Why hadn’t I seen it? She was my inspiration. There were so many moments of her I’d stored in my head that I should have also captured on film, enlarged, and framed.
“You ever see paintings of a woman, and you can’t tell what’s mesmerizing about her? It could be the look in her eyes, the curve of her lips, or even just the graceful arch of neck. You want to sit there and stare at them because they make you happy.”
Zack shot me a weird look. “Uh, no. I don’t get most paintings. I want a woman I can touch, not admire from behind glass. That’s what makes me happy.” His eyes narrowed on the door of the changing room, and I knew he meant Hayden.
“Your cousin makes me happy. I may have failed to protect her from my grandmother, but she is the one. Every time I look at her, I capture everything that makes her special and store it in my head. Little things she does. The way she reacts when she’s happy, sad or annoyed. The way she says things. Her laughter. Her smile. She has this habit of sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees and then lays her head on top. It’s cute.”
Zack frowned. “That’s a habit she developed from hiding in the corner of a closet to escape Aunt Marguerite. She believed if she could make herself small, she might become invisible.”
Rage washed over me, leaving my chest burning and my skin feeling tight. “But she still found her?”
“No. She never cared enough to look. We missed a few meals doing that.”
Now I wanted to punch something, or someone. Corpse Strand wasn’t good enough for that woman’s soul. She needed to go there alive. I wondered what other habits Celestia had developed from her childhood.
“She has this weird habit of kicking off her shoes and curling her toes when she sits in class.”
“Dude, you need a psych ward, not jail.”
I didn’t dignify that with a response. Zack might act like he wasn’t enjoying himself, but I watched him every time Hayden stepped out of the changing room. He was into her.
“What makes you tick, Zack? Other than football.”
“Money. Loads of it.”
I chuckled. “You are a cliché.”
“Spoken like someone who’s loaded. Money can buy my dream car and dream home.” His eyes followed Hayden. “A 1967 Shelby GT500 and the waterfront home on Perry Drive. I saw this house the other day with Jason. His father is a realtor. Lots of land, fortified against hurricanes, and an amazing view of the bayou. But the cherry on top is the large garage. It’s perfect for a workshop. I could restore classic cars away from prying eyes, so when I unveil them to the world, they’d make headlines.” He threw me a quick glance. “Of course, I’d probably need a cool mil to start, so I’m back to money. Loads of it. Pro football will help with that.” He stood. “I’ll get us coffee. Any preference?”
“Caramel Cappuccino.”
He knocked on Hayden’s changing room and disappeared inside for a few minutes. When he came out, he had a stupid grin on his face. And he called me crazy? Fifteen minutes later, he still wasn’t back.
I, on the other side, decided there was just so much a man could take before reaching his breaking point. Mine happened when Trudy picked swimsuits and insisted Celestia try some. At first, I listened to their conversation with growing concern.
“Baldur is building a pool and I’m going to learn how to swim, so I need suits,” Trudy said.
Celestia’s smile disappeared. “Good for you.”
“You could teach me.”
Celestia laughed, but it was hollow. “No. I don’t swim. Never want to swim. Never will swim.”
“Why not?” Trudy chose a yellow piece and pressed it against Celestia’s chest. “This would look great on you.”
“Trudy, leave her alone,” I warned.
Trudy ignored me. “This one, too. It’s perfect for your color.”
Celestia turned away. “I don’t swim, Trudy.”
“That’s even better. We could learn together.”
I could teach them. Maybe Celestia wouldn’t fear water so much if I were with her. “I could teach you.”
Trudy squealed. “Really?”
“You too, Trudy, but I was talking to Celestia.”
Celestia turned and studied me with unblinking eyes. I wondered what was going on inside her head. Her face was usually expressive, but for once, I couldn’t read her. I listened to her heart instead. It was pounding hard with dread. I tried to reassure her without saying a word, and it actually worked. Her heartbeat steadied. She gave me a tiny smile and nodded.
That’s my girl! She was not afraid to face her fears. She grabbed several two-piece swimsuits from a nearby rack. As she walked past me, she dangled a stringy piece that could not possibly cover my hand and winked.
Okay, maybe suggesting being her teacher was not such a good idea. How far would the pool be from the Grimnirs’ gym? I could stand my girl showing skin in short dresses, shorts, and tank tops around reapers, but a two-piece bikini? That left very little to the imagination. No one was going to be around the pool when she wore them.
The wait to see her in them became unbearable. I gave in to the temptation, walked to the entrance of her changing room, and joined her. The expression on her face said she’d been expecting me. Unfortunately, she was in her normal clothes.
“I was hoping you’d help me choose. I can’t make up my mind whether to buy this”—she lifted a one piece that was both cute and sexy—“or this.” The two-piece was barely there.
“The one piece,” I said without missing a beat.
“But I like this one.” She picked up the print bikini. “And this.” She dangled a yellow one. It was sexy, and she would look great in it. She grinned, and I knew she was teasing me.
“No way. I’m supposed to teach you how to swim, not maul you.”
“What if I want both?” She threw me a teasing look over her shoulder as she hung the swimsuits on the pegs. “What then?”
I circled her waist and buried my face in her hair. She loved to mess with my head and no matter how much I loved it, I knew what the consequences were. I lifted her onto the bench and rested my cheek on her chest, listening to her heightened heartbeat. Funny how I could tell when she was excited, not just from her heartbeat, but her scent too. She smelled of wild flowers.
I lifted my chin to study her. She slid her fingers through my hair and tilted my head. “You shouldn’t fight your nature, Eirik.”
I chuckled. My nature was telling me to open my mouth, burn off her clothes, and make her mine right here inside the changing room.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
The simple request unmanned me, yet I couldn’t deny her. I cupped her face and stroked her cheek with the pad of my thumb. Her skin was so soft. Dimples flashed on her cheeks, and my heart swelled. I wasn’t sure what made her special. Her adorable smile, the perfection of her features, or the way she filled me with anticipation, made my breath catch and my body hardened with need. Or maybe it was the fact that she felt, sounded, and smelled right.
Growing impatient, she gripped my head, pulled me closer, and initiated the kiss. For a moment, time stood still as I got lost in her and savored her sweetness. I lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around my waist, pressing closer to her softness as mortally possible. She made me want with a hunger that clawed my inside and laid my soul bare.
At the back of my mind, I knew I’d gone into a partial shift, yet I couldn’t stop. Her arms wound tighter around my neck, her soft moans pushing me over the edge. I yanked my lips from hers and buried my head in her neck, hoping to slow things down, but her scent flooded my lungs, triggering an explosion of feelings I couldn’t contain.
I hurled my head back and fire shot from my mouth. I staggered backward, shocked and disgusted by my lack of control. I expected Celestia to scream or look at me with repulsion. Instead she smiled with pride, like I’d done something wonderful. She jumped down from the bench and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“See? That wasn’t so
bad. You let yourself go, and it was awesome. I want to see more of that. I need to know and see all of you, Eirik.”
My chest hurt. Damn, she was priceless. All of me was too much to handle by myself. Having someone who cared enough to share that burden with was humbling. I buried my face in her hair and inhaled just as a knock resounded on the door.
“Are you guys alright in there?” Hayden asked.
“Yes,” Celestia called back, while stroking my back, her touch soft and soothing. This was why she was mine. She got me. “We’ll be out in a second.”
I lifted my head to study her face. “You are perfect.”
“I know.”
I chuckled and traced her lush lips. “You have no idea what you do to me. I’m crazy about you.”
“Good, because I’m crazy about you, too.” She went on her toes and planted a kiss on my lips. “Now let’s go out there and reassure the salesgirls that we are not about to burn their store down.”
I became aware of raised voices and opened the door to the changing room. The boss was with Trudy, Hayden, and Zack. He didn’t look pissed, and the Grimnirs smirked a few feet away, which meant he hadn’t seen the fire or they’d runed him and made him forget.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“We don’t allow food in the store, so I cannot let your friend back inside.”
“That’s okay. We are done here. She found the perfect swimsuit. Didn’t you, Dimples?”
Celestia looked over her shoulder. She went back and eyeballed the pieces.
“I don’t know,” she murmured.
“Take them all.” If she didn’t mind a flame in the middle of a clothing store, she wouldn’t care if the pool turned into a hot tub.
She went back inside, and chose two—a two-piece and a one-piece, then headed to the register. I scooped up the remaining suits and added them to the pile in Trudy’s arms. She had several swimsuits in different styles.
“Plan to swim a lot?”
“Oh yes. Zack promised to teach me.” She followed Celestia to the cashier while Hayden watched her with narrowed eyes.
“If you have a problem with it, just tell him he can’t,” I said.
“I don’t have a problem with my man. I have one with your protégée in a swimsuit. She looks bad in a swimsuit.”
“What do you mean?”
“Badass.” She made a face. “No man is going to be safe in Eljudnir. Where exactly is this pool going to be? I hope it’s by the gym. I’d so love to see the men make a fool of themselves.”
I wouldn’t. Zack waited outside with drinks. He’d even gotten the Grimnirs some. He wasn’t a bad guy, just a little annoying when it came to his cousin. We were on our way to the food court on the second floor when Celestia turned and frowned, her heartbeat shooting off the chart. I turned to see what caught her attention.
“The same energies?”
She nodded. “They’re powerful, but stormy. Like they are barely contained. And they are almost identical.”
Damn Norns. I tried to sense them, but I couldn’t. They’d better not be after Celestia. My mother might no longer be interested in going after the Norns, but I might make it my mission to destroy them if they so much as glanced in Celestia’s direction. I hope they were stalking me, not her.
The moment we reached the food court, someone called out Zack’s name. We headed toward a group of guys and girls. Wes was with them, but he was no longer important. I got the girl. From the fist bumps and hugs, Hayden and Celestia knew them quite well.
“Guys, this is Eirik”—she glanced over her shoulder at me, and my arms tightened around her waist—“my boyfriend.” Which earned her a kiss. She didn’t shy away from it, which thrilled me to no end. Her cheeks were pink when she added, “and his cousin, Trudy. They’re visiting from out of town.”
Wes’ interest in Trudy was instant because he knew what “out of town” meant. But a tall dude with a goatee, Jack something or the other, gave up his chair for Trudy and immediately started flirting with her. Without the magic in Helheim to regulate her speech, she spoke English with a lilt that was hard to place. However, she’d learned a lot of American colloquialism from watching people in the Resting Halls.
“Out of town from where?” Jack asked, grabbing another chair and straddling it.
“Eljudnir,” Trudy said then a stricken expression crossed her face.
“It’s a small kingdom in Eastern Europe,” I said and touched her arm in reassurance. The last thing we wanted was for her to shift in the middle of the mall. To distract the group and maybe tell Jack what’s-his-face to behave, I indicated Ranger and Daiku with a nod. They’d taken a table a few feet away. “Those are her bodyguards.”
“Let’s get something to eat,” Celestia said, turning to face me. “What do you want? There’s Cajun, Chinese, Mexican, and of course, pizza, burgers…”
“I’ll start with pizza and work my way around the room. Boyfriend?” I added as we walked to the pizza place.
“It just slipped out. You don’t like it?” The twinkle in her eyes said she wasn’t taking the conversation seriously. “What would you have preferred? A consort? Mate?”
All of the above. “I’m not complaining, you understand. I just need a heads up before you claim me.”
She stopped walking and studied me while chewing on her lower lip.
“I could go back and tell them we broke up, and that I am available,” she said.
“After that kiss, only a fool would believe you.”
“I could kiss Wes, too.”
Something gripped my chest, until I couldn’t breathe. “And you’d sign his death warrant.”
Celestia backhanded my chest playfully. “That’s the attitude because FYI, I didn’t like the way those girls were checking you out. I can share you with your mother in Helheim, but here on Earth, you are mine. Get used to it.” She slipped out of my arms and walked ahead while I grinned like an idiot.
~*~
CELESTIA
Instead of joining the others, Eirik and I found a table for two with a beautiful view of the river. Zack and Hayden kept Trudy busy and had her trying the different foods New Orleans had to offer at the mall. Eirik demolished an entire pizza, then my shrimp and chicken stir-fry while I picked his brain about his ideal home.
“I might not be outdoorsy, but I love paintings and pictures of nature. Have you ever thought of enlarging and framing some of them?”
He chuckled. “No, but I might some of these. Like this one.”
We went through the pictures he’d taken of the three of us in different outfits. Some were cute, others hilarious. “Trudy would definitely like that,” I said. Most of hers were cute. She was photogenic. “I’ll frame that for Zack. We look ridiculous there.”
Something caught my eye, and I turned my head. Three girls were at the food court entrance: a blonde, a brunette, and a brown-skinned girl. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen them from the corner of my eye since we arrived.
I continued talking to Eirik while I waded through energies until I found the one. It was the same one that had crawled inside my head outside the shoe store and left me feeling violated. I’d managed to push her out before she pressed an erase button. I followed it and wasn’t surprised when it led to one of the girls, the blonde. They were now by one of the vendors, paying for their food.
The blonde turned and stared straight at me. Before I could pull away, there was a sharp tug on my energy as she grabbed a thread of my energy and yanked. I fought back, trying to push her out. Eirik spoke, but my focus was on the girl, our energies and eyes locked in a silent battle. She’d violated my mind earlier and it wasn’t going to happen again. She was more powerful, but I was determined.
“Einmyria should have come too,” Eirik said, his voice sounding distorted. “It’s not like she brought a suitcase filled with clothes. Most of the orphans carried a few things in their backpacks, and that was it.”
Einmyria was one person I
didn’t want to discuss. I wanted to ask Eirik for help, but I knew him. He would go ballistic. Besides, sometimes a girl had to stand on her own dainty feet without running to her man. Raine had done it and won. My skin grew tight and clammy, and the first wave of wooziness hit me.
“She contradicts herself a lot, but I guess having had my grandmother inside her head would screw with someone. Or maybe she’s just a whack job. I’ve checked on the other orphans we brought back and only a few want to visit other realms again. The majority were too traumatized. Dimples? You’ve gone pale and your heartbeat is slowing down.”
A second wave of dizziness left me with a blurry vision. Okay, time to let Eirik know what was happening in case I fainted. “One is in my head.”
Eirik was by me before I completed the sentence. “What?”
“Behind you,” I said, but they were gone before I finished speaking because the pressure inside my head eased suddenly, leaving me weak, and my blurry vision cleared. Instead of the three girls, an elderly couple and a young girl waited to be served. “They were there seconds ago. I followed a thread of the energy to find them and it led to three girls. One of them tried to get inside my head. She’d caught me unaware before and done it, but I fought back this time.”
Eirik’s amber eyes glowed with fury. “Damn hags. I’m taking you home.”
“No, I’m okay now. I fought back, so she didn’t get inside my head, but I grew weak as though she was draining my energy. I almost passed out. I’d heard of Witches draining energies, but it’s never happened to me.” I think. The flow of energy, the helplessness, and the sound of my heartbeat slowing down had felt familiar, yet I couldn’t recall when I’d been attacked like that. “Sorry, I scared you.”
“I still think we should head home.” Despite his words, he lifted me, took my seat, pulled me down onto his lap, and tucked my head under his chin. Eyes still in slits, he studied the people around the food court. “I almost lost you twice, Dimples, and now those hags are after you.”
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