Kayville, the very place I’d believed my people were slaughtered, was now a haven for us.
Echo pulled out his artavo. “I can take them through while you finish with Barnes.”
“Thanks.” Syn came to my side. “Go with your brother. I’ll join you shortly.”
From his aura, he was still pissed off. Part of me wanted to stay with him, but I knew how Wes would see that. He needed me more now. I nodded. Echo had already opened a portal to the same foyer I’d seen Syn enter earlier. I helped Wes to his feet, but instead of taking my arm, he nudged me toward Syn.
“Stay with him. I’ll be alright.”
The meaning behind his gesture was not lost on me. “You sure?”
He nodded. “Sorry, I was such an ass. Your place is with him, not me.”
“Wes.”
“It’s okay. Go. We’ll talk later when I’m healed.” He could barely talk and kept wincing with each step he took.
I watched him hobble through the portal. Once he entered the room, he glanced back and nodded, but his eyes were not on me. They were looking at something behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to find Syn staring back at Wes in some manly communication. Before the portal closed, I overheard Echo and Wes.
“You need help there, Immortal? You look ready to keel over,” Echo said, sounding amused. “I could carry you.”
“Like hell you could,” Wes shot back. “I can walk by myself, reaper, so keep your hands to yourself.”
I sighed. It was going to take Wes a while to warm up to soul reapers. At least he’d thawed a bit toward Syn. He pulled closer and turned to face Barnes and his lady friend. The others were gone, and the doors were closed.
“How much do you owe Lana?” Syn asked.
Barnes glanced at the woman, who reached into her purse and pulled out wads of notes. She counted four hundred-dollar bills.
“Sixteen hundred,” I said.
“But the boy didn’t knockout Lou,” the woman protested. “The Grimnir snapped his neck.”
“Yet according to the Mortals who lost money tonight, he won. Barnes, stop wasting my time,” Syn snapped.
“Why do you reapers keep interfering in our business?” the woman screeched, her face contorted with hate.
“Because you messed with someone under my protection. And your brother hit my girl. He will have to pay some serious penance for that.”
“We didn’t know they were under your protection,” Barnes protested.
“Well, now you know. And by fall, there will be a lot more. The money, Barnes.”
“Give her the full amount,” the club owner said.
The woman shot me a look of pure dislike and counted the money, which she slapped on Barnes’s palm. Her hatred for reapers was tangible, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that would have been me years from now if Syn hadn’t come into my life. Barnes walked to where we stood and handed me the money.
“You have three days, Barnes. Take care of all your businesses; then report to the Immortal Council for discipline. You too, lady.”
“What?” the woman sputtered. “I’m not part of his operation.”
“Yes, you are, so close shop and turn yourselves in. Tell your brother the same thing. If you don’t, there’s no place for the three of you to hide in this realm where I won’t find you. Don’t make me come after you.”
I’d hate to be Syn’s enemy. The woman cursed all reapers and their arrogance while Barnes entered the ring to collect Lou, who was still unconscious.
Syn pulled out his artavus as Barnes carried Lou on his shoulder like a sack and followed his lady friend. The portal opened into a broad hallway, not the foyer, and I could hear voices and laughter.
“They’re in the living room, but before we go, I wanted to say—”
I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.
“If you hadn’t come when you did, that man would have hurt Wes.”
“The way you protected him…” A shudder shook his body. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. And Lou is very lucky the others were peering behind me when I opened the portal, or he’d be headless now. He’s still going to pay for touching you.”
“The broken neck wasn’t enough?”
“Not by a long shot.”
I studied his determined expression and decided against arguing with him. “You got us artavo?”
Dimples followed his smile. “I told you I was amazing.”
I rolled my eyes. “And arrogant.”
“I explained your situation to Lavania, and she was more than willing to help. It isn’t your fault you didn’t go through the right process when you were turned.”
“What will happen to our parents?”
He hesitated.
“I want to know, Syn. Tell me.”
He sighed. “The three of you are not the first Mortals they’ve adopted and turned into Immortals. Even though they only chose gifted children, they still broke Immortal laws and put your lives in danger. I think they’ll have to face the Immortal Council when Raine finds them. She and I spoke briefly before she left for Helheim, but she’ll be back to talk to you. She plans to fight for your parents once she talks to them. It’s the only way to stop the Norns from getting involved.”
“That would be good.”
He nodded, and then he frowned. “Is it a common practice among Immortals to turn Mortals?”
“Just some, but most Immortals are tired of burying their loved ones, so they turn their wives, children, and grandchildren. But I don’t think they know the danger they are putting them in. I don’t think our parents knew either.” Faces flashed through my head. “I know other kids like us. Biological and adopted children of Immortals. We meet once in a while. They must be going through hell, too.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We are going to find them and help them.”
“And Hannah?”
“The people in Eljudnir are quite fond of Baby Hannah, so she’ll probably stay there until your parents and her body are found. After that, the decision will depend on the Immortal Council.”
I sighed. “Can we visit her? I mean, the students at the academy will get weekends off and holidays.”
“Does that mean you’re going?”
I chuckled. “As soon as I convince my pigheaded brother.”
He chuckled and kissed me. When he lifted his head, I was clinging to him. Someone cleared their throat, and we moved apart. Wes stood behind me. Someone had loaned him a shirt and pants, and his bruises were gone.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Wes said, grinning. He didn’t look apologetic. “But Principal Lavania wants to meet Lana.”
I studied his face. “You look good. All the bruises are gone.”
“I got a new set of artavo.” He glanced at Syn before focusing on me. “I’m sorry for everything I said back at home. I was being…”
He’d been hurting. Of course, I couldn’t tell him that. “An idiot?”
Wes chuckled. “A major pain in the ass.”
“And are you still not attending the academy?” I asked.
He grinned. “Principal Lavania wants my opinion on their dojo. I’m supposed to meet with a Mr. Hawk to discuss it.”
“I guess that means you’ll be going?”
“Hell yeah! I’m going to help design the second dojo.” He was still grinning when he turned to shake Syn’s hand. “Thanks for the artavo and the heroic rescue.” The smile disappeared. “But if you hurt her, if she sheds a tear over you, I’ll bury you, man. I don’t care how strong or fast you are. I will find a way to bury you.” He pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at Syn. “I’m watching you, Grimnir. Cherish her. Protect her.”
I fought a smile. After that ass whooping he’d received, he was still talking smack? Typical Wes. And he couldn’t handle Syn.
“With every breath I take, for the rest of my life,” was Syn’s response, and I stopped smiling.
We were in the courtship part of our relationship, and they we
re acting like I was marrying Syn. I wasn’t ready for marriage. We had years ahead of us. Thousands of years, so I was in no hurry. I planned to enjoy every moment with Syn. With my arm around his waist and his around my shoulder, Syn and I followed Wes into the living room.
* * *
THE END
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
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A journey of discovery, adventure, destiny and unforgettable Love
Pirates no longer roam the seas.
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Nanny to a wealthy family, eighteen-year old Alexandria “Lexi” Greendale sends most of what she earns home to support her disabled brother. She is determined to help him get the surgery he needs to walk again. Her dreams come to an abrupt halt when she rescues a man from drowning.
How does he repay her? Captain Storm Orath abducts her, claims her as his chosen mate, and takes her to a magical island that is centuries behind times with barbaric customs.
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When a world you barely dreamed existed is not only real but a part of your destiny, would you take the path unfolding before you? And how far will you go to protect those you Love?..
17-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.
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Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can't stop thinking about him. Half the time, she¡¯s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ednah Walters holds a PhD in Chemistry and is a stay-at-home mother of five. She is also a USA Today bestselling author. She writes about flawed heroes and the women who love them.
Her award-winning YA Paranormal Romance—Runes Series—started with Runes and has a total of 10 books to date. Her last book, Witches, was a Readers’ Favorite Awards winner.
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She writes YA Urban Fantasy series—The Guardian Legacy Series, which focuses on the Nephilim, children of the fallen angels. GL Series started with Awakened and has a total of 4 books. The latest book in the series, Forgotten, was released in June 2015. The GL series is published by Spencer Hill Press (Beaufort Books)
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Ednah also writes Contemporary Romance as E.B. Walters. Her contemporary works started with The Fitzgerald Family series, which has six books, to her USA Today bestselling series, Infinitus Billionaires.
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Whether she’s writing about Valkyries, Norns, and Grimnirs, or Guardians, Demons, and Archangels, or even contemporary Irish family in the west coast, love, family, and friendship play crucial roles in all her books.
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[Mystic Academy 01.0] Fated Page 11