Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series)

by Ednah Walters

  “Um, okay,” he said slowly.

  He was humoring me. I wasn’t ready to drive at a super speed in a city. Mrs. Rutledge peered at us as we pulled off. Was she ever going to get tired of spying on us?

  “Seriously, where are we going?” Torin asked.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you home in one piece,” I teased.

  He chuckled, but didn’t push for an answer. I grew up in Oregon and knew every landmark, back road, and hidden treasure. Dad often took us on long drives in the backcountry on weekends, camping, biking, and fishing. I could find most places without a map.

  We left Kayville behind and headed toward I-5. The traffic was low. Typical Sunday evening. “Ready?” I called out.

  “Ready,” Torin yelled back.

  We engaged our runes at the same time. The effect packed quite a punch, like a shot of dopamine. We shifted to super speed, zipping past cars and dodging oncoming ones. I took corners like an Indy car racer, laughing and woo-hooing. Torin laughed.

  We hit I-5 and headed south. I loved that he trusted me enough to let me take the front seat. If only he did it often. Twenty minutes later, I exited the highway and used back roads until we reached the south entrance to Crater Lake National Park.

  We parked by the gate and removed our helmets.

  Torin looked around. “Where are we?”

  “Crater Lake National Park. My family used to come here a lot. We’d camp or stay at one of the cabins.” Funny how I left home to get away from thoughts of Dad and we ended up at one of his favorite places. There was still snow on the ground, but in the summer, the place was spectacular. “We should come back here in the summer. The lake is breathtaking.”

  It was past five and the park was closed, but a few cars dotted the parking lot at the entrance. Some people drove past us and stared. I wasn’t sure whether the attraction was Torin or the Harley. It was the same everywhere we went.

  “Ready to go back?” Torin asked.

  “Not yet.” There was really nothing to see unless we went inside the park, but it was a nice resting place. Torin leaned against the bike and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tried to enjoy the moment, but the vision I’d seen came back to haunt me. I lifted my head and studied his face. “Would you visit a Seeress if I disappeared and you didn’t know where to look?”

  He stiffened. “What?”

  “If something bad happened to me—”

  “That’s not funny.” He glowered.

  “It’s a hypothetical situation, Torin.”

  “I don’t care. Don’t say that.”

  I sighed. “Okay, I won’t. But would you visit a Seeress to see the future if a friend was missing and you didn’t know where she was?”

  “Why is my friend a she? I don’t have she-friends except you.”

  I wanted to deck him. He could be so impossible sometimes. “If a he-friend was sick, would you visit a Seeress to get some answers?” I said through clenched teeth.

  “Nope.” He smirked, confirming he was messing with me.

  I wiggled out of his arms and gave him a you’d-better-answer-me-truthfully-or-else glare. “Why not?”

  “I don’t like witches.”

  My jaw dropped. “How can you say that? I happen to be one. A Seeress.”

  “Until we confirm your first vision, you,” he stroked my nose, “are just a glorified Immortal and… my girlfriend.”

  I punched his arm. Hard. “Jerk.”

  “Witch.”

  I reached for him, but he engaged his runes and slipped past me. Then he had the nerve to laugh. There were no more vehicles left in the parking lot, so I figured no one could see us. I engaged my runes and went after him. I tackled him, or he allowed me to catch him, and we landed on the snow. We rolled a bit until I pinned him down. I had snow in my hair. I shook it, spraying him.

  “Cut that out,” he growled, a playful light in his eyes.

  “What do you have against witches?” I asked.

  He cushioned his head on his arms and smirked. “The ones I knew growing up were horrible.”

  “What did they do to you?”

  He pulled me down for a kiss and the conversation was forgotten, until I became aware of cold and wetness on my knees. Torin’s pants had to be wet, too.

  “Let’s take this home,” I whispered.

  “I like it when you lust after me.”

  “Shut up.”

  He studied me in the fading light. “Feel better?”

  “Yeah.” I got off him and pulled him up.

  The drive home was shorter since speed junkie was in charge. The others were gone. Femi was in the laundry room, folding up clothes fresh from the dryer. The TV was on and a quick glance inside the den showed Dad propped up against pillows watching a basketball game.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said.

  He looked up and smiled. “Hey, sweetheart. What happened? We were supposed to read this morning.”

  I frowned. One, he sounded coherent. Two, we’d read. “Uh, Dad, we—”

  Then I remembered my marathon reading on everything brain cancer after I learned about his illness. Memory loss was one of the symptoms of the cancer in his part of the brain. It was probably silly of me, but I was happy he couldn’t remember this morning and what he’d said about me not touching him.

  “Uh, we can read now,” I said.

  “After the game,” Dad said. “The Grizzlies’ in-your-face defense is killing us. Scott should call a time out and come up with a better play. ”

  Smiling, I closed the door. He sounded like his old self. Didn’t know long it would last, but I was watching that game with him.

  “He’s watching a Blazer game,” I told Torin. “I’m going to hang out with him for a while.”

  “No problem. I’ll just grab my food.” Two boxes from WOTG—Wok on the Go—and chopsticks were on the counter. He peered inside. “Sweet and sour or beef and broccoli?”

  “Either.” I got a drink, kissed him, and shooed him out of my kitchen. “Go. Warm yours at your place. I’ll see you later.”

  On a different day, he would have been insulted I was kicking him out. I got my warmed sweet and sour chicken on rice and hurried to Dad’s room.

  3. BEWITCHING SONG

  The next morning my throat felt funny from all the yelling. Last night, Dad had acted like his old self, bringing back memories. He and Eirik used to watch games and yell at the players. Eirik…

  I missed him. Worried about him. I tried not to, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t care that he’d chosen to visit his parents in Hel. The fact remained it had been months and we still hadn’t heard anything.

  But worrying about him wasn’t going to bring him back.

  I jumped up and walked to the window. Torin was in his kitchen. Shirtless. Those abs. That sculptured, endless chest. There ought to be a law against men like him and sweatpants that hang so low they bordered on indecent. He reached down and scratched his butt.

  I giggled. Only Torin could look hot scratching his perfect ass.

  He disappeared from the window. Dang it. He was supposed to glance out the window and check on me first. Now I wasn’t going to get my morning coffee.

  I turned to head to the shower, and he walked through the portal shirtless and barefoot. He had the sexiest feet ever. I ogled him a little. Okay, a lot.

  “You continue with that and I’ll forget your mom is not here,” he warned, putting the cup on my dresser.

  I braced myself against his chest, went on my toes, and kissed him. I couldn’t help what I did next. I scratched his butt. “Still itchy?”

  He chuckled, wrapping an arm around my waist. “I knew you were checking me out, you perv.”

  “How? Your back was to me.”

  “I have lustful-eyes-on-me radar.” My feet left the floor as his lips claimed mine in a kiss that shot from warm to scorching in warp speed. Then we were rolling on the bed. I did what any sane girl would do when met with a force
beyond her control. I soaked it all in and clung.

  He tasted amazing. Coffee, vanilla, and stomach-curling goodness. He rolled again so I was on top. He knew how I loved that. My thick hair formed a curtain around us. He loved that.

  “Good morning, Freckles,” Torin whispered against my lips, his hand slipping lower.

  “Behave,” I warned, grabbing his hand and bringing it back to my waist.

  He chuckled, the sound sexy. “You scratch and I scratch back.”

  Now he was putting ideas in my head. “Sounds fair.”

  “I love it when you agree with me.” He planted a kiss on my nose. “Last night must have been great. You had a smile on your face earlier when I stopped by.”

  “Watching me sleep is creepy.”

  “I like creepy, but I hate this new sleeping arrangement.”

  Me too. We’d agreed on brief goodnight and morning kisses while Mom was gone. No sleepovers. No risking things getting out of hand. Mom was my chastity belt. Her impeccable timing just when things got interesting never failed to amaze me.

  In one smooth move, he rolled us over, so he was on top. “Tell me about last night.”

  Was he serious? I couldn’t think. “I, uh… uh…”

  “Breathe, Freckles,” he whispered.

  Stinker. “I had Dad back and it was great, but we lost to the Grizzlies. A win would have made the night perfect.”

  “I’m sure having you there made it memorable for him.” After another long kiss, Torin shifted. Cool air rushed in to replace him, and I shivered. “Come over to the mansion when you’re ready. I need to see Blaine about something.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “He wants to move out, but I want him to stay. We have to stick together, despite our petty differences. He’s an asset I don’t want to lose.” He ran a finger along my nose and stood.

  Once he left, I sipped the coffee and smiled. It was scary how he knew what I liked. He paid attention to details. One of his many loveable qualities. The ding of my phone greeted me when I left the shower.

  Cora. I texted her back, then got ready as fast as I could.

  “Breakfast is on the stove,” Femi called from the foot of the stairs when she saw me. She was on her way to Dad’s room with a tray.

  “Thanks. Is he up?”

  “Yes.” She pushed the door with her shoulder. “Stop by before you leave.”

  In other words, he wasn’t ready for company. Femi meant well. She was overprotective of Dad and only allowed me to see him when he was at his best. Most of the time, I didn’t mind. But after last night, I really wanted to see if he was okay.

  I wasn’t in the mood for eggs. I dropped frozen waffles in the toaster and finished my drink. Outside, the sun was warming our yard. I wondered how long that was going to last. Six more weeks of school then summer break and my eighteenth birthday. I couldn’t wait.

  I had a lot planned for my birthday. For now, I was taking it one day at a time. Dealing with Norns had been rough, but hopefully they were gone. For now anyway. I was under the protection of the gods. All because I would foresee the beginning of Ragnarok, the battle between the gods and the giants, the flooding and destruction of the worlds. It sounded all too surreal. I, a mere seventeen year old, would foresee the exact moment the world ended.

  “He’s ready now,” Femi called out, snapping me out of my daydream. I left my bags at the entrance of the portal and went to see Dad. He was listening to an audio book.

  “Morning, Daddy. What are you listening to?”

  “The book we forgot to read last night.”

  “We can continue after school.” He patted my hand, and I froze. I smiled and turned my hand to grip his.

  “Can you run by the shop after school and see how things are going?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  “And, uh, ask Jared about tax forms and the inventory. I know it’s asking a lot—”

  “It’s okay. I can handle it.” I pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Love you.”

  “Same here, kiddo.”

  I left his room, grabbed my things, and engaged my runes. The runes on the frame responded and the mirror became grainy. “See you later, Femi.”

  She blew me a kiss. “Have fun, doll.”

  While the others could open portals to just about anywhere they’d ever visited, I tended to use people as locators. I visualized Torin and the portal opened to reveal the mansion’s hallway. I followed their laughter to the kitchen.

  Torin was by the stove while the others sat around the counter eating. The aroma of mouth-watering breakfast wafted in the air. It was cute how he still took care of them despite living elsewhere. That was the kind of guy he was, and the others, consciously or not, always deferred to him.

  He’d changed into my favorite blue polo shirt. It made his eyes pop, hugged his masculine arms, and fitted snuggly across his broad chest. He gave me a slow, wicked smile. His eyes said he liked what I was wearing. Warmth crept up my cheeks.

  We’d been dating for about five months, give or take a few weeks, and he still took my breath away. He was the only guy with the power to make me blush with a look.

  “Is that your breakfast?” he asked.

  I glanced at my pitifully dry waffles. “Yep. One hundred and eighty calories of pure goodness.”

  “Come here,” he said and reached up for another plate, his shirt riding up to give me a teasing glimpse of his rock hard abs. He served the remaining sausage and potato breakfast skillet into two plates, and we joined the others.

  ***

  Cora and Echo were making out by her car when we pulled up. The two never failed to make me smile. Psycho Maliina had used her Norn powers to completely mimic Cora and fooled us for weeks. We didn’t know Cora had been admitted to a psyche ward during those weeks because Maliina had marked her with some jerked up runes and she could see souls. Like any sane person, Cora had thought she was seeing ghosts and going crazy. Meeting Echo had changed her perception of things.

  “Come on,” Torin said, wanting us to leave the couple alone.

  I dug my heels in. “I want to talk to Cora.”

  Torin sighed. “I don’t want to deal with him this early in the morning.”

  I thought they’d made up, but I supposed a few months of working together couldn’t erase centuries of bad blood. Grimnirs like Echo reaped for Hel and had a long history of stealing souls bound for Valhalla.

  “You two need to make up. Cora is still my best friend.”

  “I am your best friend,” he said firmly, hand slipping around my waist.

  I gave him a look over my shoulder and teased, “I don’t know. She’s my best girlfriend, but Eirik… now he is best friend material.” My voice cracked. “You’re just a glorified Valkyrie… my boyfriend.”

  Blue flames leaped in his eyes. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Boyfriend, lover, guinea pig for naughty fantasies, and—”

  “Shut up.” Just like that, he’d deliberately distracted me from my worries about Eirik. He had an uncanny way of reading me.

  “I’m not complaining, you understand,” he added. “Just want to make sure you recognize my awesomeness.”

  “Oh, I recognize alright.” I bumped him with my hip. “Your arrogance.”

  “We were having a moment here, you two,” Echo griped, and we looked their way. Cora waved from the confine of his arms. Despite his voice, Echo didn’t look angry.

  He winked at me. “Hey, Völva. Why are you with the Valkyries when you could be running on the wild side with us?”

  “I’m neutral, Echo. But if I were to choose, I’d be on the human side.”

  Echo smirked. “Uh, the losing side?”

  Cora stepped from Echo’s arms. She looked radiant as usual. Hair perfectly curled. Makeup flawless. We hugged.

  “Sorry I was MIA over the weekend. Echo hid my phone.”

  And she said that while grinning? The girl I knew didn’t take crap from any guy, not even one she was nut
s about. “And you let him?”

  Cora grinned. “He was being protective, and he’s adorable when he shifts into a protective mode.”

  Was she serious? Torin was unbearable when it came to protecting me. Made me want to scream.

  “I spent Saturday on soul duty,” Cora continued. “I crashed afterwards and didn’t wake up until yesterday afternoon. He was pissed I’d overdone it. Mom thought I was coming down with something and insisted I stay in bed.” She turned, and I followed her gaze to Echo. “I didn’t mind.”

  I’d bet. Echo and Torin were having an intense conversation by the Harley. Girls walking past turned and stared at them. Seeing the two of them together showed just how different, yet alike they were. They were both tall and in amazing shape. Maybe it was the way they carried themselves, confident and cocky. Whatever it was, it gave them a magnetic aura no woman could resist. But that was where their similarities ended.

  Torin had a refinedness or refinement that made him slip in and out of any situation and fool anyone that he was just another pretty face, yet in a fraction of a second, turn feral to protect those he loved. Echo, on the other hand, was the kind of guy you met in a crowded room and warning signals went off to run in the opposite direction. Cora had chosen to run toward him instead.

  Today, he almost looked like a normal guy in black jeans and a matching T-shirt under his duster. Usually, he preferred leather pants, a vest, and sailor shirts. So last century. The Druid rings were an on-and-off thing, but the fingerless gloves, like Torin’s, were on all the time. I didn’t know what that was about.

  Torin rocked whatever he wore. The black boots and leather jacket were all kinds of sexy, and I loved the way his jeans hung perfectly. But if I had to choose between jeans and sweats, sweats would win hands down.

  “We’re lucky, aren’t we?” Cora said.

  I looped an arm around hers. “Why?”

  “Our men have the sexiest asses in the entire universe.”

  Trust Cora to say something raunchy. “You’re not lusting after mine, are you?”