Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) (8 page)

“She should have just let Echo teach me. He’s brilliant.”

We settled on the bed and shared the chips while we watched the original vampires fight witches for dominance in New Orleans.

“Klaus is so…” Cora sighed melodramatically.

“Tortured?”

“Yeah. He reminds me of Echo, but my man is not so messed up like him.”

I’d noticed she compared every tortured, cocky character on TV to Echo. No one out there could be compared to Torin. Not the Salvatore brothers, not the Winchester boys, and definitely not the Originals. I glanced out the window, but his place was in darkness.

At the end of the second episode, I closed the laptop. “Wow.”

“I know. Don’t you just hate those witches?”

Even in a fictitious TV series, witches were portrayed as evil. “Uh, I think they’re not all bad.”

She bumped me with her shoulder. “You’re just supporting your fellow witches.”

“Loyalty is priceless.”

“I hear you. This has been nice.” She jumped up and walked to the window. “How come Torin’s place is all dark? Did he move to the mansion?”

“He’s around. What is it?” I could always tell when she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to do it. She got really antsy. When she hesitated, I sighed. “Seriously, you want me to nag it out of you?”

She made a face. “I want to go back to vlogging,” she said then added quickly, “not about
Hottie of the Week
or anything that superficial. I want to vblog about real people with real problems.”

She was serious. “Okay.”

“Dealing with souls has shown me people never have conversations about important things. They hold on to their pain, anger, and resentment until they die. But then it’s too late. I want to use the stories the souls tell me, Raine. You know, make each a blog entry, so if there’s someone out there who’s having the same problems, they can do something about it before it’s too late.” She stared at me as though she expected me to blow her off. “I know I don’t have a degree in psychology, but—”

“It’s a brilliant idea. And you don’t need a degree. You’re learning from listening to people.”

She blew out a breath. “Listening to dead people kind of puts things in perspective.”

I’d bet. I had yet to see my first soul. “So when do you want to start? Are you going to change their names, the setting?”

Her face crunched as though she was about to cry, and then she hugged me. “Oh, I knew you’d support me.” She jumped up and peered into her room through the portal. “Echo doesn’t know. I thought I’d run it by you first. I’m going to start this week. I’ll need your input before I upload, so expect to watch something in a day or two. Oh, there was something else I meant to ask you, but I can’t remember now.” She pouted and blew out air. “Phew. Oh well. It will come to me. Gotta go. See you tomorrow.”

I smiled. She still got all chatty and her voice developed a high-pitch tone when she was excited. It was one of her endearing qualities.

I got ready for bed and went downstairs to say goodnight to Dad, but he was still asleep. I left the inventory and tax papers behind.

Torin wasn’t back when I went back upstairs. I stared at his house. I was tempted to text Andris, but I didn’t want to be that girl—needy and clingy and completely useless when her boyfriend wasn’t around.

I was in bed when warm air blew into my room and Torin entered.

My heart tripped. He made it so easy for a girl to drool. He’d already changed into his sweatpants and tank shirt that hugged his chest and showcased his sculptured arms. As usual, he was barefoot. I studied him from above my book.

He swaggered to the foot of my bed. “How come you’re in bed early?”

I lifted my book without speaking.

“Miss me?”

I pursed my lips and pretended to think about it before shaking my head. Okay, so I was a bit pissed at him because he hadn’t bothered to check in. Teleporting took seconds.

He crawled under the blanket from the foot the bed and worked his way up, slowly driving me crazy. Did he ever do anything like a normal guy? I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until he wiggled his head between my chest and my book. He gave me the most adoring look ever. “Hi, luv.”

The stinker. He knew when to work that British accent to his advantage, and I almost forgave him, but I had standards. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get your attention. You know I hate to be ignored.” He bobbed his head to indicate the book, which was on top of his head. “What are you reading?”

“
Moby-Dick
,” I said, forcing my heart to behave. It wasn’t easy with his chest pressed against mine and his legs trapping one of mine.

“Isn’t that the book you’re reading to your father? You’re cheating again?”

I put the book face down on his back and ran my fingers through his hair. I tended to get caught up in the stories Torin and I read together and sneaked a read without him, which drove him nuts. This was different. Dad had read
Moby-Dick
to me when I was little, and I had a feeling this time round, we might not finish it. I couldn’t even explain why I was reading ahead. I still didn’t feel like discussing my father.

“Guilty,” I said.

“And you look it.” He slid his arms under my shoulders and propped himself on his elbows. His face was inches from mine. “So what did you do while I was gone?”

“After the shop, I came home. Cora visited after dinner. Where were you?”

“Touching base with the other Valkyries.”

I frowned. “About the Seeress?”

He nodded. “Most Valkyries are being called back to Asgard.”

My stomach hollowed out. If he left… I couldn’t even begin to imagine my life without him. “You’re not—”

“Not that I’ve heard. I’m sure they have enough helpers in Valhalla.” He stroked my hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He couldn’t promise that. “But if they order you—”

“I’m not going anywhere, Freckles.” His voice said he’d defy any orders, which would only land him in trouble. He lowered his head and added, “No one will ever make me leave you.” The kiss that followed was sweet and too brief. He shifted and switched our positions, his arms wrapping around me. “So when you said you came home, do you mean you came alone or did Andris pick you up? Because if he didn’t, I’m going—”

I pressed a finger to his lips. “Whoa, slow down. Andris did. Poor guy. He has a stalker and acted really fugitive-ish. He also seemed to think you won’t approve of my working at the shop after school.”

He stiffened. “Why would you want to do that?”

“It’s something to do.”

“You do me after school,” he retorted.

I giggled. “That sounded wrong.”

“That’s because you have a dirty mind.” His tone said he didn’t find my comment funny. “You know what I mean. We hang out and do stuff. Now that it’s warmer, I plan to teach you how to move faster without hitting someone or something, and I’m not talking about while riding a Harley.”

“You should have said something or texted me.” He stared at me like I was a ditzy teenager, which I wasn’t. He hated texting. “I don’t read minds, you know.”

“Well, now you know. Then there’s creating portals in the air instead of solid surfaces. Portals to places around the world without appearing in someone’s bedroom or in the middle of some high society ball in London. That happened to me once, and it wasn’t funny. They thought I was a stable boy trying to steal the family silver.”

“And the bedroom?”

“The woman believed she’d conjured me. I mean, she was standing naked in front of a mirror talking to herself when I walked through it.” He shuddered. “One mistake and it had to be with a bloody witch.”

I ignored the comment about the witch. “No one walks blindly through portals. You must have seen her.”

He smirked. “I was young and cocky, and she was hot.” A wicked twinkle entered his eyes.

“Oh, you were such a man-whore.” I tried to slide off him, but his arms tightened and his legs lifted and trapped me.

“That was before I met you. Now, I only lust after one woman.” He buried his face in my neck, his breath fanning the sensitive skin. I shivered.

“Tell me again why you hate witches.”

“Technically, all Valkyries were once
spiritual Mortals
,” he stressed, lifting his head. “Mortals in touch with their inner self. Mortals sensitive to nature and those around them. Mortals aware that they are part of something bigger than what an average Joe sees. They didn’t have to draw circles or chant. No matter how nice or whichever culture they come from, witches can turn vicious and go Carrie on you.”

Movie reference? He was picking up stuff from me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You think I could hurt you.”

“No. You could never hurt anyone.” He forked hair away from my face and kissed me again, deeper this time. When he stopped, I had trouble focusing on his next words. “Just promise to stay away from witches. We have runes for everything imaginable, except for fighting witches and their ability to mess with people’s heads.”

I frowned. “Have you ever been attacked by a witch?”

“No, but I’ve seen what they can do and it’s not pretty. Now, about this job…” He nibbled his way along my jaw to my neck, sending heat through me. His hands slid down my sides, passing over my hips to my thighs. He tugged until I straddled him. Then his lips covered mine, the taste of him going straight to my head. He really didn’t play fair. “So you’ll tell Hawk you’ve changed your mind?”

I wasn’t ready to be a doormat yet. “You can have Tuesdays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, but I’ll be working on Mondays,” I pressed my lips on his cheek, “Wednesdays,” then the other, “and Fridays at the Mirage.” I kissed him on the lips.

I thought he was going to resist, but he let me in and allowed me to play with him. I loved it when he let me indulge myself. A shudder rolled through him, his arms tightening around me. He was wound tight like a caged tiger. Fighting his natural instinct to take charge.

I lifted my head. “Deal?”

“No. Convince me,” he said, his voice husky.

Grinning, I speared my fingers through his hair, gripped, and tilted his head. He watched me from under the canopies of his lashes, waiting to see what I’d do next. Daring me with a half smile. I closed the gap between us and rubbed my nose against his.

“Tease,” he whispered.

“You asked for it, so relax and enjoy.” I took my time, savoring his responses. He stopped me before I got carried away and tucked me on his side. I buried my face in his neck and inhaled. I could never get enough of his piney scent.

He didn’t mention the deal again, but then it wasn’t really about the deal. Torin liked to push boundaries to see what he could get away with. Sometimes, I let him. Most of the time, I pushed back.

Something woke me up. A sound or maybe a feeling that something wasn’t right. My room was in total darkness. Darker than usual because I couldn’t see my hands. I reached for Torin, but he was gone.

I slipped out of bed and automatically glanced out the window. His house was in total darkness, too. Voices came from downstairs again. They must be the ones who’d woken me up.

I left my room and headed downstairs. The door to my parent’s bedroom was open, but it was empty. Where was Femi? She slept there now that Mom was gone. Halfway down the stairs, the voices reached me again. They were coming from outside.

I went to the front door and angled my head to listen. My stomach dropped. Someone was singing. It was the same Seidr song. A witch was outside my house. Or was this a summoning? I unlocked the door and turned the knob, but it didn’t move.

Not again.

I ran to the window, jumped on the couch, and pushed aside the curtains. Several people stood in my front yard. I tried to see the faces of the ones facing me, but they were blurry. The glowing circle and runes were visible between their legs, and light flickered in the circle, but I couldn’t see the Seeress.

“Why do you need to find them?” a woman’s voice asked. Probably the Seeress. Her voice was different from the one from last night. It sounded low and husky, like Femi’s.

“We don’t need to give you a reason, Seidkona.” Dang it, he still sounded like Torin. I tried to see which one of them had spoken. Maybe see his face.

“I cannot help you,” the woman said defiantly.

“You will or you will die,” he snarled.

“Just like you’ve killed the others who refused to help you,” the woman said with disgust. “Your kind is not supposed to kill.”

“We can do whatever we want. This is your last chance,” Mr. British warned.

“I will not betray my kind,” the woman snapped. “Not for the likes of you.”

“Then you seal your fate, too,” Mr. Brit said. A scream filled the air, but it was cut short with a telltale crack.

Holy crap! He just snapped her neck.

I let go of the curtains and jumped away from the window. Totally forgetting I was on the couch, I lost my balance and fell backwards.

Arms wrapped around my waist.

“I got you,” a voice whispered in my ear. It was the voice of the Seeress killer. I screamed, kicked, and reached up to claw his face. He caught my arms and pinned them down. “Whoa, Freckles. It’s me.”

The familiar warmth and earthy scent registered first, then his words. Only Torin called me Freckles. I stopped struggling, opened my eyes and stared into Torin’s.

“Is she okay?” Femi asked from the doorway and my focus flew to her. Everything became confusing fast. Her voice superimposed on that of the Seeress. Torin’s voice became that of her killer.

I scrambled from his arms and shot off the bed. My knee connected with my dresser, and I hissed as pain shot up my leg. When Torin reached for me, I dropped on the window seat and scooted back until the hard ledge pressed against my back. I tucked my legs up to my chin and hugged them. My eyes volleyed between him and Femi. The confusion on their faces didn’t help, so I focused on my room and familiar things.

According to my alarm clock it was only ten. I’d barely gone to sleep. I heard Torin say something, and then Femi left. Panic still churned in my gut. I stole a glance at him.

Torin stared at me from the bed with a grave expression, his expressive blue eyes shadowed. He was shirtless, yet I couldn’t see the shirt he’d worn earlier. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was the rhythmic motion of his hands as he stroked my hair and the thumpity-thump of his heart.

“What happened?” I asked.

“You fell asleep a few minutes ago and I left. Then I heard you scream.”

He got off the bed, his movements slow. Graceful. It was a weird thing to notice, but I was processing things at a weird level. The muscles on his arms flexed and relaxed, the light casting a golden blush on his skin. The entire time, he kept staring as though he knew just how skittish I was.

He sat on the edge of the bed and studied me without speaking, giving me time.

“Was it bad?” he asked.

The killer only sounded like him. That was it. I nodded.

Concern darkened his eyes. “You want to talk about it?”

I shook my head.

He looked ready to push, appeared to change his mind, and raked his fingers through his hair. “Do you want a hug?”

Did I want his arms around me? Like I needed the freaking air. With that thought, sanity bitch slapped me. This was the man I was madly in love with. The man who’d broken rules to heal me without thoughts of consequences. The man whose memories the Norns had erased yet had fallen in love with me again. He knew me in ways I still didn’t understand. Knew when I needed to be held or wanted a good fight.

I didn’t answer him. I leaped into his arms. He caught me and, without saying another word, shifted against the pillows, pulled the covers over us, and turned off the lights.

I wrapped myself around him and buried my face in his neck. His scent and warmth enveloped me. I listened to his heartbeat until I was ready. “Can you spend the night?” I whispered.

“Uh, sure.”

I knew what the hesitation meant. “We can open the door.”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Opened or closed, we are in control. We agreed to take things slow. No matter how hard it is for some of us.”

I nudged him with my arm. He made it difficult for a girl to stay sane.

“We have a lifetime ahead of us,” he added and pressed a kiss on my forehead. “Go to sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

No wonder I was crazy about him. He could be infuriating, but he was immovable and dependable. “I had another vision.”

“I figured as much.”

“They killed another Seeress,” I said.

“They?”

“I don’t know who they are. In my vision, their leader kept asking the Seeress to find
them
. See where
they
are. I’m not sure who these killers are after, but they’re willing to kill Seeresses. She refused to help them and even said something about not betraying her kind. That’s when he snapped her neck.”

Torin was quiet, his arms tight around me.

“Like yesterday, I don’t know if what I saw happened in real time, like Ingrid had implied, or if it was a vision of what’s going to happen. All I know is these people are killing Seeresses.”

“I don’t know anyone who would want to kill a Seeress, unless it’s another witch. The world’s changed and people can practice whatever they like, so this is not another inquisition or witch trial.”

“Did you hear anything about my first vision?”

“No. Like I said, one dead witch might go unnoticed. Many will send a ripple through the magical world.”

Part of me wanted to mention the man who’d sounded like him, but I bit my tongue. I sucked at accents and British people kind of sounded alike. I couldn’t tell a British and an Aussie apart, so what did I know?

No, accusing the man I loved of killing Seeresses would be stupid.

***

When I woke up, Torin’s side of the bed was empty. Fingers of light filtered through my window and threw shadows on my bedroom wall. Last night’s vision returned to haunt me.

Seeresses were being killed and somehow I was seeing their deaths. What was I supposed to do? Stop their deaths? Identify the killers and find them justice?

I sighed, turned, and something metallic pressed against my back. Torin’s family heirloom. It must have slipped off of his neck. It had been under his tank top the last time I saw it. Before my vision.

I lifted it up by its chain. The clasp was on, which meant he’d removed it. I couldn’t recall him doing that. Placing it by the table, I reached for my laptop and booted it. Keeping an eye on the clock, I Googled murders and witches.

Ritual Child Murder… Teen Charged with Ritual Murder… Santa Muerte Ritualistic Killings…
Sick bastards. There was nothing about recent deaths of witches or Seeresses.

Closing the laptop, I went to the window and waved when Torin looked up. He tapped his watch. Grabbing a robe, I went through the portal, appeared in his living room, and came up behind him. He was once again parading around shirtless. His back was just as fascinating as his front.

He turned and offered me a mug. He studied my face as though a lone zit had taken residence on the tip of my nose. “You don’t look too hot.”

“Ouch.”

A smile tugged the corner of his lips. “Maybe you should skip school today.”

“Seriously? I didn’t miss school because of the Norns, or when Maliina went psycho, or even when a certain neighbor etched runes on me and scared the beegeebees out of me.” He grinned. “And now I should because of a few morbid visions? No way.” I sipped my coffee. “Besides, I need to find the witch at school and warn her or something.”

He stopped in the process of sipping his coffee and cocked his eyebrow. “There’s a witch at school?”

“Yep. I heard someone singing the Seidr song. Remember I asked you if you’d heard it? I talked to Ingrid, and she told me a witch was at our school.”

His expression turned sour like he’d used stale creamer. “Ingrid?”

“Yeah. What’s with the expression?”

He shrugged and turned to walk away. I grabbed his pants and pulled. Yikes. I let go.

“If you want me to take it off, just say so,” he threw over my shoulder, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. “If that’s an attempt to get out of talking about Ingrid, it’s pathetic.” He poured more coffee into his mug. “What’s your problem with Ingrid?”

“She knows a lot about witchy stuff.” He leaned against the counter and sipped his drink.

“That’s because Maliina was a powerful witch. Stop hating on witches.” I gripped the string of his sweatpants, tugged teasingly, and let go. “See you in a few. Oh, you forgot your family shield pendant thing in my room.”

“No, you claimed it and I decided to let you have it.”

I frowned. “Claimed it?”

“Clasped it and wouldn’t let go, so I removed it. Take good care of it for me.”

It looked old, like something he’d want to lock away. “Thanks. I will. I’ll hitch a ride with you today, but tomorrow, I’m taking my car.”

“Why?”

“I have to work at the Mirage.”

He groaned. “I thought we agreed you’d be too busy.”

I laughed. “You stated your case and I disagreed.”

“You’re so… so…”

“Loveable. I know. Thanks for the coffee.” I disappeared through the portal, turned, and caught him standing in his living room scowling. He was so cute when he pouted. I wiggled my fingers as the portal closed. I was still grinning when I raced downstairs for breakfast.

Dad was asleep, but I still checked on him and made sure he was breathing. It was a stupid habit, but I did it anyway. Sometimes I could hardly see the rise and fall of his chest. One day he’d open his eyes and catch me holding a mirror to his nose.

Torin was waiting in his garage. “We have two minutes before the first bell,” he said, raising the garage door.

“Then get us there in one, luv,” I said, imitating his British accent.

He chuckled and started the engine. Across the street, Mr. Rutledge waved to us with his newspaper. I wondered if they believed I slept at Torin’s whenever we left together without seeing me go to his place first.

We pulled up outside the school at the same time as Blaine’s sports car, except he wasn’t behind the wheel. Ingrid was. She was laughing at something Blaine said when they stepped out of the car. Andris watched them from the SUV a few feet away. This was an interesting development. The mansion must be full of drama.

“I need to check on something first,” Torin said.

“You’re not going in?”

“No, but I’ll be there before lunch.” A quick kiss and he was back on the Harley.

The first bell rang as I entered the building. I took off toward the lockers. I was so going to get a tardy slip. A few slackers were also just arriving and didn’t seem worried about making it to class.

I raced upstairs. The hallway was nearly empty, except for two girls giggling over a text message. The second bell rang. Just before I entered the class, I heard the Seidr song again.

The hairs on my arms prickled. The giggling girls entered a classroom at the end of the hallway, leaving me alone. I angled my head, trying to find the source of the song.

It was beautiful. Haunting. Hypnotic.

I thought someone called my name, but I was drawn to the song. I followed it to several doors away. The boys’ bathroom? The voice didn’t sound like a guy’s, but then again I could name a few teen heartthrob singers who sounded like girls. I checked left then right, so undecided about my next move. This was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss.