MistUnveiled

by Nancy Corrigan

  “You’re mine, Cat.”

  “No, she’s mine.”

  Surtr stood at the top of the stairs. Fire danced around him.

  Somehow he’d gotten through the veil Rune had cast over the home. It would’ve taken a tremendous amount of power to crack it and slip through without alerting him. Unfortunately, he feared he knew where it had come from—his mate.

  Rune cursed. He tugged his hand from Cat’s mouth and gently laid her down. Crouched in front of her vulnerable body, he glared at his enemy. “Sorry, demon, you’re too late. She chose me as her protector and her weapon. Her gift is mine.”

  He felt the truth in his words. He hadn’t known what the prophecy had meant until he’d fed from Cat. Power, the same in her body, thrummed through his. He didn’t know how to wield it or what it entailed, but he’d figure it out. Of that, he had no doubt.

  “Not entirely, Warden. I fed on her too. You failed in your role as guardian.” Surtr grinned. “Again.”

  His heart skipped a beat. He shoved the worry aside. “I’m here now.”

  “So I see. And no doubt you will fight me for her. Am I right?” Surtr crooned.

  The years asleep hadn’t healed his mind. Absorbing the terrified, broken soul of his mate had altered him. It returned his ability to feed on others but the cost hadn’t been one even the eldjötnar had expected. They’d blamed the gods for that too.

  “But you won’t last long, will you?” Surtr took a single step down the stairs. “You’ve wasted your blood on a dying female.”

  She was. He’d barely returned enough blood to keep her heart beating. She wouldn’t share in his regenerative abilities until he’d completed the mating. Even then, he’d always have to protect her. His blood would halt her body’s aging but not make her immortal, not in the same sense he was.

  “She will live.” He reached behind him and rested his fingertips against her leg. A sheet of ice formed under her body. It wrapped around her, forming a crystalline enclosure that would filter the air she needed to live while blocking out the eldjötnar’s smoke. The use of his element cost him precious strength. He didn’t care. It was necessary.

  He stood and locked his knees to avoid swaying.

  Licks of fire already raced over the ceiling, igniting the dried wood. Flames ate away at the beams. He called the mist to him and trickled power into it. A thin blanket of fog formed over them.

  He willed his ice sword to take shape. It flared in his hand. A white light shone from the clear blade. He’d never seen it before, but he knew it came from his tie to Cat. The room brightened. The mist weaving around his ankles glowed. From the fog above him, clouds developed. Lightning zinged and thunder cracked.

  The roof above them groaned.

  He had to get out of the basement or the release of their opposing forces would bring the house down on top of them.

  Cat’s life couldn’t be risked anymore.

  He ran forward and met Surtr’s fiery sword. No glow infused the demon’s weapon. The two blades met in a hiss of elements. Smoke filled the room, adding to the mist. A tremor shook the floor underfoot.

  Rune spun and swung low. The tip of his sword sliced a wound across the demon’s thighs. Surtr grunted. He pivoted and blocked Rune’s next swipe. Another sizzle carried over the thunder and groaning wood.

  Blade outstretched, Rune lunged. The tip sank into the demon’s chest. He staggered backward. Another thrust caught his stomach. The eldjötnar cursed. He countered and whacked Rune’s blade to the side.

  Rune stumbled. Weakness threatened to buckle his legs. He ignored it and spun, catching the male with his foot instead of his weapon. The demon fell into the stairs. Rune roared and rushed forward.

  Surtr scrambled backward, swinging haphazardly, and climbed the stairs to the small landing. Rune called the wind. It rushed from behind him, parting harmlessly around his body and pushed the demon farther into the main room. Surtr raised his hand. A ball of glowing embers filled his palm. He tossed it at the couch. The fabric ignited. The wind Rune had conjured unintentionally spread the flames. Within moments, fire filled the room.

  Fog spread across the ceiling. It grew darker. Water saturated it until the surface could hold no more. Rain fell from the mist. Hard and pelting, the downpour worked to put out the flames the demon created.

  “Nice display.” Surtr chuckled. He waved his hand. The blaze doubled in size, the rain doing little to put it out.

  Rage rose within Rune. He would not fail Cat again.

  He retracted his sword. The white glow didn’t fade with the blade’s absorption into his body. It spread up his arm. He didn’t have time to process what that meant. Surtr charged him. They rolled and hit the edge of the door. The frame cracked. Rune grabbed the demon’s shoulders and threw him out the opening.

  Surtr landed hard on the rocky ground but hopped to his feet a moment later. Balls of fire formed in his palms. One after another, he hurled them at Rune. Some hit the house, others pummeled him. His hair lit. Rune ignored it. His power was waning. He directed the little he had to battle the raging inferno engulfing the house. The rest of his energy he directed to reinforce Cat’s icy enclosure. Above all, it couldn’t melt.

  He dropped to the ground and rolled, putting out the flames engulfing him. A few swats of his hand and he snuffed the last out.

  A tremor shook the ground. The earth beneath him moved. A hiss sounded. Rune pushed to his hands and knees. His gaze zeroed in on a small crack in the ground. Magma pooled within the space.

  Surtr groaned. The power it cost him to call forth his element from the bowels of the earth showed on his face. Lines etched the skin by his eyes and mouth. Tendons strained in his neck, but the molten rock oozed forth despite the strain it cost the demon. He had the energy to spare, thanks to Cat.

  Surtr dropped his arms and curled his fingers. The lava slithered toward him. He laughed and held out his hand. It leapt to him as if it were a favored pet. A fiery arrow appeared in his palm.

  Rune jumped to his feet and ran toward him. He couldn’t allow him to hit the house with the deadly weapon. Surtr lifted his arm and tossed the fire bolt. It caught Rune in the chest. Eyes squeezed shut, he roared with the searing pain that spread from where the living flames penetrated him outward. More laughter surrounded him. Rune pried his eyelids open.

  Surtr strode back toward the home. Rune leapt and tackled him. They rolled once more. The edge of cliff came into view. He grabbed Surtr’s shoulders. The demon shrieked. Hot blood ran down Rune’s right arm, the one still glowing. He yanked it free. Sharp talons tipped his fingers. The sight startled him. He’d never had claws before.

  Surtr bucked, catching Rune off guard and knocking him to the side. Another fire bolt formed in the demon’s hand. Rune raised his and used the last of his energy to direct the wind. Surtr fell backward under the force of it. He tumbled down the cliff and hit the rocks below.

  Water rushed in without Rune calling it. It swept over the eldjötnar, cutting off his bellowed curse. A wave formed offshore. The wall grew. Two stories high, it raced toward them.

  The water was helping. Tied to his element, it had always done his will. Never before had it acted independently. Because of Cat’s added power or evolution, he didn’t know, didn’t care. It offered strength where his waned.

  The wave crashed into the shore. Steam rose. A hiss carried over the still air.

  Rune dropped over the side. The wind cushioned his fall. He landed with a splash. Long strides took him to the demon’s side. Surtr started to rise. Rune slammed his clawed hand into the male’s chest.

  Surtr shrieked. He scratched at Rune’s hand, writhed and cursed. Rune pushed deeper, cracking ribs until he gripped the demon’s heart. He dug his talons into the pulsing flesh and ripped the heart from the eldjötnar’s body.

  He held it up. The shriveled organ turned from red to blue to gray. He tossed it against the rocky overhang. It shattered. Rune looked from the chips of ice to the body below hi
m. It too had turned to ice. Rune balled his fist and punched the shell. Hundreds of fissures formed in the demon’s solid crystalline form. Another punch and the pieces broke apart. More water rushed forward, absorbing what ice remained. The waves retreated, leaving only rocks.

  He had accomplished the impossible.

  Surtr was dead.

  Rune let the satisfaction and relief settle in his heart, but he didn’t pause to relish the victory. The crackling of flames reached his ears.

  He didn’t bother looking for a path up the cliff. He directed the wind to carry him. At the edge, he stepped off the floor of mist and ran toward the burning home. Storm clouds formed above. Although it was cold enough for snow, rain fell.

  By the time he reached the house, the fire had lessened. Mist wrapped his body. He appreciated the layer of protection from his element, but burning alive wouldn’t have stopped him from entering. The mist saved him from having to put the flames out before he touched Cat, though.

  He ran across the room. The floorboards creaked. One snapped. His foot gave way through the weakened wood. He pulled it out and made his way to the basement door. The stairs had collapsed. He hopped down.

  His gaze zeroed in on the spot where he’d left Cat. The bubble of ice stood exactly as he’d left it but the woman he loved was gone.

  Rune stood there while the flames died around him. He couldn’t tear his gaze from middle of the room. The protective enclosure stood solid and undamaged. Cat’s clothes lay on the floor, marking where she’d been, but her body had disappeared.

  Impossible…yet, undeniable.

  He waited for some idea to form as to how to get her back. None came to him. For all his powers, he lacked the one necessary to pull off the feat.

  A wave of his hand and the shell disappeared. He knelt and gathered her shirt. Her scent and warmth clung to it.

  “Where are you, Cat?”

  He asked the question, but he knew the answer.

  She was dead and her body had faded as was the way of the Norse gods.

  He buried his face in the fabric. Her exotic fragrance filled his lungs. He dragged in greedy lungfuls and gave Cat the one thing he had left to give.

  He grieved.

  Tears fell from his eyes, wetting the fabric. Sobs shook his chest. He felt as if his heart cracked into a million pieces. Nothing would mend it. He rocked on the balls of his feet and cried until he had nothing more.

  A warm hand dropped onto his shoulder. He lifted his head and met Jaron’s eyes. Silence stretched. Rune didn’t hide his sorrow. He let it show.

  “I felt your pain and came back.”

  Rune didn’t need the explanation. All the Wardens shared the same essence. The mist bonded them together. He wouldn’t be surprised if more of his brethren came.

  Jaron knelt opposite him and looked from the shirt Rune clutched to his face. “What happened?”

  “The one-god took her back.” It was the only explanation he could come up with.

  A sigh fell from Jaron’s lips. He didn’t respond for a long moment. Finally, he stood. “We will honor her memory.”

  Rune let the fabric slip from his fingers and faced his brother. “Then you will have to add mine to it.”

  Jaron closed his eyes. “You will be joining her?”

  “Yes.” Rune turned and walked away. He leapt to the first floor and strode from the house.

  “Where are you going?”

  Rune stopped at the edge of the cliff. The rainstorm that had doused the land no longer blocked the stars. He settled on the teal lights dancing across the sky. The display matched Cat’s eyes. More sadness gripped him.

  He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “To my female’s home. We did not bond completely. I do not have her memories or a complete tie to her. When I enter the heavens, I will have to search for her. It will help to know of her loved ones. She will be close to them.”

  Jaron sighed. “You were always the reasonable one. That is a good plan.”

  “Reasonable?” Rune glanced over his shoulder. “I thought I was the cold one.”

  “Not anymore, little brother. Cat thawed your frozen heart.”

  “That she did, Jaron.”

  Rune called the wind, stepped off the cliff and let go. His solid form broke apart and scattered on the breeze. The mist buoyed him and wrapped him in its embrace. He welcomed its comfort and prayed that by the time he reached Cat’s home he would have come to terms with his fate.

  He didn’t want to die. He also didn’t want to exist without Cat.

  Dear God, it wasn’t supposed to end this way.

  It had and he feared he’d run out of impossible acts. Even the Norse gods couldn’t return from an early death.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cat drifted in a sea of white foam. Pain no longer seized her muscles. Fear no longer tightened her chest. It couldn’t.

  She had no body.

  Although she would’ve sworn she did. Her lungs expanded and contracted. She could blink. With a thought, she wiggled her fingers and toes. She could even see the clouds and the stars around her, which was what made her arrive at her unbelievable conclusion.

  She raised an arm and stared at where her fingers should be. All she saw was mist, the same as she’d seen around Rune.

  She’d become one with his element.

  The implications of what she hypothesized boggled her mind. She’d chosen her weapon, Rune. That much matched what Ivan’s grandmother had said of the alternate myth. She’d failed to mention Cat would become the source of his power.

  And where was he?

  She flipped over and scanned the ground below. The burnt embers of the home Surtr had taken her to no longer smoldered. Snow covered the exposed beams. She frowned. How long had she been drifting on the breeze?

  She glanced at the eagle soaring several feet away. One of two birds who’d decided to travel with her, it glided on the uplifting current pushing them forward. The other was no doubt feeding. They took turns keeping her company. She appreciated their presence. They comforted her. Without them, she might’ve gone crazy. Of course, there was still the possibility she had. Either way, she wanted to return to Rune.

  The wind picked up and pushed her forward. Time passed. The landscape changed below her. She didn’t know where she was but didn’t fear. Her guardian eagles flew close. After what felt like forever, the village came into view. She scanned it. People moved about, but she didn’t see the one person who owned her heart.

  Urgency gripped her. She needed to search for Rune on foot. Too much time had gone by. She prayed he hadn’t left. How would she find him?

  But how exactly was she going to look for him. She didn’t have a body.

  She willed herself to take shape. Nothing happened. Her breathing quickened as fear took hold. Maybe she didn’t have one anymore. Or maybe she wasn’t one with the mist but actually dead.

  Oh God, help me.

  From the water below, a tower of whirling mist formed. It started off small and widened, lengthened. Tendrils of white fog rose from it. The tiny fingers grabbed her from the cloud she’d melded with and yanked her down.

  She screamed. Her cry got lost on the whipping winds. A tight band formed around her, squeezing her chest. The pressure increased until she wondered if she was finally dying.

  No. Don’t want to die. Want Rune.

  She hit the water with a splash. The force that had tugged her out of the sky drove her below the surface. Icy seawater rushed into her open mouth. She snapped it closed and scissor kicked her way up. She came up sputtering. Wet hair covered her eyes. She shoved it back…with a solid hand.

  A quick glance at the rest of her revealed her body dressed in the same outfit she’d worn when she faded into the mist.

  “Holy hell.”

  She laughed and flopped back. Water buoyed her instead of the mist. She drifted a few moments and enjoyed having her shape again.

  A flap of wings dragged her attention to shore. H
er eagles waited on the edge of the cliff. She swam to them and climbed out. A gust of wind dried her clothes. She grinned at the simple feat but rushed to the pathway leading to the ledge. She didn’t want to eagles to take off without her.

  They turned their heads at her approach. She dropped to her knees a few feet away and stared at them. Silence stretched.

  “Will you wait for me while I look for Rune?”

  No answer. They only watched her. Was she actually waiting for them to speak to her? She shook her head at the silly thought.

  “Okay, I’ll be back soon.”

  She ran toward the village. Ivan’s son played ball with one of the dogs in town. He turned and scrambled back, making the sign of the cross.

  She stumbled to a halt. “Are you okay?”

  The dog trotted over to her and rubbed its head against her fingertips. She automatically scratched its head. The boy shifted his gaze from the husky to her face. He frowned. “They said you died in the fire.”

  “I got out.” She nibbled her lip and tried to come up with a lie. “I hit my head, though. I got a little confused.”

  His frown deepened. “Oh.”

  “Do you know where Rune is?”

  The kid shrugged. “He left.”

  “Do you know where he went?”

  A half-shrug answered her.

  “I’ll go ask your dad then.”

  Anxiety quickened her steps. The thought of never seeing Rune again frightened her. By the time she reached the hotel, she was out of breath. Ivan gave her the same reaction his son had and the same answer.

  She wandered toward Rune’s house. It stood exactly how she’d left it, wrinkled bed sheets and all. She turned and covered her mouth to muffle a scream. Draven leaned against the wall a few feet from her.

  “Do not fear me, Catherine. I told you before and I’ll tell you again. I am not your enemy.”

  No, he could’ve held the role Rune did.