Under Northern Lights (The Six Series Book 6)

by Sonya Loveday

  “And who is Eli?” Noni asked, catching sight of him as he came to stand beside me.

  He didn’t miss a beat. “I’m a friend of Nova’s. It’s nice to meet you.”

  I wanted to run out the door screaming.

  I wanted to shake Noni until her memory came back.

  I wanted to curl into a ball and cry.

  But most of all, I just wanted my Noni back.

  “How about some lunch?” Stanley said, putting his hand on my shoulder and guiding me into the kitchen.

  I pulled out the closest chair, landing in it with a dull thud.

  Eli’s hands settled on my shoulders, thumbs digging into the knots that never seemed to go away as he and Stanley kept a running conversation, touching on lighter subjects that buzzed through the air around me. And while they chatted away, I collected my thoughts and cleared my mind. Getting upset over things I had no power to change only made the situation more unbearable. All I could do was be there for Noni, even if there came a time when she couldn’t remember me at all.

  I’d promised her a long time ago that no matter what, I’d take care of her, but damn it all if it wasn’t breaking me to witness the deterioration of her mind.

  Was it worse since we’d had to leave the house? I tried to compare how she’d been before the fire and realized that it hadn’t been. Not really. Then again, it had only been a handful of days. Her confusion was there, and she’d slipped into the past a bit, but it hadn’t lasted all that long. It led me to more questions I couldn’t answer, but Stanley could.

  “How many times would you say you’ve had to remind Noni about the fire?” I asked, interrupting whatever Eli and Stanley were talking about.

  He pursed his lips, winter blue eyes narrowing as he thought about it. “I’d say at least two or three times, but it’s only in the morning. After that she seems to settle in and go with the flow once you’re here.”

  “And is she remembering to take her medications in the morning?” I asked, reaching for the weekly pill box and then peering down inside it.

  “We’re still working on a morning routine, but for now I remind her when she sits down at the table with her coffee,” Stanley said, setting a thick sandwich in front of me.

  That reminded me. “Who’s taking care of the cafe?”

  “It’s being handled,” he answered over his shoulder as he gathered the sandwich ingredients and gestured for Eli to open the refrigerator.

  “But—”

  “How’s the sandwich?” he asked.

  “Don’t try to throw me off topic. I live with Noni. I know how to stick to a subject, repetitively, too, I might add.”

  Stanley laughed. “There’s no doubt about that, Nova. Most days you act just like she did at your age.”

  I bit into the sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and all the while gave him a look that said we weren’t done talking about how Noni living with him had affected not only his life, but his business.

  He met me stare for stare and then shrugged. “If it came down to being at the cafe, or taking care of Noni, I’d close it down and stay here with her.”

  “But you can’t do that!” That was his only income. Not to mention that he loved that cafe.

  A look of surprise rolled over his face. “And why not? Aren’t you doing the same thing? Giving up everything, including your own happiness, in order to take care of her?”

  I sputtered. “I haven’t given up anything. Besides, she’s my grandmother. She’s my responsibility.”

  He gave me a look that rattled me to the core. “Nova, you’re more responsible than any person I know. Who would give up their career to come back to Nome for an ailing relative?”

  It felt like I was being chastised and placated at the same time. “I didn’t give up a career. I was a pair of hands and nothing more.”

  He snorted.

  Eli snorted right along with him.

  For a split second, I wondered what sound they’d make if I smacked their heads together.

  “My point is, if I want to give up the café, that’s my decision. But just so you know, I haven’t. Someone else is running it for me, like I should have done years ago. I didn’t then because there wasn’t anything else to fill my days. Now, as for you…”

  “I feel like I’ve been scolded and sent to my room without dinner,” I told Eli as we hung our jackets up.

  “He cares about you. Both of you, come to that,” Eli said, bending down to pull my boots off while I kept one hand on the wall to stay upright.

  “I know, but it’s weird. Not in a creepy way, though. I just mean that ever since I came back home, it’s been Noni and me. We saw Stanley long enough to eat at the cafe and chat, and then we were back home. And now…” I lifted my other foot when he took hold of my boot before continuing, “Noni’s living at his house. I’m living here. Everything’s changing.”

  When he stood, it hit me. “You just took off my boots for me.”

  He toed off his own, smirking. “And now I’m taking off mine. He did have a good idea, though.”

  “And what’s that?” I asked.

  “I’ve never seen the northern lights. Seems a shame not to be able to take in that phenomenon with the most beautiful girl in Alaska.” His hand cupped the back of my neck, then he leaned in and kissed my forehead as I blushed furiously.

  “Are you asking me on a date?”

  “Me? I thought you’d have some ideas. I was just throwing it out there,” he said, sidestepping when I went to punch him in the arm.

  “Kidding, Nova. Just kidding,” he said, catching my hands in his.

  Chapter 11

  Eli

  “Wow.” It was all I could think to say when Nova took her hands away from my eyes.

  She came up beside me, beaming with pride. Her chest was poked out like a strutting peacock on full parade. “Not bad, huh?”

  “How did you…?”

  “Friends in high place, Benton. And since you’ve never witnessed the aurora borealis before, I figured we’d make it an experience you won’t soon forget,” she said, putting her arm through mine and leading me over to the yurt.

  It was made for two people. Big enough to hold a platform bed, rustic-looking shelves, and a wood chest that turned out to be a cooler stocked with food and drinks. Windows were set on either side of the door facing the open expanse of the sky. Whoever had set the yurt up knew what they were doing. The location couldn’t have been more perfect.

  “Is that a bear skin?” I asked, ruffling my fingers against the rough texture of the blanket covering the bed.

  Nova wandered around the room lighting a few candles set in colorful jars, deep enough that if they were knocked over, the candle would go out before the flame could catch the place on fire. She looked over her shoulder and glanced at the bed. “Don’t know. Smell it.”

  “Smell it?”

  “I hope there are other blankets under that one,” she said, crossing the room and running her hand with briskness over the fur. “Real.”

  “How do you know that? You didn’t smell it,” I said.

  “Native. I know these things,” she answered, flipping back the fur and sighing with something like relief as she said, “Sheets. That’s good. The fur will keep us warm, but it’s itchy.

  “So, Native Nova, what time does the light show start?” I asked, winking at her when she flicked an irritated look at me.

  “Soon. There’s a box in the back of the truck; can you go get it?” she asked.

  I brought it in, setting it on the small table just on the other side of the window opposite the bed. Nova walked over with a folded blanket in her arms, handed it off to me, and flipped the box lid open.

  “Is that a .357?” I asked, peering over her shoulder.

  “Yeah, it’s Noni’s,” she answered, stowing the gun into its holster after checking to make sure it was loaded and the safety was on.

  “I guess that covers us, somewhat, for protection,” I said, wishing for a rifle
instead.

  Nova giggled.

  “What?” I asked.

  She blushed.

  “Oh… Oh!” I hadn’t thought about it at all. Not even once. And me, a doctor, too. Although in my defense, my particular set of medical skills ran more toward patching a person up in the field, followed up by surgery if needed.

  I’d allowed myself to be reckless with Nova, and with myself as well. I was sure all my thoughts were broadcasted on my face, because I wasn’t trying to hide the varying emotions kicking me in the gut.

  She nudged me. “I’ve got us covered, Eli.” She tossed me a pair of earmuffs, not the kind used at a range, but a pair covered in the softest fur.

  “Nova, that’s not—”

  “I know,” she interrupted. “I have us covered on that, too.”

  I almost sank to the ground in relief. “I’m glad one of us was thinking clearly. But you do know that nothing is ever one hundred percent, right?”

  She smirked. “Very observant of you, Doctor, which is why I picked up these.”

  The box hit my chest with a thud and landed between us. Nova hadn’t been kidding when she said she had us covered. “Well, in that case.”

  I reached for her but she danced away, putting her finger up in the air between us, wagging it. “Northern lights, remember?”

  I plucked the box up and stuffed it inside the pocket of my jacket. We hadn’t taken a single layer off with there being no heat in the yurt. “Are we staying here all night?” I asked, wondering if one bear skin would be enough to keep us from turning into solid blocks of ice come morning.

  “That’s the plan,” she answered, turning back to the box and unloading two mugs, a Ziploc bag filled with packets of sugar, and a small can of coffee.

  “I like that plan. It’s a good plan. Is there any heat involved with this plan?” I asked, walking around one side of the circle, looking for something that resembled a thermostat.

  “You’re in the wrong part of the country if you can’t handle a little bit of cold,” she said, following it up with a snort.

  The wind chose that moment to pick up. The windows rattled, and the door whistled along the cracks. Nova shuddered in response.

  “You were saying?”

  She moved along the other side of the yurt and opened a small cabinet, grabbed a key from inside it, then tossed it at me. “Generator’s outside.”

  I’d broken into a sweat by the time I got the generator running. It chugged away, converting fuel into electricity and, with luck, into blissful heat inside the yurt.

  The small shed it was tucked away in was insulated, but vented to allow fresh air in. When I closed and latched the door behind me, I could hear it, but once I moved closer to the yurt, the sound was no more than a distant hum carried away on the wind.

  “Ready?” Nova said, handing me the quilt and then pulling the straps of a backpack over her shoulder.

  She led us to an even patch of ground not too far from the yurt and set the book bag down. “We should have a really awesome view from right here.”

  It was funny how fast night came on, yet it was never really possible to say, as it was happening, when the precise moment was that night came. It was as if all at once the light was gone and the stars got turned on like mini flashlights in the sky.

  Alaska’s sky was unlike anything I’d ever put eyes to before. The stars… my God, the stars. There were billions of them spread out like glitter on a black canvas.

  Nova pulled the bag over to her lap and dug something out of it. I had no idea what and didn’t really care because I couldn’t stop looking above our heads.

  And then the magic happened.

  A green ribbon twisted in the sky, followed by another and then another… and so on. They danced and swirled, leapt and waved, in the atmosphere conducted by the invisible magnetic field of the North Pole.

  Forgoing cups, Nova and I drank straight from the thermos. Spiced cider bloomed against my taste buds. The rum added a kick that tricked us into feeling warm even though it stole our body heat like a thief. I didn’t care. I didn’t even care if the two of us froze to the ground and had to stay there until spring thawed us out. That was how eerily beautiful it was to sit under the northern lights and just be.

  Nova sighed, her head bumping into my shoulder as her back settled against my chest. The air grew colder, but I wasn’t ready to leave such a magical spot.

  “My backside is numb,” Nova said, wiggling as she sought to relieve the pressure.

  “Five more minutes,” I said, lifting her up and setting her on my lap.

  We stayed there until the ribbons flickered in and out, and then they were gone.

  We got up equally groaning and taking turns between rubbing our backs and backsides.

  “Will it be back tonight?” I asked, rolling the blanket up into a ball and hugging it against my side.

  “Maybe. It lasted a long time. You got quite the show,” she said, settling the backpack on her shoulder.

  Between the spiked cider and the euphoria of watching such a phenomenon, I had a hard time walking without stumbling. Nova laughed at me, and then at herself when she realized she wasn’t walking all that straight either.

  By the time we made it inside the yurt, we were laughing at nothing at all. It felt good to let go and allow the moment to liberate us like we were as free as the dancing lights in the sky. There were no worries, no responsibilities. Just me and the night and the feeling of letting it all go.

  Warm air rushed out, smacking us in the face when Nova opened the door. The chill of my skin prickled against it, stinging.

  There was a solid sound of wood falling into place. When I turned, I found Nova shucking out of her clothes. “Door is barred. Heats on. And I’m roasting.”

  “Want me to turn the heat down?”

  “No, we’ll adjust to it in a few minutes,” Nova answered, blowing out the candles she’d lit earlier.

  I blinked against the darkness, and then closed my eyes for a moment before opening them. It helped my vision adjust in time to see Nova crawl along the bed, giving me a glimpse of the rounded curve of her backside.

  Holding Nova was like having my very own star in my hands. She burned for me. She illuminated something deep inside my soul that connected with something that didn’t have a name.

  Nova’s finger traced a pattern of swirls on the center of my chest. Her head was tucked neatly into my shoulder. “Do you think anyone would miss us if we just decided to stay here for the rest of our lives?”

  “More than likely, but I’m game to try and see how long we can hide out before they find us,” I said, feeling my body sink further into the mattress.

  “Mmm.” Her back arched as I ran my hand up her spine, pressing lightly with the tips of my fingers.

  My mission had to be the weirdest mission in the history of Cole Enterprise. Then again, I was a medic and not an agent. There were no high stakes, nor a particular bad guy keeping me on alert and ready to take action at any moment. I was glad for that. Being a super hero had never really been my thing. Helping people had, which was why I’d chosen to volunteer for the Red Cross. The rest had fallen in my lap without warning. And once it was there, I couldn’t go back. I’d been cool with it, and settled into my new life without any fuss. Leaving Nova without so much as a goodbye had bothered me. But I hadn’t had much time to think about it when Ace appeared in Haiti and Jared was kidnapped.

  It was like the snowball effect. One mission blended into another and another until there was no beginning or end. I was committed to the cause. My career had engulfed me, taking up all of my time as I stuffed my brain with so much knowledge that some days I wondered if I should wrap it just to keep everything in. And then there were moments when it felt as though the information had been dumped into my head.

  I trained with the med staff in Chicago most days, except for once a month when I was evaluated by Cole himself. He’d hook me up to a series of monitors and settle me into a
chair that resembled one in a dentist’s office. When he was done, I had round circles on each temple, three across my forehead, one just behind my ear, and a solitary one over my heart.

  I often wondered when I thought back on my training if Cole had the actual knowledge, or the capability, to integrate information into a human brain the same way it could be done with a computer.

  “I wish I could take the job you came here to offer me,” Nova said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  “You have the rest of your life to say yes. Cole Enterprise isn’t going anywhere,” I said, wanting to recall the words back.

  “Noni’s never going to get better. I dread each time her memory slips. It scares me to think that one day it’ll just go and never come back,” she admitted.

  “What will you do if that happens?” I asked.

  “Cry. And then once I get that out of my system, I’ll put my big-girl panties on and do the best I can to keep her comfortable,” she answered, snuggling closer.

  “Is that something you think you can handle on your own?” I asked, hoping she’d reach out for help when that time came. No one could take on that sort of responsibility on their own. In most cases, the patient was given medication to keep them calm. When it got to that point, it was only a matter of time before their bodies gave out. A blessing in disguise was the way I looked at it.

  “I have to. I promised her,” Nova answered, sighing as if her heart would break.

  “No one would blame you if you sought out help,” I said, feeling her jerk as if she’d been slapped.

  “I would. I keep my promises. Most people don’t, or maybe they can’t, but I’m not one of them. My own mother hasn’t called Noni to see how she is. Never once has she checked to see if I’m doing okay, or to ask me if I need any help. I refuse to be that kind of person. So long as she needs me, I’ll be there for her,” she said, putting all her will into words.

  “You’re a good person, Nova. Probably one of the best people I’ve had the privilege of knowing,” I said, kissing the top of her head.