Immortals (Runes book 2) (33 page)

I turned and faced him. “Slept together as in sharing the same bed or making out?”

“Both.”

How could someone capable of making me the happiest girl in the world turn around and say something so hurtful?
You did flirt with him while dating Eirik,
a tiny voice mocked in the back of my head. Maybe flashes of those memories were making him say such stupid things. Maybe I needed to make a few things clear.

Before I could respond, a sudden movement came from behind me, and I whipped around. Eirik had sat up and was making weird noises, like he was screaming with his mouth closed.

“It’s okay, Eirik,” I whispered. “Go back to sleep. Please. ”

He responded to my voice. When he gripped my hand, I realized I’d reached out and touched him. Clinging to my hand, he lay down and stopped making mewling sounds. I continued talking to him, until his breathing grew calm. I tried to ease my hand from his, but his grip tightened.

“Freckles,” Torin said softly from behind me.

“I’ve never been with any guy the way I’m with you,” I said. “I dated Eirik months ago, and we only kissed, nothing more. He was my first boyfriend.”

“He never touched you like this?” Torin’s hand slipped under my pajamas and caressed my back. His touch was light as though I was fragile.

I shuddered and whispered, “No.”

He continued up my spine, around my side to my stomach. I caught my breath and released it in spurts, my insides turning into jelly.

“Like this?” he asked.

“No.” I tried to remove my hand from Eirik’s with little effect. Once again, I was caught between a guy who needed me and one I needed. Yes, I needed Torin with every desperate breath I took. If there was a realm for wickedness, he would be the deity ruling it and I’d be his first consort.

“How about like this?” he whispered as he moved higher up my chest, his caresses reverent, his breath teasing the sensitive area behind my ear. I sighed instead of answering and wondered when he’d realize Eirik had my hand in a death grip.

Torin chuckled. “Was that a yes? Because if he’s touched you like this, I will beat the crap out of him right now.”

I finally eased my hand from Eirik’s. “You hurt him and I’ll make you pay.”

“As long as you do it this way.” He bit my shoulder. I gasped and shuddered. Gently, he turned me so we were facing each other, pinned me down with one leg, and once again took me to that place where thoughts ceased to matter and I stopped caring about anything else but him. I became an instrument and he the maestro.

It was a while when he whispered, “I’m happy you waited for me, Freckles.”

I grinned. “Me, too.”

***

Eirik was gone in the morning, the pullout bed neatly ticked away. Torin was at his window sipping his coffee when I glanced outside. I wanted to one day wake up in his arms, not have him disappear while I was still asleep. He beckoned me with his finger, then he disappeared from his window. I waited for him to create a portal and then joined him in his bedroom.

I forgave him for deserting me after the morning kiss we exchanged. “Why did you leave?”

“Eirik woke me up. Poor bastard. He had no idea how he came to be in your room.”

“I feel so bad for him.”

“He felt worse. You want a ride to school?”

I glanced outside. It was drizzling, and from the dark sky, it might be one of those days when it rained nonstop. “Unless you have runes that will stop us from getting wet, I don’t think so.”

“We’ll take the SUV.”

I liked the idea of hitching a ride with him. “Okay.”

“You can watch me practice after school, too.”

“Oh, no. I’m not going to hang around the football field like some groupie.” I started to move away, but he snuggled my waist and pulled me into his arms for another kiss. I clung to him. When he eased off, I sighed. “Okay. I’ll be there. For an hour, then I have to leave.”

He grinned and whispered against my lips, “Why?”

“I have an appointment with my physical therapist at four fifteen.”

“Great. We’re tapering off at practice, so I can take you.” I tried to protest, but he silenced me the best way he knew how, with a kiss. “Do you know what I like to do when the weather is this crappy?”

“Use a kiss to mess with my head then ask rhetorical questions?”

He chuckled. “No, snuggle in bed. Want to ditch school and stay in bed with me?”

He didn’t play fair. I’d kill to make out the entire day. I visualized years of reaping souls with him and snuggling in bed, and grinned. Tempting as the idea was now, I couldn’t ditch school. “I can’t.”

“You have no idea what you’re missing. Just the two of us at home. The things we could do.”

I hated him for teasing me like this. I reluctantly eased from his arms. “You’re so mean.”

A wicked grin curled his lips, his eyes smoldering. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Shaking my head, I disappeared through the portal, showered, changed, and hurried downstairs. My parents were still asleep. Or so I thought. Mom came downstairs and caught me just as I opened the front door.

“Morning and bye, Mom,” I said, yanking the door open.

“Not so fast. We’ll be going out to dinner tonight.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

She gripped the door before I could close it. “Slow down. I’m not done talking. We’re
all
going out to dinner.”

“What time? My lessons end at seven.”

“I know. Lavania said you can leave early and go back after dinner if you’d like. She said you were picking up things fast.”

I shrugged, glancing toward the driveway. “She’s a fun trainer.”

“I should hope so.” She reached out and touched my hair. “Another thing—”

“I’m going to be late, Mom.”

“No, you’re not. Torin will wait for you.”

I blinked. How did she know he was driving me to school? “Oh, okay,” I said slowly.

“You’re only seventeen, so don’t rush into anything yet. The two of you will have a lifetime to do as you please, including sex.”

I cringed, my face burning. She knew about Torin coming to my room.

“Raine?”

This was beyond awkward. I couldn’t meet her gaze. “I get it, Mom. Can I go now?”

“Yes.” She smiled and tugged one of my curls. “I like your hair like that.”

“Yeah. Bye.” I pulled the hood of my jacket to cover my hair. She was still staring after me when I turned the corner into the driveway. She was beyond weird. One second talking about sex, the next my hair.

Torin’s garage door was open. He came out to meet me before I reached the driveway, took my backpack, and grabbed my hand.

“Where is everyone?” I asked when I noticed the car was empty.

“The others left early to take care of something at school.”

“They used a portal?”

“Yep, which worked perfectly. Andris has an aversion to rain.” He cranked the engine and backed out of the garage. “If he had his away, we’d have a permanent base on some beachfront property.”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

“You’d hate it after a while.” For the rest of the drive, he talked about the bases they’d used around the world. “You’ll love visiting new places.”

“You don’t miss old friends?”

“I don’t have old friends.”

That was sad. He reaped everyone he befriended. Poor Drew and Keith.

“You’ll have to cut ties with your Mortal friends after a few years and never see them again. Otherwise they’ll notice you don’t age.”

Funny I hadn’t thought that far. I’d always assumed that Cora and I would be friends forever. As though he felt my sadness, Torin reached for my hand and pressed a kiss on my knuckles. “Don’t worry. You can revisit them in twenty years or so and pretend you are your daughter.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I told you being a Valkyrie is a lonely existence.”

I would have him. I hoped. “So now you’re okay with me becoming a Valkyrie?”

He shook his head. “Nope, but I’ve come to learn that once you make up your mind no one can bully you into changing it.” He parked, but didn’t let go of my hand. “What are you doing tonight after your lessons?”

“Going to dinner with my parents, but I could get out of it.”

“No, don’t. We have team dinner at my coach’s house, so this works perfectly.” He lifted my backpack from the backseat, and we joined the students running to the school entrance. It was raining hard.

Inside the foyer, girls headed to the restrooms to repair their makeup or their hair. Torin’s hair was wet from the downpour, and I couldn’t help reaching up and sweeping the wet strands from his forehead. My hoodie saved me from looking like a drowned rat. As we headed toward my locker, I searched for Eirik and Cora among the throng of students.

We turned a corner and almost bumped into Andris and Ingrid.

“Did you do it?” Torin asked.

“Absolutely, and we caught her,” Andris said, smirking. “Your problems are over, Raine.”

“My problems?” I asked, not liking his grin or the malicious gleam in Ingrid’s eyes. I ignored her and focused on Andris.

“We caught the person vandalizing your locker,” he said.

“I told you I’d take care of it,” Torin said, grinning.

“We helped,” Andris added.

“Thanks, guys.” I touched Andris’ arm as Torin and I hurried toward the lockers. I turned the corner, expecting to see, I don’t know, Lavania since she wasn’t with Andris and Ingrid. Instead, the only person standing in front of my locker was Cora.

“Told you there was something off about her,” Andris said.

“This is a mistake,” I said. “She’s not the one.”

“We used the right bind runes,” Andris retorted from behind me. “The runes were supposed to lure someone who hated you to your locker and trap them there. The other students walked right past, but not our busty blondie.”

I glared at him. “Then you used the wrong ones because she doesn’t hate me. I’ve known Cora since elementary school, and she doesn’t have a hateful bone in her body.” He opened his mouth, and I added, “Don’t even think about saying another word. Unrune her and whatever you did to trap her.” I hurried toward Cora.

Cora looked furious. “I’m so going to kill you, Raine Cooper,” she snarled through clenched teeth. “I know you did this with your witchy powers. I haven’t been able to move for, like, forever. Release me. Right now,” she snarled through clenched teeth.

There were black runes on my locker and on the floor around her feet. They looked nothing like the ones Lavania had shown me. I glanced at Torin, but he was busy studying Cora. If he started believing his crazy friends, I was going to knee him where it hurt the most.

“Raine!” Cora snapped.

“Hug her,” Torin whispered.

Cora gave me the look that said she’d flay me alive if I didn’t get moving.

“I’m so sorry,” I said and hugged her. At the same time, Torin pressed the palm of his hand on my locker. The runes grew faint then disappeared. Cora stepped back and sagged against me. She was shaking.

“How did you do it?’ she asked.

I exchanged a glance with Torin and shrugged. “It’s hard to explain.”

She slapped the back of my arm. “Keep your witchy powers away from me.”

“I was trying to catch the person writing on my locker, Cora,” I said.

“You freaking caught
me
instead,” she snapped. “It wasn’t funny.”

“Sorry. How long were you trapped?” I asked.

“Forever.” She pushed against me and went to open her locker. “I came in early to talk to Doc. He wants me to participate at the meet after all, but if he cuts me…” She threw me another hard glare, grabbed books from her locker, and slapped the door closed. “I will hold you responsible.”

I watched her walk away, feeling terrible. I glanced at Torin, who’d been quiet since he’d gotten rid of the runes. Andris and Ingrid were gone. Thank goodness. I couldn’t stand their smirking.