“How did you find out about Tristan?” Mom asked as we left the farm.
“A friend texted me,” I fibbed. “Mom, did you guys see Raine’s family while I was away?”
“Not really. We were so busy, and with Raine not coming to visit you, I thought it was best we keep our distance. I had no idea they were going through so much.” Mom sounded calm, but I knew she felt guilty. Dad took her hand and squeezed it.
“I’m sure Raine’s mother will appreciate seeing you at the hospital,” I said.
The drive to the hospital reminded me of our mad dash after Raine had injured herself. Eirik had driven like a maniac, hardly stopping at stop signs. Eirik. Funny I hadn’t thought about him in the last few hours. When did his family move away? I was hoping Raine would tell me.
Kayville might be a small town in wine country Oregon, but we had an amazing hospital with great staff. We didn’t airlift patients to bigger hospitals in Portland or Salem. After the lightning accident, Kayville Medical Center had taken care of all the students. Even Raine had been treated here after she received a head injury.
We entered through the ER and headed upstairs to the ICU. Torin and a blond couple stood somewhere ahead. The same couple had come with Raine to my home after I came back from the hospital. Runes covered their faces and arms.
Valkyries.
Did Raine know about them?
The ICU had open visiting hours, but only relatives were allowed. Dad convinced the nurses to get Raine and her mother to come out. I left my parents waiting at the nurses’ station and found the perfect seat to observe the Valkyries. I picked up a magazine, lowering it so I could study them unnoticed.
The girl was gorgeous and frail-looking. From the way she was looking at the silver-haired guy, she was totally into him. The guy had the same alert look in his eyes as Torin and was equally good-looking. Maybe runes gave them model-worthy looks, or being exceptionally good-looking was a criterion for becoming a Valkyrie.
I pretended to read when Torin glanced my way. In a few seconds, my heart skipped with dread. They’d decided to join us. My parents were still by the nurses’ station. Maybe I should just join them. The Valkyries took the empty chairs across from mine. My heart pounded so hard I was sure they could hear them.
No, I’m not going to look at them. I’m not… I’m not...
“Maliina got a few things wrong,” the silver-haired guy said. “She’s hotter.”
“Shut up, Andris,” Torin said firmly.
So that was Andris. Were they talking about me? And who was Maliina?
“Do you think she’s faking?” Andris asked. “Her mother said she had a breakdown and claimed she could see us and souls.”
They were definitely talking about me.
“Can you hear and see us, Cora Jemison?” Andris asked, confirming my suspicions.
“Leave her alone,” Torin said in a firm voice. “I’m sure it was a one-time thing.”
Was that why he’d been in my P.E. class? To confirm whether I could see him? He didn’t have runes at the time, but… dang it. I hated not being able to look at them. And I agreed with most comments I’d read online. Torin’s British accent was sexy.
“Maliina marked her,” the girl said in an accent I couldn’t place. “She was never patient, so maybe she mixed up the runes. Gave her temporary abilities.”
Maliina again. Who was she?
“I can prove she’s faking.” Andris stood and walked toward me.
My heart picked up tempo. What was he going to do? So what if they found out I could see them? Who was Maliina? I kept my eyes glued to the pages of the magazine, but I could see him coming closer and closer.
“Enough!” Torin snapped, appearing beside Andris.
“Ooh, why do you always spoil my fun?” Andris griped, but I could hear the laughter in his voice. “You can’t be everywhere, big bro. I’ll corner her at school when you’re not around.”
“Hel’s mist, Andris,” Torin snarled. “If you are bored, find a freaking distraction. A girlfriend or a boyfriend. Just leave her alone. She’s Raine’s best friend, which means you don’t mess with her.”
“Boys. Boys. Fighting over me again?”
Echo. I almost turned. I blew a shaky breath and bit my lower lip to stop myself from smiling.
“What are you doing here, Grimnir?” Andris snarled.
“Always nice to see you, Andy.” Echo bowed to Torin. “My Lord St. James, Earl of something-something. No, you lost that title along the way, didn’t you? In the most humiliating—”
“Shut up, Echo,” Torin said. “You are not supposed to be here.”
Echo chuckled. “Really? Last time I checked, hospitals are my hunting ground, which makes you bitches trespassers.”
Someone growled. Probably Andris since I couldn’t see Torin losing control like that.
“Outside, Echo,” Torin snapped. “Now!”
“Since you didn’t say please... Who’s this beauty?” He came into my line of vision and studied me. It took all my effort not to kick him.
“Don’t even look at her wrong or you’ll have Raine to deal with,” Andris warned.
“Torin’s mate?” Echo asked, reaching out to touch my hair. Torin grabbed his wrist. “Völur don’t scare me.”
“You should be scared,” Torin added slowly. “Her powers are emerging fast. Within a year, you’ll tremble in her presence.”
Echo sighed melodramatically and studied my face, his unusual eyes gleaming. “So you’re saying I can’t have this one?”
“You don’t touch her. Ever. Let’s go.”
Echo laughed. Then he was gone. The other two Valkyries followed him. I didn’t look, but I felt rather than saw them leave. I blew out air.
The blonde who’d stayed seated during the entire exchange, got up and walked toward me. She stopped by my chair. “I saw your face, Cora. I know you can see and hear us. Don’t be scared. You’re not going crazy or anything like that. I want to help you.”
“Why?” I heard myself ask and cringed. I didn’t dare look at her.
“My sister did this to you. If she hadn’t marked you, you wouldn’t be seeing us now.”
Marked me? I looked up and our eyes met. Hers were filled with pity, which annoyed me. I hated being pitied.
“Why would a Valkyrie mark me?” I asked.
“She was an Immortal, like me, not a Valkyrie. I’ll text you,” the girl said.
“Cora?”
Raine! I whipped around and saw her. She looked terrible, her eyes red and hair a mess. She wore the same clothes she’d worn to school. I jumped to my feet, rushed past the blonde, as though she wasn’t there, and hugged Raine. Had she seen me talk to myself? I leaned back and studied her face.
“How’s he doing?” I asked.
Her chin trembled. “He’s still in a coma. He looks bad. Really bad.”
I held her and fought my own tears. Damn my tear ducts. Through a haze, I saw Raine’s mother talking and smiling with my parents. What the hell was wrong with her? How could she be smiling at a time like his? I never understood her. No one could be this chipper all the time. Even when Raine’s father had gone missing, she’d carried on like he’d gone on an extended vacation or something. When our eyes met.
“Thanks for coming,” Raine mumbled after what seemed like forever.
“You’d do the same if Dad was…” I sighed. No need to spell it out. “Do you want me to get you anything?”
“No. I’m just happy you came.” She glanced over my shoulder, and I followed her gaze to see the two male Valkyries walking toward us. They didn’t have runes this time, but their hair looked disheveled. Andris had a rip on his shirt. A hollow feeling settled in my stomach.
Where was Echo? What had they done with him? If they’d ganged up on him…
I sighed. There was nothing I could do now without letting them all know my secret. I should have told the blonde not to say anything. Mom’s voice cut through my thoughts.
/> “Raine can come home with us, Svana,” Mom said.
No, I wanted to protest. Echo wouldn’t visit me if Raine was around. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I realized how selfish that sounded.
“You should, Raine,” I repeated Mom’s offer.
Raine shook her head. “I can’t.”
“That’s nice of you to offer, Penny,” Svana Cooper said, “but my sister arrived this evening and will keep an eye on her. In fact, the boys should take her home now.” Raine’s mother waved to the Valkyries.
In the years I’d known the Coopers, I’d never heard her or Raine mention her family. “You have an aunt?” I asked.
“More like a half-sister of my mom’s. They were estranged, but they recently made up.”
“Could you take Raine home, Torin?” Mrs. Cooper asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Torin said, but Raine was already shaking her head.
“No,” Raine said. “I’m not leaving until Dad wakes up. I have to know that he’s going to be okay.”
“Oh, sweetie,” her mother said, cupping her face. “I know how you feel. I’m going to be here keeping an eye on him. Nothing is going to happen to him without me knowing. And the minute he regains consciousness, I’ll call you.”
Raine glanced at Torin, and a silent communication passed between them. She must have seen something in his eyes she didn’t like because she made a face and said ungraciously, “Fine, but I’m coming back first thing in the morning.”
Her mother smiled. “Of course. You and Lavania can stay with him while I go home and change.” She kissed Raine’s cheek then patted Torin’s arm.
We didn’t stay long after Raine and Torin left. I avoided eye contact with Andris and was surprised he and the girl remained behind. I hope she wasn’t going to tell him I could see them. Were they after Mr. C’s soul?
Outside, I searched the parking lot for Echo. Maybe he’d be in my bedroom when I got home. We left the town behind and entered Orchard Grove. It was narrow with leafless trees hulking above us like something from a horror movie. Our headlights barely penetrated the bushes at their base. A movement on our left caught my attention, and I peered for a better look.
Suddenly a thump rocked our car, something hitting us on the left.
Mom screamed and reached in the back in an instinctive protective move to stop me from flying forward. Dad cursed as he struggled to control the car. We spun around, our back tires ending up in a ditch.
“Honey, you okay?” Mom asked in a high-pitched voice.
I nodded.
“I think we hit something,” Dad said, starting to get out.
No, something hit us. “Don’t get out!” I cried.
“It’s okay, muffin. If it’s an animal, we’ll have to put it out of its misery.”
Swallowing, I peered outside, searching the shadows. Something was out there. The thought barely crossed my mind when a shadow zipped past. Another followed. They darted across the vineyard. They were fast, and the darkness made it hard to see what they were. One of them shot up in the air. Then there was a burst of light zipping across the field to where it had landed. A bright spark then nothing.
I was shaking, my mouth dry, my heart pounding. The only being that could move like that was supernatural. Grimnirs. I jumped when the front car doors opened and my parents got inside the car. I hadn’t even noticed Mom leave the car.
“That’s strange,” she said, shaking her head.
Dad nodded, sliding behind the steering wheel. “Maybe it limped off.”
“No, I’m talking about the car. There’s no dent, but we hit something.”
“Very strange.” Dad shifted the gears from park to drive. The wheels churned before gaining traction. As we pulled away, someone whizzed from the bushes, stopped in the middle of the road behind us, and watched us drive away. He wore a long coat.
Echo?
At home, I stepped out of the truck and stared in shock at the huge dent on the side and runes drawn all over it. How could my parents not see the dent or the runes? I knew runes were powerful enough to make people invisible. Obviously, they also made people not see things.
Mom put her arm around me. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? No mark on the car after we almost landed in a ditch.”
No marks indeed. I wished my parents goodnight on the run, needing to be in my room. Please, let him be there. I pushed open the door and looked inside.
It was empty.
“Echo?” I called out, but there was no response.
Disappointed, I got ready for bed, fought sleep, and waited for him as long as I could. Where was he? Was he the dark figure in the middle of the road? Had one of his people tried to kill us? Why had an Immortal marked me?
***
My alarm went off, yanking me from sleep. I was alone in bed. Somehow, I’d expected Echo to be lounging around, ready to drive me crazy. Last night’s events rushed back and, immediately, a hollow feeling settled in my stomach.
Where was he? Was he hurt or off somewhere reaping? Who was warming his hands and face when he came back from Hel’s Hall?
Even as the thought crossed my mind, I wanted to kick myself. I didn’t care if he had women in every major city of the world. He and I weren’t lovers, no matter what he’d said. I could walk into my doctor’s office and ask her to confirm my virginity, but that might lead to embarrassing questions and innuendos.
I got up, showered, and got dressed. I felt like slapping myself when I peered into my bedroom and searched for Echo before stepping out of the bathroom. Seriously, I needed to get a grip. Echo thrived on being unpredictable. He’d appear when I least expected him. I headed downstairs for breakfast.
“I want to go back to swimming,” I said as I forked a piece of pancake.
Mom looked up with a frown. “Why?”
“Because it’s something to do in the evenings and it’s normal.”
“What about your homework? You have a lot of catching up to do, Cora. I don’t want you spreading yourself too thin and making yourself ill.”
If she only knew. “I’ll have time to do my homework too, Mom. I promise I’ll finish everything in a few weeks. Raine promised to help me. It will give her something to focus on.”
Mom couldn’t argue with that without coming across as insensitive. She gave in, though she didn’t look happy about it. I’d talk to Dad later and get his support. He was the only one who could stop her from complaining.
Outside, I stared at our truck. The dent was gone, but the runes were still there. They were different from last night’s and covered the entire truck. I tried rubbing one off, but they appeared imbedded in the paint. What did they mean?
Echo had been here, fixing things with runes. Why hadn’t he awakened me?
I left the farm, eager to get to school and talk to the blonde Valkyrie about her sister marking me. Maybe Echo would pull me inside the make-out closet again. He had a lot of answering to do. He was the one on the road last night. I just knew it.
Flashing police lights ahead forced me to slow down. Cops scoured the grounds at the scene of last night’s incident. What were they searching for?
Even as the question flashed through my head, I noticed the rows of flatted vines on both vineyards. They looked like weird crop patterns conspiracy theorists blamed on aliens. Deep fissure were also visible on the ground, and several trees were down as though ripped from their roots by giant hands. It would take superhuman strength to do this kind of damage. Or aliens called Grimnirs. I knew they were fast, but were they strong, too? I didn’t recall seeing the trees fall last night, which meant more fighting must have happened after we drove away.
An officer indicated that I move along. Now I was worried about Echo. At every stop sign, I expected him to appear in my car.
The first person I saw when I parked at the school’s parking lot was Kicker. She waved and hurried toward my car.
“We missed you yesterday at the pool. Are you swimming today?”
&nb
sp; “Yeah. Got my stuff.” We started across the parking lot when I noticed her T-shirt. It had the silhouette of three guys and a girl.
“What’s that?” I pointed at her shirt.
She looked down at her chest and grinned. “Reapers? The hottest band ever.”
I frowned. Reapers? “How come I’ve never heard of them?”
She laughed. “You have to live in a major city across the globe and attend rave parties to know about them. They are ravers’ best-kept secret. They appear out of nowhere, perform, and leave. No one knows who they are or where they come from, but people love them. They symbolize what raves are about.”
All I knew about ravers was that they did drugs. “What?”
“Spirituality, intimacy, letting go of society’s shackles. They don’t care about money or fame.”
Sounded like something a real reaper would do. “I never would have imagined you as a raver, Kicker.”
“Me neither. My cousin who’s a serious raver invited me to a party a few months ago in Portland, and Reapers made a surprise appearance. That’s what they do. They come unannounced, which is totally cool. They gave out these T-shirts for free.”
“Do you know the names of the band members? What they look like?”
“No. They always wear masks, but you can tell they are young and hot. I mean, they are seriously buff and ripped. Since they’ve been around since the eighties, some ravers believe they get new members every ten years. Others believe they are more than one group. You know, like a hundred members of the band, because they’ve monitored and timed their performances down to seconds. They perform one night a month in a span of twenty-four hours across the globe. There’s no way they can move from city to city in minutes.”
If they used portals they could. We entered the school and moved past people standing in groups catching up on gossip.
“The fact that they can do that only makes them more mysterious. My cousin’s dream is to be a member of the Reapers.”
Runes #03 - Grimnirs Page 8