As little girls we fabricated tales of how great Mom would’ve been when we were sick, needed advice, or something as simple as wanting a kiss to a skinned knee. I went along but never fully invested like she did. We had Dad and while his parenting methods were extra, he was all I dared to need.
She inhales deep through her nose, speaking into my head. Tell me the rest and how our new friends factor in, because there is a dump truck of bull they’re not sharing.
I draw out of her embrace, tossing a glance at Elon. As though he can read my thoughts, he cuts the distance between us with flashy speed. On his knees, the back of his hand traces up my jaw, flipping to an open palm cupping my cheek. Light pale blue meets my darker ones. He angles his forehead to mine, offering support with the lightest brush of his lips to mine. Unwilling to break our connection and because I dread the backlash, I send my outlandish truth into Ranissa’s mind.
He’s a vampire and from all the crazy warring in my heart, I’m his mate.
“WHAT?” she exclaims. “Like Aussie kind of mate? Was the water you fell in laced with Molly? Dude, what the fuck did you do to my sister?”
He shifts to Ranissa, his face grim with guilt. “I promise I’ve done nothing. Fate’s wicked sense of humor dropped a gift I don’t deserve.” When his eyes return to mine a haunted darkness swirls in their pale depths, but a devoted warmth lives there too. “I’ll spend the rest of my days in cosmic debt for its bestowing because I’m not man enough to return it.”
“Jesus, I think I got pregnant from the way he looks at her,” Geri sighs on a humming breath.
Parker bursts through the door, gauging Elon’s allure. Realizing the coast is clear; he steps in plopping three large pizzas on my desk.
Elon stands, offering me and my sister a helping hand off the floor. When we’re on our feet, he turns to Lex, Geri, and Parker. “It’s time you all come clean. While realizing Nicole is my mate is life altering, it’s not why I waited for her by Silver Lake. Some serious shit is going down on Halloween, and it’s time the Daughters of Odin don their crowns.”
Chapter Twelve
The room erupts in chaos. Lex and Geri square off against Elon, shouting about well-placed plans and easing us into our destiny to which Elon calls bullshit. Parker sits on the end of the bed devouring pizza, watching the exchange in true tennis match fashion.
So many words thrown in anger it’s hard to pick out what’s important, yet it all appears vital, with my sister and me at the epicenter.
Yesterday we were all la-di-da college freshman, with hopes of an education and checking off milestones here on a campus cloaked with a cell blocking fog and a group of curious friends. My life goal at the ready was to meet a hookup worthy of devirginizing me. I mean, isn’t that what college is all about? Living wild for a few years before knuckling down to prepare for the droll of adulthood?
No, we’re not ordinary. We speak into each other’s heads. I see the real of people through their aura and my sister is all Ghost Whisperer with the seeing of dead people. Good thing we love riding the normal is overrated train. Madam Sybil warned we’d see beyond the veil. The crazy woman could’ve explained the man behind the curtain isn’t really a man.
“ENOUGH!” I shout, my voice carries with loud inhuman echoing precision. The yelling halts, opening the floor for my inquiry. My God, will this day ever end? The ache bouncing behind my eye grows. Hand massaging the hurt, I face Elon. “That is twice you’ve referred to us as descendants of Odin.” Still fighting the trying migraine, I turn to our friends waving a hand over the lot of them. “I want to hear him first, then you’re coming clean.”
Ranissa situates our chairs next to each other. We plop, swiveling to focus our attention on Elon.
He’s epically magnificent, Nikki. I’m so jelly, her appreciative tone whispers through my head.
I eye him from head to toe, swallowing around the lusty cookie rising in my throat. His eyes swirl with shades of blue, cutting through the paleness. My name falls from his lips, wrapped in smoke and breath. Wetness builds between my thighs as his want clicks like LEGO blocks to mine. Our bond roiling with the need for consummation.
He shakes his head like a dog shaking out water. The action breezes away some of the lusty soup thickening my brain.
Only you can prevent sex hungry fires, Nikki. Ranissa’s giggling words balm away the rest of my Elon drunkenness. I’m thankful for her candor because I need all brain cells firing to digest the deluge of hidden coming our way.
He breathes easier with the lessening tension. “Ranissa needs to visit the lake. We’ll walk and talk.” His fingers weave with mine. There go those damnable hormones again. It’s late. My head hurts, but all these extra muscles work like a shot of adrenaline. Parker complains about leaving the pizza behind but follows when we file out the door.
Before we exit the dorm, Elon drops his bomb. “You and Ranissa are descendants of Odin. Foretold and speculated over for generations. A year ago, a member of my team warned of your coming. Though we assumed you’d arrive with full knowledge of your heritage. The Lady of the Lake is Jania Nodens—your mother—upon her death she fulfilled her destiny of protecting the Axis of Odin. You may have noticed Silver Lake College isn’t like other universities. The fates and your father made sure this is where you landed. The Axis is the epicenter of your power.”
Ranissa and I flank his sides; silent as we stroll the path through campus. Matching confusion ping-pongs along the invisible cords of our bond.
“Beyond the veil, come and see.
The lives of two imbued by He.
One the lion, the other the lamb.
Powered to rule all the land
Together they will fight the tide to save the free.
Daughters of Odin, fated to be.”
His rhythmic voice dances on my skin thrumming pride in my veins, but damn, lay off the rhyming already, geesh.
“The Elders proved it false,” Geri calls from behind us.
“Then why did the wolf, the mage, and the shifter glom on?” Elon snarks. “And why did she change when she landed in the lake?”
“The Axis is power. Any potential supernatural who touches the tide is activated, but it doesn’t mean these two are those mentioned in your little prediction,” Lex retorts.
Words, fate, Mom, Dad, a freaking Norse god. My feet stagger, refusing to continue. “So it’s happenstance? The woman I heard and felt in the water just happens to be the mother I never met? And which one are you in this whole Narnia situation? The mage, shifter, or the wolf? I mean, if Elon’s a vampire than what are all of you?”
Guess we know why they never discussed what classes they had, Ranissa snorts. She’s using humor to accept the strange and unusual. Yet she’s the historian. Was this knowledge already vaulted in her big brain?
Parker’s comment the first day we met repeats in my head. Geri’s strength lifting the mattress and Lex’s ability to calm with a few spoken words. “Parker, you’re the shifter. Geri, the wolf, and Lex is the mage,” I mutter without question.
“Who’s the what?” Ranissa asks. “According to the prophecy, one of us is a lion and one a lamb.” She turns to me. “How did landing in the water change you?” Aside from delivering up a fated match with McBiteMe, she adds for me only.
“Strength. Like better than hitting the gym muscles. All the gain with none of the pain.” I lift my shirt, showing her the definition of my abs.
Guess that makes me the sacrificial lamb, she grumbles to herself, but since I’m tuned in to Ranissa radio, I catch the derision. I open my mouth to soothe but she side bobs her head urging us to continue walking.
“Odin is fascinating,” she says, her voice climbing with excitement. “Norse gods aren’t as flashy as the Greek and Roman ones. They hold substance. His name means ‘All-Father.’ He quested for knowledge and built formidable allies. His favorite land was Asgard but he held reign in all nine Norse realms. He was the ultimate Viking and everyone loved him. I
f I’m understanding the prediction, his abilities will split between us.” Feet still pushing forward, she leans in front of Elon speaking to me. “I can already see the dead. But necromancy was only one of his gifts. He could command animals and see the future. His forever desire was to feed his brain. An insatiable passion for knowledge was his legend. Nikki, since you’re brimming with his warrior side, have you tried communing with animals? Or calling on visions of the future?”
Daylight crests on the horizon, muted by the constant haze over the campus. All my vampire knowledge flashes caution lights. “Elon, if you need to vamoose or get in your coffin or whatever it is vampy types do to avoid the crispy frying effects of the sun, I’ll take Ranissa the rest of the way.”
A gaggle of snickers erupts behind me. I whip a scathing glare over my shoulder, silencing them. This all might be a bunch of hokum, but until I’ve explored every inch of him…or I mean gathered ample knowledge—of his dick—no dammit…focus.
Right, where was I?
Elon’s cock? No. Shit that’s an easy rabbit hole to fall in. No, I was trying to justify Elon’s importance. Yes. Right. Until I make sense of this absurdity, it’s prudent for him to not turn to dust. Using our linked hands, he tugs me closer, wrapping his arm around my waist. Our feet trod in unison. My head tucks under his chin as his lips peck my forehead. His tiny show of affection shoots sparks all the way to my toes. Aaaaannnndd I’m chasing the white rabbit again.
“Forget all the flowery speculation you’ve inevitably catalogued about vampires. I promise I’ll explain how it’s bullshit. For now, no, the sun won’t kill me. Actually, I love the heat of it on my skin but our reaction to it hinders our exposure, which is where all the lore about vamps and sun originates.”
“Do you sparkle?” Ranissa asks, garnering yet another round of chuckles from the trio following us.
“No,” Elon snipes.
Guess he’s not a big Twilight fan, huh? she directs to me. I can’t help but laugh because his disgust coils through my mate bond.
The trees surrounding us spread open like a curtain revealing Silver Lake. A white blanket coils off the surface, rising toward the sky.
Aha! This is where all the damn fog comes from. I’m also patting myself on the back for seeing the way the forest vanished on our approach. I knew I’d never seen a lake in these damn woods. All the protective magic is wild.
Even better this time; I can feel our mom’s presence.
Chapter Thirteen
As if pulled by an invisible thread, I clasp hands with Ranissa and move to where the land stops. The haze splits and the water swirls. My sister’s fingers tighten on mine. “I see her,” she gasps. I squint, stare, and strain, but all I see is slight movement on the surface.
“Yes. Okay. Got it,” Ranissa says, nodding. Her head hinges backward as her eyes fill with white. The thick mist circles, crawling up her legs to engulf her body. Dampness pools on our joined palms, slicking up my arm and over my head. Love, peace, and regret constrict my lungs and hug my heart.
In one breath I see nothing, in the next a gorgeous glowing figure swirling with hues of blue, pink, and purple hovers before me. Long blonde hair tufts in the soft breeze. Her face young and identical to Ranissa’s and mine. She could be our triplet. Elon and our friends are forgotten, lost in the cloak of fog.
“My girls. Oh, my sweet, sweet daughters. I’m sorry this burden has befallen you. Father always believed Thor would bear the destined twins. Losing one of his conquests in the name of bringing the fated was an acceptable loss. We’d thought my love for a mortal man would thwart fate. But when I became pregnant, Father knew it would be me and delivering you into this world would take my life. His fast thinking kept me earthbound, here in the lake, as the protector of the heart of your power. I’d hoped you’d never come, though I desperately wanted you here. As your mother I fought, but as the daughter of Odin I’m obligated to obey. Come, Ranissa, step into the pool so I may impart you with your gifts. I know you have questions and I’ll answer all I can, but the apocalypse approaches and time is short.”
Entranced, my sister releases me, holding out her arms to embrace our mother. I’m reeling, reveling in the cloud of motherly love, but a niggle sends my hand grappling for Ranissa’s wrist. My fingers circle in an iron grip.
“Wait.” From the sky voices cry out for me to protect her, keep her away. Ranissa shoots me a back-off glare, twisting in my hold but she’s no match for my strength. “What does this do to our lives?”
It doesn’t matter, Ranissa’s voice hisses in my head.
“Yes, it does,” I answer aloud. “We can avert prophecies. Change destined paths. Think about this, Ranissa. The future you planned ends the second your toes touch the water. I wasn’t allowed to choose. A handful of hours ago, I simply wanted to live without FOMO, now I’m all woke and in a ‘ship with a vamp. It’s crazy AF. I’ve experience more in minutes than I have in years. But you, I’m giving you the choice.”
“No, Daughter, you’re not. The genetics of identical twins do not apply to you. You’re not simply split from the same egg. There is no such thing as a demigod within Norse lineage. Technically, you are the grandchildren of Odin because I am his daughter, but the blood in your veins is pure. You are Odin. You share his soul, power, and in time, knowledge. When my father’s light left this world, the fates foretold a time when people would once again need the power of a god to survive. Ranissa, Nicole, you are the protector of humanity. If Ranissa doesn’t complete the cycle, you both will perish. Together you will seek and unite the varied species as my father did. Only then will you win the battle to save earth. You shall face numerous tribunals, beginning with the uprising of vampires. These are stepping-stones on the path to savior and ascension. You are the light against the darkness.”
Defeated, I release Ranissa. Without hesitation she accepts her gifts, lighting up the sky with lightning and energy. As the wave delivers her to the shore, pure exhaustion slinks over me. My body waves the white flag of surrender, succumbing to the endless day, lack of nourishment, and pure idiocy of all my mind attempts to compute. Despite willing my legs to carry me home, they falter like a house of cards in a hurricane.
Elon sweeps me into the cradle of his arms. I tuck under his chin, breathing in his spicy scent as he carries me through the forest. Before my eyes fall closed, I see Ranissa in an identical state with her long legs draped over Parker’s flexed forearm.
***
Through my sleepy haze, the domino sound of raising blinds drags me closer to consciousness. Blinding bright light stabbing my eyelids leaves me no choice but to awake. A similar disgruntled protest to mine groans from my sister’s bed. As much as I’ve craved the yawning rejuvenation of sunshine, right now it’s vibrancy splinters through my eyelids. I’m not innocent on the teenage angst front. The morning after a night of bonfire party drinking mimics the hangover effect rattling my brain, only this isn’t alcohol related.
Across the split between our beds, I see Ranissa rubbing her eyes with her pillow hair in disarray. I hiss at the amber spray spilling inside from the double window. Elon chuckles at my morning mutiny. Distressed black jeans hang on his hips, rucked up at the ankles over black boots with faded swaths, making his long legs look longer. A white button-down spans his chest with a space open at his neck and the sleeves rolled up. For a few blinks, he’s just a guy I met at the party. But the inhuman lapis glow of his skin under the press of the sun wraps the non-compos mentis in a nice enormous bow.
Holy shit! He’s the most gorgeous shade of hypnotic blue.
I’m antsy and unsettled. Itchy in my skin. My fingers need to touch him, my lips crave him. The tether between us stretches too far. I know nothing about this mate business, but time away from him sears my soul like too much time in a tanning bed.
“So, you scoff when I ask if you sparkle but are okay with being Vampy Smurf?” Ranissa asks, hiding her laugh behind her hand.
Arms crossed and lips nar
rowed, he doesn’t find humor in her comment. Face buried in my plushy blanket, his supersonic ears still hear my snort. He’s gorgeous all lit up like a neon bar sign, but he does resemble those tiny blue animations. He adds an arched brow to his stare when it shifts to me.
Slowly and methodically, he closes the distance between us. Perched on the edge of my bed, his hand smooths down my hair before he presses the lightest of kisses to my lips. His smell, warmth, and touch are aloe to my sunburned essence.
“I think I’m more akin to the big blue Avatar aliens.” His smoky voice dances along my lower lip, tempting me with the minty sweetness of his breath.
“Hmm,” I hum, stealing another kiss. My hands work into the soft strands at his nape. Without the arm support I fall back, dragging him on top of me. Bent elbows support his weight, keeping him from pressing fully against me. Nails scoring his scalp, I use my grip to devour his mouth. Nips on his bottom lip and sweeping exploration with tongues thrum straight fire through my veins. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me.”
My stomach chooses now to grizzly bear roar and gurgle, bongo drumming a gimme food SOS on my rib cage. “Shit,” Elon swears. “It’s gonna take me a bit to get used to remembering to feed the human side of you.”
Offense crinkles my forehead. “Might as well call me Fido, as you remember to set out my bowl of kibble.”
“Oh damn,” Ranissa says under her breath, burying her head under her pillow.
Elon’s tapping out a message on his phone. His thumb pauses for a second over the screen. He shoots me a worried glimpse before returning to his text. Moments later, he’s once again seated with me on the bed. “I haven’t experienced human emotion for over a century, but I’m quite versed in sarcastic anger. You kids might say I’m a broody asshole, but beyond anger I had no use for feelings. As your mate, our empathic connection will take more than a hot minute to adjust to. I foresee youth, immaturity, and the roller coaster of emotions you ride leading to many spats.”
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 85