9. Ivy

9

ivy

14 days until christmas

W armth surrounded me from all sides, and it felt like I was on a cloud. The most luxurious bed I’d ever slept in. The scent of pine trees surrounded me, and I let out a dreamy sigh. It smelled delicious, and I buried my face in the pillow, inhaling deeply.

My eyes flew open. “What the fuck ?” I didn’t have sheets this nice.

What had happened? I rubbed my forehead. The last thing I remembered was…

Being in the car on the way to the airport with Teddy.

Teddy. Shit . I sat up straight in the bed, taking in my surroundings for the first time. This wasn’t my room. The exposed wood on the wall was definitely a dead giveaway of that. It looked like some sort of wood cabin, rustic yet… cozy. There was a fireplace with an actual fire burning, and when I looked out the window, the world was covered in a blanket of white—double shit.

“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” I muttered, rubbing at the back of my head. Where was I? Had he kidnapped me and taken me to a cabin in the middle of nowhere? I couldn’t have slept through the entire airport and flight, right?

I regretted making that joke before.

“Oh, good. You’re awake.” Teddy entered the room, carrying a tray with a pot of what smelled like chocolate and…

“ Cookies ?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you didn’t kidnap me? Where are we?”

He did his best to look sheepish. “They’re my mom’s recipe. And we’re at my house.”

“Which is where , exactly? And how did we get here? I fell asleep, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up here.”

Teddy didn’t answer my stream of questions, instead looking out the window. “What do you know about the North Pole, Ivy?” he asked, changing the topic completely.

I frowned. “Like… The one in the Arctic Ocean or the fictional one where Santa is supposed to live?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Fictional? Who said anything about fictional?”

“Come on. You can’t tell me you still believe in all of that stuff. You’re what, twenty…?” I trailed off, realizing I probably should have asked that sooner.

“Twenty-seven.”

Which meant he was only two years older than me. “You can’t seriously tell me you still believe in Santa?”

I’d learned the hard way that he wasn’t real. Running down the stairs on Christmas morning, only to find there wasn’t a single gift for me under the tree… I’d tried to convince myself it was because Santa didn’t have my new address since I’d just moved into a new foster home, but later I found out the truth.

“I need to tell you something, but I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”

He’d said something of the sort earlier when I asked him how he knew me. “Okay…?” I gave him a hesitant nod, urging him to tell me.

“We’re in the North Pole, Ivy.”

I blinked. “No.”

“Yes. The North Pole is real. And I know because I’m from here. My full name is Theodore Nicholas Claus. Not Clausen.”

“No.” I stood up, my face dropping. This wasn’t funny. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m serious.”

Did he think that was going to make me believe him? I looked around for hidden cameras. “Is this some sort of elaborate punk? Am I on a game show?”

“No one put me up to this,” he said with a sigh. “It’s the truth. I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” Teddy cursed under his breath. “But I’m serious, Ivy,” he repeated. “And I know I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how to tell you. Everything I’ve told you is true. I asked you to come home with me for Christmas because I like spending time with you. And I wanted to explore whatever was between us. But coming here confirmed things.”

“Like what?”

“Like, that you belong here, in the North Pole. Your mother was an elf, Ivy.”

“I’m sorry. What ?” I blinked at him. This day just kept getting weirder. Maybe this was all a dream, and I’d wake up still in Teddy’s truck. “That’s not possible. Elves aren’t real. My mother was a human. I’m a human.”

“Are you?” He raised an eyebrow.

I glared at him. “Yes. Besides, even if you were right…” I ignored the way his eyes glinted, continuing my statement. “Th ere’s no way I can be an elf.” I pointed at my ears. “I’m human .”

That damn eyebrow stayed perched on his forehead. Like he was seeing something I wasn’t. “Sure, you appeared human. But haven’t you ever wondered why you’re so short?”

“Hey!” I glared at him. It was one thing that he was talking nonsense, but now he had to insult my height, too? “I’m a perfectly respectable height, thank you very much.” Irritation was rolling off of me in waves.

Man, why did the pretty ones always have to be crazy?

He snorted. “You’re practically fun-sized.”

“Don’t make me sound like the consolation prize kids get on Halloween when they’re hoping for a full-sized candy bar.” I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring up at him.

“What?”

“No one ever wants the fun-sized candies. It’s a well-known fact.”

“That’s—” Theodore rolled his eyes. “That’s not the point. Why won’t you believe that I’m telling the truth? Your mom came from the North Pole. She left and met your father, and they fell in love. But she never returned.”

Because she’d had me, and then she’d passed away a few years later.

I fidgeted with the necklace pendant around my neck. “Because the North Pole isn’t real, Teddy, and neither is Santa Claus,” I said, the last part in a hushed tone because it still felt wrong even if I didn’t believe anymore. “And I’m thinking you’re a little delusional. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”

“I’m not the delusional one, Ivy.”

His gaze flicked to my ears. I covered them with my hands and then shrieked. “What. The. Hell.”

Huffing, I threw back the sheets. Stomping through the room, I threw open a door, hoping it would be the bathroom. Instead, I was bombarded by the scent of pine trees and snow. A closet of flannel, plaid, and cable knit sweaters stared back at me.

Oh, God. This was his bedroom. The scent on his sheets that I’d thought was so heavenly was him . Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I avoided his gaze.

“Um. Where’s your bathroom?” I asked, slamming the closet closed.The thud radiated through the room.

He chuckled behind me. “Next door on your left.”

“Great. If you’ll excuse me?” I slipped past him, opening the bathroom door, and then closed myself inside quickly.

I turned the faucet on, the cool water running over my fingers before I splashed some over my face. Maybe I just needed to wake up and realize this was all some sort of strange dream, and I?—

Looking into the mirror, I let out a scream. I was feeling more and more out of my element, and I didn’t know what was going on here, but it was clear who to blame.

Throwing the door back open, I found Teddy standing right outside like he’d been waiting for me.

“What the fuck did you do to me?” I demanded, pointing at my ears, which were now longer and slightly… pointed.

“Woah there, Poison Ivy.” He leaned against the door frame, an amused expression on his face, with his arms crossed over his chest. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Then how do you explain these?” I pointed at my ears. The ears that looked a suspicious lot like elf ears. I’d seen the Santa Clause movies. A sick feeling spread through my stomach. “They didn’t look like this before.” My last words were barely a whisper. I didn’t want to hear his explanation. I didn’t want to accept that any part of him was telling the truth. They weren’t silicone or liquid latex and certainly didn’t come off when I tugged on them. When my fingers ran over the tips, I could feel it, the sensation making me shudder.

Which meant… They were real.

He blinked like he was waiting for me to catch up to something he already knew.

Your mother was an elf, Ivy. The words sank in, and I froze. “This can’t be happening.”

“I told you, you’re half elf.”

Crossing my arms, I glared at him. “Still, how ?” Even if I was half elf, that didn’t explain how I hadn’t looked like this my whole life. “This isn’t me . I don’t…”

He sighed, moving over and leaning on the bathroom counter beside me. “There’s a magic barrier around the North Pole. When we crossed it…” He gestured to my ears, and my rosier-than-usual cheeks. “The human world doesn’t understand. It’s why Santa Claus has become nothing more than a legend. There’s a magic that protects us here from detection, and it’s the same magic that made you look human.”

“So, if I leave, I’ll go back to normal?” I asked, sucking in a breath. I could leave, right?

He chuckled, the sound rough. “Yes. But I’m afraid that this is your normal, Ivy. This is who you were always meant to be.”

Frowning, I touched the point of my ears once again. Who I was meant to be? I never knew who that was. Maybe some part of me wanted to find out.

“How’d we get here, anyway? We couldn’t have come on a plane…” I trailed off.

“Would you believe me if I said magic?” Teddy looked hopeful. “And a reindeer?” I gave him a glare that I hoped properly expressed that I thought he was full of shit. He held up his hands. “I’ll take that as a no.”

One glimpse out the window confirmed we were indeed somewhere snowy. I refused to believe it was the North Pole though. Rubbing the back of my head, I refocused on him. “How long was I asleep?”

“A day. Most of that was spent flying, though.” Yep, I was going to pretend he meant on an airplane, even though there was absolutely no way he could have gotten me through an airport unconscious. Private jet, maybe?

Santa wasn’t real. I wasn’t an elf. I didn’t have pointy elf ears.

“You need to take me home. Right now.”

“I can’t do that, Ivy. Besides, what happened to spending Christmas with me?”

“Of course you can. You’re the one who brought me here.” I furrowed my brows. “Are you dense?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s kinda the busy season around here. Can’t afford another trip away.”

“Fine. I’ll find a way home myself.” I moved to the empty doorway. “Where are we? Somewhere in Canada? Or maybe Montana? How did you get me on a plane while I was asleep?”

“I told you. We’re in the North Pole.”

I rolled my eyes. “And like I said, you’re crazy . I know I work at a Christmas themed amusement park, but this is taking it a little too far.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

How was I going to get out of here? It wasn’t like I had any weapons on me. I didn’t even have my phone on me. What were the odds I could get away and find the police, explain to them what happened, and have them bring me home?

If there was snow outside, we were somewhere in the North. Considering he said I’d only been out a day, we must still be in the United States, right? Or maybe somewhere in Canada, though that didn’t seem likely even if he’d put me in a car and driven straight through.

“Come on. Just sit down, have a cookie, and let’s talk things through.” As I moved into the living room, the plate was in his hands again.

“Fine.” I sat on the edge of the couch, folding my legs underneath me. I tried not to think about who his mom was if he was telling the truth. Picking up a cookie, I took a bite.

Dammit, it was delicious. And a distraction I didn’t need. His little cabin was cozy—far cozier than I wanted to admit, but something had only just occurred to me. I narrowed my eyes. “Teddy.”

“Mhm?”

“Where did you sleep last night?”

He did his best to look sheepish. “On the couch. There’s only one bedroom here, you know.”

Oh. God. There was only one bed? I groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” What sort of Hallmark movie did I wake up in the middle of?

Teddy shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s a comfy couch. You can have the bed.”

“No way. I can’t do that. This is your house. And it’s your bed.”

A smirk crossed his face. “So, do you want to share the bed, then?”

I did everything I could to keep from stomping my foot, knowing my cheeks were redder than ever. “No! I just—” I rubbed at my temples. “I should take the couch. It’s your bed.”

He frowned. “No. You’ll take the bed, and that’s final. A gentleman wouldn’t let a lady sleep on the couch.”

“A gentleman wouldn’t have lied to me and brought me here, either.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

Chuckling, he reached over me and grabbed another cookie from the plate. “Fair enough.”

“Stop doing that,” I said, frowning.

“What?” He asked, looking entertained .

“Being all…” I waved my hand around, gesturing to his face. “ Amused . Like you think this is one big joke. This is my life , Theodore.”

His face dropped, all traces of levity gone. Like it was my calling him his full name that made him understand I was serious. “I’m sorry, Ivy.” He looked genuine when he said, “But can you just give it a chance? Let me show you around here?”

There was no reason I should have said yes to him, but maybe there was something in his eyes. Or just the look of desperation on his face. Like he really wanted me to give this a shot. Give him a shot.

It was hard not to think about the dinner we’d shared. The coffees he’d brought me, the hours he’d spent in my office. Did he have any reason to lie to me?

But maybe the scarier part was… What if he was telling the truth?

“Okay, fine.” I swallowed roughly. “Just, uh… Can I take a shower first?”

Teddy blinked as if I had surprised him by agreeing.

I was still trying to figure out how I was going to verify his claims. First things first, I needed to escape.