Witches (Runes series Book 6) (40 page)

I engaged my invisibility runes before going through the portal, and then headed to Beau’s room. His mother was asleep in the chair by the bed, and a female with a smooth dark-chocolate complexion and curly black hair with red streaks sat in the corner playing a game on a tablet while munching on Lays potato chips. Invisibility runes glowed and dimmed on her skin. Her trendy hip-hop clothes left too much skin for her to be a Grimnir.

She looked up and blinked when she saw me. “Sorry, hun, but he’s mine.”

I couldn’t think up anything to say, but various thoughts went through my head. There had to be a mistake. A Valkyrie could not be here for Beau. He wasn’t supposed to die.

She glanced at me again and frowned. “You look familiar. Have we met?”

“No. I’m here for him. I mean, I’m his friend.”

She swiped the screen of her tablet, her lips scrunched as she studied the contents. Then she looked at me, her eyes widening. She got up, wiped her hands on her pants and came to shake my hand.

“I’m Attie, short for Atieno. You are Raine. Torin’s Norn. I recognized you from pictures my cousin sent.”

“Pictures?”

She showed me her tablet and I found myself staring at my wedding photos. “How did she get those?”

“She’s a witch and was lucky enough to attend your wedding. I call her cousin but she’s really my… Let’s just say we are centuries apart and somehow related. She took them with her cell phone. She even taped a few segments. I can’t believe I’m meeting you. The first Norn to break the celibate tradition. You go, girl. We’re rooting for you.”

Crap! The Norns were so going to hear about this. “Thanks. Uh-mm, is he supposed to die?”

She glanced at Beau. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’re supposed to collect four of them from here this week, so we do our rounds twice a day. I check on all the coma patients while my partner checks the ER, then we switch. So I can’t say for sure. What’s wrong with him?”

“He had an… The Norns put a whammy on him to punish me.”

Her eyes widened. “No way. What can I do to help?”

“If he gets worse, find me or Torin.”

“Sure, hun.” Then she gave me a sheepish smile. “Uh, can I take a selfie with you?”

I touched my hair. I was sure it was a mess, and I had no makeup. So much for the girl the Valkyries were rooting for. “Sure.”

~*~

I got out of the hospital fast and went in search of my husband. He was in the kitchen taking care of all the coffee cups. I slipped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his back. He turned around and studied my face.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I went to the hospital and there was a Valkyrie in Beau’s room.”

He cursed softly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I just want him to get better.”

“I know.” He rubbed my arms. “We need to talk. Cora stopped here on her way to school. Maliina is definitely back.”

I groaned. “You’re kidding.”

“And she’s not alone. She’s leading an army of dark souls into town to take over the students tonight at the prom. The evil Norns are behind this, and they probably expect you to be there. They don’t know you’re no longer a student. I called one of my former football buddies and he thought I was pranking him.”

I listened to him, but I was still trying to wrap my head around Maliina being back. The woman was the ultimate villain. Even death didn’t stop her. “What? Did you just say you’re going to use me as bait?”

Torin chuckled. “That was to confirm that you were listening. Of course, I’d never use you as bait. Dev, Cora’s dark soul, will lead them straight to the gym, where we’ll be waiting.”

“Isn’t that where the prom is? You can’t have all those Mortals around dark souls.”

He groaned. “I knew you weren’t listening.”

“I’m trying. Start from the beginning. Please?”

He sighed. “If I wasn’t crazy about you, I’d wring your neck.”

“And I’d survive it and wring yours. Start talking.”

He grinned, his eyelids lowering in a sexy look I found totally irresistible. “I love it when you’re bossy.”

“And you have a one-track mind.”

“We’re supposed to be on our honeymoon. I’m allowed to have a one-track mind.” He lifted me onto the counter and settled between my legs, then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I sucked in a breath. “The others are taking care of things. Why don’t we continue this conversation upstairs and talk later?” he asked in a husky voice.

What were we discussing? Oh yeah, prom and dark souls. An idea popped into my head. It was bold, but it could work. I had to get rid of my husband first.

“No upstairs and no distracting me until you answer my question. What’s the plan for tonight?”

“You’re a spoilsport.”

“Hmm. Yeah. You and I know that’s not true. I give in to you whenever and wherever.” I kissed him then leaned back and said, “Tell me everything.”

He shook his head. “You can’t do that and then ask me to… Okay. We are having two proms, one in the cafeteria attended by the juniors and the other in the gym attended by us, Grimnirs and Immortals. Any dark soul crazy enough to follow Maliina is going straight to Hel. Blaine is talking to the student council to change the venue as we speak. He’s promised to bring a live band to perform and acoustics are better in the cafeteria. Your mom and the others have gone shopping since they’ll be chaperoning the second prom, or helping capture the souls. I’m going shopping for the theme paraphernalia. School is half-day today, so we have time to add runes on the buildings to protect the students and some to let the souls in, but not out. It will be like a roach motel. What do you think?”

Like he needed me to validate him. “It’s brilliant. Since the gym is in a separate building, the students won’t know what’s happening.”

“We’ll also add bind runes with a dampening effect so anyone driving by the gym won’t hear a thing. So what’s your idea?”

“I’m going to trick the Norns into helping Beau.”

He frowned. “Now?”

“No, tonight. After we’re done with the souls.”

“From the gleam in your eyes, I don’t know if I’m going to like this.”

“Oh you will.” I did something I’d been meaning to do every time I saw him wear his sweatpants so low. I slid my hands under the elastic band. He took it from there, the dishes forgotten.

~*~

Assuming I was resting, Torin got dressed and left. As soon as the portal closed, I jumped up and headed to my home. My parent’s place. My throat closed thinking of Dad. It was now just Mom’s place.

The place was quiet. Mom and Femi must still be shopping. I wondered if Ingrid went with them. Maybe I should invite her along. No, I wouldn’t want her caught in the crossfire. Besides, she might foil my plans and contact Torin. He was the last person I wanted there.

I shrugged on my jacket. The dagger was still in the pocket. I pulled it out and bonded with it.

That weird sensation crept up my arm and I shivered. I still didn’t like the feeling, but I needed the Norns to know I meant business. Besides, now that I knew what was going on, I could control it. The source of my magic stirred as though trying to connect with it, and I let it.

I removed my rings, slipped them onto the chain, and snapped it around my neck. To hide it, I added a Gothic spiked choker. The platinum chain looked like it was part of the choker.

I let the image of Torin fill my head and then willed the transformation. In seconds my reflection showed Torin in his trademark leather jacket and fingerless gloves. I adjusted the hair length and added a shadow of a beard. Perfect.

ONYX!

The mirror shifted and flowed and a portal appeared.

What’s going…?
The cat started to ask, entering my room.
Oh no. This can’t be good.

I grinned, channeling my husband’s cocky smile. I loved saying that even if it was only in my head. My husband. So surreal.

“Where have you been?” I asked, adjusting the collar of the jacket.

Do you need to ask?

At the castle, of course. “I want you with me. In your fiercest form.”

She groaned, but runes appeared under her skin as she shifted and grew bigger, her hair becoming sleeker, until a beautiful jaguar stood beside me. I stroked her head. “You are beautiful.”

You too.

“He is beautiful, isn’t he?”

She rolled her eyes.
I can see past the illusion, Raine, to the real you. And yes, he is. Where are we going?

“To find the evil Norns and there’s only one person who can do that.”

Not him. He scares me.

“Nothing scares you, you faker. Lead the way.”

She turned and faced the mirror, and in seconds I could see the inside of a heavily paneled hallway. On the walls were paintings of men who looked like they were ready to conquer the world. Warlocks. They probably owned the world. A gentlemen’s club. They should just call it a Warlock’s club.

I stepped into the hallway, and a man walking with a cane headed toward me in a spiffy suit and a trench coat. He had white hair and carried himself like he expected everything and everyone to bow to him.

The silence was spooky. As I followed Onyx, I studied the faces on the walls. I expected to see Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. No, members of this club, I was sure, were shrouded in shadows. Yanking Mortal leaders’ chains like puppet masters.

We entered the main floor. It was huge and heavily paneled with statues of the gods on the walls. Interestingly, they represented gods and goddesses from known civilizations. I spied Thoth holding a book. Venus in her flowing robes. Freya riding a chariot pulled by her cats.

My mother would get a kick out of that one,
Onyx said.

I chuckled.
Freya too.

The Earl of Worthington was talking to two men as we approached his table in the center of the room. He saw us and said something to the men. They got up before I reached them.

“My son, Torin,” he said, then waved to indicate the two men, “Lord Westmoreland and Lord Paddington.”

Bet they lost those titles centuries ago. I gave a curt nod and received nods before they walked away.

The Earl indicated one of the chairs the Warlock lords had just vacated. “You didn’t need to bring her familiar with you, son. I told you, you’re safe here.”

I’d fooled him. Now for the real charade to begin.

“Onyx knows how to find you, and Raine insisted,” I said, stroking Onyx’s silky coat.
Sit.

Don’t believe anything he says,
Onyx warned.

A cynical smirk touched the Earl’s lips. “Raine has nothing to worry about from me. I made my position very clear. I’m here to help both of you in any capacity.”

No wonder Torin had called him self-serving. I glanced around, studying the members interacting with each other. Very few were walking around. They sat in twos and threes, talking and laughing, yet not a single sound escaped their tables. I wondered if this is what inspired most gentlemen’s clubs, where silence was the golden rule. Of course in here, the runes on the chairs and tables had a dampening effect on the sounds so you only heard those sharing your table.

I focused on the Earl. His hair looked grayer, the white concentrated along his temples. “I need to meet the Norns.”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, so let’s not play games,
father.
You knew about the loophole in their binding laws. Not even Norns-in-training like Svana knew about it. How could you, an Immortal? You have to be at the top of the Norn hierarchy to know something that damning. Or know someone that powerful. You also knew about the
Draugar
targeting Raine, and that dark souls were getting organized. Again, information that can only come from the top. I want to meet them.”

“Son—”

“Don’t call me that,” I retorted reacting as me and not Torin.

A cynical smile touched his lips. I still hated that he looked so much like Torin down to his sapphire blue eyes. Except his were cold. And his hair had gray.

“I’ll always be your father, Torin. I vowed to help you and your fiancée as much as I can, but dealing with Norns directly is foolhardy.”

“I can handle them. Just take me to them.”

He leaned forward, something flashing in his eyes so fast I might have missed it if I wasn’t trying hard to read him. He was afraid.

“What do you want with them? These deities are unpredictable. And once they have their claws in you, they don’t let go.”

I saw through his cold voice to the fear he tried hard to hide. He might be a bastard, but he cared for Torin on some subliminal level. “They’re the ones who made you challenge the status quo and demand entrance into Asgard, aren’t they?” I asked, watching his expression for signs of any emotion. Guilt. Remorse. Fear.

“No one makes me do anything.” He sat back, his face unreadable. “I made a mistake of seeking their counsel. You don’t want to negotiate with them. Let Raine deal with them. She seems to have the ability to make them heel.”

“No. She’s been through enough and needs a break from dealing with them. They’ll negotiate with me once they realize what I have.”

His eyes sharpened. “You have the weapon?”

I ignored his question, but his reaction confirmed what I’d suspected all along. I also remembered what Nikos had said the day the Warlock and I met in his café. The Earl had met with Bash and the twins, who were really my Norns.

“I know you’ve used both of them to your advantage. I want to meet them all, starting with the malevolent ones.”

He sat back. “You’re starting on a perilous path, son. A path that will bring you nothing but problems. Go home and marry your young love and stop them from interfering with your life. I already told you, bind her to you as soon as you can before she’s bound to them.”

Okay, the Warlock was trying to make up for what he’d done to my fellow Seeresses. That was good. I might actually forgive him. “If you do this for me, I will tell Raine what you’ve done for us. She has a kind heart and will see past what you did before.”

He studied me so intently I was sure I’d given myself away. “You think she’d forgive me? Maybe let me be a part of your life?” he asked, speaking slowly.

“If it’s what I want, she’ll try.”

He looked around the room and sighed. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll do my best to protect you, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Come on. We’re going for a drive.” He stood and buttoned his jacket, picked up a trench coat, a hat, and a walking stick. I noticed that each chair had a hook for walking sticks, and almost all of the Warlocks had one. They were probably weapons of some kind.

Onyx stood and walked by my side as we left the room. I also noticed something I’d missed earlier. There were women in this club. I wondered what you called a female Warlock.

Eyes followed us, and I fought the urge to turn around and stick out my tongue at them. I bet they’d fought on the Earl’s side, the smug, power-hungry fiends. Or I could be wrong and they were just Immortals with more money than any Mortal needed and nothing to do with their time.

The sun had set and darkness was spreading over the land. It wasn’t even noon when I had left home, which meant this club was somewhere in Europe. The parking lot had high-end cars and golf carts were parked by the building.

“We’ll take a cart,” the Earl said.

Onyx sat in the back seat, while I took the front seat next to the Earl. The drive seemed to take forever, or he was deliberately taking a longer route.

“So when is the young Norn’s family burying her father?”

“Tomorrow morning,” I said.

“Isn’t your wedding tomorrow?”

I almost smirked. “Maybe.”

“Don’t postpone it. The sooner you bind her to you the better off she’ll be, or her loyalties will always be with the Norns.”

I don’t know why I said what I said next. Maybe it was to test him. “I’m not sure I’m ready to marry her. She’s so young.”

He brought the cart to a stop. We were so far from the club building I could only see a section of the roof. Instead of getting out, he turned and faced me.

“I’ve seen you together, Torin. I may not have the right to advise you, but I know what I saw. The girl adores you, and you her. Don’t throw what you have away. Marry her. The sooner the better.”

“So if I wanted to join you…”

“There’s nothing to join,” he warned. “I’m done. I thought…” His voice trailed off. “Marry the girl, Torin. I will offer her an apology for the things I said to her in the café when the time is right, when my actions are not all she sees. Maybe she’ll forgive me. Maybe not. Just know that this life is long and lonely, and if you can share it with someone, do it.” He stepped down and started across the hilly slope. I followed.

I didn’t speak. Onyx had plenty to say.

As I live and breathe. I think he’s actually sincere. Maybe he’s worth forgiving, huh, Raine? You’re not saying anything. Please, don’t tell me you’re getting teary over him? He’ll see through your disguise.

Stop talking, Onyx
. The Earl had stopped ahead on a sandpit. There were trees behind us, another patch of sand to our right, and a pond to our left. I wasn’t sure what the Earl was doing, but he hung his head low as though he was praying.

Lightning speared the sky. Dark clouds appeared, but I wasn’t sure whether the lightning was real or the malevolent Norns were behind it.

“What is the meaning of this meeting?” a voice crackled and I whipped around.

Damn, they really looked like corpses—long white hair flowing down their backs, eyes of indeterminate color glowing, white gowns cinched in at the waist by a sash of the same color. And that voice was the same one in the forest the evening of the bear attack. I’d thought Marj was just constipated.

“Who gives you the right to summon us?” she added. She did sound constipated. The thought took my uneasiness away. Or maybe knowing I had something they wanted gave me the courage. That and the magic surging inside me from bonding with the weapon.

I transformed back to myself. The shock on the Earl’s face was comical.

“
I
called the meeting,” I said. “You can go now,” I told the Earl. He looked unsure. “Really, you should.” I didn’t check to see whether he left or not. My attention had shifted to my cat. Onyx’s large body pressed against my legs, but she was trembling.
Go with him.

No. My place is by your side. I think I peed on myself, so this had better be worth it.

I almost smiled. I focused on the three Norns. These were the ones who’d tried to get inside my head at the stadium and later sent the dark souls after Ingrid and me in the forest. They’d even seen me wear my ring, but they hadn’t cared because they were only interested in one thing, the dagger.

“Dark souls will be attempting to possess students at my school this evening. Call them off.”

“That is none of our business,” Constipated Norn sneered.

“Actually it is. Before my usual Norns arrive, I thought I’d give you a chance to call off the attack.”

“We are not responsible for tonight’s attack. That’s Maliina showing her rage,” Constipated Norn continued. They looked at each other and cackled. “Your friends should have killed her.”

“I’m happy you find it amusing and yeah, we should have a long time ago,” I said, getting pissed when I’d sworn I’d be in control. “Tell her to back off, or I’m going to have a problem with you three.”

“Are you still mad because of the forest incident? We were just having a little fun,” another malevolent Norn said and chuckled darkly. “You were in no danger whatsoever.”

“I’m so happy you enjoyed yourselves, but if anyone gets hurt tonight, I will be forced to retaliate.”

“Lorraine, what do you think you’re doing?” Catie asked.

My usual tormentors had arrived. I didn’t even have to call them. They were also in their true forms.

“Giving both of you a fair warning.” I rolled up my sleeves and showed both groups my dagger.
 
Since they were on the opposite side of the sandpit, I had to move my arm and turn my head. I saw the Earl watching from the top of the first hill we’d passed. Idiot. They could easily hurt him.

“What warning?” one of the malevolent Norns asked.

“That I will not sit back and be treated like a chess piece. I have the dagger. It’s mine. No one. And I mean, no one, can take it from me.”
Unbond.
The dagger peeled back and slid into my hand. I let the magic flow between me to it, and the runes on it lit up. It shifted and elongated into a staff. The Norns watched and even took a step back. Something about the staff fascinated and repulsed them. I saw it in their eyes.

I pointed the staff at the malevolent Norns and they cringed. Hmm, that wasn’t disgust or fascination on their faces. It was fear. Interesting.

“Just because I bond with it doesn’t mean I’m like you. I will bond with it whenever it suits me. I’m neither on your side or theirs,”—I inclined my head to indicate my usual Norns—“and I’m not on the side of the gods or Hel and the giants. When it comes to you people, I’m neutral. I’m not your tool or servant or someone you can manipulate. If you push me, I’ll push back. If you hurt someone in my care, I will retaliate in kind.” I glanced at my usual trio and caught their grins. They were so sure they had me.

“You cannot stay neutral,” another malevolent Norn snarled, her voice brittle.

“I’m not.” I pointed the staff at Marj, Catie, and Jeannette, and they actually stepped back. Something about this staff really scared them. I wondered what it was. “I’m siding with Mortals and Immortals here on earth. I’ll try not to interfere with your work because I understand that you’re both necessary for the world to function. You,” I pointed at the malevolent Norns, “and your firm control over tragedies and mayhem and them,” I pointed at my usual trio, “and their kindness toward mankind.” Not that I had seen it. “I understand about good and evil, yin and yang balancing each other. But I don’t believe in a destiny being set in stone. If anyone needs my help in changing their lives, I will help them, and you will not stand in my way. If you do, I will do everything I can to expose you to this world. You will not be able to hide from Mortals and Immortals anymore. I’ll make sure they know who is responsible for their misfortunes, who destroys their lives, and they’ll find ways to fight back. Humans are ingenious that way.”

“You cannot control us,” Constipated Norn said.

“Or dismantle a system that has been in place since the beginning of time,” her malevolent partner piped in.

“I don’t want to, but I will if you don’t stop messing with me and those I love and care about.”

Catie and the other two were still grinning as though they thought I was just blowing steam. They thought they had me in their back pocket.

“For starters, there’s a young man lying in the hospital in a coma,” I continued. “His name is Beau Hardshaw. I hold all of you responsible.” Catie and the gang stopped smirking. “I want him back with his family. He has a prom to attend tonight, so if I don’t see him there, be ready for my response.”

The look on their faces was comical.

“Come on, Onyx.” I turned to leave and they all started talking at once.

I whipped around. “No! This was not a meeting to discuss my behavior or rudeness. I’m just a girl who wants to be left alone, except you won’t let me be. So I’m making sure that you at least try.”