Gods

by Ednah Walters

  “That way”—I pointed at the East Hallway—“but I need to get my books, so lockers first. So, does that mean I’m your first?”

  “My first what?”

  “Closet partner,” I said quickly as his grin broadened, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “You know, making out in a school closet.” Jeez, I was stammering. I bumped him with my shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

  He lowered his head and whispered in a low, sexy voice, “Am I your first, Stjärna mín?”

  Heat crawled under my skin. He was my first in everything. First kiss that counted. First love. First man I wanted to jump.

  “Nope,” I shot back, lying through my teeth. “I’ve used these closets at least once a semester.”

  He growled. “Who with? Wes? Some punk in this school?”

  His possessiveness was ridiculous, and I was an idiot for teasing him. I wrapped my arms around his waist. Eyes and whispers followed us. Eirik knew his way around my school because he headed straight to my locker, blocked it, crossed his arms, and tried to intimidate me. It didn’t work.

  “Who was it?” he asked.

  Instead of answering, I kissed him until he relaxed. “No one, silly. You are my first.” He grinned, and I shook my head. “Move.”

  “Not until you say it again.”

  “I’m not repeating it. Besides, we have an audience.” The other students didn’t even bother to hide their interest.

  “Then we are not moving.”

  “You are a bully.”

  “Repeat after me.” He leaned down and whispered, “I’m your first and your last, and you are crazy about me.”

  I sighed, looked around, and glared at a group of girls to my right, but my reaction was wasted on them. Their focus was on him. Shameless. I gripped his coat and pulled him to me.

  “I’m your first and your last and you are crazy about me.”

  He laughed. I went back to finishing my apple.

  CHAPTER 11. PLOTTING MOTHERS

  EIRIK

  Despite her deliberate attempt to throw my words back at me, I knew I would be her first, and last, and she was crazy about me. I’d noticed the way she’d glared at the girls staring at us. Her words soothed the beast in me and melted my jealousy away, but the anger stayed. The Norns were here.

  I walked her to class, students getting out of our way or pressing against the walls to let us pass. Most watched us with curiosity and grinned. I ignored them. They’d get used to my presence around their school because I meant to keep Celestia safe. I took the apple core from her since she had no idea what to do with it and headed for the door.

  The second I reached the hallway; I engaged invisibility runes and cloaked. Ranger and Daiku appeared beside me. I passed Ranger the apple core.

  “Destroy it.”

  “Idun’s?” he asked.

  “Yes. The Norns are here.” The Grimnirs’ reactions were identical—they grimaced and looked around. They only interacted with the Norns when they reaped babies, and most Grimnirs hated that.

  “Hel’s Mist!” Daiku muttered. “Are they after you?”

  “Yes, but they might use Celestia to get to me.”

  “Then we need to take her home where she’ll be safe,” Ranger said.

  It was nice to see them protective of her, but this was my battle. “No. She’s not going to hide. She wants to finish high school like a normal student, and I’m going to make that happen. With your help, of course.”

  They nodded, still looking around. They didn’t see through the disguise of the three girls who’d just entered the hallway. I saw past the flawless skin, glossy hair, and modern clothes to their true selves—gray hair, ancient eyes, and wrinkled skin. They even paused to talk to other students in the hallway.

  They’d mastered the art of blending in anywhere. The one in the lead locked eyes with me, nodded, and opened a door. They disappeared inside. The students walking past didn’t even blink or slow down. How typical of Norns. They controlled who saw them and in what form.

  “I’ll be back.”

  “Should one of us stay with you?” Ranger asked.

  “No, keeping Celestia safe is your first priority, so stay here. Besides, I already know what they want.” The hallway was nearly empty, except for the late students racing to their next classes.

  I pushed open the door, expecting a broom closet with cleaning supplies. Instead, I entered a sunny courtyard in front of a castle surrounded by a gleaming white wall.

  Damn. This was the home of the Norns? Why the heck did they walk around with long faces if they lived in such a beautiful castle? It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

  Squirrels scurried up lush trees while colorful birds hopped from branch to branch or sang happily on top of the walls. On the ground, several peacocks grazed to my left while ducks and swans glided on a large pond to my right. Colorful flowerbeds dotted the green landscape, adding to the splash of colors.

  The castle I’d only seen from afar from Helheim loomed directly ahead. Marble pillars manned the entrance, music and laughter floating from inside. The walls were white, but the roof appeared to be made of clear crystals.

  The three Norns had shed their disguise. Damn, they were old, their faces wrinkled and hair gray. The skinny jeans and shirts were now white flowing gowns. When they moved closer, I took a step back, making sure the portal/closet door stayed intact. I didn’t want to be trapped in their world.

  Except for the two, cloaked Grimnirs, the hallway was now deserted, the students back in their classes. Ranger spread his hands as though asking, “What is it?”

  I shook my head and indicated they keep an eye on Celestia. Twice, I’d failed to protect her when she needed me the most. It wasn’t happening again.

  “Come with us, Son of Baldur,” one of the Norns said. She sounded calm. “The Wise Ones need to talk to you.”

  “The Wise Ones?”

  “The spinners three, holders of the threads of destiny,” they said in unison.

  “The Wise Ones cannot be kept waiting. They want to meet you, so you will come with us.” The first one who’d spoken said again. She appeared to be their spokesperson.

  “Is that why you were stalking us on Saturday at the mall?”

  “We don’t stalk.” She sounded amused. “But if some of our sisters choose to keep an eye on you, it is not our fault. You brought this on yourself by your actions. Witches do not need to know about us.”

  Yet they hadn’t tried to erase the memories of the Witches. Interesting.

  “No, I’m afraid the Wise Ones will have to wait, until the Norns responsible for causing my mother pain and my sister’s suffering come to Eljudnir and apologize.”

  “Your sister?” the lead Norn asked.

  “Also needs an apology,” I said, keeping my voice calm and nice too. No need to be rude. “You have no idea what her life was like. Always on the run and looking over her shoulder, moving from home to home. Even now, she’s so messed up I’m not sure she’ll ever recover. Your sisters who took her away from home owe her more than an apology. They stole seventeen years from her, years she would have been loved by my parents. All we ask is for an apology.”

  “You are misguided, young man.”

  “No, I’m not,” I snapped. Immediately, I regretted my outburst. “I apologize for raising my voice and snapping. I’ve already stated my conditions. Tell your Wise Ones that all we need is an apology. You have until tomorrow to decide.”

  Silence followed, the shock on their faces comical.

  “You do not dictate to the Wise Ones, young man,” the lead Norn said, her voice still pleasant. “They are busy and don’t give an audience to just anyone, not even the gods. You should be honored they want to meet with you.”

  “Believe me, I am…” Wait. The Norns Raine had dealt with were often pissed at her for refusing to tow the line, so they’d come across evil. These ones are polite, despite all I’d done to get their attention. Maybe I was dealing wit
h a different tier of Norns. And their spokesperson had appeared surprised about my sister.

  “I’m honored the Wise Ones want to meet me, but perhaps they don’t know about the Norns who took my sister from Jötunheim.”

  There was silence, and they tilted their heads as though listening.

  “Seventeen years ago, my grandmother kidnapped my sister from Eljudnir, hoping she had special abilities or dragon strain like me. When she realized Einmyria didn’t, she left her in Jötunheim. The Norns in charge of the orphan relocation found her, but instead of returning her to Eljudnir, they took her to earth and told my mother her baby was dead. Mother bought the whole story. Instead, Einmyria is part of the group of orphans being adopted and raised by Immortals here, most of whom were once orphans, too. In the meantime, other Immortals, non-orphan ones, have been hunting children like my sister all over this realm. So I found the evil Immortals responsible and stopped them with the help of the Witches. I found my grandmother with the help of the Grimnirs, and locked her up. And, I rescued the orphans and returned them to their parents.” I paused.

  “Go on,” the lead Norn said.

  “And I found my sister and took her home. As you can imagine, it wasn’t the happy reunion we’d hoped for. My request is pretty simple. Send the Norns behind this orphans relocation program to apologize to Mother and Einmyria. And please, don’t insult me by going after my girl or her friends to punish me.”

  Silence followed. Their heads moved left to right and I knew they were communicating with each other. Then they stopped.

  “Can you repeat your story to the Wise Ones when you meet?” the lead Norn said.

  Okay. Now we’re talking. “Word for word. And FYI, I have another story for you about the powerful Witch Raine Cooper and the way she’s been mistreated by the Norns assigned to her. I’d like to tell the Wise Ones about that, too.” I nodded. “I bet they’d love to hear just how bad more of your girls have been behind their backs. She might need an apology too.”

  “We will be in touch,” the lead Norn said, and the portal disappeared.

  Grinning, I closed the door. Now that was interesting. Didn’t see it coming, but I might just be onto something here. Could Raine have been dealing with renegade Norns all this time too?

  I started toward Ranger and Daiku and realized they weren’t alone. A woman stood with her back to me, but I recognized the long, glossy, black hair and long skirt.

  Svana Cooper, Raine’s mother. We’d spoken briefly yesterday when I went to Kayville while Celestia was asleep and the others watched movies. Her laugh reached me and childhood memories rushed back. Before my mother, Svana had loved me like I was her child, taken care of my wounds, and tears. I used to wish she were my real mother, yet now I couldn’t imagine trading anyone else as a mother. My mother was complex, rigid, funny, tough as nails in some ways and fragile in others. She might not be demonstrative or vocal about her love, but I knew she would scorch the nine realms for me, which made me worry about her relationship with Einmyria. At least Mother and Celestia were becoming closer.

  As though Svana knew I was behind her, she turned and opened her arms. “There you are, my darling boy.” She enveloped me in a hug.

  She was such a hugger. I’d gone through wanting her hugs, loving them, and getting embarrassed by them, before finally accepting that they were a part of who she was.

  “What are you doing here, Aunt Svana?” I asked.

  “Looking for you. You left so quickly yesterday we didn’t have time to finish our conversation.”

  I had wanted to be at Celestia’s when the movie ended, just like I wanted to be here with her now. I glanced inside her class through the glass panel on the door. She was chewing on her lower lip. My chest grew warm. A guy seated to her right said something, and she glanced at him and grinned. A growl worked its way to my throat. I wanted to be the one to make her laugh. No, seated beside her, so we could share glances and smiles, maybe steal kisses behind the teacher. Her sweet scent reached me and I sighed.

  “Who holds your interest in here?”

  I’d forgotten about Svana. “A special girl.”

  “You plan to reap her soul?”

  The Grimnirs grinned at the thought. I ignored them. If it ever came to that, I’d be the one to take her home.

  “No, she’s my future wife.” She chuckled.

  “Really? Does she know?” She came to peer inside the classroom, but I put an arm around her shoulder and led her away from the door.

  “You’ll meet her when she’s ready, Aunt Svana. What didn’t we cover during our talk?” I already knew Raine and Torin were getting married next Saturday, but it was being kept a secret. My contribution was to mobilize Witches to attend their wedding and camouflage the Valkyries’ presence in case the Norns came sniffing. The renegade Norns.

  “There’s more. Now about this future wife of yours, what’s her name? How long have you known her? Is she Mortal?”

  For now. I was going to keep feeding her the apples until she got her runic knives. She might not even need the runes. I hadn’t added healing runes in a while, yet I was fine. Our apple tree produced fruit year around, and Celestia loved apples.

  “Is she?”

  I stared at Svana and tried to remember what she’d asked. “Yes, she’s Mortal.”

  “Will your mother approve?”

  “Of course.” Her expression said she didn’t believe me.

  “Come visit with me for a few minutes, sweetheart. I want to ask for a personal favor.” She waved to Daiku and Ranger. “Later, boys.”

  The two Grimnirs grinned like besotted idiots. She had that effect on most men. Even when we were young, I’d see Mortal men behave like idiots around her whenever she’d take Raine and me anywhere.

  “Hey.” I got their attention, pointed at my eyes then Celestia’s class. After my brief talk with the three Norns, I was starting to believe there was a rogue faction running operations on the sly. It happened in the best-run institutions. Rogue angels, cops, agents, nations… The list was endless.

  Svana led the way through a portal and into her home, threw her bag on a table, and headed to the kitchen. The house was quiet, but then again, Tristan was dying and Raine was at school. Svana’s best friend, Femi, should be around somewhere.

  “Did you get a chance to talk to your friends?” She opened the fridge and removed a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses.

  “I had a long chat with Doctor B about your request. He said the local Guild could get about twenty Witches to attend. Siobhan in Ireland might get about the same. I haven’t heard from Norway, Kenya, or Rio. The wedding is still on Saturday?”

  She poured the ice tea into the glasses and gave me one. “Actually, we’ve moved it forward to Wednesday and Torin can’t tell Raine. As you can imagine, he’s not too happy about it. He plans to propose to her today.”

  “What time?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re having a meeting tonight. Torin wants us to tell Raine the truth, but Goddess Freya will not change her mind. She insists Raine’s connection with the Norns is too strong and they might get the information from her without her knowledge. You can imagine how unhappy Torin is. He doesn’t like keeping her in the dark. He thinks it’s unfair that we don’t trust her to stand up to them.” She sighed. “The man doesn’t understand that sometimes you have to keep things from your mate to protect them.”

  “I don’t buy that.”

  “Yes, well, you are young. The location of the wedding is the same. See if your people can arrive by ten in the morning, UK time. I have to talk to the caterers and Torin’s people to make sure the chapel is cleaned. Thank goodness Femi was once a wedding planner. I don’t know what I’d do without her help. Sit.”

  It was an order, so I sat and fought a grin. Svana’s lectures tended to be lengthy, so I tuned her out. She used to be a Valkyrie, a Norn-in-training, when she met Tristan, Raine’s father, and fell in love with him. I doubted she ever regretted giving
up soul reaping for love, but she was back at it now. She’d faced the Valkyrie council, asked for her old job, and won.

  “I forgot to ask. Are you hungry?” she asked.

  “I already ate, but…” My eyes went to the pies on the counter, and she grinned.

  “But you wouldn’t mind some apple pie. Cora’s mother dropped those off yesterday.” She didn’t bother to cut a slice, just placed the entire pie and a fork in front of me. “Dig in. I’ll check on Tristan. Femi is out shopping, but she told me you were here earlier.”

  “Yes, we spoke briefly. Uncle Tristan was awake,” I added.

  “Yes, he drifts in and out of consciousness, but he enjoys your visits. Eat. I’ll be back in a second.” She disappeared into the living room, and I started on the pie.

  Femi was the Ancient Egyptian Immortal. She was probably worth millions, but nursing was one of the few professions she’d dabbled in, and she’d offered to take care of Uncle Tristan. She and Svana had apparently been friends for centuries. I got that tidbit from their back and forth banter on Saturday.

  I was washing down the pie with ice tea when Svana returned. “He’s asleep.”

  I studied her. She didn’t seem overly sad about her husband’s imminent death. She’d probably made plans to have him in Valhalla, where they could be together. She rubbed my arm.

  “We didn’t get a chance to really talk about you on Saturday. How are things? I heard rumors, but I’d rather hear them from you.”

  “I’m good. What rumors?”

  “How are your parents doing?”

  “Good too. What rumors?”

  A weird expression crossed her face and when she spoke, I knew she’d deflect my question. “So many, which makes me proud. I had no idea there were so many children the Norns brought to Earth and placed with Immortals.”

  “And I had no idea how much you did to protect me from the radar of the Suits,” I said.

  She grinned. “I wasn’t alone. There are other Immortals here too. Most prefer to remain anonymous and raise their children among Mortals. We did what we could to protect all the orphans in this area. Suits?”