Heroes (Eirik Book 2) (27 page)

“Did she bite you?”

“No way. Whenever she came too close, I got inside her head and reminded her of all the terrible things she’d done and the pain her victims had felt. It’s not fun for me or them. Most villains are wimps.” Trudy glanced at the warriors and smiled. “Later, guys.”

My interest in fighting was gone. I needed to fly. Far, far away from here.

CHAPTER 15. WARMTH

CELESTIA

The two Grimnirs Rhys and Nara had left behind suddenly disappeared, leaving me alone in the store. Hayden had already counted the money and left for the bank. A prickly feeling had me looking up. Across the street by Costa Vida, two men in black suits stood watching TC. Just to make sure they weren’t missionaries or housing inspectors, I ran to the séance room and got my cloak. By the time I came back, they had crossed the street and were peering inside the store.

Damn it.
Where were the Grimnirs?

My heart pounded with dread, and for the first time since Hayden told us her story, I knew exactly how she must have felt all her life. Hunted.

Not wanting to stay inside the store, I grabbed the keys and my sling bag, put on the cloak just in case, punched in the security code to turn on the alarm system, and left the store.

They were staring at me now. With my hand gripping the rune, in case they went invisible, I hurried toward the bank. Just before I entered, the two Grimnirs appeared behind me. Some bodyguards.                                         

“What are you doing here?” Hayden asked when I joined her.

“I hated being alone at the store.” We’d sworn not to lie to each other. “Two men in suits were outside the store, and I freaked out.”

Instead of laughing, she frowned.

“Don’t worry, I locked up and turned on the alarm.”

“I wasn’t worried about the store, Celestia. You are safer inside there than out here. Those protection runes mean they cannot open a portal inside the store or our house.” Then she thumped her forehead. “Why hadn’t I thought of this before?” She glanced toward the Grimnirs, who were invisible inside the bank, and lowered her voice. “If Suits and evil people can’t create a portal inside our store, maybe we can’t create one to where Mom is because it’s protected too.”

“But we don’t want to hurt her,” I protested.

“They don’t know that. Maybe it’s protected against unauthorized portals or something. The only thing stopping me from going into full panic mode whenever I think about Mom is the hope that whoever she left with is on our side. He wouldn’t have opened a portal into our apartment if he wasn’t.”

The woman in front of her was shamelessly eavesdropping on our conversation. She even looked over her shoulder at us.

“Do you mind?” I said.

Hayden blurred, and I knew she’d runed her. How the heck had I missed that the past three years? “How often do you do that?”

“More often than you know since you tend to broadcast to everyone who you are.” She grinned. “No, I’m kidding. Mom is not big on taking chances, and I’ve learned to be careful in public. You might only see a blur, but Suits, I’m convinced, can see everything.”

She finished depositing the money and we left for the store, the two Grimnirs tailing us. I could have sworn eyes followed us back to the store. I looked up and down the street while Hayden opened the door and our shadows opened a portal and disappeared inside. I never realized there were so many shifty characters in cheap suits around Windfall.

“Stop it,” Hayden said.

“I don’t know how you do it. I’d be jumping at shadows.”

“Do you want me to compel you not to?”

“What? Ew, no. Have you ever done that to me before? You know, etched runes on me to make me forget something? Because I’m telling you right now, I will disown you after I kick your ass.”

“Yeah, I’ve runed you so many times I’m surprised you’re still Mortal.” She looked ready to slap me into yesterday.

“Just checking.” I gave her a toothy grin.

“You are the first friend I’ve had outside the other orphans. You really think I’d screw that up?”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I already believed you hadn’t.” I raised my hands. “I swear, I’ll never doubt you again.”

“Then admit it. You want Eirik. Like really, really want to jump him and wrestle him to the ground and kiss the crap out of him.”

“With every breath I take.” A sudden rush of emotions gripped my chest. “It hurts every time he walks away. I mean every time I think ‘this is it’ and he pulls back, I want to scream.”

Hayden hugged me. “It’s okay. I think his concern for his sister is making him hold back. From the way you two reach for each other when the other one is hurting, I know he feels the same way. Look at the way he visited you despite the fact that you kicked him out of the hospital and made it clear you didn’t want to see him. He came to your defense when Mrs. Mouton pulled a Cruella de Vil on you, and he looks at you with such longing when you’re not watching. I saw that when we were serving customers. The guy is crazy about you. Just give him time.”

I sighed, wishing I were patient and reasonable. I wanted my kiss now.

“Fine,” I said. “But next time he walks away, don’t be surprised if I hit him on the back of the head.” We laughed and talked about pigheaded boys as we collected pizza leftovers from the séance room. “Okay, let’s go to my place, so I can finish my laundry and make Dad something to eat before we leave for that meeting.” I glanced at my watch. We had a little over two hours.

“You think your dad will let you stay here after what he learned about the Witches?”

“I hope so. I told him the Grimnirs had been sent by the Guild to watch over me until whoever is going after the Witches is caught.”

Hayden laughed. “And he believed you?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t believe Rhys when he says something? I swear he has mind control gifts like you. Anyway, we don’t have much time, and I still have to tell you everything once we get home. We can talk in the car.”

“Or we could use a portal, so you can start dinner while we talk,” she said.

I grinned. “Really? Of course, you can.” I grabbed my bag. “Hanging with you just got a lot cooler.”

“Does that mean I was boring before?”

“All the time.”

She threw her keys at me, and I ducked. “I’ll tell the guys we’re using a portal.”

“Mortals get everything wrong,” I overheard one of the Grimnirs say as I got closer. “Look at this one.”

“If that were true, I would have died during that raid,” his partner said.

They were thumbing through a book and didn’t realize I could hear them. “What is not true?”

They looked up. One was dressed like a cowboy, and his partner was Japanese.

“History books,” the Japanese guy said. “Ranger here”—he indicated the cowboy with a nod—“was one of the original Texas rangers.”

“Served under Capt’n Morris, and I tell you, some of the things they say in the history books are just wrong.”

“Yes, well, history is written by the victors, so it tends to be inaccurate.” I turned to the Japanese. “And you are…?”

“Daiku, formerly a ronin.”

I tried to remember what a ronin was from my manga. “A samurai with no master in feudal Japan,” I said.

He chuckled. “That’s right. You should read what they say about us. It’s hilarious.”

“We’re about to head to my place through a portal. I just wanted to give you guys a heads-up.”

“Your car?”

I looked outside. My Civic was still across the curb. “We’ll be back tonight, so I’ll park in the back.”

Ranger extended his hand. “I’ll park it for you.”

“You need a passcode for the gate.” He grinned. “Let me guess. You know the passcode?”

“No, miss, but runes can open anything.” He touched the brim of his hat.

Shaking my head, I handed him the keys and left to join Hayden. She didn’t even blink when I introduced the former ronin and explained where the Texan had gone.

It was strange entering my bedroom through a portal. Heck, it was strange watching my best friend etch runes on a mirror like a pro. Daiku didn’t follow us, so I assumed he’d create his own portal. I went to the window and looked outside, but Dad’s car wasn’t in the carport.

“Is the chief home?” Hayden asked.

“No.” We headed to the kitchen. Through the living room, I could see Daiku on the porch. Ranger joined him.

“What’s for dinner?” Hayden asked.

“Chicken and mashed potatoes. I’m going to try one of Gram’s recipes.”

“Do you want me to do anything?”

“Are you kidding me? You might jinx the food by being in the kitchen while I cook.”

She grinned. “I’m not that bad.”

“No, you’re not. You are
the worst
cook ever.” I punched the buttons on the stove to preheat the oven, removed a few potatoes from the cupboard, and dumped them in the sink. “Stay away from my food.”

I went to collect dirty laundry from my room and groaned. Why were there so many clothes on the floor? I scooped the pile, dumped them in a hamper, and carried them to the laundry room for the cleaning lady. I moved the personal items I’d washed into the dryer before heading back to the kitchen. Hayden was peeling potatoes. At least she could do potatoes without ruining them.

“Start talking,” she ordered.

I went chronologically from the first time I astral projected into Hel to my second trip. She laughed at the part where I’d begged Rhys not to reap her, and when Trudy and I searched for her soul.

“It wasn’t funny. I told Trudy you wouldn’t just walk to a Resting Hall scared and meek like most souls. You would have screamed my name and caused a stink. Of course, I hadn’t known about you being Immortal.”

She ignored the dig. “Trudy sounds like a funny person.”

“She has her moments, but overall, she’s bratty and bossy and likes to get her way. The first time I met her, I thought she was just a maid, but I think she’s a lot more. She wants so badly to visit me.”

The potatoes were on the stove when I reached the last part—the moments in the cave with Eirik’s grandmother. Hayden turned gray.

“He was free-falling when I blacked out. That must have been when he bit me. I didn’t see the wounds until I regained consciousness.”

“So the bites on your chest and thigh came from his front teeth?”

“Yep. He was holding me in his mouth. He needed his legs to fight his crazy grandmother.”

“Jeez. Just how big is he as a dragon?”

“Huge with massive jaws and teeth.” I pulled out my phone. “He’s gorgeous though, with white horns and an ombre mane that starts golden-brown and gets lighter toward the tips. See?” I gave her the phone.

Hayden thumbed through the pictures. “Wow. Okay, now I know why you’re gushing. He is magnificent.”

I went to stand beside her. “Look at his scales. The color is hard to describe.”

“Hmm-mm. Does his grandmother look like him?”

“Heck, no. She’s even bigger with gray scales and twisted horns. Scary-looking. So when Echo and Syn were at the club that night, you could see them?”

The smile disappeared from her face. “I told Syn if he tried to erase my memories, I would kick him in the nuts. He knew I meant it, so he left me alone.” The ringer on her phone went off. She glanced at the screen and stood. “Zack. Be back in a few. I want to know when you lost your fear of everything scaly.”

I hadn’t lost it. My stomach still lurched whenever I saw Eirik, but the difference was I trusted him and I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He was going to beat himself up when he learned he’d bitten me.

“Zack’s here,” Hayden opened the door and yelled. “And Ranger wants to talk to you.”

~*~

Hayden and Zack were walking toward the L-shaped deck and gazebo by the water when I stepped on the porch. Since Dad added the deck, he spent all his time out there. It was the perfect spot for fishing or just hanging out. I avoided it like the plague. Ranger was alone. He removed his cowboy hat. Despite being a reaper in their trademark long coats and dark clothes, he still liked his cowboy boots with spurs and hat.

“What’s going on, Ranger?”

“Do you have a moment?”

“Yeah, I was just cooking something for my dad. Come inside.”

He followed me inside. “We got word that Eirik is in Kayville, Oregon.”

“Yes? That was his hometown. He grew up there.”

“Do you think you could check on him?”

My stomach hollowed out. “What happened?”

“With everything happening, I think he needs to talk to someone. He went to the hall, sparred a bit with the warriors, and left for his old home. He blew fire at the two Grimnirs guarding him and told them to get lost. Daiku is keeping an eye on him right now, but from afar.”

My heart ached for Eirik. He must have taken what happened this afternoon hard. We’d almost found the orphans. Outside, Hayden and Zack were still talking, and my potatoes were not yet done. Oh whatever. I turned off the stove.

“Can you open a portal to where Eirik is?” I still wore my cloak and could see everything in their world.

Ranger opened one and I could see huge trees through it. Quite a few of them were down as though a wrecking ball had smashed into them. I couldn’t see Eirik, but Daiku appeared right away. He looked relieved when he saw me.