Midnight Eclipse (Paranormal Viking Romance, Completed)

Chapter 1: Beartooth

Greenland, present day

I should find a comfortable bed to sleep in and a hot meal to eat. I should do all the things reasonable people do when they travel to a place they've never been before. But instead, I walk along the shoreline--weighed down by my heavy backpack and with airplane smell still wafting off my hair--to admire the breathtaking beauty of the northern fjords. Rugged gray cliffs poke out of the deep blue sea, which seems to stretch on forever. Above it stands high peaks where snow still lingers, even in the height of summer.

I suppose I've passed the threshold of what reasonable people do anyway. Reasonable people don't book a spontaneous trip to Greenland, telling not a soul where she went. But I, Saga Lindgren, have not only booked such a trip, but I have also actually gone through with it. I am on fucking Greenland. My boss was told I had a family emergency and my family was told I'm traveling for work. Luckily, my parents are unlikely to call my workplace to enquire about my whereabouts or vice versa.

For two weeks, the fjords and glaciers of this northern shore will cool my aching heart. After everything that went down during the last few weeks, it's sorely needed.

The ring Stefan gave me still wraps around my finger. I haven't had the heart to take it off. Not yet.

I don't know exactly how I ended up going to Greenland, of all places. When looking at the list of possible destinations, it just felt right. My broken heart won't heal in heat on a sandy beach, but rather on a frozen shore where the air is easy and clear to breathe. It was as if the island called for me, and I called for it. My fingers booked the ticker without my brain even being involved in the decision. I boarded a plane for Nuuk the next day (well, there was a layover in Copenhagen on the way).

After climbing atop a particularly steep cliff, I pull off my backpack and use it as a stool while I wipe sweat off my brow and rest my weary legs. Looking out over the bay, I feel at home. It all looks so familiar somehow like I was always meant to be here one day.

Colorful houses dot the shoreline. They look like Lego blocks from where I sit.

I look at my watch, realizing it's probably late. It was a long flight after all. The figures on my wristband show 22.02. It's hard to keep track of time when the sun never sets. Because above the arctic landscape hangs a bloodred sun, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings throughout the night. The sun won't set on this summer night, nor will it for the duration of my stay. Greenland will be forever illuminated in my mind.

The depth and vibrance of this place is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like what the salesmen claim the newest screen technology to look like. There are hues of colors I swear my eyes have never laid eyes on before. It's like ASMR in real life. The whole place wraps around me like a weighted blanket and calms my restless body and mind.

It's not what I imagined. It's more. Whoever said Greenland isn't green lied. The Vikings knew what they were talking about when first stepping foot on these shores. Because right now, this island is sparkling in every color of the rainbow. It's like stepping into a kaleidoscope. After trudging on the gray city streets of Stockholm for most of my life, this is what my senses need.

Sitting on that cliff, I feel ready. I touch the golden ring on my finger and start to slide it off. The flight has made my fingers swollen so it takes some finagling but soon, the jewelry is removed. A sense of relief spreads throughout my body as if the blood couldn't flow freely with the metal ring blocking its trajectory.

I look at the ring for a moment, wondering what to do with it. Should I keep it? My brain says yes, reasoning that I could at least get some money for it. But my heart says no, screaming that leaving the object at a pawn shop would do nothing to mend its bruise state.