Gods

by Ednah Walters

  Celestia playfully punched my chest. “Stop being outrageous.” She glanced over her shoulder at Hayden. “But he’s right. That’s not going to happen. I’m thinking of paying Doctor B a visit tomorrow.”

  “Why? Oh,” Hayden added as though she understood. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  “Be careful. If you want me with you, I’m a portal away.”

  “I have her back now, Hayden,” Eirik said. “Nothing is going to happen to her on my watch.”

  “If that’s your way of saying she no longer needs me, then thank you. Watching her back all these years has been such a chore. You have no idea the crazy things she does after she trances and sees a vision.”

  “That’s so mean,” Celestia protested. “And you loved every moment of post trance me. Could you do me a favor? Could you pick up packets from my teachers tomorrow, so I can start working on them over the weekend?”

  “Sure. Later, guys.” Hayden opened a portal into her car. I waited until it closed before taking off. Celestia leaned against my shoulder and closed her eyes. She seemed preoccupied, but I needed to know a few things.

  “So, what were you doing at the Moutons?”

  She opened her eyes and smiled. “You won’t believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  “I wanted to find out where Marguerite lives.”

  My hand tightened on the steering wheel. “Your mother?”

  She shot me a hurt look.

  “Okay. The woman who gave birth to you, but is otherwise crazy, demented, and psycho? Why do you want to see her? She has done nothing but make your life miserable.”

  Celestia growled. “I know.”

  “Stay away from her and anyone associated with her, Dimples. After the mess with my grandmother, I’ve reached the conclusion that once a psycho, always a psycho. There’s no changing them.”

  She sighed. “Will you stop talking and let me explain? You sound like me when I found out you were searching for your crazy, demented, and psycho grandmother. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt and listened to your reasons for trying to find her.”

  “And see where that got us. She nearly killed you.” When it came to her safety, I would take on anyone and do anything, including locking up her mother with my grandmother, and not lose sleep over it. “Please don’t tell me you are trying for a second reunion with her?”

  “You’re not going to find out if you keep interrupting me. Can you keep quiet? Because if you can’t, I’m going to stop talking, then I will hit you on the head for being a total douche.”

  Not hearing her voice would send me back to the dark place I’d lived while she’d been in a coma. I clammed up.

  “I wanted to know where she lives and so I asked around.” She was talking faster and faster, as though she wanted the information out there. “She stayed with the Moutons for several weeks.”

  I knew I shouldn’t trust that leathery woman. I wondered if she’d known what Marguerite had been up to these past few weeks, snooping around and asking questions about Celestia.

  “No comment?” Celestia asked.

  “No, I’m listening just like you demanded, and reserving judgment.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Your grandmother said something before I passed out. She said I had a sister. Since Dad would never let someone else raise his child, or deprive me of a sister, that left Marguerite. I want to know if she had a kid with her when she was in town and that’s why we were at the Moutons.”

  I frowned. I wanted her to focus on us, not her crazy mother, yet I couldn’t stand in her way of finding her sister when I’d done everything I could to find mine. And she’d helped me do it, no matter the cost.

  “So did Mrs. Mouton confirm it?”

  “Yes. Marguerite adopted two girls, Jessica and Miriam.”

  I pulled up outside her house and switched off the engine. Instead of getting out, I turned to face her. “Go on.”

  “I want to meet them instead of always wondering,” she added, speaking slowly now as though measuring her words. “But I also want closure with Marguerite. As long as she’s out there, I’ll always look over my shoulder.”

  Her eyes showed vulnerability I hadn’t seen since the last time she’d faced that woman. I hated seeing her like this. When she crossed her arms, I opened the door, jumped out, and walked to her side of the car. I didn’t let her walk. I scooped her up and carried her to the porch swing. I liked that she didn’t complain about my tendency to pick her up. She was so tiny I wanted to carry her everywhere, protect her from even the tiniest pain.

  She nestled against my chest and sighed. I remembered the last time I’d sat on this bench with her and how I’d almost attacked her as she’d explored my chest and neck. But superimposed on that tender moment was the destruction that had followed after Immortals had attacked her and kidnapped Hayden.

  “Promise me not to meet her without me present,” I said, and she stiffened. I leaned back, so she could see my face. “I’m not saying you can’t protect yourself, Dimples. I know you can in most circumstances, but your mo… Marguerite is an Immortal while you’re not fully one yet.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  She laughed. “I’m agreeing with you.”

  “That’s why I’m worried about it. You never agree with me.”

  “When it comes to her, I’m with you.”

  “Good. So what’s this about going to see Doctor B?” She pressed her cheek against my neck, and I lost my train of thought as need replaced curiosity. She turned her head and nuzzled my neck. “I can’t concentrate on our conversation when you do that,” I warned her.

  “Maybe I’m done talking,” she whispered, her breath warm against my skin. My skin grew tight and tingly. She planted a kiss on my neck and moved to my ear and took a nip while her soft hand slid up to cup the other side of my neck. Scales erupted on my arm and lower back. “Kiss me.”

  I lifted her off my lap, put her on the seat, and went to stand by the rail in a fraction of a second. She almost fell over because of the vacuum I’d left behind.

  “You are distracting me while I’m trying to have a conversation,” I said, trying to be stern, but the hurt in her eyes made me want to tell her I was sorry even though I wasn’t. I could hurt her quite easily when I was partially shifted.

  She extended her hand toward me. “Come here.”

  Something in her eyes told me she’d deliberately gotten a rise out of me. Why?

  “No. I’m perfectly happy here.” I leaned against the porch rail and crossed my arms. My scales disappeared. “So what’s this about visiting Doctor B?”

  “I swear when I get enough speed runes, I’ll chase you and tackle you.”

  I laughed at the idea. “You could try.”

  “And when I pin you to the ground, I’ll not let you go until I’m done and ready. You want to know why?”

  I loved that gleam in her eyes and I was curious about “done.” Done with what? “Why?”

  “Because you are mine, Eirik Baldurson. And all the Giselles of the world need to know that so they can stop pawing you.”

  So she’d noticed that. I grinned.

  She threw me a disgusted look. “Okay, about visiting Doctor B. His daughter, Shania, died in Kayville and I want to pay my respects. I’m not sure how many Witches died, and I wish I could visit all their graves, but Shania was different. She was a friend.”

  I didn’t want to discuss what happened in Kayville, my thoughts still on the image of Celestia pinning me with her runes blazing. I needed to get her artavo fast.

  “Eirik?”

  The concern in her voice yanked me to the present. “When do you want to leave?”

  “Today would have been nice, but we can go tomorrow.” She looked at her watch. “We could drive to New Orleans in the morning.”

  “Or we could open a portal to his shop now. Doctor B knows what I can do and will not be shocked by ou
r sudden appearance. Let’s do it today. Tomorrow, we are going to Eljudnir.”

  She looked at her watch. “Isn’t it late?”

  “No. His store is open until late at night.”

  “We’ll have to call first.” She pulled out her phone, but instead of calling, she fidgeted with it and I noticed the tremor on her hand. My protective instinct shot from zero to infinity.

  I was beside her without realizing I’d moved and squatted at her feet, so I could see her expression. She looked stricken.

  “What is it?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

  “They blame me for the deaths, Eirik.” She searched my face as though looking for proof. “Mrs. Mouton said they thought I was hiding after the Call, so I wouldn’t go to Kayville. That Dad hid me.”

  The more she talked, the more pissed I got. How dare they blame her after everything I’d done? Celestia was above reproach. They’d know nothing about my world if it weren’t for her.

  “How many died?” she asked, and I shook my head.

  “No, Dimples. We’re not doing this. Not now. Not ever.”

  “I just want to know.”

  “So you can blame yourself? I orchestrated this. I gave the Witches a choice the moment I realized the Immortals were going to attack. They chose to stay and defend Raine. The Valkyries and Grimnirs joined us, too. Yes, we lost some Witches, but so many of the Immortals died. Once it was over, Lord Worthington disappeared, but I tracked him down with Rhys and Nara’s help and delivered him to your Guild just like I’d promised.”

  “I would have loved to see that.” Light entered her eyes, and my anger eased.

  “I told you everything while you were in a coma, but I guess you were busy flying in the astral plane.”

  “I’ll have to tell you about that sometime. Right now, I want to hear about Worthington and what the Witches did to him. Is he dead? Maybe entombed in a cemetery for eternity, or trapped by the same chain you used on Angrboda?”

  I chuckled. I’d told her what happened after she was hurt, including locking Crazy Granny in Corpse Strand. “Now why hadn’t I thought of using that chain on him? You see why I need you by my side? You come up with diabolical plans, and I execute them.” My stomach growled.

  She laughed. “Are you hungry?”

  “Just for a snack.”

  “I’ll make us sandwiches while you talk. I missed so much while I was in a coma. I can’t believe the Witches had Worthington.”

  I followed her inside the house. “He compensated the families of all the dead Witches. Most wanted money to take care of their family while others asked for new homes. All of them are set for life and the Guild also got a large settlement. He can afford it. What are we having?”

  She pulled out a French bread and got cold cuts, salad, and condiments from the fridge. “You decide what I should not add.”

  I lifted her out of the way. “Then I’ll make the sandwiches while you call Doctor B. Oh, before I forget, Mom wants to see you.”

  She stopped and frowned. “Why?”

  “She misses you. She spent a lot of time by your bedside when you were in a coma.”

  Celestia rolled her eyes. “Right.”

  “On Tuesday when I went home after Jötunheim, she wanted to know how you were doing and when you’ll visit. Yesterday, she sent Trudy to find out what’s going on. She’s worried you’re angry about what happened to you. Today, she didn’t ask. She wore this really hurt expression when I said you’ll probably visit tomorrow.”

  “So why haven’t you taken me to see her?”

  “She’ll want to know what happened between you and Einmyria. I wanted you to focus on recovering, not revisiting that event. And I wanted you to myself.”

  Celestia smiled. “Thank you, and I’m happy we’ve spent these last three days together.” She punched buttons on her phone and pressed the speaker button.

  “May I please speak to Doctor B?”

  “Who’s calling?” a woman asked. She didn’t sound friendly and she spoke with a singsong southern accent.

  “Celestia Deveraux. He knows who I am.”

  “Doctor B is very busy right now. If you leave a message I’ll make sure he gets it.”

  “I’d like to stop by for a visit. Hopefully in the next hour.”

  “Like I said—”

  “He’s busy. I know, but this is important. If you give him my name… our names,” she amended, grinning, “I’m sure he’ll want to see us.”

  “Give me your names, Miss.”

  “Celestia Deveraux and Eirik Baldurson.”

  There was silence, then, “Oh my,” the woman said. “Uh-mm, hold on. Do not hang up. I will tell him right away. You still there?”

  “Yes, I’m here, and I’ll hold.” Celestia lowered the phone and whispered, “I knew throwing your name would open doors for me.” She moved close, leaned on the counter and watched me spread a generous amount of mustard with seeds on one half of the French bread. “That’s way too much mustard for me.”

  I removed some on one fifth of the French bread. “Now?”

  “Better.” I dropped a dollop on the tip of her nose and grinned when she tried to lick it off. Laughing, I leaned in and licked it off while she tried to evade my tongue.

  “Eww. That’s disgusting.”

  “You didn’t just call my kiss disgusting.”

  “Never. This is.” She swept her hand on the yellow mass and smeared it on my nose.

  “You better be ready to lick it all off or I’m wiping it on you.”

  She shook her head and scooted away just as the woman came back on the phone and said, “Doctor B said he’ll see you any time. When do you think you’ll get here?”

  I lifted a finger to indicate ten minutes.

  “We’ll be there in an hour.” She put the phone down, walked to where I was almost done with the sandwich, and wiggled her forefinger. When I leaned down, she wiped off the mustard from my nose with a tissue and then kissed me. I forgot about the sandwich, picked her up, set her on the counter, and continued where she’d left off.

  She was right. We needed an hour.

  ~*~

  CELESTIA

  When Eirik opened a portal to Doctor B’s shop, we chose a secluded area, so as not to startle the girl filing her nails behind the counter.

  “We are early,” Eirik whispered.

  “You are the one who cut short our fun,” I whispered. He stopped kissing me every time he went into a partial shift and it was driving me nuts. “I told you, I can handle it. I’m not fragile, you know.”

  “Yes, you are.” He ran his knuckles up and down my arm.

  “But I have runes now.”

  “Not enough.”

  “Then give me more, until Lavion delivers my artavo.” I looped my arms around his neck. He was so tall I had to go on my toes despite my heeled boots. “Then we won’t worry about me getting hurt.”

  “I can’t. For you to start the transition properly, you need your set of blades.”

  “What are you two doing back there?” a woman snapped, and I looked over my shoulder to find her glaring at us. She had tiny dreadlocks pulled up in a high ponytail and wore black leggings and a colorful dress shirt. I missed Shania with her fake accent and sunny personality. This lady was studying us as though we were a couple of delinquents.

  “We are waiting to see Doctor B. Celestia and Eirik,” I added when she looked ready to speak. Her eyes widened.

  “Oh my. You are so young.” I wasn’t sure whether she meant Eirik or me. Not me, I decided when she bowed. “Sorry, Your Highness. My name is Afua and it’s an honor to finally meet you. Can I get you something to drink while you wait? Water or soda. I can also get you seats. We have a private room by Doctor B’s office.”

  “No, we’re okay, Afua,” Eirik said. “Thank you. We’re just browsing.”

  “If you see anything you like, let me know.” She smiled and added, “I’ll wrap it up for you real nice. And it will be on the house.”
She winced and thumped her forehead. “What am I thinking? Of course, our trinkets are nothing to you. Excuse me, Your Lordliness.” She disappeared around a shelf.

  “Is that how people react around you, Your Highness?” I teased Eirik.

  “I knew you’d get a kick out of that.”

  “I like Your Lordliness better.”

  He growled and kissed me, effectively shutting me up. “Are you done teasing me?”

  If that were his way of shutting me up, I should tease him more often. I rattled my brain back to normal while he grinned smugly.

  “Now where were we? Runes. I need more.” A weird expression crossed his face. I knew that look. He’d worn it after I burned myself trying to teach him to create a fire with a spell. “You are not regretting healing me, are you?” He took a lock of my hair and played with it, his eyebrows slanting down. “Eirik?”

  “I wasn’t sure how you’d react, but if I had to do it again, I’d do exactly the same thing. It was the only way to save you.”

  “I get it, and no, I’m not angry. Before the accident, I’d thought about how we would make things work since I was Mortal, but I’m happy with the way things turned out. Not the incident. Just that you were there to make the pain go away.” His frown deepened. “Now what is it?”

  He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his mid-section and my arms circled his neck. I wondered why he did it so often. Was it because I was shorter than he and he wanted me up to be on the same eye level? Not that I was complaining. I liked being carried by him.

  “I bit you and you didn’t tell me. We also haven’t talked about what happened between you and Einmyria before I arrived at Niorun’s.”

  I tried to borrow from his rulebook and shut him up with a kiss, but it didn’t work.

  “No, I’m serious.” He wasn’t smiling. “We should discuss what happened.”

  “There’s a big difference between discussing what happened and listening to you blame yourself for everything bad that’s ever happened to me. You are not my keeper. I made decisions and must deal with the consequences, and they”—I kissed him when he opened his mouth—“are my consequences. Not yours. Yes, you bit me, and I chose not to share that knowledge with you when I realized Crazy Granny bit me first, so your bite wasn’t important.”