Chapter Nineteen
Oskar ignored all of his aches and pains as he clutched onto Kiana and Gabi. All he could think about was how close he'd come to losing both of them.
"Oskar, are you all right?" Kiana asked, her voice shaky.
"You're bleeding."
He closed his eyes tightly and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of tropical flowers and salty sea. He couldn't stop shaking.
"I'll be fine. Hector will patch me right up." He pulled back to gaze into her face. "Are you hurt? That was way too close for comfort."
Her eyes filled with tears. "I thought Wiebe was going to kill you!" Her voice broke on a sob and she threw her arms around his neck.
Oskar cupped the back of her head and stroked her hair.
"It's okay, sweetheart. It's over. We're safe." Thank you, God, for protecting my girls. His mind was still grappling with the nightmare that had just been narrowly avoided. Once he'd entered the dome, he'd taken one look at Kiana holding Gabi's limp body and all the breath had left his body. He'd barely registered the frostbite when he wrenched the chains from her neck.
That wasn't nearly as bad as the helplessness he felt once Wiebe trapped them. Watching the rogue elf shoot fire at Kiana had filled him with rage. His heart had stopped beating at that moment, sure he would be too late to stop her from 265
going up in flames. He sighed with relief as he squeezed the girls tighter to him. Thank God they were both all right, and Lys was saved. Poor Ingo would have been devastated if anything had happened to her.
He glanced down at Gabi's blonde head. "Hey, little Bandiger, nice job with Lys."
Gabi peered up at him. "I couldn't let Wiebe do that," she whispered. "Ingo and Lys have been so kind to me. I feel awful that he hurt them, and you, and all the other elves..."
Her voice cracked. "I know its mean, but I'm glad he's gone."
Oskar hated the anguished look on Gabi's little face.
"Honigbienchen, it's all right. Wiebe...wasn't himself at the end. The Dark Magik took over."
A large hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Son, are you all right?" Oskar turned to find his parents standing anxiously behind him.
He nodded. "We're fine. Just a little banged up."
Santa nodded with relief and wrapped his arms around Oskar and the girls, enveloping all of them in a bear hug. His mother's eyes glistened with tears. "We were so worried.
Wiebe trapped us in the house. We couldn't get out to help Kiana and the others."
Oskar reached out to his mother and she joined into the hug. "Thank goodness you're all safe now," she said.
His father stepped back. He rubbed his blood shot eyes.
"Tell me what happened."
"Ingo saved the day." Oskar looked over at the Magik Tamer, who still held Lys tightly in his arms. "He used Light Magik. Wiebe was planning on destroying Glasdorf with his 266
new-found knowledge. Ingo's powers were absolutely amazing."
Ingo cleared his throat and approached Mr. and Mrs.
Klaus. "My magik took down Wiebe, it's true. But Oskar took the brunt of it from him, trying to protect the girls. He's hurt badly."
Sven shook his head as he examined Oskar's burns. "What the hell did that bastard do to you?"
"Why didn't you tell us you were leaving Dag's?" Gregor asked. "We could have helped."
Nicholas put a hand on Oskar's shoulder. "You shouldn't have faced him alone, O. We would have backed you up."
"Honestly, there wasn't time. Ingo and I just jumped in the sleigh and rushed over here. I wasn't sure what was going on."
Wolfie fist-bumped Oskar. "Way to go, little bro. Nice job today," he said quietly.
Santa nodded. "I'm proud of you, son. I don't know what we'd do without you." He looked at the scorched earth where Wiebe had been disintegrated by the Dark Magik. "We'll never know why Wiebe became so consumed with vengeance. I'm just thankful that Ingo was able to use the Light Magik to defeat him." He hefted Gabi up into his arms. "And you, young lady, are a marvel. Mrs. Klaus and I are so proud of you."
Oskar's mom nodded her head in agreement. "Gabi, you were such a brave girl today. I know Lys would like to thank you."
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His family turned to Ingo and Lys. Ingo had his arms wrapped protectively around her. A huge group of elves surrounded them, congratulating Ingo on his battle with Wiebe, and checking to make sure Lys was truly alive and well.
"Gabi!" Lys held her arms out to the tiny Bandiger, who ran to her for a warm hug. The elves cheered for Gabi, who was glowing with happiness. Mr. Frosty trailed behind her, refusing to budge from her side.
"You saved me, little one. How can I ever repay your kindness?" Lys sounded bewildered.
Gabi smiled up at her. "Be happy with Ingo."
Ingo laughed. "What a wise little girl."
Oskar reached out a hand to Ingo. "That was epic, Mr.
Hertz. All of Glasdorf thanks you."
Ingo shook his head, too modest to accept the accolades, but the elves roared their approval.
"I couldn't have done it without your help. You have a brave heart, young man." Ingo nodded at Oskar.
"Three cheers for Ingo and Oskar!" The elves yelled and shouted, throwing their hats into the air. A swarm of villagers were now climbing up the hill to the peak, curious about the battle. They enveloped all of them, clasping their hands in support and offering help to the wounded.
Oskar turned to his father. "I need to make sure all the elves are getting proper medical care, and then check in with Dag."
Kiana tugged on his arm. "You need to take care of your own wounds first, okay?"
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He brushed away the tears on her face. "I promise," he whispered and feathered his thumb across her cheek. "I'm so sorry to leave you, Moon Goddess. Do you mind taking care of Gabi until I get home?"
Kiana smiled. "We'll be fine. Just hurry home." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I miss you already."
Oskar leaned down to capture her lips, kissing her until she was breathless and blushing.
Gabi giggled. "Looks like they're playing pretend mistletoe again. That's their favorite game."
He ignored his brothers' laughter.
Kiana collapsed onto a sofa in Oskar's great room. She was exhausted, still somewhat shaken, and profoundly relieved.
Gabi had finally fallen asleep, snuggled up with an assortment of stuffed animals.
Kiana had been too busy during the day to ruminate about their harrowing ordeal, although she did notice her hands shaking at odd times. She'd been completely focused on Gabi's well-being, starting with a thorough check-up by Hector who pronounced her fit as a fiddle. He also healed Kiana's burned hand, using a beautiful glowing sphere that mended all of the scorched skin. They met with the Council, who commended both Gabi and Kiana for their bravery.
Evidently, the Council had forgotten her earlier transgression of entering Glasdorf without their permission. As soon as Lys told everyone how Kiana had challenged Wiebe when he struck Gabi, all was forgiven.
Mr. and Mrs. Klaus also insisted on a visit, showering the little Bandiger with affection and gifts. Gabi blossomed over 269
the course of the day, finally free of Wiebe's reign of terror. It was a wonderful thing to see. By bedtime, she was dancing with Mr. Frosty—carefree and joyful. It brought tears to Kiana's eyes. After popping the girl into bed and fashioning a space for the snowman outside on the patio, Kiana could barely keep her eyes open. But she was desperate to see Oskar, hold him and touch him, reassure herself that he was all right.
She was just dozing off when the front door burst open.
He's home! She hurried to the foyer and stopped short. Oskar looked ravaged. His hair stood straight up and dirty scratches marked his face. His shirt, stained with the blood, was ripped across the front.
"Oskar, I'm so glad you're home...." Her voice drifted off as she became aware of the furious look in his eyes. He dropped his coat to the ground and glared at her.
"Guess what I found out today? There's a story going around Glasdorf, about you being trapped in the kitchen with Wiebe and Lys and Gabi." Oskar's voice was low and gravelly.
Kiana took a step back. He was clearly attempting to control his temper. She could see his jaw clench as he approached her.
"What...what story, Oskar?"
He paced slowly forward, cornering her in the hallway.
"Wiebe trapped the three of you in the kitchen. And put Gabi under some sort of spell...."
Kiana nodded. "Yes, that's true. I guess he didn't want her to interfere with his magik."
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Oskar advanced again, prowling this time. He reminded Kiana of a dangerous jaguar, hunting its prey.
"Lys told me Wiebe kicked Gabi, and you yelled at him.
And hit him! A deranged elf consumed by Dark Magik!" His voice had risen in anger. "Is that about right, Moon Goddess?
What the hell were you thinking?"
Kiana shook her head in disbelief. "I don't believe you're angry with me! Gabi was lying helpless on the floor, unconscious, and that bastard kicked her. I wasn't going to let him get away with that. He'd done enough damage already!"
Oskar stalked forward, backing her into a wall. "That was a stupid thing to do. He could have killed you, Ki. With just a touch."
She stopped retreating and held her ground. "I wasn't going to stand there and watch him hurt her again. She couldn't even defend herself."
Oskar's chest was heaving. "You didn't need to antagonize him. Where the hell was your sense of self-preservation?
Don't you understand how important you are to me? To Gabi?
We can't lose you. You can't take stupid chances like that."
She noticed his eyes were bloodshot. He placed his hands on either side of her head, gripping the bookshelf. Books scattered from the wall and fell to the floor.
"You're the one taking chances, not me. You're battling demons, getting stabbed, flinging your body in the line of fire, jumping off thirty foot snowboarding jumps..." she snapped back. She thumped her hands against his chest. "I need you, too, Oskar. I almost died when Wiebe shot those fireballs at 271
you. I didn't know...I wasn't sure...." She struggled to take a breath.
Oskar was on her before she could finish her sentence.
Kissing her within an inch of her life. Punishing her lips, rough and desperate. He rocked against her pelvis, grinding her against the wall. She could feel his erection rubbing against her sensitive spot, winding her tight. She shuddered in pleasure, even as her emotions roiled in irritation.
He grabbed her hand to inspect it. "I asked if you were all right. You never said one thing about your hand being burned. How am I supposed to take care of you if you're not honest with me?"
She tried to push him away and gain some space, but he refused to budge. "Oskar, I know how to take care of myself.
Believe me, I've been doing it for years. I don't need your protection."
He practically snarled his response. "That's not okay! I know what you went through in Hawaii. Your parents let you down, your brothers let you down, and that freaking a*shole surfer let you down." He took a deep breath to compose himself. "I want you to trust me, to know you can depend on me. No matter what."
"You know about Tom?" she asked, surprised.
"Not much. Just what Gregor told me," Oskar answered. "I know he betrayed you with another woman."
She closed her eyes, trying to block out the mortifying memories. "He promised me everything under the sun. A home, a family. It was just a bunch of lies to get me to sleep with him." Her face flushed, remembering the humiliation of 272
him turning up with his pregnant girlfriend-on-the-side. "He kept telling me how sexy and gorgeous I was. I bought his whole act, like an idiot."
Oskar cupped the side of her face with his hand. "You are not an idiot. That guy abused your trust and took advantage of you." He paused. "That's why you've been hiding behind those ugly clothes, isn't it? Trying to distance yourself from everything that happened in Hawaii." He shook his head. "I am nothing like him, Ki. You don't need to hide behind your protective armor around me. I know you're a beautiful woman, inside and out. You can trust me."
"I do trust you. You are absolutely nothing like Tom.
Everything he told me was a lie. I know this is real, O. What is happening between us is real. And you did protect me today." Kiana grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his face down to her. She returned the fervor of his kisses, devouring his hot mouth. A rush of wintry, evergreen-scented air assailed her.
Something snapped within Oskar. The next thing she knew he was pushing her onto the ground, and they were rolling around on a pile of books. Oskar pinned her to the floor and loomed over her, gasping for breath.
"I think it's time I showed you how much you mean to me, Moon Goddess. Even if it takes all night."
Kiana gazed up into his face and was shocked by the feral and intense need in his eyes.
He pulled roughly at her clothes, ripping fabric as she writhed on the floor. She ignored the sharp book spines digging into her and raked her nails down Oskar's back. She 273
was desperate to feel his hot skin rubbing against her, his hands on her. He made her crazy. Crazy for him, totally free for the first time in her life to explore every sexy fantasy she ever imagined. She felt safe with Oskar...safe and worshipped and beautiful. And very, very lusty.
Somehow he pulled off his own T-shirt and slid off his jeans while kissing her senseless. Her hips arched off the floor, trying to press against him. Oskar rubbed his prickly jaw over her face, her neck, her collarbone, nipping at the skin with his teeth. His rough whiskers sensitized every nerve ending of her skin. He cupped her breasts in his huge hands, plumping them up in her bra.
"Damn, you are hot, sweetheart." His mouth sucked voraciously through the silk of her bra and Kiana cried out.
Warmth pooled low in her body, building a firestorm in her blood.
"Like that, do you?" His eyes never left her face as his teeth teased her nipples.
She was too impatient. She pushed her bra down to her waist and whimpered. "Stop teasing me, Oskar!"
He nodded slowly. "No more teasing. I'm never letting you go, honey. You do know that, right?"
He squeezed her nipples with both hands and flicked his tongue over one, then the other, back and forth until she thought she would lose her mind. Her hips bucked up against him, pressing against his delicious erection.
The feel of the long, hard length of him sliding back and forth across her slippery heat was too much. She wound her arms around his neck and rolled them over onto his back. She 274
sat up and straddled him, plastering her hands against his heaving chest. "My turn, Bad Boy."
Oskar's eyes widened for a second, just before she rose up and slid the head of his shaft inside of her.
"Impatient tonight?" Oskar grabbed her hips forcefully in his huge palms and thrust up. She was impaled instantly. She screamed with pleasure as he filled her up, pulsed inside of her.
"God, you're tight," he groaned as he continued to pump.
Kiana released a long, satisfied moan as she tipped back her head and enjoyed the ride.
Her hair was loose, spilling down her back and it swayed gently with each thrust. She felt Oskar's hands reach up to fondle her breasts.
"Look at me, baby."
She opened her lust-dazed eyes and glanced down at Oskar. What an incredible sight. His gorgeous emerald eyes raked over her body with each thrust of his hips. She leaned down and ran her fingers through the soft hair of his chest, over his glorious tattoos, across his flexing abs.
He smiled up at her as his fingers invaded her soft curls.
His hand stroked her pleasure point and she gasped. "Come for me," he murmured.
"Not yet. I want this to last." I want this to last forever.
He slid his arm around her waist and flipped her onto her back. "Now. I'll make you come all night."
His hot, fevered skin enveloped her, overwhelming all of her senses, and she loved it. She laughed and rolled him to his side, smacking their bodies against the wall. A shower of 275
books rained down upon them, sliding from the shelves.
Oskar raised his hands to protect their heads from the onslaught.
"Me on top." Oskar held her down and grabbed her wrists to restrain her.
"No!" She shook her head. "It's my turn." Their tussle rolled them back and forth across the hallway, scattering books over the Oriental rug. They jockeyed for position, devouring each other's mouths, clawing each other's skin, nipping, biting, fighting for dominance. Oskar grabbed her ass hard with his giant hands and squeezed. Kiana moaned in pleasure and bucked against him.
"You've got the sweetest, hottest ass, Kiana. Damn, it feels good." He finally held her down, pinning her to the floor.
He twisted her body sideways, spread her legs and buried his face between her thighs. She thought she would die. She'd never felt anything this naughty and wonderful and liberating.
Oskar's tongue lashed her sweet spot, as though he relished the taste of her.
"You taste like the sea. Like a tropical storm," he said.
Kiana reached down and stroked her hands through his hair. Every cell in her body felt tense, ready to explode.
She grabbed his hips and pulled him to her, desperate to taste him and pleasure him the same way. She pressed her face against the thick crop of hair at the base of his shaft, inhaling his delicious scent. Her mouth explored every inch of him, raining soft kisses on his hot skin, licking and sucking and finally enveloping his length between her lips. She heard 276
Oskar groan as he continued to feast on her, and she smiled to herself, knowing how much he was enjoying her attention.
They only lasted a few minutes in that position, and then suddenly Oskar was turning her, pressing her flat on her back, and entering her. Both of them were panting and breathless, but he pushed her on, riding her hard, insistent on her climax. Bands of sternschnuppen began to dance around the room, giggling and singing and bursting into flashes of light. The pleasure started in her toes and worked its way up the length of her body, building in intensity until the crescendo hit her full force and she screamed in wonder.
Every part of her felt alive, on fire, ecstatic to have this man deep inside of her. And then he was shouting his own release, filling her up. His mouth came down on hers and he kissed her passionately until he was completely spent.
He shuddered once and blinked down at her, his eyes looking drowsy and satisfied. "I've been searching for you, and I didn't even realize it." He whispered the words and turned her gently onto her side.
And I've been searching for you. A green-haired punk snowboarder with a heart of gold. The son of Santa Claus.
The man of my dreams.
"Why are you crying, sweetheart?" Oskar stroked the side of her face with his rough fingertips.
"I am?" She reached up and felt her wet cheeks. "Oh, I guess I am. Sorry."
"Are you sad?" he asked.
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"No. This is so wonderful, in every way. I love...having you inside of me, making love to me...." She hesitated and gazed up into his face.
Tell him, Kiana. Don't be afraid.
"I love you, Oskar. I'm not sure how it happened so fast, but it did." Kiana held her breath, awaiting his response. Her heart thundered as the seconds ticked by, and then Oskar rewarded her with a huge smile.
"I love you, too, Kiana. I didn't expect this. I've never felt this way before, not with anyone." He touched his lips to hers, gentle and soft this time. "Falling in love with you has been an amazing surprise." He swallowed nervously. "I want a future together. Somehow. I know I don't have a lot to offer you..."
She leaned up on one elbow, perplexed. "What do you mean you don't have a lot to offer? I don't understand."
Oskar reached for her and pulled her tightly into his arms.
"I'm the freakin' Director of Elfin Resources at the North Pole.
Not exactly a glam job for the ages, is it?"
She shook her head in disbelief. "Are you nuts? I don't care if you don't have a 'glam job.' The elves respect you, Oskar....they need you, they depend on you. And so does your father, your whole family. I don't think you have any idea how important you are to this place." She paused and feathered her thumb across his cheek. "You are fearless, and loyal, and full of integrity. You're the man of my dreams," she whispered.
Oskar frowned. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. You really believe all that stuff?"
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She nodded. "Absolutely."
"And you want a future with me? Can you imagine living here? I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen over the next year. The Uberholen is coming up, and one of us will be taking over for my Dad. It could be me, I guess. How do you feel about that?"
She trailed her fingers along his chin. "I don't care if you're the HR guy, or Santa, or just a snowboard bum. I want to be with you."
Oskar still appeared doubtful. "What about giving up your life in Manhattan?"
"I have a secret to tell you." She lifted a brow at his questioning look. "I hate Manhattan. I hate the noise, the pollution, the constant, never-ending stimulation. I would love to live here and enjoy the peace and quiet and tranquility of these beautiful evergreen forests."
"Sometimes the elves get rambunctious. Then it's not so peaceful."
"No problem. I can take it." She smiled at him.
"I was thinking that when we rebuild the Rec Center, we could add a really killer library." He wagged his brows at her.
"We'd need a rockin' librarian to run the place."
Kiana tried to hide her grin. "Hmm. That sounds interesting."
"Also, I think Gabi wants to stay...and Mr. Frosty, too."
She blinked her eyes and nodded. The thought of Gabi leaving to live with another family filled her with sadness. The three of them together felt right. "We already feel like a 279
family, don't we? Gabi is wonderful, full of life and spirit. I think it's a wonderful idea, Oskar."
His eyes filled with tears. "Hell...I can't believe this is happening."
"You're crying, too, Bad Boy."
"I am? Yeah, I guess I am."
The sternschnuppen rolled down his face with the tears, making a sad sigh. Then, they giggled and slid down his nose like a slide, flying off into the room.
Kiana grinned. "Um, are those fireflies making fun of you?"
Oskar laughed. "Yep. That's affirmative."
She kissed the tip of his nose. "I like rolling around on the floor with you. Wanna do it again?"
Oskar shot her a wicked smile. "It would be my pleasure, Moon Goddess."
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