I didn’t know what I’d expected to hear. When they’d told me my biological parents wanted to meet me, I’d fought it without knowing anything about them. Talking to Eirik had helped. And now I might have abilities because of them. I put the basket of eggs down and closed the distance between us. I hugged Mom.
A soft oomph left her, followed by a chuckle. “Why are you squeezing me to death?” She lifted my chin. “Tears? From my tough medium?”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I know, hun. Dad and I love you so much, and we always will. Now.” She pressed a kiss on my forehead and nudged me away from her. “How many people knew about your blanket?”
“You, Dad, Raine, Echo, and Eirik. None of you have a reason to steal it.”
“Hmm. That’s strange. Come on. Let’s find out what’s going on. We’ll look everywhere.”
Echo and Dad were talking quietly by Dad’s writing cave when we entered the house.
“Mom didn’t take it, and she says someone was in my room about half an hour ago and left drawers open. I kind of saw the person who took it.” I explained my vision.
“A clairvoyant, that’s my girl.” Dad hugged me. He always acted like he was responsible for anything I accomplished.
“We don’t know for sure, Dad.”
Echo was frowning.
“What is it, grouch?”
“Most souls cannot move objects.”
“Even dark ones? I couldn’t see her face at all, even when she looked at me.”
“Maybe she wasn’t a soul,” Echo said.
“I agree.” Mom started upstairs.
“Maybe she was an Immortal loyal to Lord Worthington,” Dad piped in, following her.
Echo and I exchanged a glance.
“Why would Immortals come after me? She smelled the blanket. That was creepy. Are you coming?”
Echo hadn’t moved.
I followed my parents upstairs. On any given day, I’d have been embarrassed to have my parents go through my drawers and look through my things, but there was no time for embarrassment now. I had a mystery to solve.
The blanket was not in the room. I looked at the faces of the three most important people in my life and said, “If she’s an Immortal, they know who I am. You talked to Warlock Worthington and then this happened.”
“I’ll pay him another visit,” Echo vowed.
“You talked to Lord Worthington?” Dad asked. Even Mom stopped pacing to stare at Echo.
“The second I found out Cora was an orphan, I paid him a visit. I didn’t mention Cora by name, but he knows all the reapers, Grimnirs, and Valkyries are watching them. His crazy followers will not use Cora to cross realms. He and I need to have another chat.”
“Let’s not jump to hasty conclusions,” Mom said. “We need someone who can connect with energies and locate the person who was in here.”
“People can do that?” I asked.
“Oh, yes.” Mom smiled. “In my days before we learned runic magic, we had Witches who could find a thread of energy and follow it anywhere like a bloodhound with a scent.”
“Unfortunately, most Immortals around here are like us,” Dad said, frowning. “We haven’t connected with our inner magic for centuries because we relied on runes. And even those we’ve used sparingly in the last fifty years.”
“Celestia Deveraux can find traces of energy anywhere and follow it,” Echo chimed in. “She helped Eirik find traces of Crazy Granny—uh, Angrboda and the orphans.” Echo shot me an apologetic look.
“Eirik told me about her.”
“Did he tell you she can also astral project anywhere in the future, past, or present. That’s how she helps her father and his department solve crimes,” Echo added.
“We met her when she came here with Eirik. Such an amazing young woman,” Mom said.
“Extraordinary orator,” Dad mumbled. “I wonder if she’s ever thought of being a writer.”
I just shook my head. Dad was weird like that. He always tied everything he saw or heard to writing.
I inched closer to Echo until I could feel his warmth. My worries eased a bit. Being close to him often did that. And he usually rested his hand on my back or took my hand as though he needed to connect with me physically. He didn’t reach for me. Was he standoffish because my parents knew about him?
“I’ll ask her when she returns from Asgard,” he said.
Eirik had said he’d bring her to meet me in a couple of days, but that might be too late. My eyes volleyed between my parents. “Uh, about visiting Helheim, I’m still thinking about it. I’ll go back to school and finish the term, but I want to discuss something with you guys.”
My parents looked at each other and nodded.
“I’d rather finish at Mystic Academy, the school Lavania is starting. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it. Raine is going and… What?” I asked when they exchanged another look.
“We’ve heard about the academy, but we didn’t think you’d care about school after what you learned from Eirik,” Mom said.
“We thought you’d want to visit Helheim and stay there for a while to get to know your other family,” Dad added.
“Really? I know these two amazing people who taught me to always see things through, no matter how unpleasant or boring. And believe me, school without Raine is boring. Shame on you for thinking I’d just up and quit.”
They grinned. Even Echo chuckled.
“About Mystic Academy, they’ll offer regular classes for those who plan to continue on to college and get regular jobs. I’m not sure whether that’s what I want. It depends on how I feel and my future plans. If I’m really clairvoyant, I’m going to need help mastering it, and Mystic Academy is the only place to do that. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfectly fine,” Dad said, his grin so wide you’d think he’d won a Pulitzer.
“Yes, dear,” Mom chimed in. “It’s okay with us.”
“Then if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to discuss a few things with Echo.”
“We did right, didn’t we?” I overheard Mom say as they disappeared into the hallway.
“Yes, love. She’s a chip off the old block.”
Except I wasn’t a chip off them. However, they’d influenced me. They’d taught me to believe in myself and to work hard at whatever I did. Dad encouraged me to follow my passion, no matter what people thought. He’d been my number one supporter when I’d vlogged even though he never watched any of my videos. Mom had and commented. I had no idea what other professions Dad had to reinvent himself in his lifetime, but in mine, he’d quit teaching to become an author and was damn successful at it.
Mom appreciated little things in life, whether it was watching the chickens act silly, mucking the soil, or tending her precious prized organic plants. She taught me to appreciate the mundane and to be patient. I wondered if she’d always done organic farming. I had so many questions about their past lives. What special abilities did they have before runic magic? Were they rich? According to Echo, most Immortals were loaded.
I closed the door and turned to face Echo. He stood in the middle of my room—duster, boots, fingerless gloves, and a frown on his face.
“Do you remember when we agreed we wouldn’t keep secrets from each other?” I asked, and his expression stayed unreadable. Anger licked at me, but I pushed it away. “Listen, I’m going through a lot right now, and the one person I know I can count on through good and bad times is you, Echo. Instead, I can feel you distancing yourself from me. Why?”
“I’m not,” he said.
“Yes, you are.”
“Someone was in your room, Cora. That’s enough to make me break out in a cold sweat. They stole from you. Another cause for alarm. I’m thinking of who I need to beat up to find answers.”
I didn’t buy his response. Yes, he tended to be passionate about my safety, but he’d arrived in a funky mood and that was before he knew about my missing blanket. I removed the hamper of clothes from my bed and sat. Ins
tead of sitting beside me, or lifting me and pulling me onto his lap as he often did, he took the chair and scooted close until his knees bracketed mine. He took my hands and threaded our fingers.
He sighed. “If anything ever happened to you—”
“You’d level the Earth, I know. What is really bothering you, Echo?”
He studied me intently then smiled. “You can always see through my bullshit.”
“Damn right.”
“Which is impressive for someone so young.”
I frowned. “Is my age an issue now?”
“No.” He sighed. “You are Goddess Hel’s daughter, Cora. Odin and Frigg’s granddaughter. Eirik’s sister. He’s a dragon with an attitude and so much power I’m surprised he can contain it.”
“We haven’t exactly proven I’m his sister.”
“There’s nothing to prove. When you showed me that blanket yesterday, I had my suspicions. So I asked Maera to show me baby Einmyria’s things. Goddess Hel finally moved them from the nursery when she converted the room into a bedroom for Jessica, but she kept everything. The blanket and the runes are the same as hers. You are Einmyria.”
“Okay, let’s say that it’s true. So what? I’m still me, the girl you fell in love with.”
“And slept with when she was only sixteen. You just turned seventeen.”
I growled and fell onto my back. “Seriously? My age is a problem now? It never was before.”
“I know. I, uh, I feel…” He stood and scrubbed his face. He studied me with an expression filled with pain and frustration. He was struggling with something big. Something beyond what he was saying. “I think we should slow things down a bit. Take a step back.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, sitting up, my chest squeezing.
He scrubbed his face again. “We should ease up on intimate stuff until all this is settled.”
Anger swallowed my patience. I was pissed and wanted to hit him. “Oh gee, Echo. You know that’s all you are to me. Someone I go to for intimate stuff. Why don’t you say what’s really bothering you? When I was a scared nobody who needed you, you couldn’t wait to step up and be my hero. Now there’s a possibility that I’m more, and you think I don’t need you. Or maybe you think you’re not good enough for me.”
“That’s not it.” His eyes went to the ring on my finger.
The Druidic engagement ring didn’t have a rock, but it was priceless. He’d given it to me with my parents’ approval months ago. As far as I was concerned, it symbolized something greater than a promise ring and an engagement rock combined. It meant something to him. A hollow settled in my stomach, and I couldn’t breathe.
“Do you want your ring back?”
He paled, his eyes flying to mine. “No. Not that.”
“Then what?”
“You have your entire life ahead of you and a chance to be more powerful than you’ve ever dreamed. Your brother is a dragon, your father comes from powerful people, and your mother is a—”
“Shut up.” I threw a pillow at him. “I don’t care about being powerful. I care about you, Echo. From the moment I met you and you told those souls to leave me alone or whatever it is you yelled, you’ve been mine. You’d take on anyone who looks at me wrong and let no one stand in your way.”
His eyes went wolfish in seconds.
“I don’t care how powerful Eirik is, how powerful my parents are, or if my grandparents run Asgard. You and I are a couple. We complete each other. So whatever crawled up your butt—”
One second I was glaring at him, the next I was on my back with him on top of me, reminding me of the first time he’d appeared in my room.
“You don’t talk about my ass,” he growled.
“When it belongs to me, I do,” I shot back. “When you’re being a shithead, I do. When you are pushing me away and hurting me until it hurts to breathe, I fucking do.”
“Hel’s Mist.” Then his mouth was on mine. He kissed me as though to swallow me whole. Whatever he was going through was screwing with his head.
I wrapped my arms and legs around him, wanting to get as close to him as humanly possible and help him chase away his demons, whatever they were. He jumped off the bed, scooped me up, and started for the portal, runes blazing. The portal responded, opening into the bedroom of the house in La Gorce, not the cottage. I had a feeling he wanted to be as far away from Kayville as possible.
He wasn’t gentle when he pulled his clothes off, but that changed the moment he joined me. I still wore the two-piece swimsuit and the robe I’d thrown over it. He removed the robe while raining kisses along my neck and down my arm.
“My favorite swim suit,” he murmured, unhooking the top.
“You bought it. Along with several more.”
“You can never wear them in Eljudnir,” he murmured and nuzzled my neck.
I couldn’t imagine a pool in Hel’s Hall and really didn’t care as he transported me to that special place where we spoke our language, the language of love, sensual bliss, and perfect unity. Who my parents were didn’t matter there. We were two people in love and passionate about each other. Each touch was filled with shared memories, each kiss with promises of our future, and when he looked into my eyes, I knew that nothing could ever take away what we had. Not my family, not my insecurities or fears of the unknown, and certainly not his demons, whatever they were.
“You are mine, Cora-mia,” he whispered.
“Always,” was my response. Whether it penetrated his thick skull was another story. When we crashed, we stayed wrapped in each other’s arms until I bit into his shoulder to get his attention. “I love you, Echo. Whatever is bothering you, we’ll work through it. We have to because I’d be lost without you.”
“No, Cora-mia. I’d be lost without you. There’s no version of my life without you in it.”
He was worried about losing me. How silly. Just because I was acquiring a new, powerful family didn’t mean he would be on the outside. I’d just have to show him until he accepted that he was my family, too.
“Tell me about Helheim.”
“I don’t want to talk about Helheim.” He rolled us over, so I was on top. “Show me how you own my ass.”
I did until his beautiful, scarred body trembled in my arms.
Monday and Tuesday came and went. I helped souls during lunch with Rhys and Nara to escort them. In the evening, I helped the ones at the farm under my parents’ watchful eyes. Dev continued to help coma patients wherever he could find them, and his soul buddies continued to keep an eye on me even though I kept telling them I didn’t need it. The Idun-Grimnirs searching for me were the ones who’d scared the souls and made them believe I was dying.
Echo was gone a lot more than usual. At first, I thought it was because he was working on his issues, until I had a chat with Dev on Wednesday morning.
“He said someone was in your room and something went missing. Finding the person seems to be his first priority right now.”
We were in my car outside my school. For once, Echo hadn’t driven me. “Where is he looking for answers?”
“Among the Immortals. He’s convinced an evil Immortal was involved. Don’t worry. He’ll find the person who robbed you. He has ways of finding people, Mortal or Immortal.”
“He didn’t find you.”
“I’m a soul, doll-face, even though you tend to forget it. I also happen to know how your man thinks. And”—he stretched out the word—“I believe he knew exactly where I was, but chose to leave me alone. He told me to ask around and see if anyone met with the two ancient Grimnirs who were at the mansion. Souls can’t outrun them, but for once they weren’t interested in us. They were after a missing girl.”
I laughed. “They were after me, Dev.”
“You? Why?”
“Remember I told Raine I was adopted?”
“Yes, but… Do you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“A presence. It’s so powerful I can feel the pull from insi
de this radio.”
I glanced outside. “There’s no one out there but students.”
“Someone is here. Someone powerful. I’m coming out and standing guard in case it’s the evil Immortal. Then I want to know why the ancients are after you.”
“Were,” I corrected him.
“Are. Were. It doesn’t matter. They are not touching you. Right now, I need to locate the person emitting that energy. It’s potent.” He slithered from the radio and stayed with me when I stepped out of the car. Runes erupted on my arms. I recognized them right away. Locator runes.
What was going on? I looked around but didn’t see anything unusual. I didn’t even get the creepy feeling I often associated with someone watching me. Frowning, I indicated for Dev to walk closer. He floated around me and acted like a ninja, moving stealthily, throwing punches and flying kicks. He looked ridiculous.
“Don’t hurt yourself, Dev,” I warned and faked a cough when a few students walked past and glanced my way.
Dev entered my phone the second I entered the school building. “It’s still there, yet I can’t see where it’s coming from. Maybe you should skip school.”
I raised the phone to my lips and faked a conversation. “It might be Eirik watching us from Odin’s high chair.”
“The Boy Scout at the mansion?”
Nice description. “Yes. And that Boy Scout is my brother. I didn’t know he was even though we grew up together. He was watching me from Odin’s chair when he saw the ancients.”
“Why would the ancients be…? Whoa, Odin’s chair?”
“Let’s talk later. I have a class in two minutes, and you need to help the dying and redeem your soul.”
“Forget my soul. I’m not leaving you until I know what we’re dealing with here. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. Your brother goes to Asgard? What is he?”
Goddess: A Runes Book Page 9