Heroes (Eirik Book 2) (14 page)

The air was clearer today, and Garm could see me and keep up from below. Whenever a dense mist messed with vision, we’d stay closer to the hall. The river continued to Corpse Strand, but that was one island I avoided at all costs. I’d flown closer to it once and vowed to never try it again. The bloodcurdling screams from tortured souls had stayed with me for days. Modgie’s father had just delivered more souls and the doors had been opened. He swore sounds never escaped Corpse Strand.

The land started to narrow, so I swooped low and landed. I kept a healthy distance from Garm and let him take care of his business. He left behind sizable mounds on the snow. We started back, walking along the banks while watching the snakes swim between razor-sharp rock formations springing from the bottom of the river. Rumors had it that any soul dumb enough to fall in the river received a swift second death, and there was no returning from that. I didn’t understand how a soul could die.

“Not too close, boy,” I warned the dog when he moved closer to the fast-moving river. “Those snakes will leap out of the water when you least expect it and pull you under.”

Garm wagged his tail in understanding. I kept my wings up and continued walking, following the large paw prints he had left on the snow.

“I need Celestia’s help to find Granny, which will lead me to my sister, but to do so could put Celestia in danger. Should I be frank with her or trick her into helping me?”

The hound stared at me with a sad expression.

“Yeah, I know. Either way, I’m screwed. What do you think she’ll do when she learns about Crazy Granny’s bite?” The hound made a mewling sound. “True. She won’t be happy. She might even refuse to see me after this, which would make protecting her impossible.”

Garm whined again, longer this time.

“You’re damn right, my friend. We can’t let that happen. I may have to do some begging to make her come around. Mind you, I haven’t told her about sneaking into her room at night and calming her down. You think that might help my case?”

Garm barked.

“Nah, I don’t think so either. She’ll put a whammy on me for that. Either way, this day is not going to end well for me.” We walked in silence, until I looked back and noticed the hound had stopped and was once again, peering at the snakes. “Your fascination will be your downfall, buddy. Just like mine is leading me in the same direction. I have to find a way to keep Celestia safe and save my sister.”

Garm barked.

“Okay, let’s go.” I ran ahead, forcing him to stop his obsession with the snakes. Then I took off. The hound loved snow, but he liked flying even better.

Once we were back on our usual route, I swooped low and picked him up, wrapping my front legs around him. Like most dogs, he liked the wind in his face. His jowls flattened and bared his teeth.

We flew over the wall to the east part of the hall, where there were greenhouses. The Vanirs might have bragged last night about supplying most of the realms with fresh fruit and vegetables, but Maera liked her supplies closer. I’d never visited the houses, only seen them from above.

Along the path to the bridge, carriages and sleds carrying our guests lined up as though in a procession. Garm got distracted by their scents and barked. I almost dropped him because he kept turning to find the other animals. Instead of lowering him down, which might have been catastrophic for the people leaving, I did another loop.

Modgie, Karle, and two other people were by the gate when we came in. From the colors of their cloaks, they were members of the Wolf Clan. Instead of joining them, I shot up higher and did several loop-the-loops, staying in the air until the guests had disappeared into the ravine.

I lowered the hound to the ground and landed. He rolled on the snow, his tongue lolling. I was never sure whether his legs couldn’t support him after a flight or he was just happy to be back on the ground. He stopped goofing around and stood, the fur on his back rising. A growl escaped him, and I realized why. Karle was walking toward us.

“Sit, boy,” I ordered.

“That was amazing,” Karle said, steering away from the growling dog.

I bumped Garm with my wing. “Easy. He is a friend.” That earned me a broad grin from Karle. “He enjoys flying, but he needs to run more. He’s too fat.” The hound mewled, hurt by my words.

“Go to Modgie, Garm.” He looked at me as though I’d kicked him. “We’ll go up again this evening.” He trotted toward the Jötun.

“That cannot be the ferocious hound everyone talks about,” Karle said. Garm turned his head and bared his fangs. Karle moved closer to me.

“What did your father say?”

“I should be back in a couple days. The clan will need my help fixing your grandmother’s hall. Oh, and my aunt can’t remember seeing a little girl seventeen years ago, but she’ll ask around.”

Damn. I was hoping for something more concrete. Today I was going to Earth, but tomorrow Jötunheim. Mother was going to go ballistic.

I flew back inside the wall while Karle went to rejoin his family. Back in my room, I finished showering then studied my reflection. I needed a shave and a haircut. Shave was doable. The haircut could wait. I brushed my teeth and left for my parents’ quarters.

They were already seated. I gave mother a hug. She held herself stiff, but it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s. I planted a kiss on her cheek and slid into a chair. Litr piled food on a plate—pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage links. My mouth watered. I was on my second plate when I noticed how unusually quiet my parents were.

“Bad morning?” I asked, my eyes volleying between them.

“It’s nice to have the hall to ourselves again,” Father said, glancing at her. She didn’t respond. Somehow I had the feeling there was more to their glum faces.

“Then I hope you won’t mind having Karle around. I invited him to stay for a while.”

Mother frowned. “Why?”

“So I have someone to fly with and you can stop worrying.” I gave her a broad grin. She didn’t react. Something was definitely off with them. I cut up the pancakes and dug in. “Which reminds me, come up with me sometime, Mother.”

“Why would I want to do that?” Despite the question, her eyes lit up.

“I don’t know. Just for the heck of it. Father, you too.”

My father shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, Son, but I’ll pass. Height is not my thing.”

I went back to my food, but watched Mother. She hadn’t said no, so that was something. We finished the rest of the meal in silence. I pushed back the chair, stood, walked around, and pressed a kiss on Mother’s cheek.

“We should go soon. The hall looks beautiful from up there on a clear day.”

Once again, she didn’t say yes or no. Just patted my cheek. “Be careful out there.”

“Always.” I left and could hear them conversing in low voices as I walked away. Creed and his partner were in the rotunda, laughing about something. They stopped when I appeared.

“Rhys was looking for you,” Creed said. “He seemed agitated.”

Rhys showing an emotion?

“Bring him to my quarters.” I was searching for my things—credit card, cash, and my old driver’s license—when Rhys arrived. He was alone.

“Where’s Nara?”

“Out with Syn.”

“A date or reaping?”

Rhys gave me a tight smile. He and Nara were cousins, and Syn had a reputation with the ladies. “They’re searching for the identity of the people killing Witches. I thought you’d want to know.”

I stopped before entering my closet, something cold settling in my gut. “What?”

“Last night, five Witches were killed at exactly the same time all around the world. Each was in the middle of a séance when it happened. Someone or a group of people is going after Witches. Nara and Syn are looking into it. We don’t want another period of Witch hunts.”

My first thought was Celestia. Scales erupted on my arms. Rhys stared at them and swallowed. Of course she was okay. I’d seen her this morning. I relaxed, and the scales disappeared.

“When did you find out? And why am I hearing about this now?”

“I learned about it this morning from Syn. He and Echo found out last night,” Rhys added.

“Is Echo in the hall?”

“Eating breakfast the last time I saw him.”

“I want to talk to him. In the meantime, keep an eye on Celestia for me. I’m leaving after I talk to Echo, so I’ll find out more about what’s going on when I see her. Oh, and thanks for the heads-up.”

“So, you don’t need us with you?”

“No, stay with her. Keeping her safe is more important, and I trust you more than most.”

Rhys left, and I went back to my closet. Where was the stupid credit card? I checked the pockets of all my jackets and trench coats, and then I remembered I’d worn the duster this morning. I went to the other side of the bed where I’d dropped it, then got my mace and bonded with it.

Even though my dragon senses could alert me whenever Celestia was distressed, I couldn’t rely on my senses to protect her all the time. I hadn’t protected her from my grandmother and her damned bites. That woman had serious insecurity issues, or she was building an army of die-hards. Chief Skavnir had behaved like a fanatic. If she’d turned my Celestia into a crazed fan, there were no lengths I wouldn’t go to break it.

I left my quarters.

Echo was pacing in the rotunda and stopped when he saw me. He and I hadn’t spoken much even though our paths crossed often in the hall and at the gym. We never discussed Cora, but whatever happened between us was now in the past. He and I would never be drinking buddies, but I knew I could count on him because of his loyalty to my mother.

“What happened last night?” I asked.

He filled me in as we walked toward the front hall. “I followed her home from the club and made sure she was safe. I sent a few of our people to add protective runes around her house just in case whoever is doing this goes after her.”

I stopped. “When?”

“A few minutes ago. I’ll stop by to make sure they did it right. I told them to add runes on her car, house, her Immortal friend’s place, her uncle’s home and business, and her school.”

Wow, that went beyond his duties. The guy wasn’t a total douchebag after all.

“Thank you, although I already took care of most of it this morning. I didn’t think of the uncle’s car dealership or the school because of spring break. Maybe we’ll have that friendly drink after all.”

Echo’s eyebrows shot up, but he understood. “Maybe.”

“Could you do me a favor?” I asked.

“Depends.”

“Next time my mother sends you to get Celestia, swing by my place and let me know first?”

Echo hesitated then shrugged. “Sure. However, I’d still obey her.”

I grinned. “Except, you’d have to go through me.”

“Dragon you or you with the deadly mace?”

“I’ll let you decide.”

“Good. At least you make things interesting around here.” He disappeared through a portal.

EIRIK

I made sure there were no browsers when I appeared in the magical books section of Tammy’s Cauldron. At first glance, it looked like a bookstore, until you read the titles—Alchemy, Ceremonial Magic, Herbalism, Druidry, Voodoo, Celtic, Wiccan, Seidr, Divination…

Thankfully, there was a partition separating the aisle from the one with cauldrons and leather-bound grimoires, where a mother and her daughter were busy discussing what to buy. The books had metal locks and symbols from different cultures.

I walked past a table with a tablecloth that had Celtic knots and statues of angels, dragons, fairies, and gargoyles. Another table had a large, translucent crystal inside a cauldron and open geodes with purple and green crystals on the floor around it. It looked like an altar.

I headed for the cash register, where Celestia always worked. Two women were studying the statues of bronze gods from various mythologies to my right. To the left were more shelves with chalices. One particular chalice caught my eyes. My mother might appreciate it. It had a relief of a dragon on its surface.

I reached the main floor, but no one was at the cash register by the ceremonial swords, knives, and athames. Hayden was with a customer by the herbs and candles. I rarely saw her at the front of the store. Her mother usually manned the place with Celestia. Tammy was missing, too. Various customers studied the crystals, talisman, and jewelry in display cases around the room, but Celestia wasn’t with them. Two teens giggled at writings on T-shirts by a rack of colorful ceremonial robes.

Hayden’s jaw dropped. She was the only one who could see me. I’d never spoken to her, and she hadn’t seen me since the hospital when I’d visited Celestia. I always made sure she wasn’t around whenever I dropped by.

“I’m looking for Celestia.”

She ignored me and continued talking to the customer, so I waited. Getting impatient, I drummed my fingers on the counter. She glared.

“Never mind,” I said and pulled out my artavus to open a portal.

“Séance room,” she snapped, walking past me.

Celestia must be having lunch. I’d visited the shop often enough and knew my way around it. I made a beeline for the door at the other end of the room. If the customers thought it strange that the door opened on its own, they didn’t react. The shop was, after all, a magic store run by Witches.

The room was empty.

“I’ll be with you shortly,” Hayden called out. The statement could have been directed at anyone of her customers, but I knew she was talking to me.

I entered the room and closed the door. The room had heavy, velvet curtains on the door blocking the light from entering. A large round table and a dozen chairs dominated the room. Séance paraphernalia was displayed on a side table, and what looked like a large fridge hummed softly from the corner of the room, the sound hardly interfering with the flow of energy in the room. I wondered what they kept in the fridge. After all, Tammy and Hayden were Immortals, not your run-of-the-mill Witches.

A quick glance inside the store showed me why Hayden hadn’t followed me. Another customer had stopped her.

Where was Celestia? The store seemed busier today than usual. Maybe the word was out about someone killing Witches. There was also a weird vibe in the air, unlike the Mirage in Kayville. I had stopped by Raine’s store to check in on her before coming here. Even though she hadn’t seen me, it was nice to see her again. Despite her father being terminally ill, she seemed to be doing okay. I wasn’t too worried about her. She had Torin. There were also no Witches in Kayville, so whoever was doing this wouldn’t bother them.

The door clicked closed, and I turned. Hayden stood inside the door and studied me with narrowed eyes.

“Is Celestia expecting you?” she asked in a cold voice.

I wasn’t sure whether Celestia had shared the details of last night’s impromptu visit with Hayden or not. “Yes. I just didn’t tell her the time.”

“Why now and not months ago when she was sick and hurting? Do you know how much she’s changed because of what happened to her? And how hard it is for her to keep your existence a secret? It’s a burden that’s slowly crushing her spirit. Either stay out of her life or find a way to help her cope.”

Okay, not what I’d expected. “I’m trying.”

“How? By sending friends to kidnap her and force her to come to you whenever it suits you? I know where you come from and maybe you will throw me in the dungeons for saying this, but you are selfish and incapable of seeing that you are not good for her. Last night, I was this close”—she indicated with her forefinger and thumb—“to following her, but that arrogant friend of yours stopped me. Next time, I won’t be stopped. Leave her alone, or I’ll expose you for what you are.”

I didn’t appreciate the lecture or the threat, but I didn’t try to defend myself either.
However, no one tells me what to do when it comes to Celestia, not even someone who cares about her like Hayden
.

“Thanks for your honesty, Hayden, but my relationship with Celestia is none of your business. Now if you don’t mind, I’ll go find her.” I whipped out my artavus.

She growled in frustration and stormed out of the room, the door slamming behind her. I should have locked in on Celestia’s location from Kayville, but I’d been sure she’d be at the shop.

The portal I created led to a restaurant. I’d eaten in enough Mexican restaurants to recognize the décor. As soon as I stepped inside and the portal closed, I recognized the building. This restaurant was right across the street from TC. Luckily, the lunch crowd had left.

Celestia sat alone in a middle booth, a drink in front of her. She looked adorable in glasses. I’d seen a case and a bottle of solution for contact lenses in her bathroom, but never glasses. The words
This is Who I am, Not a Costume
and a picture of a Witch covered the front of her dark blue T-shirt. I grinned. I’d noticed her tendency to wear T-shirts with funny sayings, layered necklaces with colorful stones, and charm bracelets. Her lips closed around the straw, and I swallowed. Those lips had touched my cheek last night. I still remembered the feel of them. There was an untouched drink across from her.

Who was she with? Wes?

I took the seat across from her. It was weird how I’d thought of nothing else, except telling her the truth about my grandmother’s bite and asking for her help. Now that I was here, I was in no hurry to do it either.

I let my senses soak her in. She looked breathtaking. The need to touch her increased until scales erupted on my arms. I fought the change. The last thing I needed was my invisible dragon crashing into everything.

“I want to protect you, Dimples. No matter what, I’ll find someone who knows how to break the damn blood bond.” Too bad the invisibility runes also blocked sounds. I’d hate for Celestia to become fanatically loyal to my grandmother like Karle’s father.

“Eirik?” she whispered, staring straight at where I sat.

She didn’t hear my words, but she must have sensed my presence. She was a powerful Witch. She lowered her head and her hair fell forward on either sides of her face like a curtain. I leaned forward to push it back and stopped when I realized what she was doing. She was using her hair to cover her mouth.

She pretended to put the straw into her mouth and whispered, “I know it’s you, Eirik. What are you doing here? No, don’t answer that. Leave.”

In your dreams, gorgeous.
I picked up the straw next to the untouched drink and tapped it against the table to open it.

Celestia’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

I pushed the straw through the slot and sucked on the soda. Coke. Yummy.

Her jaw dropped. “Jeez! People can see what you’re doing, Eirik. Either leave or show yourself.” She reached across the table and grabbed the drink.

I glanced around. No one was paying her attention, or they would have noticed the straw dangling in midair.

“Give me that, you impossible man!” She tried to snatch the straw, but I was faster. She groaned. “My date is back, so go away.”

I turned and watched Wes swagger across the restaurant from the restrooms. He looked confident, sure of her and their relationship. I wasn’t sure about many things when it came to Celestia, and that bugged the crap out of me. I debated whether to screw with him. It might be fun to send him screaming out of the restaurant.

He smiled smugly at her, and I changed my mind. Screwing with him would not be enough. His teeth needed to be knocked out, so he’d stopped smirking. My hand scaled and my nails elongated and became claws. Maybe I should rip his tongue out, too.

“I’m serious, Eirik,” Celestia hissed. “Leave.”

The look of panic in her eyes made me feel bad. For about a second. She shouldn’t be dating this idiot. She should be dating me. The problem was I didn’t have time to date her and make her my number one priority. Celestia was the kind of girl you wanted to give all your attention to, which meant letting her date punks like this one until I found my sister. In the meantime, I could only keep her safe.

I engaged speed runes and got out of the seat before Wes reached the table. Instead of leaving, I slid in the booth behind Celestia. Just because we couldn’t date didn’t mean I had to be nice to the men in her life.

“Sorry I had some of your Coke,” Celestia said and smiled. “My Sprite is flat.”

Damn. That smile. And she smelled nice. I wasn’t talking about whatever shampoo or conditioner she’d used on her hair. The scent was elemental, like every cell in her body pulsed and released something intoxicating. My dragon purred, and she froze.

Had she heard me?

I growled again and when she didn’t react to it, I realized why she’d frozen. I was playing with her hair. Her silky, gorgeous hair caught light at just the right angle and glowed. Like polished copper. I wanted to bury my face in it. She reached back to swat my hand away, but some strands were caught on my claw.

Her hand closed around my scaled finger. She didn’t miss a beat, just carefully removed strands of hair caught between the scales. To an onlooker, she could just be playing with her hair. I studied her arm, but didn’t see any half-moon scars on it.

One more to go.

“I don’t mind sharing anything with you,” Wes said, drawing my attention. I’d forgotten about him. He was staring at her with dopey eyes now.

Not just the teeth and tongue. His eyes had to go too. My finger freed, I got rid of the claw and scales, and stroked Celestia’s hair while imagining the damage I could do to Wes Lyons.

“Let’s just put this in the middle,” Wes suggested, placing his drink between them.

Celestia’s expression grew uneasy. “That’s okay. I’ll order another one.”

“What’s the fun in that?” he said. “We could be like Lady and the Tramp.”

That was beyond pathetic. How the heck old was this guy? Celestia’s cheeks grew pink, so I knew she wasn’t buying his game. Or maybe she was. I leaned in to check her face and grazed her shoulder. She stiffened and reached over to find me. Her hand landed on my cheek. Maybe it was the shock of touching me, but she didn’t push me away.

I turned my head and kissed her palm. She yanked it away.

“Here we are,” a hostess said, and I realized I was about to lose my booth to a family of four and miss out on the game Celestia and I were playing.

I stepped on the seat, climbed over the partition separating the two booths, and slid in beside Celestia. From the way she glanced my way, she knew exactly where I was. The pleather material used on the seats made weird noises, but Wuss didn’t notice. He was busy drooling all over Celestia. Worse, he reached out to touch her hand.

No way. I pulled her hand out of the way and gripped it. I expected her to pull away. Instead, her hand tightened and she smiled at Wes.

“Can you order me another Sprite, please? I’ll be right back.”

Wes nodded, but didn’t hide his disappointment. Could he be any lamer?

She stood and slid out of the booth, dragging me along. Wes reached for Celestia’s straw since I’d pocketed his. There was nothing as intimate as sharing a straw. Just how close were they? Had they kissed yet? Annoyed at my thoughts, I used my free hand to knock her drink before he could take the straw.

“Don’t,” Celestia yelled at the same time and tried to grab the plastic cup, but she was too late. It rolled off the table and landed on the floor, the lid popping. Soda splashed everywhere. She cursed.

“It’s okay,” Wes reassured her and jumped to his feet. “I’ll have them clean it.”

Celestia hesitated. I could tell she felt bad for Wes. I tugged her hand, forcing her to walk over the mess. She mumbled all sorts of spells she’d use on me.

The moment we entered the women’s restroom, she yanked her hand from mine and waved a hand toward the three doors in the room. They flew open. The stalls were empty. With a flick of her wrist, she locked the door. If she were a dragon, the entire room would be engulfed with fire, but her anger was wasted on me. I had succeeded in separating her from that idiot, so my job was done.

“Show yourself, you arrogant jackass,” she snapped, hands on her hips.

I made sure my most charming smile was on before I disengaged my runes. So sure she’d forgive me, I didn’t anticipate her reaction.