you. You’re my dad.”
Tobias sat up and hugged her tightly. “You’re more forgiving than I deserve.”
“No more secrets, okay?”
“I promise.”
Noelle pulled away and held out her hand to Mire. He moved to her swiftly, linking their fingers.
Tobias looked at Mire. “The doctor mentioned that SC wants to see me.”
“I’m worried about you, Dad,” Noelle said, her voice hitching at the end.
“You shouldn’t be. I have a lot of regrets, but knowing your mother and having you for a daughter aren’t among them. Whatever happens to me is worth it because you’re here.”
Tobias squeezed Noelle’s hand and said, “Can I talk to your mate alone for a moment?”
Noelle looked between Mire and her dad and said, “Sure.” She stood and kissed her dad on the cheek and gave Mire’s hand a squeeze. Then she left the room.
When the door clicked shut, Tobias said, “I see that you’ve marked her already.”
Mire nodded. “When we went to bring her to NPC, I knew the moment we met that she was mine.”
“Are you living in the barracks?”
“We’re moving into a three-bedroom cabin later this morning.”
“Good. The barracks are no place for a wife. Speaking of wife, you do know that humans like to get married, right? It’s not enough to just be mated. They like to have a ceremony, too. I never did right by her mom, but you can do right by her.”
“I plan to. I was waiting for you to wake so I could ask for your permission to marry her.”
The three quads who had found their fated mates had all married them. As soon as he and Noelle were in their new home, he planned to ask her to be his wife, and talking to Tobias about it was a good first step. He didn’t know the male well, but they were going to be in-laws.
“Good. You have my blessing.”
“Thanks. Are you worried about SC? I know you told Noelle not to worry.”
Tobias exhaled loudly and pushed back the covers, swinging his legs over the edge. “If I said I wasn’t worried, I’d be lying. Part of me is, but I’m overjoyed that Noelle is here in NPC and that she found her fated mate. I’m going to focus on the good things that came from this and not worry about my fate. It’s out of my hands anyway.”
“I’ll grab some clothes for you,” Mire said.
“Thanks.”
Mire opened the door and let Noelle back in and then went into the doctor’s lounge and grabbed a pair of sweats from the supply closet. He returned to the room and gave them to Tobias, and then he and Noelle waited in the hallway for him to change.
“Is everything okay with you and my dad?” she asked as she leaned against him, her ear over his heart.
“Yes. How are you feeling?”
“Like the world turned upside down for me again.”
“Again?”
She lifted her head. “The first time was when I woke up here and realized I’d been abducted. Then it happened again, when you shifted outside. And then again when I found out that Santa is real. So four times the world’s gone all cuckoo on me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She gave him a lopsided smile. “You don’t have to keep apologizing. Whatever the reasoning behind my dad’s deception, I wasn’t the only one affected. I can’t deny that I wish things had been different, but I don’t want to focus on the past. I want to focus on our future.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
The door opened and Tobias stepped out, wearing hospital-issued slippers and the light gray sweats. “I’m ready to meet with SC.”
Mire was ready, too. Mainly because Noelle was worried and it agitated his beasts when she was unhappy. Whatever happened, they were both ready to start the next chapter of their lives together, once this situation was resolved. He was already planning the next few dozen years in his mind – a home full of love and happiness, lots of kids, and making Noelle smile every chance he got.
* * *
Noelle sat next to Mire in SC and Mrs. C’s home. The big guy was back in front of the mantel, one arm resting on the wooden beam while he stared into the fire. Mrs. C was sitting in a rocking chair, which reminded Noelle of a picture she’d seen once with Mrs. C whiling away the hours of Christmas Eve in front of a fireplace, waiting for Santa to return from delivering toys. But there wasn’t anything really homey or cheerful about the scene right now. The quads were seated in chairs in the family room, and her father was standing in the center of the room on a braided oval rug, explaining his actions to the group.
She listened to him once more talk about that night with her mom, meeting Noelle for the first time the next year, and then the annual visits. He was stopped from time to time by SC and some of the quads, asking questions about how he explained his absences to the builder team he traveled with, how he managed to have a computer and email system that bypassed all their security, and what he’d planned to do with her in the future.
She’d wondered that herself. Although her dad had been candid in the hospital room, he hadn’t said how long he thought this could go on. If he’d died, she may have never known the truth of his absence. Just one day there would have been no more calls or emails. She didn’t like to think about what that would have done to her. She hadn’t known how to contact him any other way than his email. He’d never told her the name of his company or their address. Thankfully, when he was injured, he’d said her name, which had led to the scouring of his room in the barracks. His deception had quickly unraveled. Would that have happened if he’d died and never spoken her name?
SC cleared his throat when her father finished the story. It seemed like everyone in the room held their breath, and she did, too. Her dad didn’t look worried about whatever SC was going to say or do to him. He appeared calm, with his shoulders straight, and his gaze directed to the leader of NPC.
“When you first learned of Noelle’s birth, you should have contacted me immediately,” SC said, lifting his head and staring at Tobias. His brows were drawn and he frowned as he spoke. “Why did you continue to hide her existence?”
“I was afraid you’d take her from me.”
“She’s half-elf,” SC pointed out. “She could have unintentionally revealed us to the humans.”
“Her mom knew nothing of my nature, and our relationship, while not ideal, was amicable for both of us. We cared for each other. I provided financially as I was able and stayed in contact as much as I could. I know what I did wasn’t right according to our laws, but my own fears and selfishness kept me tethered to the secret.”
Her dad looked at her and smiled. Her eyes stung as fresh tears surfaced. She felt like she’d cried a dozen times since he’d woken.
SC looked at her. “You’re certain your mother knew nothing of your dad’s nature? That you didn’t suspect or guess that he was something other than human?”
She thought back over her life, but it was just a cursory glance because she knew that she’d never thought anything was suspicious about her dad’s behavior. “I didn’t. For a while when I was a teenager, I thought he had another family somewhere and that’s why he couldn’t stay with us or take us with him, but he told me that wasn’t the truth, and he just traveled constantly for work. My mom believed him, and I did, too. I don’t think she suspected anything was wrong or different. She was content. And I was, to an extent.”
“To an extent?” SC asked, his white brow arching.
“I missed my dad. When mom died, I wanted him to be there with me, to help me with the arrangements and pack up her stuff. He said he couldn’t, that work got in the way, and I hated him for a little while because I felt so alone. But mostly, I just missed him. One day a year wasn’t enough.”
She switched her gaze from SC to her dad and smiled at him.
He smiled in return. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
Mrs. C said, “If you’d come to us at any point in the past, Tobias, we would have made arrangements for Noelle and her mom to come up here. Even if she wasn’t your fated mate, she was the mother of your child, and that would have made her an honored guest and member of our community.”
For the first time, her dad looked sad. “In the back of my mind I knew it, but I was afraid to lose everything.”
SC straightened. “My wife is right, but we have to leave the past in the past. The security team has scoured yours and Noelle’s laptops to ensure that no information pertaining to our home was compromised, and that’s been cleared. Noelle’s laptop has been returned to her room. Now it’s time to discuss your punishment.”
Another hush fell over the room, and Noelle’s heart raced as she watched SC’s face. Did they have jail in NPC? Would she not be allowed to see her dad again? She knew she was secured in her new life with Mire, but she didn’t know what would happen to her dad.
“Three things are going to happen because of your deception. First, every Christmas Eve going forward, all residents of NPC must check in with the security team where they’ll be fitted with a GPS locator wristband and be required to log in their destination, and their GPS log will be recorded and inspected upon their return. I’ll be making an announcement to the residents after the first of the year. Second, you’re not allowed to have Internet access for the next five years. No online ordering, no emails to anyone, no surfing. If you require something for your job, another builder can order it for you, or someone in the security office can. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Now, the final thing that will happen is that for the next twenty-three years, you’re not allowed to leave NPC, period. Not for work, not for any reason.”
“Why twenty-three years?” Noelle asked.
SC gave her a contrite look. “You’re twenty-three years old, Noelle. One year of inability to leave NPC for each year of your life. That’s a reminder to your father that he could have come to us at any time, and also to other NPC residents, that secret lives outside of our city are forbidden.”
“You’re more generous than I deserve,” her dad said. “Thank you.”
“Now that I’ve laid the hammer down,” SC said, his eyes twinkling as the annoyance in his gaze disappeared, “I think we have some celebrating to do. An injured worker is well, a daughter has come home, and a fated mate has been found. It’s been a busy week.”
Noelle rushed to her dad and hugged him. He lifted her from the floor and swung her in a circle. “I told you not to worry.” He set her down and smiled at her.
“But I still did. Were you worried?”
“Only a little. SC is fair. I’m still sorry that I wasted so much of our time together.”
“No more apologies. I forgive you.”
Mire and the quads joined them, everyone congratulating her dad on his recovery, and officially welcoming her to the city. At SC’s direction, they bundled up and headed outside, up a winding cobblestone pathway, and over a wooden bridge to a beautiful, frozen lake. The Northern Lights shimmered and played in the night sky.
“This is how we celebrate in NPC,” Mire said, hugging her tightly.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s good to be home.”