“I will when I make you my mate.”
She clenched her jaw. “You don’t know me. Why would you want to spend eternity with me?”
“Why would Rune?”
“Because he cares about me.”
“Has he declared his love for you?”
“Yes.” He’d said he liked her. That was close. Sort of. She bit her lip.
Another low chuckle filled the line. “You lie and if you think sex is the same, you are wrong. That was all he offered the woman I loved after he stole her from me. She learned quickly though, and she hated him for it.”
She tensed. She knew better than to engage him but couldn’t help asking more. “Why didn’t you take her back?”
His growl filled the line. She flinched. “It would’ve been pointless. The Norse gods favored the children of the mist. They ordered Malin to mate Rune. She feared going against them.”
“I cannot take her place.” Hadn’t she said the same thing to Rune?
“No, but I understand love. I am not cold, Catherine. I can warm you as—”
She ended the call and groaned. “I don’t understand it either. I don’t understand anything.”
She wanted her sister. Janice would’ve given her advice on Rune and love, but she wasn’t here. She was dead and the fucking demon who knew her killer thought to make Cat question Rune. She hated Draven for that but hated herself more. His words were like a poison. They were destroying the only good thing that had come out of the tragedy surrounding Janice’s death.
Rune.
* * * * *
Cat paced the length of her room. Rune had just left after delivering the news that their flight was delayed. Engine trouble. He was going to try to find them another way out tonight. Jaron had already left. He and another Warden were going to travel on the wind currents and meet them in Maine. She’d nearly laughed when Rune told her that but hadn’t. After everything else that had happened, the concept didn’t sound that farfetched.
They were treating the delay as if it was the end of the world, but she didn’t mind it. She didn’t want to leave Greenland without all the information she’d come for. There was still one person she wanted to interview, Ivan’s grandmother. She knew of the local legends, all those contained in the books neither Cat nor Ivan could read. She’d asked him.
She halted her steps and glared at the stack of books. There were answers in there. Maybe not the ones to the questions plaguing her but she wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew for sure. It was the same damn obsessive-compulsive disorder that kept her in the lab for days at a time without eating or sleeping. Sam suffered from the same problem.
They both came from a long line of OCD scientists.
She locked her knees to stop herself from buckling to the floor. “Oh my God.”
Sam’s great-uncle, Robert Downs, had worked alongside her grandmother. He’d died shortly after the war. He never had children.
She snatched the landline and hit the zero button. Ivan answered. “Did you talk to your grandmother? Will she come over?”
“Yes and yes.” Ivan sighed. She realized she was being a pain in the ass, but dammit, sometimes she couldn’t help it. “You must understand she isn’t in very good health. My son is helping her dress and walk across the village but she doesn’t move very quickly. It would’ve been easier if you went to her.”
She’d been tempted. The lure of knowledge had nearly overcome her reason. She wasn’t a complete fool, though. Draven got close to her once. She wasn’t going to invite a second encounter. No matter the doubt she harbored over Rune’s reason for mating her, she didn’t fear him. He would protect her at all costs. She just didn’t know if the price was one she wanted to pay.
“I know but all the books are here along with my computer.”
“She is bringing another tome, an older version than even the ones I have.”
She gripped the phone so hard she was surprised it didn’t break. “Oh that’s wonderful. How much longer do you think it’ll be?”
He sighed again. “Soon, Miss Sanders.”
He rang off.
Another book. She resisted the urge to do a little dance.
Her cellphone rang. She ran over to it and glanced at the ID. Sam. She answered, screw her budget. That was what she had a trust fund for.
“Hello?”
“Your little mystery has become my new obsession, Catherine. I can’t think of anything else.”
She waved off the irritation in his voice. “Did you find out anything more about the bodies recovered from Iceland?”
“Fuck, no. Everything’s gone.”
“What do you mean everything is gone?”
Sam groaned. She could envision him rolling his eyes. “All of information on the investigation in Iceland is gone. How much clearer do I have to make it?”
“Even the reference to it on Roland’s computer?”
He sighed. “Yes, Catherine.”
Shit. She nibbled her lip. What now? I needed that information.
“So I went to the vault.”
Like any good scientific institution, they archived all their data. Part of Janice’s job had been to scan all the old lab notebooks and create electronic files in case the originals were lost.
“And what did you find?”
“That some fucking asshole got into our center and destroyed two years’ worth of data.”
“Destroyed? How?”
“Burned. All the notebooks were taken out of their storage boxes, piled into the center of the room and burned. God knows how they accomplished it without setting off the fire alarms.”
“The eldjötnar.”
“The fire demons? Jesus, you can’t be serious. I know you said—”
“I am. I’m deadly serious. They were there and they killed Janice.” She told him about Janice’s email and waited for him to respond.
Silence stretched. Finally, his sigh filled the line. “I was hoping you were just going crazy like your grandmother.”
“She wasn’t crazy.” She was brilliant, driven and had accomplished more than many women of her time. Maybe she did so by straddling the line of ethical behavior, but her research had advanced science.
“She thought so. When I saw everything destroyed, I started going through the boxes from years afterward in case they’d missed something. I found your grandmother’s journals. She detailed the whole time period.”
“Thank God. What did she say?”
“That the government was led by a bunch of closed-minded fools. They refused to study the bodies they’d found. So she and my great uncle stole one before they were shipped off and put in storage.”
“Oh God.”
Another weary sigh filled the line. “That’s the conclusion she came to also. After they finished their examination, the body started decaying rapidly. Within hours only a skeleton remained. By the next day only dust did. Then both she and Robert began to have hallucinations. My great uncle killed himself. Your grandmother took to drinking and threw herself into work as an escape.”
She swallowed hard. “What kind of hallucinations?”
“She’d see smoke or fog. Sometimes both at the same time, but she could never figure out where it came from. As soon as she pointed it out to someone else, it disappeared.”
“Have you ever seen smoke or fog?”
Sam laughed. “No.”
Of course she hadn’t either until she’d met Rune. “Okay, see what else you can come up with. We need to get Roland involved and find those other bodies.”
“I’ll try. He hasn’t responded to any of my messages.”
Great. “Well keep trying.” She didn’t know what else to say. “Oh, and Sam?”
“What?”
“Be safe.”
“You too.”
She hung up and wondered if she should’ve told him about Rune and Jaron. Not yet, not until I have more facts.
Her theory needed them. Sam would never believe her if she told him she thought her g
randmother and his great uncle had absorbed the power of the god they’d killed and somehow passed it down to them. Yeah, a hypothesis like that required major support, not simply the coincidental details she’d amassed.
Both she and Sam were the youngest in their respective family lines. Both of them struggled with OCD, had the same quirks and couldn’t relate to members of the opposite sex. The only difference between them was her visit to Greenland. She’d met Rune. Their connection and the mist that had followed her to the inn were not normal, not by any conceivable means.
Then there was Draven.
I know who you are… What you are… A treasure, Catherine, one that can’t fall into the wrong hands.
He had the answers. She wanted them.
She took a step toward the window. He was out there, waiting. She knew it. He’d come to her. She touched the lock on the window. Ice met her fingertips. She froze.
Jesus, what am I thinking? She jerked her hand back. Deep breaths calmed her racing heart. I’ll get my answers. First, I must exhaust the avenues I have open to me. Irene and the tomes come first.
Always choose the safest route before dabbling in the riskier. How many times had Janice told her that? You’re a genius, Cat. Don’t sell yourself short. Find a way that won’t leave you with regret. If she went to Draven for her information over Rune, she’d be saddled with a boatload of it.
A knock sounded. She rushed to the door. Ivan stood there.
“My grandmother is waiting in the parlor for you.”
She grabbed her books and rushed into the hall. She took a single step and froze. Rune stormed up the stairs. Anger tightened his features. “Where are you going?”
How had he known she left her room? Her gaze shifted from his face to the chair at the base of the stairs. Next to it, a notebook, unfolded map and phone were scattered.
“You were watching me?”
“Of course, now answer me.”
She clenched her jaw. “Is this what my life will entail until I agree to mat…” She glanced at Ivan. “Marry you?”
Ivan cleared his throat. “This is a private discussion. Come down when you’re done talking.” He took the books from her and walked away.
Rune glared at Ivan’s retreating back until he disappeared down the stairs.
Alone, he faced her. “I know a lot has been dumped on you, Cat. It isn’t fair of me to expect you to not only believe everything I’ve told you but to trust me.” He caressed her arm. She bit her cheek to stop her sigh. The simple touch rocked her. He dropped his hand. “I feel this too. For me it is a gift as much as you are, but I know it scares you. I’m trying to give you the space you need but I must also protect you.” He motioned at the chair. “That was the only thing I could think of that satisfies both.”
She stared at the chair for a long moment. He knew exactly how much his touch and nearness messed with her. He hadn’t used it against her. Shame settled over her heart, but it didn’t chase her uncertainties away.
“I’m not ready to mate you.” She blurted the words before he could say anything else.
He fisted his hands and nodded. “I know. I’ve pushed too hard. I will wait for you.”
His words lifted a weight from her shoulders she hadn’t realized was there.
“Thank you.” She offered him a smile. The reason she’d rushed into the hallway came back to her. “There is something I want to talk to you about after I speak with Ivan’s grandmother.”
“That’s sounds ominous, Cat.”
She snorted. He’d used the same words she had. Intentional or not, it made her smile. “Maybe it is. Maybe you’ll want to reconsider your offer to mate me.”
“Nothing will change my mind.”
“We’ll see.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “I am falling in love with you, Cat.” He pressed his lips to hers but didn’t kiss her. “Don’t say anything. I just…” He eased back and held her gaze. “I just wanted you to know.”
She stared at him wide-eyed. He didn’t claim undying love, just offered her the truth. He was falling in love with her. She let her gaze roam over him. One question surfaced, was she falling in love with him? Her mind immediately started dissecting their interactions and her responses to come up with an answer.
No, dammit, not everything needed to be cataloged and analyzed. For once in her life, could she make a decision solely on her emotions?
She caressed his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Her heart flipped over, cracked open and took him in. The answer was there in her heart, mind and soul. Crazy or not, she was falling in love too.
She opened her mouth to tell him. He pressed his lips to hers, stopping her. “Not yet, Cat. I see my answer in your eyes. Save the words for when I can love you properly. Okay?”
A small nod was all she could offer.
He grinned and took her hand. “I was able to secure a private helicopter to take us to an airport in southern Greenland. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done talking to Irene.”
She pulled free of his comforting hold. “I’d like to talk to her alone.”
If the woman knew of the alternate outcome to Ragnarok, she didn’t want Rune there while she asked specific questions about the new gods and how they related to her. That was her legacy. Good or bad, she wanted to come to terms with it first.
He opened his mouth as if he meant to argue but nodded and led her into the room where Irene waited. He greeted her then waved his arm. Ice formed a thin layer over the windows, outlets and the gas fireplace.
Cat glanced at Irene who sat blowing on a cup of tea. She showed no signs of noticing the unnatural occurrence.
Rune ran his fingertips down Cat’s spine. “I’ll wait right outside. Yell if you have need of me.”
She nodded, waited until the door closed then took the chair next to Ivan’s grandmother. “Irene, I’m sorry I made you travel so far, but I’m grateful you came.”
“You’re welcome. Few young people want to hear what I have to say. I’m honored you do.” She motioned to the teapot and empty cup. “Tea first then we will talk.”
Cat poured some, added a spoonful of sugar and stirred. It still tasted bitter. She drank it anyway. It would be rude not to. That was what Janice would’ve said. Hell, maybe Cat hadn’t lost her voice of reason after all. Janice simply lived on in her head.
She took another sip and resisted her grimace. “What do you know of an alternate outcome to Ragnarok?”
Irene’s eyes widened. She placed her cup onto the saucer, sloshing liquid over the side, and reached for the leather-bound tome. “Why it’s a little known legend recounted by a group of knights in the middle ages. Many of the members were persecuted by the church because they claimed that the Norse gods were actually the servants of our god. They were never meant to bring about Ragnarok, you see. They were supposed to stop it from ever happening again, but the Norse gods refused to accept the decree handed to them.”
Cat leaned forward. The room spun. Dammit, she should’ve gotten something else for lunch. At the moment, she regretted not eating the sandwich Ivan’s son had brought to her. Low blood sugar always made her dizzy. She breathed through the sensation.
“Why wouldn’t they want to stop it?”
The older woman tapped a gnarled finger on the page. It showed a crude picture of an angel. “They were actually the children of heaven, but they favored the privileges of the flesh. Once they passed on their gifts to the children of the earth, they would resume their rightful place.”
“And humans are the children of the earth.”
Irene grinned. Only a few teeth remained in her mouth. “Very good, young lady. Who better to protect the world then the humans tied to it?”
Cat swayed. She grabbed the edge of the chair. “But how do the children of mist and fire play into it?”
Irene pressed a fist against her chest. She grimaced.
Cat glanced at the sweat on Irene’s brow and the tight lines by he
r eyes. “Are you okay?”
Irene offered a weak smile. “I have a weak heart. I’m fine.” She dragged the large book into her lap and turned the page. It showed a picture of a staff with a crystal at the top. On one side of it was a depiction of flames, on the other squiggly lines. “The knights claimed the gifted humans would have to choose a weapon.”
“Mist or fire.” Her words came out slurred. She frowned but couldn’t figure out why.
Irene coughed hard. She grabbed her shirt and tugged at it as if she were choking.
Cat pushed from her seat. She reached for the older woman but her limbs grew heavy. She slumped over the arm of her chair. Black dress shoes came into view, then faded away with everything else.
Chapter Sixteen
Cat grimaced. Another thump tore a groan from her throat. Her head smacked against the next step. Two more and her stomach threatened to heave. She didn’t get the chance. The guy dragged her across a concrete floor then dropped her legs. Her ankles hit the ground and a sharp pain radiated up her spine.
She pried her lids open. A single bare bulb brightened the room. Rough-cut beams made up the ceiling. Cobwebs filled the space between them. She was in a basement. In the hotel? She didn’t know, didn’t care. She had to get out of here, but her limbs wouldn’t respond to her command to move.
Fear choked her. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage. Oh God, I’m going to die.
“You’re awake?” Surprise laced the man’s roughly accented voice.
She glanced in the direction it came from. A hulking man with darkly tanned skin stood next to a folding table. His brown eyes bored into her. He reminded her of Draven but his hair was longer and braided into several sections. He wore a business suit, no tie. That had been shoved into her mouth. She worked her jaw to get it out. No luck. The balled fabric stretched her lips.
She whimpered. Where was Rune? Why hadn’t he noticed the fire demon carrying her from the room? He had to have taken her through the door. She never would’ve fit through the small, high windows in the parlor.
“I guess you can’t answer, can you?”
She glared at the fire demon. Anger surged and mixed with the terror tightening her chest.
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