Heroes (Eirik Book 2)

by Ednah Walters

  “How long have you two been seeing each other?” I asked.

  “Six months. Rosalie is a lovely and kind person, Celestia, and she makes me happy.”

  “She’d better or she’ll answer to me.” I couldn’t bring myself to ask him if he and Mom were divorced. The chief of police wouldn’t commit bigamy.

  “Ask him if he told her you’re a Witch,” Eirik said while moving his knuckles up and down my arm. I couldn’t stop him. I didn’t want to.

  “Does she know about me?”

  Dad chuckled and stood. “Of course.” He pressed a kiss on my forehead. “She knows I have one loving, gifted, stubborn, and sometimes impossible daughter. And that’s all she needs to know. If she’s heard that you help my department solve crimes, she hasn’t brought it up. When she does, I will tell her it’s true and I’m very proud of you.” He pinched my nose. “This interview is now over. I’ll be in the study if you need me. There’s leftover Chinese food in the fridge if you want some.”

  “I’m good. I had a huge lunch.”

  “Are you heading to Tammy’s tonight?”

  “Trying to get rid of me early?”

  He chuckled. “You are the one deserting me.”

  “But I’ll be a phone call away. I’ll head there tomorrow.” Eirik was massaging my neck, and I wanted to sigh. He had magic fingers.

  “If you change your mind about Disney World, let me know. Zack said he’d go with you.” Dad left my room, closing the door behind him.

  “Disney World sounds like fun,” Eirik said, and I glanced over my shoulder.

  He looked so hot reclining on my pillow, lush lashes showcasing his cheekbones. A small nudge from him and I could be in his arms. What would it feel like to kiss him and to be kissed by him? Would it be like I’d imagined? Four months of imagining was enough to drive a girl crazy. He stared at me with half a smile as though daring me to make the first move. No, he was here because I planned to help him, not jump him.

  “It might keep your mind off things,” he added.

  “How can I go to Disney World when I’m coming with you to Helheim?”

  He stopped smiling and sat up. “No, you’re not.”

  “Have you found your grandmother yet?”

  He frowned. “No. So?”

  “So there’s something we forgot to consider while we were busy discussing your crazy granny and her plans for realms domination. I have a feeling she won’t just restrict herself to Asgard. She might control legions of people she’s bitten, but you control her. She messes with me, you kick her senile ass.” I grinned. “What do you think of that?”

  He groaned and scooted to the edge of the bed. “I still can’t guarantee your safety.”

  “I’m not asking you to. Just do what you do best while I find her. Protect this”—I tapped my chest—“precious cargo.”

  Eirik stared at me as though I’d gone crazy.

  “I’m going to do what she does, Eirik. Catch the thread of her energy and follow it, then pull it once we are close enough.” He opened his mouth, but I covered it. “Don’t say it. I know I said only evil Witches do it, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She’s playing by different rules, so we have to show her we are willing to go head-to-head with her.” He stood and paced. “What?”

  “I can’t let you do this. You do something evil and it starts you on a dark path.”

  “But you’ll be there to make sure I don’t follow.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bed. “Tammy warned me never to pull on anyone’s life force unless it’s a matter of life and death. Your sister’s life is at stake. It is a matter of life and death.”

  “Maybe you should teach me how to find an energy thread and pull.”

  The things he was willing to do to protect me. “Do you remember the last time I tried to teach you magic? You sucked at it. I’m doing this because I want to and because I trust you. I know you will protect me, Eirik, and your grandmother will lose again.”

  “You are stubborn.”

  “Takes one to know one. So, when do we leave?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “No, today. It’s only”—I glanced at my watch—“two.”

  He blew out air and scrubbed his face. He was conflicted, but I wasn’t backing down. He reached out and ran his knuckle along my cheek. I wanted to lean against him and hold on to the moment, but we had to get going.

  “Well?”

  “Fine. But if anything happens to you—”

  “Nothing will happen that you can’t handle.” I scooted off the bed. “There’s only one problem with our plan. My dad. He might knock on my door and find me gone.”

  ~*~

  EIRIK

  “I have a solution.” I walked to her mirror and etched runes on it. The portal opened to her patio, where two Grimnirs sat on deck chairs playing chess. I didn’t know their names, but Rhys had come through as usual. They stopped their game and got to their feet, the woman grinning when Celestia gawked at them. “We are leaving for Helheim. Make sure Chief Deveraux doesn’t knock on Celestia’s bedroom door.”

  “Do we rune him?” the guy asked.

  “I’m good with voices,” the woman said. “I can pretend to be her.”

  “Wait,” Celestia cut in. “How long have you guys been out here?”

  “We arrived right when the alligator scared you,” the female Grimnir said.

  “No, it was the Gordons’ dog,” the guy added.

  “Stay out of my room and no runing my father.”

  “Whatever she says goes,” I said. “Be creative. We should be back in a couple of hours.” The portal closed. “So you had a dog and an alligator in your backyard?”

  “I’m not dignifying that with an answer. I don’t want anything weird done to Dad. He’s been through enough because of Witches and doesn’t need your kind of magic too.”

  “Grimnirs are resourceful. They’ll keep him busy,” I said.

  “Do they follow you everywhere?” Celestia asked, walking to her closet to grab a coat.

  “Yes, but I’m learning to ignore them because mine are usually discreet. Those two are yours.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Mine? Why?”

  “Someone is killing Witches.” I still couldn’t believe she was willing to help me. I leaned against the doorway and watched her. “I’m not letting them come near you if I can help it.”

  She paused in the process of putting on her coat and studied me, a tiny smile tugging at her lush lips. I tried not to be distracted, but those lips had a way of holding my attention. Telling her to find someone to date had been stupid. She was mine. Her actions now proved it. She was willing to brave Granny just for me.

  “You don’t act like any guy I know,” she said.

  “You don’t act like any girl I know.” I couldn’t help myself. “Besides, if I did, we’d be making out instead of going on a dragon hunt.”

  Celestia stared at me with wide eyes. Shaking her head, she tugged the lapels of her coat and zipped it up, then reached for a fleece scarf and her bunny-eared hat. I wondered when she’d realize she was still wearing a skirt.

  “We could,” I added to make sure she understood what I was saying.

  “Yeah, right. Dragon hunting is more exciting.”

  “No, it’s not.” My eyes went to her lips again, imagining how they’d taste. When our eyes met, her cheeks were pink. She didn’t look away, her gaze direct and innocent, yet challenging. “So, are you starting a new trend?”

  Confusion flashed in her eyes. “What?”

  “You’re still wearing a skirt and flats.”

  She looked down and groaned. “This is your fault. You’re distracting me. Turn around.”

  “You watched me change the other night, so it’s only fair—”

  She threw something at me. Her sweater. It had her scent. Sexy. I looped it around my neck and went back to leaning against the doorway.

  “I mean it, Eirik. Turn around so I can change.”


  “You’ve slept in my T-shirt, which barely covered your legs, so there’s nothing I haven’t…” My voice trailed off when she reached under her coat and yanked off her skirt. The coat came to the middle of her thighs, giving me a glorious view of her smooth legs. My body reacted, my dragon side growling in appreciation.

  She glanced at me over her shoulder and grinned. “Still watching?”

  I wanted to say something witty or turn around, but I couldn’t move. Blood hadn’t returned to my brain, and I was sure I’d fall flat on my face. Like I’d said, she didn’t behave like any girl I knew. Her boldness was a serious turn-on. Instead of responding, I waited for speech and the ability to move to return to my limbs, so I could close the gap between us and forget about Granny.

  Completely oblivious to my dilemma and lecherous thoughts, Celestia pulled on thermal pants, her dainty feet peeking from the openings. She’d always have those ugly scars, a reminder of a painful memory any sane person would rather forget.

  She had the cutest feet I’d ever seen on any girl. Earlier when I’d massaged the scar, it had taken all my control not to kiss each toe. She wore light pink nail polish, unlike the first time she’d come to me in Eljudnir. Then she’d done them in black, which was what I expected from a Witch. Pink on her was feminine and sexy.

  She pulled on snow pants, then unzipped and removed her coat. The look she threw me was mean, and I wondered why she didn’t just use her spells to make me obey her. Maybe she enjoyed knowing I watched her every movement and drooled. She pulled on a turtleneck top, added a pink sweatshirt that matched her nail polish, and grabbed her coat, boots, hat, and a knitted scarf.

  “I hope you enjoyed the show, asshat,” she said, smacking me on the arm with the boots as she marched past.

  “I would have liked more skin, but it was a start.”

  “I don’t get you.” She dropped on the bed and fished inside her boots for thick woolen socks. “How can you be so nice one second, then turn around and act like a total douche? You’re so lucky I’m not a dragon. You’d be charbroiled right now.”

  “I self-heal.”

  “You’d still feel the burn.” She pulled on her hat and the hood of her coat, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and slipped on thick gloves. She’d be sweating before we took off.

  “I give off heat, you know,” I said. “You don’t need all those clothes.”

  “After last time, I’m not entering your world unprepared.” She grabbed her cloak and whipped it around her. She looked like a tent. The only recognizable part of her was her beautiful face.

  “Nice cloak.” The one I’d worn Friday night had been made of similar fabric. I recognized my mother’s rune. “Where did you get it?”

  “Maera. If I connect with this”—she showed me a gold and emerald clasp—“I can see portals and runes.”

  At least it wasn’t Echo’s. I wanted to be the one giving her things and teaching her about my world.

  CHAPTER 10. FROST JÖTNAR

  EIRIK

  I opened a portal that led into the cave. The drop in temperature was jarring, so I went into a partial shift, scales appearing on my limbs and torso. My face stayed free of scales, but I could feel them under the surface of my skin. I zipped up my duster and turned up the collar.

  “Want to share my heat?” Celestia teased, grinning.

  “Depends. Can you walk dressed like that, or do I need to carry you?”

  “I suffered through the indignity of being carried yesterday, so no thanks. Just don’t let me fall. I don’t think I can stand up on my own or break my fall.”

  “Who carried you?”

  “Echo.”

  Old feelings resurfaced. Celestia wasn’t Cora, and my feelings toward her were ten times what I thought I’d felt for Cora. In fact, I wasn’t sure what I felt for Cora anymore. I might have hated how she’d ignored me, and the way she had behaved with other guys, but I never fantasized about kissing her as much as I did Celestia. I never lost sleep worrying about her or wanted to rip apart another guy for touching her.

  Oblivious to my feelings, Celestia added, “And if I start walking away from you and acting weird, that’s your granny pulling me to her.”

  I pushed thoughts of Echo aside and focused on being vigilant. It would be great to nab Granny right now and get this over with.

  We weren’t that lucky, but then again, I didn’t expect my grandmother to make things easy for us. We made it past the bridge without an incident, until Garm bounded over to us and almost knocked Celestia over in his enthusiasm. The hound wagged his tail in welcome and sniffed her face, completely ignoring me. He even landed a lick while Celestia laughed and petted him. Modgie saw us coming and opened the gate.

  “Is that you inside that moving tent, Little Witch?” she teased.

  “Hardy har har. Until I know your secret to staying warm dressed like that, I’m coming here like this,” Celestia shot back.

  The Jötun grinned. “It’s called developing a thick skin. You’ll get used to it.”

  Celestia would have to live here to get used to the cold, and I wasn’t talking about a few months. By the time we reached the hall, she was sweating. She ditched her sweatshirt and hat the moment we reached my changing room.

  “Not a word,” she warned and disappeared outside.

  I picked up her sweatshirt from the floor and hung it next to my robes. A rumble vibrated my chest and the urge to shift became unbearable.

  Calm down. She’s not moving in. Not yet.

  I shifted quickly, opened the door, and found her on her back on the snow. My first thought was she’d fallen and couldn’t get up. I took a step toward her, ready to be her hero, when I realized she was trying to make a snow angel and the cloak was getting in the way.

  Her eyes widened, and her heartbeat spiked when she saw me. I didn’t move, giving her a chance to get used to me. She stared, her expression wary. Surely, she couldn’t be scared of me. I was awesome.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “I’d forgotten how huge you are,” she yelled.

  I grinned. “You don’t need to yell. My senses are heightened. I can hear a snake splashing in the Gjöll River,” I bragged, but I doubted she heard me. Her eyes were busy studying my wings and tail. “Ask me anything if it helps ease your fears.”

  She grinned. “I’m not afraid of you, silly. You are magnificent, but larger than I remembered. You didn’t grow bigger, did you?”

  “Maybe. Do you want to measure my wingspan? Feel my muscles?” She laughed, her cheeks turning pink. “What are you trying to do?”

  “I’m making my first snow angel.” She waved her arms, but her eyes didn’t leave mine.

  “You’re doing it wrong,” I said, curling my legs and settling on the snow to watch her. This is the life I wanted. Spending time with her. No responsibilities.

  “Any dimwit can make a snow angel. You just wave your arms and move your legs in and out.” She moved her legs this time.

  “How come it’s your first snow angel?”

  “We don’t get snow in Louisiana, except once and even then it was only a few inches. You should have seen us. Hayden and I tried to make a snowman. Who knew you needed a special type of snow to do that? And we couldn’t make snow angels.”

  “Let’s see how you did.” I offered her the sharp edge of my wing. She grabbed it without hesitating. I lifted her off her snow angel and set her aside. Whatever fear she’d felt was gone. Her heartbeat was almost back to normal.

  “Nice,” she said, studying it. “Actually, it’s perfect.”

  It wasn’t, but who was I to burst her bubble? Grinning, she dug inside her coat, pulled out her phone, and started taking pictures from different angles. Before I realized her intentions, she was taking pictures of me.

  “I don’t think you should be doing that.”

  “Then why are you posing?”

  “I’m not. This is how I stand.” I turned my head. She laughed, the sound ringing in the air. I
loved hearing her laugh.

  “You are beautiful,” she said.

  “I like magnificent better.” I lifted my wings.

  “And you have zero modesty no matter what form you take.”

  She put her phone away and moved closer. Anticipating her needs, I lowered my head and let her touch my scales. Her heartbeat was high again, but steady, her caress gentle. Each stroke was electrifying and I wanted to purr, but I knew the sound might scare her.

  She touched my horn. “What happened?”

  “I chipped it in the cave when I rescued you.”

  She frowned. “Can’t you fix it when you shift?”

  “I could, but I choose not to.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a reminder that I should never be careless again. I almost lost you.”

  “You’d never lose me.” She pressed a kiss on the scales on my neck.

  My breath caught and I waited to see what she’d do next. She touched my wings. My claws. It became too much.

  “Are you done?”

  “No. There’s so much of you to explore. You know what I mean,” she added when I grinned. “I want you to make me a snow angel.”

  “Are you serious?”

  She nodded. “I bet it’s awesome because of your wingspan. How big are they?”

  “I haven’t measured them yet.”

  She snickered. “Yeah, right. Bet you have, and your tail and anything else measurable.”

  I cocked my eyebrows, and her cheeks grew pink.

  “Just make a snow angel, you show-off. You know you’re dying to.”

  Between lessons and searching for my sister, I hadn’t taken time to play since I’d arrived here. She made it easy to forget my duties and responsibilities.

  “Okay, move back.” The snow was powdery and fresh. She scooted back, and I rolled onto my back. I didn’t bother to move my wings. I spread them out and pressed them on the ground, leaving a firm imprint. I swished my tail. Getting up without destroying the angel was going to be tricky.

  “Nice.” Celestia appeared by my head. “Need help getting up?”