[Mystic Academy 01.0] Fated

by Ednah Walters

  “Ha-ha, funny.” She stepped back and gave me a sheepish grin. “I don’t really hate Mom and Dad, or the attention hog.”

  “Hannah,” I corrected her.

  She sighed. “Hannah. I guess I just wish we knew they were okay, you know? It’s the not knowing that’s killing me.”

  “Me, too,” I said.

  “Me three,” Wes added. “Why are you in such a happy mood?”

  “I’m always in a good mood at home,” I protested. They threw me skeptical looks. “No more long sleeves and pants.”

  I couldn’t tell whether they believed me or not because Wes went back to his homework and Talia opened the oven to remove a tray of cookies. Part of me wanted to tell them everything Syn had said, but how could I explain why I’d listened to him or why I now questioned things our parents had told us? Mom and Dad had said people would find it strange that we shared an artavus. They’d even warned us not to mention it to anyone. They never said turning us was against some law set by Norns.

  I reached for a piece of cookie, but Talia smacked my hand. “Not until they cool down. Eat an apple.”

  I gave her a mean look but grabbed an apple from the bowl and rubbed it on my top. “Have you guys ever heard of Norns?”

  Wes looked up from his homework and frowned. “No. What are they?”

  Talia sighed. “Norse deities of destiny. Didn’t you guys listen to anything Mom and Dad said before we had the talk?”

  “The talk” meant the discussion about runes. “They didn’t mention Norns, did they?” I glanced at Wes. “Do you remember them saying anything about Norns?”

  He shook his head. “Nope.”

  “They did.” A thoughtful expression crossed Talia’s face. “Or maybe that was before they adopted you guys. I used to eavesdrop on them a lot. I guess I was scared they wouldn’t want me and would take me back to the orphanage like my previous foster parents.”

  I moved closer and rubbed her back. We’d all been through that.

  She gave me a sheepish smile. “Anyway. That was how I knew they were planning to adopt more children. Eavesdropping pays. Right, Wes?”

  He shot her a mean look. “So what’s the big deal about these Norns?”

  “I’m wondering if they monitor Immortals. You know, to make sure we don’t break the rules.” I glanced at Talia, but she shrugged.

  “I don’t know. Dad said they were in charge of destiny and that they’re mean.” Her frown deepened into a scowl. “It was right after Aunt Shay and Uncle Jessie died in Oregon.”

  “So, you eavesdropped after we were adopted, too,” Wes teased her.

  “Yeah. I was scared they’d return you guys,” was her response.

  Silence followed. She was always so carefree that her confession blindsided me. I glanced at Wes. He was staring at her as though seeing her for the first time.

  “Talia, you never said anything,” I said.

  “And you wonder why? Look at your long faces. Depressing. Okay, this discussion is officially over. Go research Norns and Oregon.”

  The only thing I knew about Oregon was Immortals had fought reapers and died there. I wondered how Syn would explain that. Talia was right about one thing. It was time for some research.

  I went to my bedroom for my laptop and backpack. I was about to leave the room when sounds drew my attention to the window. My next-door neighbor was peering through the hedge fence separating our yard from theirs.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Finnick.”

  She looked up guiltily. “Oh, Lana. Hi. My son threw his ball over the hedge. Have you seen it?”

  “No.” She could have come around to our compound to look for it. It wouldn’t be the first time either. Skulking behind the shrubbery said she’d seen Syn disappear and was being nosy. “Do you want me to help look for it?”

  “Oh no, sweetie. It’s okay. I’ll send my husband later. Are your parents back?”

  “No.”

  She glanced around. “I, uh, saw you with a nice young man earlier, so I thought they were back with friends again.”

  “No, they’re not,” I said.

  “Hmm.” She gave me a brief smile. “Okay. Well, like I said, my husband will look for the ball later.”

  Damn nosy neighbors. By now they should have gotten used to seeing strange people around our home without seeing them arrive or leave. They’d never dared ask Mom or Dad about them. I was an easier target. I’d told them Mom had gone to visit relatives with Hannah, and Dad was working. I’d wondered if they’d believed me. We were the weird family on the block with four adopted children and eccentric parents who walked around barefoot and talked a tad too loud. If only they knew how different we were from them. We were also different from other Immortals.

  Immortality always came at a price. If you had children, you couldn’t turn them into Immortals. If you fell in love, you couldn’t turn your spouse either. Most Immortals often faked their death when they reached a certain age so they wouldn’t have to explain to their children why Mommy and Daddy were not aging. They watched their children from afar, helped them financially through lawyers claiming to represent dead relatives, and attended their funerals. The suckers for punishment came back into their grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s lives, lying about their true identities, claiming to be distant relatives, and going through the same cycle.

  So the Longhorns had refused to bury their children and grandchildren anymore, and had chosen to make us Immortal using the same artavus. They’d told us no one should ever know we were once Mortal or where we’d come from, so they’d erased our past. We’d assumed this was to protect us against Immortal laws set by reapers, not those set by deities called the Norns. Mom and Dad were in a lot more trouble than I’d thought. Worse, they weren’t the only ones who’d done this. We had “aunts” and “uncles” who’d done the same thing, each family staying under the radar of regular Immortals and reapers, mingling with Mortals instead.

  Sighing, I sat and went online to learn about Norns. There wasn’t much on them, except the fact that they were deities in charge of destinies and they worked in threes. There were good and evil Norns, but none of the articles gave me answers. There was nothing about Immortals or punishment for breaking their laws.

  Frustrated, I left for the kitchen. Talia and Wes had left the kitchen with most of the cookies. I grabbed one, studied the contents of the fridge, and started gathering ingredients.

  I chopped and sautéed the onions, added tomato sauce, and sprinkled salt and pepper to taste before dumping in a bag of frozen meatballs. Wes could eat an entire bag if we let him. Spaghetti and meatballs was his favorite dish. Talia could live on cookies. I loved my burgers and fries. We had frozen patties and fries for tomorrow night.

  As I stirred the sauce, I went over my conversation with Syn. I had made the right decision. The Longhorns had given us a home, helped us understand our gifts, and made us Immortal. We were a family now, and family came first. Mystic Academy was not for us unless we wanted to destroy our family.

  Chapter 6

  I grabbed my backpack, ignored the other students, and headed for my car. I made eye contact with some I’d known the last two years, and they looked away. So many of them were cliquish. A few girls who’d talked to me to get close to Wes had stopped when he either turned them down or slept with them and moved on.

  Ever since the Longhorns had adopted us, we moved every two years, always staying on the outskirts of major cities. They made it seem like an adventure, but it helped us stay invisible.

  I’d parked at the farthest parking lot from the school entrance, the only spot left because Talia couldn’t find anything to wear this morning, and we’d barely made it to school. I turned the corner and slowed down, my heart tripping.

  Syn was leaning against my car, legs and arms crossed. Most students walking to their cars turned to stare at him. Once again, he was dressed like a regular guy in jeans and a T-shirt, yet he stood out.

  It had been nine d
ays since he’d dropped off the letter from Mystic Academy, and I hadn’t stopped thinking about him and his offer, or how it could affect our parents. If I hadn’t moved the letter to my bedroom and glanced at it at least once before and after school, I would have thought I’d imagined him.

  “Hey, Lanókà. Miss me?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “I’ve missed you. I would have come sooner if I hadn’t gone to help Echo guard his precious goddess.”

  I was surprised and pleased by his admission because I’d missed him. I stopped, putting a healthy distance between us. “Why?”

  “I told you before. You fascinate me.”

  “I’m an average girl.”

  “There’s nothing average about you, Lana Longhorn. You are mysterious and full of secrets, and I plan to find out each and every one of them.” He pushed against the body of the car, straightened, and closed the space between us. I stepped back.

  “I don’t have secrets. And I meant why did you need to guard Echo’s fiancée.” I took another step back.

  “Keep going because I’ll just follow. In fact, engage your runes and let’s have some fun. I have no problem chasing you all over this damn parking lot—or across the world.”

  I stopped and glanced at the other students walking to their cars. A few stared at us, the girls’ eyes lingering on Syn. What the hell? Two even turned when they reached their cars and giggled while studying him.

  Back off, bitches!

  “Ignore them,” he said, reading me like a book. “They’re not important.” He pulled out his artavus and extended his hand. “Come with me. We could watch the sunset on top of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio, then grab something to eat while I tell you all about the other realms. That’s where I’ve been. The young goddess is touring, and Echo decided he needed more than his Druid brothers and sisters guarding her.”

  His offer was tempting, but I couldn’t accept it. I lowered my guard whenever I was with him. He moved closer, entering my space, and I found myself wishing I could remove my gloves and run my hand up and down his arms.

  “Is he really engaged to the goddess’s daughter?” I asked.

  “Yes. We spent the last week going from realm to realm, and in each hall, suitors tried to challenge him for her hand. We had to butt a few heads to show them no one messes with Grimnirs’ chosen consorts.” He extended his hand. “Come with me, sheshen.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can.” He etched runes in the air and a portal formed. I could see people walking around a rail, taking pictures of the view. I shuddered, imagining being in that crowd.

  “It’s okay,” Syn said, putting his artavus away. “We don’t have to go.”

  I searched his face. Did he know about my fears? I hoped not.

  “I don’t like breaking the rules,” I said. “You know, opening portals in front of people and disappearing through them.”

  He grinned and caught my wrists. Without breaking eye contact, he slid his forefingers inside the gloves to ease them off my hands. His fingers slid along my palms, the movements sensual. A moan escaped my lips.

  “I’m willing to break every rule for you, sheshen,” he whispered, his aura changing color. Bright red radiated from his body and threatened to swallow the yellow. Yikes. “Every damn one of them.”

  “Don’t say that,” I whispered.

  “I can’t help it.” He interlaced our fingers and tugged me closer, seducing me with his scent, his smile, and his touch. Oh, his touch. He could make me do anything when we touched. “Have dinner with me.”

  “I can’t.” I wanted to, though. It would be amazing not to worry about affecting someone with my serum or pretending to be normal. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Tell me why.”

  For a brief moment, we stared at each other.

  “Because you make me want to put myself first, and I can’t do that.” I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud until he responded.

  “I don’t see why not. You should always put yourself first.”

  “My brother and sister need me now more than ever. My parents are gone, and they could be in t—” I yanked my hand from his and slapped it across my mouth. What the hell was going on?

  Syn reached out and removed my hand. “It’s okay. I’ll dial it down a notch.”

  My eyes widened when understanding hit me. “You… you doused me. You’re like me. That’s why I couldn’t affect you.”

  He nodded. “Yes, except I can control the secretion of the truth serum depending on whatever situation I find myself in.”

  “Oh, you. You suck!” I started to wrestle my hands from his, but then what he’d said registered. “You can control your ability?”

  “Yes. It was tough learning to deal with it when I was a child, but over the years, I’ve learned to control it. I can double the production and counter yours, or lower it so it doesn’t affect anyone. It’s all done here.” He tapped his head. “The brain influences how much of the truth serum we produce, and anyone can train their brain to control it. I did blast you with a double dose just now. Did I apologize?”

  “No, but I’ll forgive you on one condition. Teach me how you did it.”

  He laughed and moved back to lean against the car door, taking me with him since he was still holding my other hand. Or maybe I refused to let him go. Controlling my abilities was something I never thought I could do.

  “Please, teach me.”

  “I’d love to, but it’s going to take years to master.”

  “I have years.”

  “Does that mean you will see me? Go out with me? Come hang out at my beach house?”

  I frowned at him. “Are you saying I have to date you for you to teach me?”

  He tilted his head sideways and pretended to think about it. Then he nodded, dimples flashing. “Yep. I always wanted to blackmail a gorgeous woman into dating me. The other alternative is Mystic Academy. Lavania plans to work with students to master their unique gifts.”

  Feeling deflated, I sighed. “Then I’m never going to learn.”

  “Is dating me such a terrible thing? I’m an amazing guy, which reminds me. I have letters from the academy for your brother and sister in my new car.”

  I followed his gaze to a black SUV. It looked new and still had the dealership plate.

  “You bought a car?” I ask when I wanted to say, “Reapers don’t need cars.” Since meeting him, I was learning they did a lot more than collect the souls of the dead.

  “How else am I going to pick you up for dates and drop you off afterward without arousing the suspicions of your neighbors? The one next door is tenacious.”

  I didn’t care about Mrs. Finnick. “I haven’t said I’d date you.”

  “But you have.” He reached up and ran his knuckles along my cheek. “Every time you brush against my skin and sigh, you say yes. Remove your jacket.”

  “I’m not removing—”

  “You don’t need it or the sweater when with me, Lana,” he added, his voice low. “Please. It is a crime not to have human contact.”

  I crossed my arms and refused to budge. “I don’t want to be touched.”

  He grinned. “You’re talking to an expert here, gàlò. It took me centuries to master my gift, and during that time, I couldn’t stand human contact either. We need it to connect with each other and thrive, so please, take them off.”

  Why was I fighting the inevitable? I wanted to stroke his skin. No, I needed to like I needed oxygen. “Promise not to double the dosage on me again?”

  “Promise. I didn’t do it the first two times we met.” A twinkle entered his eyes. “But I can’t make any promises when we kiss.”

  I blinked at him. Kiss him? I hadn’t thought that far. I was still on skin contact, and he was putting ideas in my head. And with them came fantasies. I’d given up on ever kissing a man. Making love was never a possibility. I would have been happy with just touching someone. Now I could kiss and make love.

>   My entire body flushed as I imagined kissing Syn, and wooziness washed over me. I must have staggered because he reached out and steadied me, his hand landing on my hip.

  “Kiss you?” I whispered.

  “You hadn’t thought about it?” he asked. “Not even once.”

  I smiled at the outrage in his voice. “No.”

  “I’m insulted. I hope Echo never finds out. He’d mock me for the next century.” He stroked my cheek again, and I leaned into his hand, seeking more contact. Hannah used to love to grab my face when I played with her, but Syn was the first man to stroke it like he loved the texture. “I’ve definitely lost my touch.”

  He hadn’t, and I needed more. I removed my jacket and sweater and exhaled as air rushed across my skin. I’d worn a tank top under the layers, and he went all touchy-feely with the exposed skin, running his knuckles up and down my arms while delicious tingles darted under my skin. He was right. I was a purrer. Or was it a moaner? I didn’t care that he knew he was the cause. I loved his touch.

  “Now about that dinner. When is the best time to pick you up tonight?”

  “I have other plans tonight.”

  “Break them. Immortality is so long and monotonous that if you find the one person you’ve been waiting for all your life, you grab onto them and never let go.”

  Did that mean he’d been waiting for me? “What are you saying?”

  “You like me, Lana. No, like is too mild a term. You want me. So what’s stopping you from having me?”

  The sound of laughter filled the air, and I realized I was the one laughing. A few students walking by glanced our way in surprise.

  Syn smiled. “See? I make you laugh. That should tell you something.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “You and I are fated to be together. I’ve been waiting for you all my life. Just like you’ve been waiting for me.” A frown crossed his face as his attention shifted. Before I could turn to see the cause, an arm dropped on my shoulder, and I caught Wes’s reflection in the car window.