Gods

by Ednah Walters

  “You’re just jealous I saw him first.” She grinned.

  Hayden didn’t rise to the bait. From what Eirik had told me, Andris hopped from lover to lover. On the other hand, Trudy was unstoppable when she wanted something, and she was gorgeous. Surely trouble would follow.

  It was a long wait before Raine and her father reached the podium. The ceremony was beautiful. The vows, especially Torin’s, had all of us tearing. I wanted Eirik to say those words to me one day.

  I felt the moment Cora sat beside me. The magic accompanying the cloak was strong. Then she reached for my hand and squeezed. The soul left Mr. Cooper and floated toward us. I stiffened, but it disappeared, presumably back in her cell phone. When the crowd started singing and sending positive energy toward the newlyweds, I knew it was time to leave.

  “We have to go now,” I whispered to the others.

  “But I want to meet Mr. Foxy Silver Hair,” Trudy griped then smirked. “Maybe give him a little kiss.”

  Hayden groaned.

  “Ask Eirik to introduce you later.” Which I doubted would happen. He could barely tolerate Torin and never had anything nice to say about Andris.

  We left the chapel and searched for the nearest empty room. There was a banquet hall with tables laden with food. Hayden found an empty room that turned out to be a cloakroom. Trudy created a portal for our exit, and we filed into the bathroom at Kayville High.

  “That was beautiful and moving—”

  I didn’t finish the sentence because Cora hugged me tight. When she let go, she moved to Trudy, and finally Hayden. Her eyes were red and puffy. I had to take care of those before we finished with her. She couldn’t go back to class looking like that.

  “I guess we don’t have to hate you now,” Trudy said. “You ugly cry.”

  Cora laughed. “I know.” She glanced at the mirror and cringed. “But it was worth it.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” I touched her cheek and murmured a simple spell. The puffiness and redness disappeared.

  “Thank you. Not just for fixing my face, but for everything. Skipping school, taking the pictures. I stood beside her on the podium and witnessed everything. I don’t know how I will ever repay you guys for making this possible.”

  I winced. “Try not to hate us?”

  “I would never do that.”

  “Yes, you will. You see, they”—I pointed at Hayden and Trudy—“have to block the memories of everything you just witnessed.”

  Cora opened her mouth, then closed it and sighed. “Will I ever get them back?”

  “Yes,” I said. “But I’ll let Eirik explain.”

  Right on cue, a portal opened and he entered the bathroom. “Raine and Ingrid will be here soon. Cora, sorry, but they have to do this.”

  “I was just asking Celestia if I’ll ever remember any of this or them?”

  “Yes. Hayden and Trudy will unblock your memories after Raine stands in front of the Valkyrie Council in Asgard and officially declines the Norns’ claim that she is one of them. Until then, none of this happened.”

  Cora nodded. “Then I can wait.”

  She walked into Eirik’s arms for a hug. I got a little twitchy when she lingered and squeezed him. He squeezed her back. I knew it shouldn’t bother me because Eirik was mine, yet there was a bond between them that I wasn’t a part of. It was palpable, but different. Nothing like what he and I shared. Eirik grinned and winked at me when he saw me glare at them.

  Cora stepped back, and Trudy and Hayden went to work. Cora’s eyes became glazed as they pushed back her memories. When they finished, she just stood there like a zombie. If she were a Witch, Trudy and Hayden would not have succeeded in messing with her memories. It took a Norn to scramble a Witch’s memories.

  “You came upstairs to see one of the teachers and stopped by this bathroom,” Hayden said. “Now you can go back to your class.”

  Cora stepped forward and opened the door. The moment she stepped outside, a portal started to form on the same mirror we just used. Eirik created an air portal, and we raced through it. It closed just in the nick of time, but I was sure Ingrid and Raine felt our presence when they entered the bathroom.

  CHAPTER 17. JESSICA

  CELESTIA

  “Feel free to help yourself to anything, and we’ll see you after school,” I said, but Trudy was already searching for something to watch, and I doubted she’d heard me.

  “Later, you two,” Hayden said before disappearing to her place. Eirik and I headed to the hospital. Since he’d visited me there, he knew exactly where to open a portal. As soon as he did, he covered my eyes.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Just keep walking. You know you could have waited until after school to visit her.”

  “Nope. After school, you and I are going to hang out and catch up. No detours.” The sound of water splashing reached my ears. “Are we in a bathroom?”

  “No.” He opened the door and released me. I looked at the door and my jaw dropped.

  “Men’s bathroom?”

  “You didn’t see anything,” he said absentmindedly, and I saw why. Marguerite was walking away from us. “Let’s follow her.”

  “Why? I can just call her name.”

  “No. I want to see where she’s going.” We followed her to the back entrance, where she entered a black SUV. I tried to see the person driving it, but the windows were dark.

  “That’s the SUV that followed me on Saturday morning after I met with her. Scared the crap out of me. I had to call Officer Davies. And like a coward, the driver disappeared.”

  Eirik scowled. “Why am I hearing this now?”

  He was downright scary when pissed. “Because you disappeared on me. I wonder what she was doing here? Who she was seeing? She came from that direction. The surgical center.” I turned and Eirik followed.

  “We spent Saturday afternoon together, and I was at your house on Sunday and Monday. You had plenty of time to tell me about the SUV.”

  I sighed. “After the incident at the mall, I completely forgot about it, and that’s the truth. Oh, there’s Giselle. She doesn’t look happy.” Her friends didn’t either.

  “We’ll discuss this later.”

  “There’s nothing to discuss.” I took his arm. “Whoever is driving the SUV is probably a friend of Marguerite’s. Once Officer Davies appeared, and I pulled over, they disappeared. Maybe they wanted to see where I lived. I don’t know. Hey, Giselle.”

  Her eyes volleyed between Eirik and me. Her face was pale, the confidence she often wore like a cloak gone. “You were supposed to drive with us. We waited.”

  “How is she doing?” Eirik asked.

  “I don’t know. She was getting better. I saw her this morning and she looked better than when I found her on Monday. She was turning blue from lack of oxygen because her ribs were broken and pierced her lungs.” Her voice shook, her eyes filling. “But they put a tube inside her chest to remove the air so she could breathe better and she was fine this morning and even when we came to her room.”

  She wasn’t making sense. I even felt bad for the mean thoughts I’d had about her. “Can we see her now?”

  She shook her head. “We were with her when she started gasping. The nurses kicked us out and said they’d tell us when she stabilizes. What if the person who did this attacks her again? What if they came inside while we were there and made her get worse? Immortals move like ghosts. Your father came to talk to her yesterday, but there’s nothing he can find.” Her friends put their arms around her as she broke down.

  “Wait here,” Eirik said and left.

  Giselle’s friends were crying with her and other visiting relatives kept glancing their way. When Eirik came back, he indicated with his head that we join him. I had no idea how he did it, but Mrs. Mouton was alone in her room when we got there.

  She appeared to be asleep, but had all sorts of tubes attached to her nose, arm, and one side of her chest. I’d been hospitalized twice and never t
hought how I must have appeared to my family until now. She looked terrible and helpless. A pale imitation of the woman who’d scared the crap out of me every time I’d see her when I was a child.

  Giselle moved to her side to grip her hand. “Mom?”

  Mrs. Mouton’s eyelids fluttered open. “Hey, sweetheart.”

  “You really scared me. How are you feeling?”

  “Better. I promise.” She spoke slowly, her breathing shallow. “Go back to school.”

  “Look who is here to see you. Eirik.”

  But her mother’s eyes found me and stayed. “Sweetheart, give us a minute.” Giselle frowned and hesitated, but she left the room. Mrs. Mouton waited until the door closed before indicating I move closer. “Sit.”

  I took the chair and scooted closer. Eirik came to stand beside me. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Mrs. Mouton,” I said.

  “Stay away from your sisters. Stop looking for them.”

  I blinked and glanced at Eirik. “Why? What happened?” A thought occurred to me. “Are they the ones who hurt you?”

  “Yes. I called Marguerite after you visited me. I knew she’d be happy to hear that you wanted to connect with her and meet the girls.” Mrs. Mouton spoke slowly, pausing after every few words to take a shallow breath. “I talked to Miriam.” A longer pause followed. “She was furious.”

  “They’re Immortals?” Eirik asked, speaking for the first time. He sounded furious.

  “Yes. Miriam and her two friends.” A tear slipped from the corner of Mrs. Mouton’s eyes, and I felt worse. She would not have been hurt if I hadn’t asked her about my sisters. Not sure whether to wipe the tears or pretend not to see them, I reached for her hand.

  “They won’t get away with this, Mrs. Mouton,” I said.

  “Your mother told me the same thing. She came to see me a few minutes ago.” She closed her eyes and more tears fell. I took the edge of the sheet and dabbed the corner of her eye.

  “Do you want me to find the nurse?” Eirik asked.

  “No, I’ll be fine. They’ve already pumped me full of pain meds. I just want to get better and go home. Remember what I said, stop looking for your sisters.” Her eyes closed.

  Listening to her, I knew what I had to do. This was my fault, and I had to fix it. I might have hated Mrs. Mouton’s guts before, but she was the head of the Guild in our region now. Besides, the old Mrs. Mouton would never have warned me or tried to keep me safe. Eirik shook his head. From his expression, he knew exactly what I planned to do.

  “I have to,” I mouthed.

  “Did you say something?” Mrs. Mouton asked, her eyelids lifting. I could tell she was in pain.

  “Could we talk outside, Celestia?” Eirik asked.

  “Not now. Do you mind if I stay with you for just a few minutes before I leave, Mrs. Mouton?” I could feel disapproval pouring from Eirik.

  “You are a sweet kid.” She patted my hand and closed her eyes.

  I covered her hand and placed the other on her chest. I was surprised when she didn’t open her eyes or ask what I was doing.

  Eirik leaned down and whispered, “It is not your fault this happened to her.”

  “It is,” I mouthed, then indicated that he guard the door. When he glowered without moving, I added. “Make sure I’m not interrupted.”

  “You are stubborn.”

  I ignored him. Mrs. Mouton was alive, so maybe she didn’t need a lot of my energy, or life force as he called it. I was still not sure how I directed my life force, but if it had to do with wanting something badly it would work, because I wanted to help this woman and fix the mess Miriam had left behind.

  Unlike the time I helped the crow, I paid attention to what I was doing and felt the drain. It was as though my energy was getting sucked from my core, leaving behind an empty, inky void. It was a weird feeling. While her color returned to her skin, cold crept under mine. Nausea hit me and a weird ringing started in my ears. I wanted to break the contact, but my arms were so heavy.

  Mrs. Mouton opened her eyes. “You… What are you doing?”

  I opened my mouth to tell her, but I couldn’t speak. Eirik said something, but I couldn’t hear him. The next second, he’d pulled my arms away from Mrs. Mouton and picked me up. He was pissed. I could feel it, but he didn’t yell. In the state I was in, I would have burst into tears. I rested my face on the crook of his neck and closed my eyes as darkness claimed me.

  ~*~

  EIRIK

  Trudy looked up when I entered Celestia’s home.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “She used all her energy to heal someone.” I could have opened a portal straight to her bedroom, but I hadn’t wanted Trudy to hear us and freak out. A scared Trudy would have shifted. She followed me to Celestia’s bedroom. “She’ll sleep it off. Can you keep an eye on her?”

  “Sure.”

  I’d handled the whole situation like an ass, letting my feelings rule my head, and completely forgot Celestia was not the type of girl you told what to do. She was helping the police solve crimes before I came into her life. The problem was the thought of losing her or anything hurting her, scared the crap out of me.

  “She’s a healer?”

  “Yes. She uses her life force. It is awesome, but scary to watch. She grew pale and listless. When I picked her up, she was shaking and cold.” I laid her on her bed and brushed the hair from her face. My hand shook slightly, pissing me off even more.

  “She’ll be okay,” Trudy said, touching my arm. “She’s tough and nothing ever stops her.” She went to the other side of the bed and studied Celestia. “She’s like Goddess Eir.”

  Eir was my grandmother’s companion and a healer. Funny I hadn’t thought of her. She could help Celestia understand her powers. “Thanks, Trudy.”

  “For what?”

  “For being here. Keep an eye on her for me.”

  “You already told me that.” She took the blanket from the foot of the bed and covered her.

  “Just making sure you heard me.”

  I stepped outside. Daiku and Ranger were on the deck. They’d keep an eye on both girls. “Don’t let her go anywhere.”

  “Uh, you’re talking about Celestia?” Daiku asked.

  “Yes.” They looked at each other then back at me. Their expressions were identical—uneasy. “Are you saying you two can’t stop her? You are Immortal, bigger than she is, and there’re two of you. She doesn’t leave, until I get back.”

  I opened a portal to Rhys and Nara. It was time to deal with Marguerite and her psycho daughters. I didn’t believe for one minute that the girls attacked Mrs. Mouton without her knowledge. I found them outside some nursing home. I didn’t care who was about to die.

  “I need a portal to Serenity House.” The two Grimnirs exchanged glances. “What?”

  “We are coming with you,” Rhys said.

  “Why?”

  “Because this particular home is strange. The runes used around the compound are for keeping the residents in, not keeping others out.”

  An asylum of Immortals ran by Marguerite, Queen of the Crazies. Great! “Okay, let’s go.”

  Nara opened a portal to the front of a large house with a perfectly manicured lawn and flowerbeds. Runes covered the walls and even the roof of the building. There was no sign of movements at the windows and the eerie silence only added to the creepiness of the place. We started up the ramp leading to the main entrance.

  “Do you guys remember a girl named Miriam among the orphans we rescued in Nidavellir?”

  “A blonde,” Nara said. “She talked a lot when we queried them about Angrboda and Einmyria.”

  “Was there a Jessica?”

  Nara shook her head. “I don’t think so. We wrote down their names, their parents, and home addresses before escorting them home. I don’t think I saw a Jessica on the list.” Nara looked at Rhys, who shook his head.

  “Who dropped off Miriam?”

  “She wasn’t dropped off. She h
elped us with the others,” Nara said.

  “And she knew most of the parents,” Rhys added. “She stayed with one of the families.”

  Maybe she was a different Miriam. Before we reached the entrance, it opened to reveal a lounge that reminded me too much of the private club owned by Lord Worthington and his Immortal cohorts.

  A woman in a suit hurried from behind the desk, a big smile on her face. A man followed. A few people—staff members—stopped whatever they were doing and moved closer.

  “Welcome to Serenity,” the woman said and bowed. “My name is Paula Beechen. I’m in charge of visitors here. What can we do for you?”

  “I need to see Marguerite.”

  “Of course, this way.” She didn’t ask for our names, just turned and led us down a hallway. “I’d hoped she’d tell you about her visit here. Thank you for coming.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “Marguerite’s daughter and her friend. They came to see her, and I warned them to never return. I’d hoped she’d tell you. Someone needs to do something about how these kids are treated.”

  Something cold settled in my chest. Celestia had come here? No wonder she had agreed to never visit Marguerite without me.

  “What kind of girls lives here?”

  She slowed down. “Some are orphans while others are children or grandchildren of orphans. They find out they have special abilities and can’t handle it, so their parents bring them to us and we help them adjust. Some get better after a few months while others take a little longer. We also have some who never get better. Their stories are heartbreaking, sometimes tragic. Most could lead a normal life if their parents were willing to understand them. Instead, they leave them here until they’re adults and no longer their responsibility.” We reached the door at the farthest end of the hallway and knocked.

  Silence greeted us.

  She knocked again. “Marguerite?” When there was no response, she opened the door and peered inside. “Strange. She said she didn’t want to be interrupted because she was working on something urgent. She might be with Miriam. She spends a lot of time with her.”