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It was not a good introduction, but there was no time for the perfect words. So in the light of it all, awkward and a little corny seemed just right. “Funny story…” Saga forced a smile. “You were right, sort of.”

Viggo squinted at her through his goggles, and he raised a hand to try to push them up and get a better look at her. She’d seen photographs, but something about seeing his face in person made her realize how much her features reflected his. His eyes widened, and he struggled to find the words, settling on a simple: “You can’t be.”

She didn’t expect it to hit her so suddenly. Her breath caught in a sob that forced its way out. “Hi, Daddy.”

“How—”

“It’s a long story, but I suppose reminding you that you married into a family of witches is enough to explain it?”

Enough to explain and enough to cause concern. He struggled to sit up, but his body lacked the strength.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Saga pleaded, dropping down beside him.

“Saga, you can’t be here. You have to go. You don’t understand what they’ll do to you if they find out you did this, honey. I know you want to help, but I’m okay, really. I don’t think you’ll be able to do anything for me at this point.”

She could almost feel the biting cold as her eyes welled with tears. “I know. That’s not why I’m here.” She sat back.

“You’ll freeze if you stay.”

“I won’t. Trust me. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.” Saga carefully took his gloved hand. Could he even feel her? “Now stop fighting me on this, because we don’t have a lot of time left, and I don’t want to waste it on an argument.”

Viggo’s face relaxed. There were ice crystals in his beard. They were beautiful in a way. He was beautiful. “I see. How long do I have?”

“Maybe an hour?” Saga breathed an almost manic laugh, but it wasn’t funny. Her heart was so overwhelmed with emotion, it was taking any avenue it could to release it.

He didn’t look frightened by this knowledge. If anything, he relaxed into it. He seemed to find comfort in that finality. It was out of his hands. There was nothing more he could do but wait, and it wouldn’t be much longer.

“I just wanted to be here so you wouldn’t have to be alone. We don’t even have to talk if it’s too hard, I just…”

He pressed a gloved hand to her cheek. “How old are you now?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Gods… It feels like you were six only yesterday.”

“Dad,” Saga half laughed, half groaned.

“I’m just saying, I knew kids grew up fast, but still.” He smiled and took her hand weakly in his. “Catch me up then, kid. What are you doing at twenty-seven?”

“Well, I was studying to be a doctor like you, but then my life sort of—we don’t have to talk about this.”

“If I’m in the last hour of my time here, I want to hear about my little girl’s life. You can’t let something stupid like embarrassment and modesty prevent you from giving me that, can you? I’m on my deathbed…bank. Deathbank. Deathsnowbank.”

It choked another laugh out of Saga, but she found herself crying through it. “I’m kind of a mess right now, Dad.”

“That’s okay.” Viggo smiled and gestured to himself. “Me too.”

“No, I mean… Three months ago I was left at the altar, and I dropped out of school. I was working at Hudson’s, and now I’ve been working with this detective as a consultant for special cases for the Winter Council.” A sob forced her to stop and take a breath, which relaxed the tension in her throat. “I just wanted to make you and Mom proud, and I’m just fucking it all up.”

“Hey, no, no you’re not.” He weakly gave her hand a squeeze. “Whoever that idiot was, he didn’t deserve you.” He tried to give her hand another squeeze, but he didn’t have a lot of strength. “I’m sure your mother is extremely proud of you, no matter what stage you’re at in life. You know how she…” Saga’s expression must have given her away, because Viggo’s breathing quickened. “What’s happened to Audrey?”

She hadn’t anticipated having to tell him this. It was one thing to say goodbye to her dying father; it was another to tell him what happened to the love he’d left behind. “When she finds out what happens to you, she tries to save you by opening a time rift illegally.”

“Of course she does.” His voice was knowing and frustrated and yet so full of love. “She always was stubborn…”

“She got caught and um…they sundered her magic.”

He looked at her. “But if that happened when you were six… Do you even remember her?”