Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) (13 page)

“What did you see?” Andris asked. “A threesome?”

That would have been preferable. “Roman soldiers hunting down Druids. Old men. Women. Children. It was horrifying.” Too late, I realized this was the wrong thing to say.

Torin was gone from my side before I could blink. The next second, he rammed into Echo. The force of his attack catapulted them across the room. The two of them crashed through the glass door to the pool deck. Shards of glass flew everywhere.

Cora screamed. Andris laughed.

Of all the supernatural bullshit I had to deal with, testosterone-driven soul reapers were not on the list. Not today. “Andris, are you just going to just stand there and do nothing?”

“Yep.” He poured himself a shot and went to stand by the window to watch them. “Best fight I’ve since the Grimnir showdown at the mansion.”

Cora yelled Echo’s name and issued threats I didn’t bother to listen to. I’d had it. I engaged my runes and went after them. Torin and Echo were nowhere in sight. The pool deck had giant cracks like someone had taken a giant sledgehammer to it.

A giant splash came from the pool, and then a glowing Echo shot out of the water, rolled on the deck, and sprung to his feet. The look on his face said he was enjoying himself.

I pinned him with a glare. “Don’t even think of going back into that pool, Echo.”

“He started it,” Echo said.

“No,
you
did.” Lucky for him, his neighbors were too far to have seen the sudden cracks on the deck and water splashing when no one was in the pool. I walked to the edge of the pool just as Torin’s head broke the surface. “No more, Torin. I don’t need this from you.”

“He’s an ass…” He glared at Echo, who appeared beside me. He’d removed his drenched shirt and was putting on a thick, terry robe. He offered another one to Torin, but I didn’t think he’d take it.

Torin pulled himself out of the pool. He looked like a drowned rat. A gorgeous rat with flames leaping in the depth of his blue eyes. I planted myself between them, snatched the robe from Echo’s hand, and shoved it in Torin’s chest.

“You two are going to play nice from now on,” I said. “You pull this crap again and I’ll flatten both of you myself. No, I’ll use my witch powers and screw with your heads so badly you won’t want to leave your houses for weeks. And that’s a promise.” I turned and started for the house. “Now fix this…”

The shards of glass and cracks were gone, remnants of glowing runes on their surfaces. Andris waved an artavus from the other side of the door.
Now he steps up.

No one spoke as we walked back into the house. Torin’s wet boots made sloshy and squeaky sounds with each step. He disappeared through the portal while Echo headed to his bedroom.

“I wish they wouldn’t do that,” Cora said.

“Nah, it’s good for them,” Andris said.

“How come you don’t go punching people and things when you’re pissed?” I asked.

“I’m a lover, sweetheart. Besides, things have been building up between them since forever.”

Torin was first to arrive. He’d changed into my favorite sweatpants and a T-shirt. He walked straight to me. “Do I need to apologize again?”

His tone said he would, but he wasn’t going to like it. I shook my head.

“Good because I’m not sorry for kicking his ass.” He glared at Echo, who’d just entered the room.

Echo smirked and whispered something to Cora. I didn’t know what he’d told her, but she jumped up and said, “I have to go home, guys. Fill me in later.” She disappeared into the bedroom.

Echo joined Andris at the bar and poured himself another drink. “So, where were we before the Earl of Worthington rudely interrupted me?”

“Your ring,” I said and tossed it back to him.

He caught it and slipped it on his finger. “This was my older sister’s ring and—”

“Are you forgetting something?” Torin asked in a hard voice, arms crossed and feet apart. He stood beside me, but I knew he could close the gap between him and Echo in a fraction of a second.

Echo glanced at him then me and smirked. “Sorry about the ring, Raine. I meant to give you a different one.” He cocked his eyebrow at Torin, who growled. “I was going to give you this one,” Echo added and pulled off another ring. “It belonged to my baby sister’s. The vision would have been of singing, happy Druids.”

Torin didn’t seem happy with that either. Guess he wasn’t buying Echo’s B.S. He really was pissed. I reached up and took his hand. Echo watched us and grinned.

“Okay, uh, we now know you not only see things as they happen, but you can also see the past and hopefully the future. With time, you’ll just need to touch or look at someone or something to have a vision. Chances are you can control the elements, too. Now I understand why the Norns want you, why these people are after you. You are the real deal. A true shaman.”

He had my attention. Heck, he had everyone’s attention. Torin’s grip on my hand tightened. “Does that mean I don’t have to sketch circles like a Seidr witch?”

“Technically, you could never be considered a witch or merely a Seeress. Your kind doesn’t draw protective circles, listen to special songs, chant, or drum to enter the trance state like other Seeresses,” he said. “You walk in the land of the living and the dead. You can move in and out of realms at a whim, touch anything and connect with its energy and know where it’s been and where it’s going. That kind of power only comes to those who’ve tasted death. You know, died, crossed over, and came back. Anything like that ever happen to you, sweetheart?”

“I was born premature, so I might have,” I said. “The Norns made sure I survived.” Echo cocked his eyebrows in question. “Long story. Is there a way I can see clearly? My visions are really blurry. We were hoping I could catch the people after me in the act.”

Echo glanced at Torin. “Do you want to hear the rest, or are you going to go ape again?”

“Just say it,” Torin snapped, his hand tightening around mine.

“There’s magical energy imbedded in that seal,” Echo continued, and Torin stiffened. “Magical energy responds faster than ordinary energues. The magic belongs to either your mother or her killer. The good part is the energy is responding to Raine and leading her to these people. Next time you connect with it—”

“There won’t be a next time,” Torin said firmly. “We’ll find a way to stop the bastards without Raine watching them hurt another Seeress.”

“No.” I eased my hand from Torin’s. We always knocked heads when he went all protective of me and acted like I was someone that needed to be rescued. “I want to hear this. The last Seeress looked straight at me and told me to help the others. What should I do differently next time?”

Echo drained his drink. “Focus on what you want without panicking or second guessing yourself. You must be comfortable with yourself, Raine. Completely accepting of what you are. You are more than a Seeress. You are a living, breathing, earth-bound Norn.”

My stomach dropped. Torin growled again. Every time someone mentioned Norns, he went ballistic. The implication was too painful to bear. Accepting that I was a Norn meant I belonged with them, not him. The way he felt after losing his mother would be nothing compared to what he’d feel if he lost me. It would destroy him.

“How do we catch these people before they hurt another Seeress?” I asked.

“I think you should be more concerned with how to protect yourself when they get here,” Echo said. “Now that the word is out about you, more wackos are going to come out of the woodworks to claim you.”

“
We
will protect her,” Torin said.

“Not on your own, St. James. You need help. People to claim her. Magical people. All kind of crazies will claim she’s theirs. My Druids brothers and sisters can offer her the best protection against any coven.”

“Nice try, Echo,” Torin said. “Thanks for the help, but we’ll take it from here.”

***

“Well?” I said when we went back to Torin’s.

“I don’t want to think or talk,” he said, rubbing my arms. “I want to hold you and block out the world.”

Andris cleared his throat. “Do you need help?”

Torin glanced at him and smiled. “I’ll catch up with you later. Oh, get the info on the auction house from Echo and do what you do best. I need to know who, when, and where A.S.A.P.”

Andris saluted him and left.

Wow, that was weird. “Why are you guys being super polite to each other?”

“It’s been a long day.” He tucked wisps of hair away from my forehead, planted a kiss on my temple, and sat on the bed. Slowly, he ran his knuckles down my arm. The hairs on my skin stood as though I was cold, yet heat surged underneath. I shivered. Usually, he’d smile at my reaction. Today, he threaded our fingers, his eyes not leaving mine. His intensity could be unnerving sometimes.

“Are you worried about me?” I asked.

He chuckled. “No, Freckles. I got your back. Whoever these bastards are, they won’t know what hit them if they come near you.”

“You’re not thinking of going after them, are you?”

He let go of my hands, wrapped his arms around my waist, and pressed his face against my stomach. My fingers sunk into his hair and played with it. His hair was so silky. My breath stalled when his hands slipped under my tank top to stroke my skin.

He ran a finger along the waistband of my jeggings, and my body responded. It was always the same with him. He took my breath away with a touch. Sometimes, all it took was a look. He pulled me down to his lap and nuzzled my neck.

I started to feel dizzy, and I realized why. I was still holding my breath. I fed my starving lungs with gulps of air. This time, he chuckled.

“No, I’m not going after them,” he whispered in a husky voice, his breath warm on my nape. “I want to know where the pendant came from.” He kissed along my jaw. “Your visions say I must.” He rubbed his cheek against mine. “In the meantime, focus on your abilities,” he kissed my temple, “and school,” planted another on my nose, “and your father,” our lips almost touched, “and us.”

He rubbed his lips across mine in a gentle exploration, one hand palming my face, the other stroking my arm. The kiss was sweet. I needed more. I threw my arms around his neck and gave as much as I took.

“When do you need to be home?” he whispered.

“Six-ish.” The clock by his bed had said five-thirty something. “I texted Femi earlier.” I didn’t want us to stop. Today had been so stressful

Torin rolled us across the bed and reached for my cell. Kill joy.

I read Femi’s text while he did his best to distract me. “Six-thirty.”

Making out with Torin was like drifting in a sea of sensations, away from reality and the mundane. His hands and mouth were gifted, and being with him was beautiful, intense, and mind-blowing. Times like this, I hated that we’d agreed to wait before I could give myself to him. Each time, it got just a little harder to stop. It was so frustrating.

Sighing, he wrapped his legs around mine like a pretzel and held me so there was no space between us, as though he was scared someone would rip me from his arms.

We stayed like that for a while, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I kissed his chest. “You want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing is bothering me.” He spoke against my forehead.

I didn’t believe him. We had faced some jacked up situations together, but I’d never seen him like this. I was the one who always got twisted on the inside. He was often my rock. My anchor. Something had shaken him to the core, and I wanted to know what it was.

“Torin?”

“Hmm,” he mumbled.

“Talk to me.”

Silence.

I waited. The silence stretched. “I’m here for you if you need to talk.”

His arms tightened around me. “I know.”

“Do you want to join us for dinner,” I suggested.

He sighed and leaned back against the pillow with me on his chest. “I can’t. I need to check on a few things. Andris might have something for me.”

“Do you think the person who put the pendant up for auction stole it or is a relative of yours?” I lifted my head and braced myself on his chest. “Do you have any relatives left? Second cousin or third? A Comte d’Arques?”

He smiled and ran a finger down my nose. “I have a few here and there. One of them must have stolen the seal from Mom’s tomb.” He swatted my butt. “Come on. Time for you to head home. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. What do you have planned for the evening?”

“Dinner, a movie with Femi, and homework. Not necessarily in that order.” Reluctantly, I rolled off him and stood.

He watched me lazily as I adjusted my top and fluffed my hair. “What are you going to watch?”

“Sam and Dean Winchester.” He groaned, but I just laughed. We had a system that worked. I watched his motorcycle races, and he watched my favorite TV series. “Can we have dinner with Cora and Echo on Saturday?”

“No.”

“Oh.” I pouted. “You didn’t even think about it.”

“Let’s see.” His expression grew pensive. “I have something planned in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The answer is still no.”

“Why?”