Heroes (Eirik Book 2) (22 page)

I swallowed the sounds even though it hurt like crazy to shift without pain and endurance runes. I stepped forward and away from the door as my bones snapped and elongated, separated, and reshaped. By the time the shift was complete, I was close to passing out from the pain.

When it receded, I took inventory. I was in the middle of the room, my head close to the ceiling, and my tail was by the door. I could see Mother better now. She watched with an unnerving intensity. Without saying a word, I tucked my legs and settled on the floor, flattening any furniture still standing. I waited.

She didn’t talk, but I knew when the anger left her. She reached out and patted my head. “What do you want to know?”

“How long did you know her?” We both knew who I meant.

“Three days.”

“I know you named me Eirik because I’m destined to rule forever.” She pushed my head, and I grinned. “But why Einmyria?”

“Her eyes.” Mother sighed. “She had the most beautiful gray eyes with specs of silver, like freshly fallen ashes from smoldering ember. So we named her ashes. Einmyria. Her hair was golden. You may have your father’s looks, but Einmyria had his coloring. She would have had his coloring,” she added softly.

“Father said she had your beauty.”

“Your father loves me and only sees what he wants to see.” Anger entered her voice as she continued. “This time, he went too far.”

I wasn’t going to choose a side, so I kept quiet. Silence followed.

“I guess I should talk to him,” Mother said.

“Only if you are ready. There’s no hurry.” She was almost back to her normal self. I could feel it.

“Is that the human you talking or the dragon?”

“We’re one and the same, Mother. One and the same.”

She chuckled. “One day you will be, Eirik. I know you struggle to reconcile both forms, and I have not been very helpful. You are one. Learn to accept that.” The crystal on her scepter started to glow, the light flooding the corners of the room.

I studied her. She still didn’t engage her runes. She was exactly how they’d depicted her in Earth literature. One side of her youthful and the other side old. Not ugly old. She had lines around her mouth and eyes of a much older but still pretty woman. Even though the eye on that side was blue, her hair was gray and less lustrous. It was a fascinating contrast. The whites of her eyes had rivets of red from crying, and her nose was red as though she’d wiped it a lot. She watched me warily like she was expecting me to react negatively to her true self.

I shifted closer and rested my cheek against hers. “Can I tell you a secret?”

She didn’t respond, but she didn’t push me away either.

“The real you is beautiful, Mother. Exactly how I’d pictured you.”

A weird sound escaped her. I wasn’t sure whether it was a laugh or a sob. I rested my head on her lap and the legs of the lounge gave out. This time, I was sure she laughed.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t change indoors? I can’t salvage anything in here.”

The scolding rolled off me. She was no longer in a dark place, and that was all that mattered. She lifted her scepter and brought it down on the carpeted floor, sending a pulse of magical energy across the room. It tickled. No, something moved under my belly, then my tail. I stood as pieces of broken furniture lifted and coalesced. Legs joined dressers. Clothes lifted off the floor and landed in drawers, which slid into the dresser. Even the crystals and sconces moved back to the walls.

“I’ll send Litr with a change of clothing,” she said, standing. “If you need me, I’ll be with your father.”

“No, I’m good. I promised the warriors a fight tomorrow morning. They’re learning to dodge fire, and I love to scare the crap out of them.”

“As long as you don’t kill them. They’re mine, not your toys. And speaking of toys, I’m happy you took my advice and brought Celestia to visit. You’re a lot more relaxed.” She tapped the scepter against my leg. “Don’t move until you shift back or you’ll break the furniture again.”

“Celestia is not a toy,” I called out, but she just laughed.

Celestia was many things, but a toy wasn’t one of them. I turned my head left and right, and studied the room. Now, this was more like it—the perfect baby room. Cribs and drawers intact, beautiful murals of meadows, flowers, and fluffy clouds. I wondered if Jötunheim looked like that.

Litr entered the room with a robe and walked under me to place it on the lounge. He gave me a thumbs-up and left. I shifted, slipped on the robe, and walked around the room, opening drawers and cupboards. All the baby blankets had Mom’s rune on them like a logo. Maybe the blanket Granny used when she’d kidnapped Einmyria had the same rune.

~*~

I got up early the next morning, wolfed down breakfast, and took Garm for a morning run and a ride. I was at Celestia’s by seven, but she was still asleep. I found Rhys and Nara drinking coffee on the patio. They were not cloaked.

“No one relieved you?”

“We took turns keeping watch. Ms. Celestia introduced us to her father,” Nara said, grinning.

“What?”

“We are officially security detail sent by the Witches Guild to guard her because of the threat against the Witches,” she added. She was having way too much fun with this. “The Guild is run by your powerful family. You, of course, are the young man she helped four months ago. You should have seen Rhys’ face when she came up with that. I think it’s brilliant.”

The shock wore off, and I grinned. It was a perfect background for me. She’d come up with an explanation that was believable and made it impossible for her father to send her away.

“He invited us to spend the night, offered us the spare bedroom to use, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“You slept?” I asked, not sure whether Nara was messing with me or not.

“We took turns,” she said.

“Is he inside?”

“Yes,” Nara said. She was still smiling, obviously enjoying my predicament. “You might want to go inside and face the music.”

“Nara,” Rhys snapped. “Celestia stayed as close to the truth as possible without mentioning Asgard, realms, and gods. It is a perfect cover for you. You are a powerful Witch from a prominent family of Witches in Europe and heir to your grandfather’s dynasty. Because of a custody battle, your grandfather had you raised in America until your mother found you and took you back to her family’s home, which is where Celestia ended up helping you. Here he comes.”

The door opened and Chief Richard Deveraux stepped onto the patio, one hand holding a cup of hot beverage and the other shoved in the pocket of his robe. He looked less relaxed than yesterday in Celestia’s bedroom. She’d inherited his blue eyes and brown hair, though his was graying. Unlike his daughter’s soft, sexy eyes, his were hard and piercing. I started to fidget when he studied me without speaking.

“I recognize you from my daughter’s drawings,” the chief said. “And last night, I learned your identity, Eirik Baldurson.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I gave him a stiff nod.

“I’m Richard Deveraux, Celestia’s father.” He didn’t offer his hand in greeting. “Since I don’t see a car and an entourage, I’m not going to ask how you arrived here. My daughter tells me your family’s gifts are exceptional, and I try to keep an open mind.”

This time, I went with the truth. “We use portals.”

He didn’t even blink.

“I see. Come with me, please.” He led the way inside the house, waited for me to enter, and closed the door. “Would you like something to drink? Coffee?”

“Coffee is fine, thank you.” I removed my duster, and his gaze went to my arm.

“Sit. I heard quite a bit about you last night,” Chief Deveraux said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye as he poured coffee into a mug. He placed it in front of me. “Do you take sugar with your coffee?”

“No, this is good.” I wasn’t a coffee drinker, but I had a feeling he was testing me, so I sipped the hot, bitter drink and tried not to grimace.

“Is the Guild now protecting all Witches, or is my daughter getting special treatment?”

“We’re trying to protect the powerful ones before the attacks escalate.”

His eyes narrowed. “Do you really expect me to believe any of this?”

“It takes someone who understands magic to believe it. I
will
stop the attacks, sir.”

He chuckled. “I like your confidence. I’ve never claimed to understand how magic works, but my daughter has taught me to respect it. These portals you use, can anyone see them?”

“No. But if you want proof of my gifts, I can show you.” When he didn’t respond, I engaged invisibility runes, moved to the other end of the counter, and reappeared. Once again, I couldn’t tell whether he was impressed or not. “There’s more I can show you. Perhaps a short trip to my home through a portal?”

“No, that won’t be necessary right now. I have enough on my plate dealing with scared Witches in my town. I will do what I can to find the people responsible, but if the Guild happens to find them first, I expect a phone call and the identities of the perpetrators, so I can arrest them. Magic or not, an attempted murder is still against the law in this country.” He stood. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you cook, or do servants do everything for you?”

Raine’s father always said the truest test of a man was his ability to take care of his woman’s every need, so he’d taught me to cook. “My uncle taught me everything, including how to cook.”

“Good, because I think your people need to be fed.”

“I can take care of them, sir.”

Chief Deveraux opened the fridge and removed eggs, sausages, and bacon. I got busy while he grilled me about my childhood in Kayville as Eirik Seville. Somehow, I knew he would look me up. He swam in high school and college, and our conversation stayed on sports. He completely avoided discussing magic or anything about where I lived now. He might have said he understood and respected magic, but he was uncomfortable with it.

He invited Rhys and Nara inside before I was done cooking. I ignored their reaction. While serving them, Celestia wandered into the kitchen. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw us.

“I hope you’re hungry,” I called out.

“You cooked?”

“Yes, he did,” her father answered. “I wonder what else he can do that doesn’t involve magic.” He took his food and joined Rhys and Nara at the kitchen table.

“Really, Dad? He’s a guest in our house.”

“He offered,” her father said, chuckling.

“What did you tell him?” Celestia asked when she reached my side.

“Nothing to contradict you. You started this, Dimples
.
I’m finishing it.” I handed her a plate then served myself.

“You’re not angry?” she asked, studying the amount on my plate.

“I just ate. I think your solution is brilliant. The Grimnirs don’t have to hide anymore and your father doesn’t have to send you away. When do we tell him I’m really a god and the dynasty I’ll be inheriting is Norse Pantheon?”

She scoffed at the idea. “He wouldn’t believe you.”

“He would after visiting Eljudnir.”

The smile disappeared from her face. “Visiting? You can’t be serious?”

“Why not? I plan on spending so much time around here he’ll eventually have to know who I really am.” I followed her to the counter. Had she really thought we could keep our relationship a secret from her father? I didn’t plan to sneak around like some Mortal guy. When I courted her, I planned to do it openly. My parents already knew about us, and so should her father.

“I told him we used portals and offered to show him after I cloaked.”

She groaned. “Why did you do that? You ease into things with non-magical people, not throw everything at them at once. He could have had a heart attack from shock.”

I glanced at her old man, who’d taken the perfect seat to watch us. Our eyes met, and I smiled. He didn’t return it. Winning him over was going to take some serious work.

“He does not look like a candidate for a heart attack,” I whispered to Celestia. “Besides, he wasn’t impressed with my cloaking. He seemed more concerned with catching the people attacking Witches, so I promised to help.”

Another groan escaped Celestia. She pushed aside her unfinished food and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. She added cream and sugar.

“Dad, I promised to help Hayden at the shop this morning. They had a lot of customers last night and turned some away, so she’s opening up early. Zack is also helping.”

“Call me when you get there.”

She sighed. “I’ll be fine.”

“Humor an old man. I’ll be heading out shortly, too.” He went back to whatever he’d been discussing with Rhys and Nara. I wondered what background story the two had given him. They used to be Druids a millennium ago.

“Do you want to use a portal?” I asked Celestia and received a scowl.

“Nope. I’m driving. I don’t want to scare Mortals to death by appearing suddenly out of nowhere.” She dumped her unfinished food in the garbage, put her plate in the sink, and headed toward the living room. When I looked up, her father was staring at me with a questioning expression.