Heroes (Eirik Book 2)

by Ednah Walters

I was happy for Eirik, but also worried. This had better be it. If it turned out to be another wild goose chase, he’d be devastated, especially after what Trudy said about his dad. Dad. I needed my phone to call him when I got back.

  I pulled on snow pants over my leggings, shoved my feet in snow boots, and placed my regular boots into the suitcase. I wasn’t bundling up like last time, but I had my coat and cloak, and kept my gloves and hat in the pockets of my coat for later. There were no sounds coming from behind Hayden’s door when I walked by. I knocked, but no one answered. They’d better not be making out.

  “Guys? I’m coming in.” I opened the door and peered inside.

  The room was empty, but Hayden’s weekend duffel bag was on the bed. Frowning, I closed the door and continued to the living room. Nara and Trudy were watching something on TV.

  “Can you open a portal to my house, Nara? I need to get something.”

  She frowned. “I thought Eirik didn’t want you going anywhere without him?”

  “So? Who said I have to do everything he says?”

  She grinned and got up. Trudy pushed several buttons on the remote, until she found the right off switch for the TV and jumped up, too.

  “I want to see your house,” she said. “And I like the idea of ignoring Eirik too. He can be so bossy.”

  Nara opened the portal to our porch just as Zack and Hayden walked into the living room with their bags.

  “Where are you guys going?” Hayden asked.

  “To get your phones,” Nara said. I had already gone through the portal and was standing on our porch.

  Something was off. Lights blazed inside our house, yet no sounds came from inside. Cold fingers crawled up my spine, and I shivered. There was a dark energy in the air, but something about it was familiar.

  “Do you feel that?” Hayden asked, coming to stand beside me.

  “Yes.” Recognition hit me and sucked my breath away. My mother.

  “So much dark emotion and… It’s repulsive,” Trudy said, her words reaching me from afar. I tried to say yes, but my throat had seized up. Blood pounded in my temples, and my chest hurt as I struggled to breathe. No wonder Dad had acted strangely and begged Eirik to get me out of town. His mad dash to my school had nothing to do with my trancing. He had known she was back.

  “She’s here,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

  “Who?” Hayden asked, but her voice sounded distorted as though time had slowed down and everything was in slow motion. I wanted to march into the house and kick her out, yet I couldn’t move.

  Zack said something I didn’t catch and came to stand on my other side as though to protect me. He didn’t know this was one danger he couldn’t protect me from. Even as a child, he couldn’t do it. Hadn’t stopped him from trying, though.

  “Who is it?” someone asked, but I couldn’t answer. Calling her “Mother” would be wrong because she’d lost the right to that title fourteen years ago when she’d ripped out my heart. Marguerite Devereaux was what I called her now.

  How dare she show her face here? What could she possibly want?

  A portal opened and Eirik appeared, his expression furious. Relief coursed through me. He must have felt my panic. And now that he was here, things didn’t feel so dire. I wanted to fly into his arms and pretend this wasn’t happening, but I knew I’d be delaying the inevitable. The brief paralysis disappeared as anger replaced it.

  “I told you not to go anywhere without me,” Eirik said, closing the space between us. I searched his face. On a normal day I would have told him he wasn’t the boss of me.

  “Did you know about her? Did Dad tell you Marguerite was here?”

  “Who is Marguerite?” His bewilderment was genuine.

  Zack cursed. “She can’t be back,” he ground out. “Not after all this time.”

  “She is. What did Dad tell you at school?”

  “To get you out of town and not bring you back without calling him first. I knew he was worried about something else other than Witches dying and stolen bodies, but he refused to tell me. Is Marguerite your mother?”

  I wanted to tell him she was not my mother, but my eyes stayed on the door, my heart pounding hard. I didn’t want these people to witness what was about to happen, especially Eirik. He’d forgiven his mother after all the things she’d done to him. I planned to bitch-slap mine from here to Hel and back without feeling an ounce of guilt.

  “I think you guys should leave,” I whispered, my throat tight.

  Eirik scoffed at the idea. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Please,” I added. “This is a family matter. Go back to Hayden’s. I’ll call you when I’m done with her.”

  Eirik cupped my face and forced me to look at him. “I’m staying, Dimples. Not because you need me to fight your battles. You do great on your own. I’m doing it because no matter what, you and I always have each other’s backs. Didn’t we already claim each other? You have me. Always. And there’s not a damn thing you can do or say to make me walk away.”

  A rush of tears blindsided me, and I swallowed hard. “I’m not like you, Eirik. I’m not nice and forgiving. She hurt me, and I’m never letting her do it again.”

  “I don’t expect you to, but your battles are mine. Just like you made mine yours. I’m here to stay.”

  “Me too,” Hayden chimed. “If she wants a piece of you, she’ll have to go through me first.”

  “Me too,” Zack added.

  “Who is it?” someone asked. I wasn’t sure whether it was Trudy or Nara.

  “Her mother,” Hayden whispered back.

  “She’s not my mother,” I snapped. “She’s never been my mother. Grams was.” I felt bad for snapping at her, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

  Taking a deep breath, I led the way into the house. Dad jumped to his feet, his expression showing a range of emotions—surprise, anger, fear. He looked pale and haggard as though he’d aged overnight. I was aware of the woman still seated on a side chair in the living room, but I didn’t look at her.

  “Sweetheart, what are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you’d already left for your vacation.”

  “I forgot my phone.”

  He wasn’t the huggy type, but he pulled me into his arms and pressed a kiss on my temple. “Please, leave. Turn around and leave.”

  “No, Daddy. I can’t.” He’d done his best to protect me from this woman. Now it was my turn to protect him and myself. “I have to do this.”

  Sighing, he stepped aside and indicated Marguerite with a slight movement of his hand. “I don’t know if you remember, uh…” He looked so helpless that my anger at her threatened to choke me.

  “Marguerite,” I said, having no problem using her given name. “I remember her, and I’ve seen pictures of her at Zack’s house, but she was much younger then. Aunt Genevieve put most of them away years ago.” The smile slipped from Marguerite’s face.

  “Celestia, my dear,” she said, leaning forward, her smile uncertain. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady. Is that Zack?”

  Her jovial voice was like nails on a chalkboard, and I cringed. I studied her, a few memories sneaking in, most of them not good. I had inherited her lips, hair, and the shape of her face. I wish I hadn’t. She was dressed casually in a long skirt and top, her hair long and her face hardly lined. Beside her was a large bag, a signature accessory for every Witch. Her smile broadened. The memories that accompanied that smile weren’t nice either, and I must have reacted because Eirik moved closer until I could feel his reassuring presence behind me.

  “What do you want, Marguerite?” I asked.

  She frowned. “To see how you’re doing, dear. I’ve tried to visit you over the years and your father always said no. And when I came into town, you and your grandmother were always gone.”

  If I didn’t hate her so much, I would have given her the benefit of the doubt. “I was fine eleven years ago when you left, Marguerite. And I’m more than great now. So
if you don’t mind, get out of our house. No one wants you here.”

  Her smile wavered and her face twitched. “I’m so sorry for the things I did and said in the past, Celestia. I was under the thumb of a very powerful being. I couldn’t fight her. I’m better now, and all I want is a chance to get to know you. I’m your mother, and I love you.”

  I could not believe she’d blame someone else. “My mother? I lost my mother three years ago. She protected me, guided me, and loved me. She never tried to drown me or left me in the bayou over and over again, hoping the alligators would finish what she couldn’t do.” Gasps came from behind me. “And she never tried to burn me. You are just the woman who carried me for nine months and gave birth to me, then did her best to destroy my spirit. Well, lady, that shit didn’t work because here I am.”

  “Celestia!” Dad said.

  She moved so fast I didn’t see her coming until her hand was seconds from my face. I braced myself for the sting, but it never came. A snarl came from behind me and Eirik caught her wrist, his hand already covered with scales, his nails elongated into talons. How could she move like that? I gripped the rune on my clasp and saw the runes on her arms and face.

  “You touch her, and I will personally drag you to Hel and chain you to a wall,” Eirik warned so calmly I shivered.

  Marguerite swallowed, fear flashing in her eyes. “It’s you,” she whispered, staring at Eirik’s hand. “The monster the goddess warned me about. The one who will turn my child into the harbinger of death.”

  She yanked her arm away and rubbed the welts around her wrist. More runes appeared on her arm and the redness went away. When had she become an Immortal?

  The look she threw me was filled with venom. I tried to remind myself she couldn’t hurt me anymore, but my brain pulled a fast one on me and old memories replaced recent ones. I cringed, my shoulders hunching as I tried to make myself small. I used to do that as a child. I’d find a corner and pray the shadow hid me from her, but her words crept around corners and through shadows. They always found me. Eirik’s hand rested on my waist and I leaned against him. I welcomed his warmth, his comfort.

  “Which goddess warned you?” Eirik’s voice was cold, unlike the heat pouring from him.

  Marguerite sneered. “The goddess who comes to me in my visions and tells me how to serve her so one day I can join her. The one who ordered me to kill her.” Arrogance left her voice and she grew sad as she continued, her eyes becoming unfocussed. “She told me to light the fire and leave her in her crib, but an angel came and rescued her. An angel with flaming hair. I saw her walk through the fire, her body glowing. The goddess said to drown her in the tub. But I found her on the floor, nicely wrapped in a blanket I’d never seen before. I still have it.” She dug inside her large bag and pulled out a blanket. When Eirik tried to take it, she snatched it out of his reach. “It’s mine now.” She clutched it closer to her breast. “She said to take her to the bayou, but whenever I arrived home, she’d be in her playpen. Her guardian angel was smarter. Faster. The goddess said I must become more than what I was, be better so I could fulfill her wishes. She helped me become faster, stronger.”

  Her hand whipped out as though to touch my face, but I shrank back. At the same time, Eirik’s arm circled my waist and lifted me away from her.

  “All I had to do was get rid of you and everything would be okay. If I didn’t, you’d awaken the monster and the monster would devour my goddess and turn you into the harbinger of death. But I couldn’t do that when the redhead kept stopping me, so I left you and your father and went searching for her. I searched everywhere, and when I came back, another had taken my place.” She studied Eirik while I tried to understand what she was saying. “But you are here now. The monster has awakened, and my baby is the harbinger of death. So much blood will be on her hands. I’ve failed the goddess. No wonder she said I couldn’t go with the orphans.”

  Orphans? We looked at each other. Marguerite turned, walked to the chair, and sat. She looked so sad and pathetic. Maybe she wasn’t evil. Maybe she was just nuts. If I hadn’t heard Grams’ memories, I would have believed that. They both had the same premonitions.

  Dad wore the dazed look of someone who’d been knocked on his head. He must have seen the dragon scales on Eirik’s arms. I couldn’t look at the others. Now they knew all my dirty secrets.

  Eirik’s grip was firm as he tugged me along and sat opposite Marguerite. He angled his body and shielded me from her. The others moved closer while Dad kept his distance.

  “The goddess in your vision, the one who tells you what to do, what does she look like?” Eirik asked.

  “Old. Ancient. Wise. She demands perfection. Fail her and she brings you grief and sorrow. I failed her.” Tears welled in Marguerite’s eyes, and she shrank against the chair, the baby blanket still clenched against her chest. She looked like a psych patient, and I hated myself for feeling sorry for her.

  “Does your goddess have a name?” Eirik asked.

  She didn’t answer. He tried again. Silence. This was too important for me to keep quiet.

  “Mom,” I said, the name leaving a bad taste in my mouth. She looked at me.

  “My baby,” she whispered, and I fought the urge to cringe.

  “What is your goddess’ name?”

  Her smile was almost child-like, her expression worshipful. “Angrboda, the Mother Goddess, the wise one who sees all and knows all. She is fierce and is not afraid of anything, even death.” She focused on Eirik. “No, she does fear one thing. The monster. You. She loved me, gave me the keys to open the gates to her home, but now she says I’m not ready because I failed her. I didn’t kill the harbinger of death.” She frowned. “I don’t understand. She let the other one leave with the children, and all she did was mark you and prepare you so the goddess could find you. Such a simple task. She didn’t have to kill her own child. Just a little mark. Why does she get to go?”

  Marked me? Angrboda had said there were too many Witches eager to visit other realms and one had marked me. Tammy had left with the children. Surely, she didn’t mean that Tammy had done it. She had taught me everything I knew. Was that what Marguerite meant by preparing me? I glanced at Hayden. Her horrified expression said she’d reached the same conclusion.

  “Who is the other one?” Hayden asked.

  Marguerite grinned at her. “Who? Your mother, my dear. She has the special mark, just like me. See?” She lifted her arm and proudly showed us the scar of a bite like one would show off a trophy. “The goddess kissed me in a vision and I still carry her scar.”

  Hayden shook her head. “No. I refuse to believe you.”

  Marguerite chuckled gleefully, the child-like smile gone, eyes filled with malice. When she talked, she seemed more lucid.

  “What’s wrong, little girl? Just because Tammy adopted you doesn’t mean she doesn’t work for the goddess. The goddess has many followers doing her bidding. We all want to live with her.” She sighed. “I failed her, and now my own child is the harbinger of death.”

  “I’m not,” I said, feeling a little sorry for her now. “I save people.”

  She laughed, the sound cold and cruel. “You silly girl. Tonight, you begged your fellow Witches to respond to a Call. Death is coming, and they will not survive. Their blood will be on your hands.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Leave right now, Marguerite,” Dad said at the same time.

  “Their deaths will be on you,” she continued, her demented eyes on me. “And the monster will go to war for you and more deaths will follow.”

  What if she was right? My stomach roiled and nausea hit me.

  “Marguerite!” Dad barked.

  “My own flesh and blood, the harbinger of death,” she continued, her eyes swinging from me to the others. “All of you. Your lives will be in danger because of her.”

  “OUT!” Dad bellowed, marched to her side, and grabbed her arm.

  She shook him off, the force sending him a
cross the room. He hit a cabinet and shards of glass flew all over the couch and the carpet. While the others ducked or watched in horror, I lifted my hand and went for her throat. I didn’t have to mutter a spell to lift her up or squeeze her neck.

  She laughed. “Do it. Break my neck. Show them who you really are. Show your father the real you, Celestia.”

  Eirik didn’t try to stop me. Zack and Hayden were busy helping Dad to his feet. I didn’t know what Nara and Trudy were doing, and I didn’t care. Anger, hatred, pain, and fear all collided in me. The need to shut her up, to make her pay for hurting Dad and trying to kill me coursed through me until I couldn’t think straight.

  Dad’s eyes met mine and his expression told me what I already knew. I wasn’t a killer. Even if someone deserved it like she did. Since she was an Immortal, a broken neck would just be a slap on the wrist, but I would have proven to everyone I was a killer.

  “She will bring death to her kind and mine, death to—”

  I let her go, and she dropped to the floor. Eirik hauled me into his arms and cocooned me from her laughter. I shook, sobs raking my body. I buried my head in the curve of his neck and tried to muffle the sounds.

  “Get rid of her or I will,” Eirik snarled and picked me up.

  I didn’t care where he was taking me as long as it was far away from her. He stopped and lowered me, my back touching something soft. I knew we were in my room.

  I squeezed my eyes tight and clung to him, pain, anger, and fear colliding. Eirik murmured words in a language I didn’t understand and dropped kisses on my hair, temple, and forehead.

  Everything she’d said about me was true. I had begged Doctor B to send Witches to help Raine. If there was a battle and my people got killed, their blood would be on my hands. The more I thought about it, the harder I cried. The door opened and closed, and the tears kept flowing.

  I wasn’t sure how long I cried before I became aware of Eirik’s body pressed tightly against mine. My arms and legs were wrapped around him as though he was my anchor, and his shirt was drenched with my tears.

  “She was right about me.”

  “No she wasn’t, stjärna mín,” he whispered, and the tenderness in his voice sent a fresh rush of tears to my eyes again. He kissed the tear on my eyelashes and cheeks. “I convinced Doctor B to send the Witches to Oregon, not you.”