Runes #03 - Grimnirs (33 page)

I put my phone to my ear so anyone who saw me wouldn’t think I was talking to the wall. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Checking on things. Would you like a kiss,
Cora-mio
?”

I forgave him. When he called me his Cora, he could get away with anything. “Yes.”

He chuckled, lifted my chin and took his time. The kiss was sweet and way too brief. I fisted my hands to stop myself from reaching up and grabbing his face. I growled in frustration.

“Nod or shake your head,” he whispered against my lips. “Did everything go smoothly this morning?”

I nodded.

“Good. I’m not staying, just doing rounds.” He caressed my cheek. “Maliina is not here, but I’ll check again. Want to have lunch with me?”

“Yes!” I said. Then, remembering I was supposed to nod, I glanced around. Thankfully, no one in class seemed to be paying attention to me.

“I’ll be outside the school.” This time the kiss was deeper, lingering. Then he swaggered out of the class. Nice walk. Nice ass. All mine. It was unfair for a guy to look that good so early in the morning. On the other hand, I had seen him with nothing on earlier.

I couldn’t wait for lunchtime, but the morning dragged. Worse, Echo wasn’t outside when the bell rang. Andris, Ingrid, Raine, and Torin were.

“Where’s Echo?” I asked.

“At the mansion,” Torin said. “He went to get lunch.”

Lunch turned out to be quite festive. The guys were entertaining as they argued about the number of souls they’d poached from each other. I had no idea souls could be stolen. Whatever problem the Valkyries had with Echo, and vice versa, didn’t seem important anymore. Or maybe they’d put it aside to protect me. Lavania peeked inside the kitchen, smiled, and disappeared again.

Later that evening, Andris and Raine watched me swim, but she drove me home. We grabbed snacks and disappeared in my bedroom to do homework. When we were done, we started on the mail for relatives of the souls I’d communicated with.

“Did you know there are runes that can stop you from seeing souls?” I asked.

Raine, lying on my bed, cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Lavania never mentioned them.”

“Blaine told me most Immortals use them.”

“Use what?” Echo asked, entering the room.

“Runes that stop them from seeing souls,” I said.

“Where did you come from?” Raine asked.

“Florida.” Echo walked to where I sat on the chair and lifted my chin. “Why are you discussing soul-block runes with him?”

His display of jealousy was sweet and unnecessary. “There was a soul in the trees when he was here and Blaine mentioned the runes. He said most Immortals use them to stop seeing souls. Of course, he thought I was an Immortal at the time. Anyway, I told him I wasn’t interested.” I waited for Echo to respond, but all he did was frown.

“And they probably wouldn’t work on me anyway,” I added.

I didn’t know if Echo believed me. He lifted me, took my seat, and put me on his lap. Without speaking, he ran the tip of his fingers up and down my bare arm. I shivered. From the slow smile that curled his sculptured lips, he liked my reaction.

“You’d tell me if you wanted out, wouldn’t you, doll-face?” he asked.

I nodded. “But I don’t.”

He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “Good, because if Blaine or anyone else ever marks you, I’d kill them.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Uh, I think he means it,” Raine said. She’d been so quiet I had forgotten her presence.

I leaned back and studied Echo’s face. He looked the way he always did. Sexy. Eyes twinkling. I pushed the hair from his forehead. “She’s kidding, right? I mean, you wouldn’t.”

He smiled. “I would. You see, if anyone is going to mark you, it’s going to be me.”

Yikes. If he knew Torin had after my hand got hurt, would he go after him? “Okay.”

“Good. So what are you girls up to?”

“We were finishing these,” Raine waved the letters. “So why Florida?”

“I own a place there.” He lifted my hair and burrowed into my neck.

Raine sat up. “Can I see it?”

“Go ahead.” He waved toward the mirror.

Still trying to wrap my head around what Echo had said, I shifted to selective listening mode. If he wouldn’t allow anyone to turn me and he’d already made his position obvious, didn’t that mean I’d never be Immortal?

***

“Can I snap his scrawny neck?” Andris asked Friday morning when Blaine dropped me off at their house. We were discussing Drew who was becoming more obsessed with me as the days crawled by without Maliina. To him,
I
had ditched him after sleeping with him for several nights. I kind of felt sorry for him.

“Are you forgetting something, Valkyrie?” Blaine snapped.

“I’m sure you will enlighten me, Champion-of-all-Mortals,” Andris said while waving rooter pom. We had pep rally day, and we all wore something crimson or gold.

Blaine’s eyes narrowed. “He’s innocent in all this. He and Cora are victims here.”

“Have you always been this melodramatic?” Andris asked. “So not attractive.”

“Screw you, Andris,” Blaine snapped.

Andris laughed. “Sorry, you’re not my type. Although I could be persuaded if you begged.”

Blaine looked ready to punch him. I took his arm and pulled him away, wishing Torin and Echo were around. They were pushing themselves, trying to find Maliina. Andris only ever behaved when those two were around, and Blaine still hadn’t forgiven them for Casey’s death. He’d become testy the last few days. Actually, everyone had become grumpy since Maliina went underground.

“Stop messing with him, Andris,” Ingrid scolded, and then she glanced at us. “Don’t worry, guys. He’s just talking. Torin would go ballistic if anything happened to Drew.” She looped an arm through Andris’. “Come on.” They continued toward the SUV.

Blaine and I followed slowly.

“How can you stand them?” he asked. “They are arrogant, rude, and act like they are invincible.”

“They
are
invincible.
You
are invincible, too. You are just… nicer. But since you’re going to live with them, you need to know a few things. Ingrid is sweet and will always be neutral.”

Blaine snickered. “She always takes Andris’ side.”

“But stops him from being a jackass. Torin’s word is the law. When he says no, Andris might complain and bitch about it, but he’ll listen.”

“Except when it involves some girl or guy he’s sleeping with. Do you know he’s now dating a local college girl?”

I didn’t bother to keep up with who Andris slept with since Raine told me he was bisexual and changed preferences on a whim.

“I didn’t know that, but he says and does things to get a reaction. Don’t let him get to you. Ignoring him doesn’t work either, so give him as good as you get.” I patted his arm. “See you at school.”

“And tonight, I’m moving out of Drew’s after school.” He sounded relieved.

I waved as he took off. The drive to school had followed the same routine since we’d discovered Maliina was sleeping with Drew. My parents were now convinced I was dating Blaine since he picked me up and dropped me off in the evenings. Torin and Echo were busy searching the entire valley, Hel, and places they’d refused to disclose every morning and evening. With her Norn runic powers, she could be anyone, and we wouldn’t know it. Raine, with her ability to feel and hear the Norns, hadn’t had any luck feeling her either.

The school was abuzz with pep rally activities. The rooter pom-poms had gone on sale a week ago and most students carried theirs as we streamed into the school building.

“See you guys,” Ingrid said and went to join the cheerleaders.

Almost everyone wore school colors—crimson, black, and gold. A recording of our school fight song blasted from the speakers. Banners, flyers, balloons, and streamers decorated the halls and the lockers of football players. Cheerleaders and our dancers performed in the hall as students arrived. Others sold leftover pom-poms and gave out water bottles with coins for noise.

Cheerleaders separated Torin from our group, putting beads around his neck. The players were being treated like royalty, which they justly deserved. If they won the game tomorrow, they’d make history.

“The pep rally will start during the last two periods of school,” the principal announced between songs. Despite my problems, I was caught in the moment.

As per every pep rally day, the classes were shorter and cheers and contests were held between classes. All the teachers were dressed in wacky costumes. An invisible Andris followed me from class to class and sat in the back with a stack of comic books as he’d done the last three days. He’d stopped grumbling about babysitting me.

Just before lunch, Raine walked into my history class and handed the teacher a note. She didn’t look too good. I was out of my chair with Andris close behind before the teacher finished saying, “Cora Jemison, report to the front office.”

“What is it?” I asked as soon as we moved away from the door.

“We have a problem,” Raine said without slowing down.

“What?” Andris and I asked at the same time.

“We’re going to the mansion.” She pushed open the door to the girls’ bathroom, and we followed her inside. There was already a portal, and through it, we could see the foyer of the mansion.

“We have a visitor,” she whispered, leading the way.

“Maliina?” I asked, hurrying after her. I was now used to treating portals as doorways.

“No.” Before she could explain, I was staring at the back of familiar Chex Mix hair.

“Eirik?”

He whipped around and grinned. “Surprise!”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, staring.

He wasn’t alone. A guy a few inches shorter than him with copper hair stood to his right. They both wore a uniform of some kind—long-sleeved black shirts, matching pants, and knee-length boots. Weapon belts hung low around their waists.

Torin stood a few feet to their left with his back to the wall. He didn’t look happy. My senses picked up on Echo’s presence. Where was he? I glanced around and tried to find him.

“You can’t be here,” I said, walking towards him. “Didn’t they tell you the danger you’re in?”

Eirik laughed. “I came all this way to see you and you meet me with a lecture. I’ve missed you.” He swept me into a hug, lifted me off the ground, and turned around. When he stopped, he looked into my eyes. “I thought I was too late.”

“For what?” I still couldn’t see Echo.

“This.” His head swooped down and he crushed my lips with his.

For a brief moment, I was too shocked to react. Just when I reached up to push him away, a roar filled the foyer. Echo. I saw a blur from the corner of my eyes. Then Eirik was yanked from me.

19.
 
Bad to Worse

The force of the attack sent Eirik flying across the room. He hit the wall, the thud reverberating around the room, a dent appearing on the wall. Echo was on him before he hit the ground, grabbing him by the collar.

“You touch her again and you are a dead man,” he growled, arm raised.

Eirik hit Echo in the solar plexus. The force would have snapped crashed Echo’s ribcage. Since Echo still held Eirik by his collar, the two rolled on the floor. Torin went to the rescue. He grabbed Echo, while the copper-haired man grabbed Eirik, his dagger drawn.

“Who in Hel’s Mist is he?” Eirik yelled, trying to break free from his friend’s grip.

“Your executioner if you so much as look in her direction,” Echo snarled.

“Stop it!” I yelled, but my words were drowned by another.

“ENOUGH!”

We all looked at the top of the stairs, where Lavania stood, looking regal in an ankle-length white dress. “Echo, I told you to stay out of the way until Cora talked to Eirik.”

“And I don’t recall agreeing,” Echo snapped, pushing Torin away. “He kissed her. I ought to haul his ass to Hel for that alone.”

“What’s stopping you?” Lavania asked, moving down the stairs.

He glanced at me, his eyes narrowing. I saw the answer in his eyes. He would do it if Eirik touched me again. Sighing, I crossed the foyer and looked him straight in the eyes. “Eirik and I need to talk.”

Echo stiffened, and his eyes shifted to Eirik. “No. I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

I glanced at Eirik and wondered what was going on in his head. He’d have to be an idiot not to realize that Echo’s behavior was that of a lover. First Raine ditched him for Torin, and now I was following in her footstep, ditching him for Echo. My news was going to hurt him, but first things first.

I took Echo’s hand and sandwiched it with mine. “Look at me. Please?”

He did.

“Trust me.”

“I do.” He glared at Eirik. “It’s him I don’t trust.”

“Who is he?” I heard Eirik ask angrily, and I knew we needed to talk before he lost it. Raine had told me what happened to people whenever Eirik went ballistic. The others were safe, but I wasn’t sure about me.

“Then trust me to do the right thing,” I said softly to Echo and turned.

He caught my wrist, and I was sure he was going to pull me into his arms and show Eirik who he was—my boyfriend, but something in my eyes must have convinced him to behave because he smiled.

“Okay, doll-face. Have your talk. I’ll be out here when you are done.” His voice rose during the last sentence, and I knew he was warning Eirik. He let go of me, crossed his arms, and fixed his narrowed eyes on Eirik.

Eirik still wore a puzzled expression. The others all looked tense. The faster I sorted this out, the sooner he could leave. He shouldn’t be here. “Let’s talk in the kitchen.”

“Living room is closer,” Echo suggested, steel in his words.

Yeah, right, He was only suggesting it because it didn’t have a door and he would hear us. “No. We’re going to the kitchen. Eirik.”

I left without checking to see whether he was following me. The dining room opened into the foyer and the kitchen was on its other side. I used that entrance instead of the one that led to the hallway and the pool.

I was reaching for bottled water in the fridge when Eirik appeared.

“Do you want something to drink?” I asked while I rearranged my thoughts.

“No.” Eirik leaned against the counter and crossed his arm. “Who was that guy?”

I took my time twisting the lid and sipping water while studying him. He looked different. More mature. His hair was shorter than I recalled, his features more chiseled. The things Raine had told me about him zipped through my head. He had gone through so much crap, and it showed. Eirik wasn’t the fresh-faced innocent boy I’d known months ago. He’d changed.

“His name is Echo,” I said.

The way his eyes widened, I knew he’d heard of him.

I swallowed, hating what I had to say next. Part of me wanted to delay the inevitable, but another part knew I had to do it now. “Echo is my boyfriend.”

A spasm crossed Eirik’s face, eyes sharpening as emotions churned in their depth. For a moment, he didn’t speak. He just stared at me, his hand clenching and unclenching.

He shook his head. “No, he can’t be. He’s a Grimnir. I know because I saw him in your room weeks ago and knew I had to rescue you. If my grandparents hadn’t delayed me—”

“You saw me?”

“I used my grandfather’s chair, but that’s beside the point. I missed you, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He moved closer. “I’d meant to tell you everything about me, who I was and why I’d left, and the most important of all, how I feel about you, Cora.” He reached up and touched my cheek, a sad smile tugging his lips. “How I’ve always felt about you.”

Oh, God. This was bad. “Eirik—”

“I’m not saying you were supposed to wait for me, Cora. I’m not even angry about the Grimnir. You are beautiful and always dated other guys, but that never stopped me from wanting you. I told my grandfather I would bring you to Asgard. That you’re the one I’ve chosen.”

This was beyond bad. “Eirik—”

“Let me finish. My grandmother was convinced that I’d never go back to Asgard if I left. I told them if they made me stay and didn’t let me get you, I’d leave for good. We don’t need to live with them. I can make you Immortal with Lavania’s help, and we can finish high school and do whatever we—”

“No.” I interrupted him this time. “I can’t be with you, Eirik. I’m so sorry.” Our friendship was important, but Echo was my life. I couldn’t live without with him. “I love him.”

Eirik blinked, disbelief in his amber eyes. “You can’t love him.”

The way he disregarded my feelings annoyed me. I put the bottle down, feeling better that I was telling him the truth now. “I do love him. I didn’t mean to, but it happened. If I could spare you—”

“Don’t.” He moved away from me, yet I felt his pain. “I’m an idiot.”

“Don’t say that.”

“First I thought I had a chance with Raine, but then Torin happened and I ceased to matter. Then I thought I had a chance with you. I believed Raine when she told me you had feelings for me. I believed we had a chance.” He sounded so defeated tears rushed to my eyes.

“I did have feelings for you. I still do, but it’s different with Echo.” The counter separated us now.

“Just like it was different with Torin.” A sarcastic laugh escaped him. “I guess I’m truly my mother’s son.”

I frowned, not liking the bitterness that had crept into his voice. “What do you mean?”

He smiled, the emotions churning in his eyes hard to watch. “My mother couldn’t find anyone to love her either. She had to trap my father in Hel with her. Maybe I’m destined to be alone like her. Doomed to never find loved.”

I closed the gap between us. “Don’t say that. You’ll meet someone.”

“I have no interest in meeting someone.” He turned and punched the counter. The marble top split and edges lifted up as it collapsed into the cupboards underneath it. The sound was echoed by another from the foyer.

Echo.

“I have to go and so do you. I don’t want you and Echo fighting over me because it won’t make any difference. Go back to Asgard, Eirik. Go home. You really shouldn’t be here with Grimnirs looking for you.” I closed the gap between us and touched his arm. He stiffened. More sounds came from the other room, telling me the others were trying to stop Echo. “Please, go.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed me, pulled me into his arms, and buried his face in my hair. I didn’t know what to do or say to him. He was shaking, which only made me feel bad. I put my arm around his waist and hugged him.

“I’m so sorry, Eirik. I never meant to hurt you.”

“I wish you had waited for me, Cora. Why didn’t you wait for me?”

More thuds shook the house.

“I must go to Echo before they hurt him.” I wiggled out of Eirik’s arms, looked up, and gulped. Eirik’s eyes had a weird glow in them. I had no idea what that meant. Raine had explained, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember whether it was a good thing or not. I had no time to calm him or help him deal with his pain. The sounds coming from the foyer were getting louder and coming faster.

I ran to the door between the kitchen and the dining room and pushed. The door wouldn’t budge. Something was blocking it from the other side. I spun around, raced past Eirik, and gunned for the door leading to the hallway. I burst through the swinging doors to see Raine and Eirik’s copper-haired buddy running toward me.

“Where’s Eirik?” Raine asked.

“In the kitchen. What’s happening?”

“Grimnirs are here.” Raine rushed past me. “They know he’s here. We must get him out. They also know that Echo is working with us.”

“No,” I whispered in horror.

“He’ll be okay. Just don’t go in there, Cora. He said to keep you away.”

I hesitated, not sure what to do. I had no superpowers and couldn’t fight these people, but I couldn’t cower in the hallway while they killed Echo either.

A roar came from the kitchen followed by thumps and crashes. Without looking back, I raced toward the foyer. My stomach dropped at the scene.

The wall separating the foyer from the living room was gone. From the number of long-coated blurs zipping around the room, the Grimnirs outnumbered our people two to one. Even Lavania in her fancy flowing gown was fighting.

Not sure what I could do to help, heart pounding, I searched for Echo in the chaos. I ducked behind the wall as half the stairs crumbled to my left, plaster and debris crashing to the floor. I felt a presence behind me and whipped around, expecting Raine.

A pale-blonde woman dressed in all black, including knee-length boots, and a belted leather jacket stood behind me. I’d never seen her before.

“So we meet again, Cora,” she said with an accent.

“Maliina,” I whispered.

“Echo is going to rot in Hel’s island for disobeying the goddess. And for what? You? A mere Mortal?”

“Stay away from her,” Echo roared, and I saw him, or the blur that was him, zip toward us. Two Grimnirs intercepted him, and the three took down the rest of the dining room wall.

“Echo,” I screamed and started toward him, reaching for a slab of plaster.

“You really think you can fight us?” Maliina said with a sneer. “They could snap your neck like that.” She snapped her fingers.

“You’re forgetting something. I’m Mortal. If they touch me, they will be punished for eternity.”

“Not if they say they couldn’t tell the difference,” Maliina said with malice. Then her face, hair, and clothes shifted and transformed until I was staring at my double. “Just like Echo couldn’t tell the difference. He’s only with you because I looked like you when we met. I bet when he touches you, it’s me he sees.”

I’d moved passed those insecurities a long time ago. “For an Immortal, you’re stupid. Why don’t you ask yourself why he has stayed
after
learning I’m not you?”

“Because he knows I’ll be waiting to replace you once your body withers and dies.”

I lost it and hit her with the slab. It broke into tiny pieces while she laughed mockingly. I jumped her, grabbing a chunk of her hair and yanking. She shook me off like I weighed nothing. I landed on my ass and pain shot up my spine. The battle in the foyer wasn’t slowing down, but I heard Echo yell my name above the noise.

Maliina grabbed my arm and pulled me up. “Walk or I’ll snap your arm.”

“If you think I’ll let you distract Echo—”

Her hand moved to my back. “One punch and I’ll snap your spine into two, Mortal. Now walk. We are going to the portal near the entrance. Eirik will follow us once he realizes I have you.”

Swallowing, I started forward across the war zone.

“Watch out, Cora!” Raine screamed.

I whipped around to see Eirik boring down on us, a medieval spiked flail dangling from his hand. Raine and his friend hurried beside him, yelling at him like they were trying to reason with him.

Eirik slowed down when he saw me and Maliina, his eyes volleying between my face and Maliina’s. They were still unfocused.

“Cora?” he asked.

“Yes,” Maliina and I said at the same time.

Maliina’s hand dropped from my back. “She’s trying to hurt me, Eirik. Destroy her.”

He raised the flail, the chain wrapping around his wrist, the spiked head coming to rest on the back of his arm. Instead of confusion, his eyes now burned with rage. I was sure he didn’t care who the real me was anymore. His anger was probably directed at me for not waiting for him, for not loving him. My heart stopped.

“Eirik, it’s me,” I whispered.

“Eirik, it’s me,” Maliina imitated me.

Eirik shook his head, his breathing labored, eyes starting to glow eerily again. His friend and Raine tried to pull him away. From Raine’s expression, she couldn’t tell us apart either.

A bloodied Echo appeared in my periphery, and I turned, relief slamming through me. He would stop Eirik.