The song ended, the last tones ringing out. Lottie wished she’d recorded it so she could play it again and again, decipher the lyrics, and learn them. She wanted her babies to grow up with both her and their father’s heritage, and lullabies were the first step toward that goal. She couldn’t sing Norwegian songs to them and wondered whether Eiric would, from now on, fill that void.
He turned then, as though he’d finally become aware of her presence. His eyes shone bright, and for a moment they seemed to glow as though lit from within. Then he blinked, shuttering his expression, and the light disappeared. It must have been a reflection from the sun in his golden eyes.
“Hi,” she said, suddenly awkward. “I didn’t want to disturb you. That was a beautiful song.”
Eiric inclined his head. “It’s something my mother used to sing to us. Magnus always hated singing, but Mikkel had a great voice, did you know that?”
Lottie shrugged, though her throat closed up. “I didn’t know him, Eiric. I wish I did.”
There were so many things she wished she’d done differently, though she didn’t regret having her babies. Never that. But if she’d taken the time to get to know Mikkel before she’d jumped into bed with him, she might have known he was a troubled man. She might have been able to help him—and he might not have driven his car off a cliff.
It’s not your fault.
The reasonable part of her knew she had nothing to do with Mikkel’s accident. But her babies were left without a father, and Eiric had lost his brother. She didn’t know how strongly that had impacted him, because he wouldn’ttalkto her about it, but there were moments when he seemed to stare at Aksel and Elise as though he was trying to find his brother in them.
Eiric studied her, his intense gaze burning into her, baring her soul. Heat rushed into her cheeks at his attention—it had been a while since a man assessed her with such frank interest. She didn’t look away, and the tension between them built, delicious and hot.
Then Aksel patted Eiric’s ear with a saliva-covered hand, and the man cringed slightly at the contact. The intensity of the moment released, and Lottie swooped in to take her son from him. Eiric readjusted Elise in his arms, lowering his head to smell her pale white hair. Lottie, still raw from the earlier thoughts, did the same. Her son’s sun-warmed body pressed against her, and she squeezed him, grateful.
Eiric lifted his gaze to her. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Okay.”
She thought he meant right then—they were alone on the beach, the nearest house several hundred meters from them. Only the babies would overhear them, and they were much too young to understand anything yet.
But he shook his head. “Not now. Can Mrs. Enstad watch them tonight?”
Lottie fought down a furious blush. “Um, sure?”
Stop it. He’s not asking you on a date. No, he clearly had something other in mind.
“Good.”
He strode away from her without another word, and the conversation was finished as though it had never happened. But Lottie stared after him, chewing on her lip. Maybe she would finally find out what made this man tick. She had no idea why he couldn’t tell her now, but if he was ready to open up to her, she would be there for him.
Five
Eiric
“Ow.”
Eiric turned back to where Lottie was following him down the path to the shore. It was nearly dark, so she was wearing the headlamp he’d brought her—he didn’t need one, not that she’d noticed yet—but she was still stumbling over the craggy rocks.
Humans weren’t made for the harsh Norwegian climate, and it never ceased to amaze him that they’d succeeded in colonizing these shores. Where once gods and mythological creatures ruled, the kingdom of men now spread its tendrils. There weren’t many places left on Earth where sea dragons could roam freely, especially since they also had to hide themselves from the witch covens.
But this particular human seemed determined to tough it out here, as if persisting in a difficult situation was a point of pride for her. No, that wasn’t entirely fair. Lottie, for all her American optimism, didn’t have any delusions about this country, and her decision to stay here was born out of her love for the land. Eiric respected that, even more so because she could have escaped with his niece and nephew, returning to the States before he ever heard of them.
And wouldn’t that be a massive catastrophe.
This was why they were now making their way to the most secluded cove in the vicinity of Brundal. He needed to show her what he was and warn her of what her babies would become the moment their soft, rounded little limbs made contact with sea water.
“Here,” he said, offering her his hand.
Lottie grasped it, and her fingers closed around his. Eiric fought down the urge to pick her up and carry her in a fireman’s hold—it would have been faster, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate being carted around like a sack of potatoes.
“Where are we going?” she asked for the fourth time that evening.
Eiric lifted his chin in the direction of the beach. “Just down those rocks. There’s a little beach at the bottom.”
