Runes (Paranormal Romance, YA,) (29 page)

Pushing aside the thought of the two of them together, I looked around. Instead of the single couch I’d seen before, several lined the wall. A band played on the large flat-screen TV above the fireplace, giving the illusion of a live show. For someone who didn’t like technology, he’d sure gone all out on the latest gadgets.

Loud laughter drew us to the kitchen. The L-shaped kitchen counter and the island had chips and dips, crackers and cheese, and pitchers of drinks. Some students sat on the stairs leading to the second floor. Others were crowded in the family room across from the kitchen, watching a four-player game on another large-screen TV.

“Happy you could make it, guys,” Torin said from behind us, and we turned. Jess clung to his arm like a leech.

“We won’t stay for long,” Eirik said, his arm tightening around my shoulders.

“Then help yourselves to anything and have fun.” His gaze lingered on my face, or maybe it was just my imagination.

“I hope you don’t mind, Jess, but Torin promised me a dance.” Cora grabbed his hand and tugged until Jess let him go. She pulled him toward the living room.

Jess stared after them, then turned and faced us. Her friends, Danielle, Savanna, and Vera stood behind her like courtly entourage.

“Hi, Eirik,” Danielle said sweetly.

“Danielle. Excuse us, girls.” He started to lead me way.

“That was a beautiful eulogy, Raine,” Jess said.

I stiffened. A compliment from Jess? I didn’t think so. She was buttering me up for something. “Thanks. It was a group effort.”

“Group effort?” she asked, her eyebrow lifted.

“She means we worked on it together, Jess,” Eirik said in a hard voice. “Excuse us.” He started forward, forcing Jess and the other two girls to move aside. Danielle wasn’t easily intimidated, even though she was petite.

“Dance with me, Eirik,” Danielle said, wrapping her hands around his other arm, completely ignoring me.

Eirik freed his arm from hers. “Maybe next time. Right now, I need to dance with my girlfriend.” He shuddered as we walked away. “Piranhas. How can Torin stand them?”

I had no response for him. Coming to Torin’s party had been a terrible idea. This afternoon he had looked at me like I meant everything to him, and now he was with Jess. My chest hurt just thinking about them together. I wanted to go home and cry my eyes out. The problem was if I left, Eirik would want to know why.

Determined to act normal, I smiled and pretended everything was okay. We got drinks, nibbled on cheese, and mingled. The turnout was huge, and from the animated faces, everyone appeared to be having fun. I was miserable.

I focused on the house, noting the changes from before when Eirik’s family had lived here. The old den was now a mini-gym with weight racks, several machines, and a workout bench. A few guys were messing around with dumbbells. Upstairs, two doors were locked. One led to Eirik’s parents’ old bedroom. The other was Eirik’s old bedroom, now Torin’s. The other rooms were empty, but not for long. Students had a way of finding all the cool niches to make-out.

Back downstairs, some of the guys dragged Eirik to the video game. He gave me a helpless look, and I found myself smiling.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him and headed outside where Marj and a group of people sat on the trampoline. Eirik’s parents had gotten rid of the jungle gym when he became too old to use it, but left the trampoline alone.

Intent on attracting Marj’s attention, I didn’t see Jess and her friends until I stepped on the back porch. “All alone?” Danielle asked. “Did Eirik desert you?”

I ignored them and tried to walk around them, but they blocked my path.

“I guess it’s just you and us now,” Jess said.

“What do you want, Jess?” I asked, injecting as much venom as I could in the single question. I wasn’t scared of her or her friends.

“Stop ogling her boyfriend,” Vera snarled.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t think we haven’t noticed the way you’re always staring at Torin?” Danielle added. “You already have Eirik.”

“As for the fake tears in church today, we saw right through them. You wanted him to feel sorry for you and take you home,” Jess said. “You’re so pathetic.”

“Actually, you three are the pathetic ones,” a familiar voice intruded. I looked over Danielle’s shoulder at Andris, his silver hair spiked, brown eyes twinkling. He winked at me. “Hey, sweetheart. Miss me?”

“No.” For the first time since we’d met, I was actually happy to see him, not that I’d let him know it. He sat on the porch rail with his back against a pole, legs crossed and a bottle of a clear liquid in his hand.

“Who are you?” Jess asked.

“Get lost,” Andris said rudely, then waved me over and patted the rail. “Join me, Raine.”

I slid past the three girls and moved to his side. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

“I rescue you from these…” he studied Jess and her friends and dismissed them with an eye roll, “and you’re giving me attitude?”

“I didn’t need rescuing,” I said.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Jess snarled at the same time. “This is my boyfriend’s house.”

“Boyfriend?” Andris laughed. “Not only are you stupid, you’re delusional. One word from me and St. James will throw your sorry ass out of here. Now beat it and take your groupies with you.” He dismissed them again with a flicker of his hand.

“Oh, we’ll see who gets thrown out,” Jess said peevishly and stomped away. Her friends followed.

Andris focused on me and smirked. “Did you miss me even a little bit?”

I ignored the question. “Where’s Maliina?”

“Home on a timeout. She’s been a very naughty girl.”

That was an understatement. “You can’t put her on a timeout. She’s not a child.”

“No, she’s not, and I’m crazy about her. However, I had a lot of explaining and groveling to do because of her. That’s why I was gone for so long, just in case you’re wondering. Want a sip?” He offered me his drink.

I wrinkled my nose. “No, thanks. If you’re crazy about her, why don’t you show her? She only acts out because she needs reassurance that you love her.”

“I know, but when you’ve been together for a couple of centuries, you do what you can to spice things up. A little jealousy goes a long way, and the makeup sex is amazing.” He wiggled his brow.

My face heated. “That’s a stupid reason to chase Mortals.”

“I
pretend
to chase Mortals, except in your case. You’re special.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“That’s him,” Jess said from the doorway and pointed at Andris. Torin stepped on the porch behind Jess, followed by Vera, Savanna, and Danielle. Torin’s gaze swung from me to Andris, his eyes narrowing.

“What are you doing here?” Torin asked. He sounded too calm.

“Doing
your
job, big brother. I rescued Raine from your… whatever they are.” Andris studied Jess and her friends and made a face. “They ganged up on her, the skanks,” he added with mock outrage.

Skanks? I almost laughed, until I saw Torin’s expression. He looked thunderous as his eyes shifted from me to Jess. “You did what?”

Jess blinked. “I, uh…”

“Come with me,” he snapped.

Jess frowned, confusion on her face, and she followed him.

Andris snorted. “She’s like a puppy, isn’t she? Run along,” he added to the other three girls. As they turned and scurried away, I almost felt sorry for them.

“Are you always this rude to people you plan to recruit?”

“Absolutely. I don’t like Mortals, especially those not on my list.” He sipped his drink. “No, that’s not true. I prefer them,” he hopped down, leaned toward me, and whispered, “dead.” He laughed, bathing my face with alcoholic fumes. I leaned back. “You should see your face. Classic. Later, sweetheart.” He entered the house, still chuckling.

He was nuts, just like Maliina. I had no idea how I fit in their grand scheme of things, but I was done with this party. I went in search of Eirik, but he was busy playing whatever game they had on the screen. The crowd watching had grown larger and louder. Not sure whether to leave without telling him or not, I paused behind the couch. Then my heart tripped as I felt Torin’s presence. It was as though I was wired to sense him or something.

“Dance with me,” he whispered, his breath brushing my ear.

I swallowed. “Where’s Jess?”

“She doesn’t matter. You do.”

I wanted to believe him, wanted to look into his eyes and see if he meant it. It was impossible to explain how he’d come to mean so much to me so fast. “You marked her with de-skanking runes?”

He chuckled. “She and I have an understanding now.”

The back of his hand brushed against mine, and I sucked in a breath. For a moment he traced squiggles on the back of my hand, his caress light and hypnotic.

I closed my eyes, savoring his touch. He shifted, the tips of his fingers running up and down my palm, inviting me to play with him. Heart pounding, I went for it. Fingers caressed my palm. It was the most erotic foreplay ever. He gently stroked my arm, and I trembled. He wasn’t playing fair. Finally, he looped his pinky around mine. Since we stood so close with the back of the couch in front of us, I hoped no one could tell we were touching.

 
“Don’t just stand there watching them,” Cora said, coming to stand beside me. She fanned her face. “Go dance.”

I yanked my hand from Torin’s and turned to face her. “I don’t mind.”

“Really? What’s the game about?” she challenged and cocked her brow.

I stared blankly at her. “I don’t know, but Eirik seems to enjoy it and I don’t want to pull him away.”

“You don’t have to dance with him.” She grabbed Torin’s arm. “Dance with Torin.”

Cora could be so bossy sometimes. I glanced at Torin and found him trying hard not to laugh. Once again, they were ganging up on me without knowing it. I wanted to go with him. Eirik was into the video game and wouldn’t miss me. Besides, it was just a dance. No need to feel guilty.

 
I led the way to the living room. As though on cue, the music changed to a slow tune. The dancers on the floor went with the flow. I hesitated. Torin didn’t give me a chance to escape. He took my hands and placed them on his shoulders.

“Did you change the music?” I asked.

“What do you think?” He flashed a wicked grin, looped his arm around my waist, and pulled me closer.

If it were possible to melt, I’d be a pool of goo on the floor. Time lost meaning. Wrong and right ceased to matter. The twig of guilt at leaving Eirik disappeared. We moved even closer, my check resting on Torin’s chest.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice husky.

I didn’t say yes, but neither did I say no. The music was still playing when he maneuvered us to the side door leading to the garage, opened it, and closed the door behind us. The lights turned on automatically. I looked around. His Harley looked majestic in the middle of the garage.

“Alone at last,” he said.

“What are we doing in here?” I asked, walking toward his bike.

“Escaping the noise. Techno music is just not my thing.”

I laughed and glanced his way. He watched me with a naughty gleam in his eyes. I swallowed, trying to focus on our conversation. “Then why play it.”

“This generation seems to enjoy it, and faking interest in the same music creates trust.” He followed me, his gait slow like a predator stalking its prey.

“So, it is important to gain our trust?”

He shrugged. “Not really, but it makes my work easier.”

“You still won’t tell me why you need to recruit athletes?”

A pained expression crossed his handsome face. “I can’t.”

Andris had hinted Jess and her friends weren’t on his list. “Do you have a list of recruits?”

He laughed. “No.”

“Will I be on yours?”

A look of utter horror crossed his face. “No way.”

His reaction hurt. “Why not? Am I not good enough?”

He shook his head, a lock of hair falling over his forehead. He pushed it back, and I could tell he hated discussing his work. “That’s not it.”

“Maybe I’m on Andris’ list.”

“He wouldn’t dare without telling me,” Torin ground out.

Silence followed. I might not know why they were after the swim team, but his attitude sucked. “I should go back inside,” I said weakly, though I didn’t make a move to leave. “Eirik’s probably looking for me.”

“Don’t go,” he said softly, walking around the Harley. He stood behind me, bringing his intoxicating warmth. “I didn’t bring you in here to talk about my work.”

“Why then?”

“I wanted us to be alone.”

I released a shaky breath. “I saw you earlier.”

“It wasn’t enough. Call me greedy, but I need more.” He ran his knuckles up and down my arm. I shivered. His hands rested on my hips. Then he lowered his head and pressed his face into my hair. “I didn’t expect you when I came here, Freckles. This was supposed to be a routine job, yet now it’s much more.”