by Kristie Cook
“Is that what you call it? Recruit? Mom, they killed my friends and tried to kill me, too.”
“No, no, sweetie. It was your friends’ time to go, not yours. I would have known. Like I told you before, no one can escape death when their time’s up. The Norns just used the opportunity to attempt to lure you to their side. The fact that they didn’t wait until you were a Valkyrie tells me you’re very special, but then again, I always knew you were.” She smiled. I didn’t feel like smiling.
“Is Cora okay?” I spoke slowly, scared to know the answer yet I had to.
Mom nodded. “Eirik said you saved him and Cora.”
I blinked. “I did?”
“You pushed him hard, and he slipped on the wet deck, banged his head, and blacked out. He landed on the dry part of the deck, and Cora stayed with him. The lightning didn’t come anywhere near them.”
I remembered pushing him and seeing Cora cradling him near a wall. I focused on my mother. “Is Dad a Valkyrie, too?”
Sadness tinged her smile this time. “No, sweetie. It was one of the stipulations from the Norns. If I couldn’t follow my destiny and become one of them, I couldn’t turn the man I fell in love with.”
I thoroughly hated Norns. “Stipulations?”
Mom sighed. “There’s no time to give you details of our history. You’ll learn all that in the coming year, but here’s the shorter version. We come from a line of powerful Valkyries. Or maybe I should say powerful spiritual Mortals, who become Valkyries. We even have a few Norns in our family tree. I had started training as a Norn when I realized I was in love with your father and couldn’t imagine a life without him. Norns or would-be Norns are not supposed to fall in love. They’re maidens dedicated to shaping destinies and nothing else. Their duties leave no room for romance, husbands, or kids. So when I chose your father, they stripped me of my powers and bound me to earth. That means I can never go to the Realm of the gods.” She rolled her eyes and shrugged. “I don’t care. I’ve been very happy with your father.”
I could only stare at her. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that my mother was a Valkyrie. I had so many questions. How old was she? How did one become a Valkyrie? “So I wasn’t supposed to die?”
“No, or I would have known.” She leaned forward and added, “I still have friends back in Valhalla, and they would have told me. Come on, your friends are waiting downstairs.”
“But I have so many questions,” I protested, but stood anyway. “Can you explain the mirrors at your store? Are some of them portals? Because I swear I noticed runes on some of their frames.” Another thought occurred to me. “The mirror downstairs is a portal too, isn’t it?”
She chuckled. “Yes, I use it to communicate with my friends. And it’s true. Some of the mirrors at the store are portals. Your father owned the store when we met twenty years ago. In fact, I was his regular customer for a while.” She blushed. “Now I use the business to create portals, which we ship all over the world. With the runes already sketched on frames, Valkyries can use them wherever they are without sketching runes on them.”
Eirik’s parents knew Torin before he arrived in our town, and they had a mirror portal in their old bedroom. “Are Eirik’s parents Valkyries, too?”
Mom chuckled. “Yes, but they don’t reap souls. They have special duties here on earth.”
“So when they told Eirik they were going home, they meant,” I pointed up, “the Realm of the, uh, gods?”
She nodded. “Yes, and that’s why I was surprised.”
Eirik was adopted, so he was obviously human. They must be using him to blend in. “Does Eirik know about them?”
Mom chuckled and looped her arm around mine. “Oh, sweetie, I know you have questions, but there’s just so much I can tell you because of rules and whatnot. When your trainer gets here, all your questions will be answered.”
Trainer? Everything was happening fast, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to start training. “You should’ve told me, Mom, especially when I saw the runes on my car and freaked out.”
She sighed. “I’m so sorry, baby. But like I said, there’s a limit to how much I can tell you. I’d hoped you’d learn the truth about us and your legacy from your trainer when you turned eighteen. As for the runes on your car, I had to protect you somehow when you started driving. You know me. I don’t trust Mortal machines.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Her aversion to computers now made sense. Then what she’d said registered. “If you sketched the runes last year, how come I didn’t see them until now?”
“Something happened to open your eyes and mind to magic. It might have been a physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual link with something or someone from our world.”
Torin. I’d started seeing the runes after I met him.
“Actually, you started seeing them earlier than normal. You’re not supposed to have the sight until you’re eighteen.”
I frowned. “The sight?”
“The ability to see past the rune veil. It was probably the Norns’ presence,” Mom continued. “They should be ashamed of themselves, trying to lure you to their side when you’re so young and vulnerable.” She chuckled. “But you showed them, didn’t you? Just as I chose your Dad over joining them, you chose your friends and Torin.”
My eyes widened. “You know about Torin?”
“Oh, sweetie. There’s still runic magic left in these old bones for me to know when a Valkyrie moves next door.”
My throat closed, images of Torin flashing through my head. “He found Dad.”
“I know. He’s an amazing young man. He came to the store to get me as soon as he brought your father home. We’ll talk some more later. Right now, go on downstairs and talk to your friends. The longer we stay up here, the more they’ll worry.” Rubbing my arms, she opened the door. “I’ll always be here for you. I don’t know who they will assign to teach you runic magic or when they’ll get here, but keep an eye out for Norns. They come in many forms, but always in threes. They put me through trials worse than a trip to Hel’s Hall to prove I loved your father before they gave up. They’re not going to make it easy for you and Torin either.”
My heart leaped. “He’s back?”
She smiled and patted my cheek. “I should hope so. If he’s your true love …”
“He is,” I said.
“Then don’t let the Norns win. Fight for him. Now go.”
“Love you, Mom.” I gave her a big hug, then raced downstairs. Eirik had his arms around Cora. From her red eyes, she’d been crying.
Eirik cocked his brow when he saw me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, joined them, and we hugged. “I’ll live. You guys?”
“We were on the dry part of the deck and got lucky,” he said.
“I don’t know if I can take it anymore,” Cora said between sniffles, and Eirik’s arm tightened around her. “So many swimmers dying. I already told Mom I’m quitting the team.”
I rubbed her arm. “No one will blame you. How many died?”
“Eight from the last text we received from Kicker,” Eirik explained. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay before heading to the hospital.”
I looked down at my fleece pants and shirt and fuzzy, bootie slippers. “Can you guys wait for me while I put on regular boots and a jacket?” They didn’t speak, and when our eyes met, they looked uneasy. “What?”
“People are talking,” Cora said, visibly cringing.
“But we don’t care,” Eirik said. “Grab your stuff and let’s go.”
I frowned. “What are they saying?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Eirik insisted.
I ignored him and focused on Cora. “What are they saying, Cora?”
“Um, you knew something was about to happen and warned us,” she said slowly, her face red. “So everyone is really scared.”
I swallowed. “Of me?”
She winced again and nodded. “How did you know something was about to h
appen?”
“I just did, and now I’m officially a freak.” Mom was right. The Norns let this happen. They could have easily erased everyone’s memory like they’d done before. Cora and Eirik studied me with concern. “Maybe we can tell them something happened to me when I hurt my head and now I have superpowers,” I added flippantly.
Cora stared at me with wide eyes. “That makes sense.”
I threw her a disgusted look. “I was kidding, Cora.”
“No, this is good,” Eirik cut in. “It’s the perfect explanation. Once we tell them about your accident and the superpowers, they’ll stop acting weird.”
I shook my head. “No, don’t. If my presence will bother them, then I don’t have to go.”
“Who cares what they think. You’re Raine. You never let anything or anyone stop you from doing the right thing. If they want to treat you differently, screw them. Powers or not, you’re our friend.”
“Eirik’s right,” Cora added, but I could tell she was uneasy.
“I really shouldn’t go anyway.” I touched my temple for emphasis. “I’m feeling a bit woozy. Come on, I’ll walk you guys to the car.” I sighed with relief when they didn’t argue. As soon as I opened the door, the powerful sound of a Harley reached my ears. My heart pounding, I reached the driveway before Cora and Eirik and stared toward the entrance of the cul-de-sac.
Torin entered the cul-de-sac just as Eirik and Cora were leaving it. By the time he pulled into his driveway, I was crossing our lawn at a run.
He removed his helmet, stepped away from the bike and pushed the lock of raven-black hair away from his forehead. When he turned, I hurled myself at him.
His arms opened and caught me. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, never ever wanting to let go. The feel of his body, his scent, his warmth was heavenly. A delicious shiver rolled through me, and my heart responded to his nearness, leaping and thundering. I leaned back and drank him in, the naughty glint in his brilliant blue eyes, the wicked smile curling his perfectly sculptured lips.
“Let me guess,” he said in a husky voice, his arms tightening around me. “You’re the Neighborhood Welcoming Committee?”
I giggled. I wanted to tell him how happy I was to see him, to have him back, but I couldn’t speak. If I tried, I’d start crying, so I showed him. I grabbed his face, pulled his head down, and kissed him, pouring all my love into the kiss. A groan escaped him as he took over and deepened the contact. When he leaned back, I tightened my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shirt. Laughter rumbled through his chest.
“Okay, sweetheart, this has been very enjoyable,” he said in a husky voice. “But I’d like to know the name of a girl before I kiss her.”
At first I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. A sickening feeling settled in my stomach. I leaned back and searched his eyes for signs of teasing. “What?”
“May I at least know your name before we continue this inside?”
No. Please no. I wiggled out of his arms, my face flaming. “Are you saying you don’t recognize me?”
He studied me the same way he’d done when we first met, with amused interest and slight condescension. A smile tugged the corner of his lips, his eyes roaming my face before settling on my lips. “I would definitely remember you if we’d met before.”
The Norns had erased his memories. How could they be so cruel? It was bad enough the swim team thought I was a freak. Now the guy I loved couldn’t remember me.
“I’m Torin St. James.” He stuck out his hand. “And you are?”
I looked at his hand then his beautiful, familiar face, and a sob escaped my lips. I covered my mouth, horrified, tears welling in my eyes.
“No, no, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He reached for me, genuine distress on his face.
I shook my head, turned on shaking legs, and ran like demons were chasing me, tears racing down my face. I didn’t stop until I was inside my room. I slammed the door, slid on the floor, and covered my mouth as sobs shook my body.
My life didn’t just suck. It had taken a left turn into Crap Town.
THE END
Find Ednah at …
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Table of Contents
Young Adult 13+
Devour by Shelly Crane
Elsker by ST Bende
Everblue by Brenda Pandos
From Gods by Mary Ting
Guardians: The Girl by Lola St Vil
History of Fire by Alexia Purdy
Inescapable by Amy Bartol
The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard
The Gatekeeper's Sons by Eva Pohler
Young Adult 16+
A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons
Catalyst by Jennifer Snyder
Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown
First by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Freak of Nature by Julia Crane
Lark by Erica Cope
Promise by Kristie Cook
Redemption by RK Ryals
Return of the Ascendant by Raine Thomas
Rivers Recruit by Charlotte Abel
Runes by Ednah Walters
Table of Contents
Hidden Worlds
Young Adult 13+
Devour by Shelly Crane
Elsker by ST Bende
Everblue by Brenda Pandos
From Gods by Mary Ting
Guardians: The Girl by Lola St Vil
History of Fire by Alexia Purdy
Inescapable by Amy Bartol
The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard
The Gatekeeper's Sons by Eva Pohler
Young Adult 16+
A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons
Catalyst by Jennifer Snyder
Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown
First by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Freak of Nature by Julia Crane
Lark by Erica Cope
Promise by Kristie Cook
Redemption by RK Ryals
Return of the Ascendant by Raine Thomas
Rivers Recruit by Charlotte Abel
Runes by Ednah Walters