Babs might use bigger, fancier words like utmost, exceedingly, and bona fide, but she was just as bloodthirsty and eager to battle Reapers as Vic, the talking sword who belonged to Gwen.
Babs fixed her green eye on me. “But for right now, everything is perfect, and you won’t get a better chance than this.”
“Better chance of what?”
“You. Ian. Alone in an elevator.” She waggled her one eyebrow at me. “Why, it’s the perfect opportunity for romance if ever there was one. At the very least, you should ask him out on a proper date.”
Babs knew all about my crush on Ian. Okay, okay, so everyone knew all about my crush on Ian, except maybe for the Viking himself.
Sure, Ian had saved my life by using Pan’s Whistle to summon the Eir gryphons to the Cormac Museum to help me fight the chimeras, and he had given the whistle to me later on to add to my charm bracelet. He’d also gifted me with the potted winterbloom on my desk. We’d had a lot of great talks over the past few weeks, but the one thing we had never discussed was us—or if there even was an us. I liked Ian, and I thought he liked me too, but I’d never had a boyfriend before, and I had no idea how to tell a guy how I felt about him.
I sighed, knowing that I was going to regret it, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking the obvious question. “At the very least? What else did you have in mind?”
“Well, if I was alone in an elevator with a weapon that I fancied, I would pay him a compliment, like telling him how nice and shiny his blade looked. Then I would flirt a little more, look him in the eye, lean in, and…” Babs’s voice trailed off, and she closed her eye, puckered her lips, and started making kissing noises, as though she were passionately smooching another sword.
“You would make out with him,” I finished her thought, then frowned. “But how would you do that? Wouldn’t someone have to hold you up to another sword so you could kiss him? How would that work exactly?”
Babs’s eye snapped open, and a pink blush stained her metal cheek. “The how isn’t important. That’s a conversation for when you are older. Don’t ruin the romance by thinking about the logistics. Besides, we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you, Rory.”
“I’m really starting to wish that we weren’t.”
Babs paid no attention to my grumbling and kept right on talking, the way she always did. “We both know that life is far too short, especially for warriors and weapons like us. You need to make your move before another girl does. Have you looked at Ian lately? He’s tall and muscled, not to mention those gorgeous gray eyes. He’s quite scrumptious, for a mortal boy.”
Footsteps smacked on the floor, and Ian appeared at the far end of the hallway. Dark blond hair, gray eyes, broad shoulders, muscled chest. Babs was right. Scrumptious was most definitely the word that described Ian Hunter.
Babs noticed him too. “I’m telling you, Rory. You need to grab that boy and kiss him before it’s too late—”
“Quiet!” I hissed. “Here he comes!”
She opened her mouth to say something else, but I lowered the sword to my side and hooked her scabbard to my belt. For once, Babs got the hint and stopped talking. For now.
Ian stepped into the elevator. “Sorry that took so long.”
“No worries.”
He looked at me, and I stared back at him, drinking in his handsome features. I drew in a breath, and I got a whiff of his scent, the clean, soapy aroma that was uniquely Ian…
“Um, Rory?”
I swayed a little closer to him. “Yeah?”
He nodded at the panel. “You want to push the button so we can leave?”
“Oh! Yeah. Right. Sorry.”
I winced and dropped my head so he wouldn’t see the embarrassed blush staining my cheeks. I jabbed my thumb onto a slot in the metal panel, and a green light flashed, scanning my print. A small chirp sounded, and that panel slid back, revealing another one with the actual floor numbers on it. I hit the button for Level 2.
The door closed, and the elevator slowly rose. I stared at Ian out of the corner of my eye, but he was looking at the numbers on the panel, watching them light up as we climbed past the various floors.
“Mmm. Mmm-mmm. Mmm!”
I frowned, wondering what that odd noise was and where it was coming from. Then I realized that it was Babs making the same not-so-subtle smooching sounds as before. That blush in my cheeks burned a little hotter.
Ian tilted his head to the side. “Do you hear something?”
“Nope!” I said in a loud voice, trying to drown out Babs. “I don’t hear anything.”
Thankfully, the sword decided to give me a break and quit making those kissing noises.
The elevator slowed, then stopped, but the door didn’t immediately open. Instead, a faint whirring sound rang out, telling me that the scanners set up in this part of the library were checking to make sure that no one was around to see us step out of the secret elevator. Nothing new there. We always had to wait a few seconds for the scanners to work, but this time, it seemed to take forever. Or maybe that was because I was alone with Ian.
Babs’s words kept running through my mind, and I stared at Ian, thinking how easy it would be to turn toward him, wrap my arms around his neck, stand on my tiptoes, and press my lips to his. Even more than that, I wanted to do it—I wanted to show the Viking exactly how I felt about him. I even went so far as to raise my hand to rest it on his shoulder, but I chickened out at the last second and dropped my hand back down to my side instead.
Yep, it was official. I was losing my mind. That was the only reason I could think of to explain why I was seriously considering taking dating advice from a talking sword.
Finally—finally—a light on the panel flashed green, the elevator door opened, and Ian and I stepped out onto the second floor of the library. Behind us, a wooden bookcase swung shut, hiding the secret entrance.
Ian and I glanced around, double-checking that no one had seen us step out of the elevator, but we were alone—except for the statues.
White marble statues of gods and goddesses from all the cultures of the world ringed the second floor of the library. Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, clutching her bow and an arrow. Thor, the Norse thunder god, holding his hammer high overhead. Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, balancing a set of scales on his palm. The pantheon featured those gods and goddesses and many, many more, but I focused on a statue that was close to the elevator: Sigyn, the Norse goddess of devotion.
Before I joined the Midgard, Sigyn’s head had been bowed, and her shoulders had been slumped, as though she were trying to hide among all the other gods. Her features had also radiated sorrow, as if all the evil things that Loki, her former husband, had done weighed on her soul and conscience instead of his. But now her head was held high, her body was straight and tall, and her expression was calm and determined.
The goddess’s feelings mirrored my own. Yeah, I might be a little angry and frustrated, trying to figure out what Covington was up to, but it still felt good to be on Team Midgard and to be her Champion. It made me feel like I was doing something important with my life, as well as helping to make up for some of the pain and suffering my parents had caused as Reapers.
Ian noticed me staring at Sigyn. “Your goddess?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded to her. A moment later, his phone beeped. He nodded to the statue again, then turned away to check his message.
The second his back was to her, Sigyn’s stone eyes narrowed, as though she were studying the Viking. She must have liked how respectful he had been, because her lips curved up into a small smile, and she winked at me, almost like she was encouraging me to make a move on him, as Babs had suggested earlier.
I rolled my eyes. Everyone had an opinion on my love life—or lack thereof. But I smiled and nodded back at the goddess, paying my respects to her as well.
Ian slid his phone into his pocket, and the two of us left the statues behind, went downstairs, and
stepped out onto the first, main floor.
At five stories, the Library of Antiquities was the tallest structure on campus, and it was made of the same lovely dark stone as the rest of the academy buildings. Exposed wooden beams crisscrossed over the blackish stone, looking like giant, golden tic-tac-toe patterns and providing the supports for the walls and upper levels, while colorful rugs decorated with a variety of Native American symbols and gods, including Coyote Trickster, stretched across the floor.
The center section of the library was a large square tower, with three attached wings radiating out from it. I stared up at the tower ceiling, which featured sections of stained glass that were molded together with silver seams. Sapphire-blue, emerald-green, ruby-red, opal-white, amethyst-purple. Those colors and more gleamed in the ceiling, and the pieces joined together to form a beautiful field of wildflowers, like the ones that could be found at the Eir Ruins.
The longer I looked up at the flowers, the more they seemed to move, as though a phantom breeze were blowing over the ceiling and ruffling their bright, jewel-toned petals. The sight made me smile and gave me a sense of peace, happiness, and hope, just like Sigyn had when her statue winked at me upstairs. I stared at the ceiling a moment longer, then dropped my gaze.
Ian and I were standing in the middle of a wide aisle that ran from a set of double doors over to the long checkout counter that took up the center of the library. Wooden study tables clustered together on both sides of the counter, while a silver coffee cart was parked off to the side. A few feet away, overstuffed chairs and couches flanked an enormous freestanding stone fireplace before giving way to the tall, shadow-filled stacks that spread throughout the rest of the first floor. Hundreds of books lined each shelf, while artifacts gleamed in glass display cases at the ends of the aisles.
I focused on an empty spot near the checkout counter. Unlike the wildflowers on the ceiling, this area didn’t give me a sense of peace. No, it made my heart ache, since this was where Covington had murdered my parents.
In an instant, the memories rose up, cutting into my mind like swords and blotting out everything else. The librarians at the checkout counter, the other kids moving around, even Ian standing beside me. They all vanished, replaced by the sickening image of my parents lying on the floor, draped in black Reaper cloaks, their swords next to them. I felt like I had stepped back in time to that awful day and was once again staring down in horror at my mom’s and dad’s sightless eyes and pain-twisted faces. I could even smell the coppery stench of their blood as it oozed out of their wounds and painted the floor a sickening scarlet—
Someone standing in line at the coffee cart let out a loud laugh, snapping me out of my memories.
Pain, loss, and longing stabbed through me, like knives tearing into my heart, but the edges weren’t quite as sharp as they used to be. I would never forget the awful sight of my parents’ bodies, but I was slowly coming to terms with their deaths and the fact that they had been Reapers.
Joining the Midgard and agreeing to be Sigyn’s Champion had helped. So had becoming friends with Ian, Zoe, and Mateo. But I would feel a whole lot better once Covington was back in prison where he belonged—or dead. I wasn’t too picky about how we stopped the Reaper, only that we made it so he could never hurt anyone else the way he had hurt my parents and me.
Another loud guffaw roused me the rest of the way out of my grim thoughts.
Since it was Sunday evening, the library was packed. Every single seat at the study tables was taken, as the students crammed for tests and tried to finish their homework before Monday morning rolled around. Still more students were waiting in line at the coffee cart, eager to get some sugar and caffeine in the form of pastries and cappuccinos to further fuel their studying, while other kids lounged on the couches around the fireplace.
Ian stayed where he was, shifting on his feet, as if he didn’t want to leave yet. I hesitated, wondering if I should take Babs’s and Sigyn’s advice and finally ask him out. The coffee cart was right over there. We could get some hot chocolates and find a quiet spot in the stacks to sit and talk.
My gaze traced over Ian’s dark blond hair, handsome features, and broad shoulders. Or maybe we could do something a little more intense and interesting than just talk. We wouldn’t be the first students to make out in the stacks. It was practically a Mythos tradition, right along with fighting Reapers and monsters in the library.
At the thought of kissing Ian, another blush burned in my cheeks, while a warm, fizzy feeling flooded my heart, and I decided to take a chance. Babs was right. Life was far too short, especially for Spartans like me.
“Hey, Ian… I was wondering…if you have time…if you aren’t busy…do you want to get some hot chocolate…and maybe…hang out in the stacks?”
I winced, hating how breathy my voice sounded and how horribly I’d stumbled over my words. Give me a sword and an enemy to fight, and I was all pure, lethal Spartan grace. But ask me to do something as simple as talk to a guy I liked, and I was all tongue-tied clumsiness. But I’d said the words, I’d asked Ian out—sort of—and there was no taking it back.
Ian blinked, as though I’d surprised him. Then his eyes softened, and he smiled. My heart fluttered. He was going to say yes. He was actually going to say yes.
He smiled at me a moment longer, then opened his mouth—
“Hey, Ian,” a light, flirty feminine voice called out.
Startled, Ian and I both turned to see a girl striding down the aisle toward us. With her sleek blond hair, hazel eyes, and long legs, she looked like a fashion model who had somehow stepped off a magazine page and into the library. All her clothes, from her purple cashmere sweater to her black boots and jeans, boasted some sort of designer logo, as did the purple purse that dangled off her arm. Gold sparks of magic flickered in the air, making her seem even more beautiful and perfect.
Kylie Midas was a second-year student like Ian and I were. She also happened to be one of the most popular girls at Mythos Academy. Mathlete, band geek, homecoming queen. Kylie succeeded at everything she did, and she made everything seem exceedingly cool. Attendance in the math club alone had tripled the day after she joined.
Even though we were in the same year, Kylie and I had never been friends. We just didn’t have the same interests. Math was not my favorite subject, I couldn’t play a musical instrument to save my life, and I would much rather train in the gym than run for homecoming queen. So I had ignored her, and she had done the same to me.
Until my parents had been outed as Reaper assassins.
After that, Kylie had outright hated me, like all the other kids did. For a long time, everyone had thought that my parents had killed several students in the library—students who had been friends with Kylie—so I didn’t blame her for despising me. But she had been meaner to me than most. Even after it was revealed that Covington had killed her friends, she still kept making snotty comments about my parents, and she’d said more than one cruel, hateful thing about me in front of Ian, Zoe, and Mateo. It was like she hated me so much for simply existing that she didn’t want me to have any friends or happiness at all.
Kylie stopped right next to me, but she didn’t even look at me. No surprise there. Instead, she flashed Ian a dazzling smile.
“Hey, Ian,” she purred again. “I thought you weren’t coming to the library. That’s what you said when I texted you earlier.”
Ian had been texting Kylie? Why would he do that? I looked at the Valkyrie, with her perfect hair and pretty features. My heart sank. Why wouldn’t he do that was the better question.
He shifted on his feet again. “Something came up, and I had to come here after all.”
He glanced at me, and I realized he was talking about our mission to capture Covington tomorrow. My heart sank a little more. He hadn’t wanted to spend time with me. Not really. It had just been part of the briefing.
Kylie sidled even closer to Ian, reached up, and toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt. My teet
h ground together.
“I have to meet Gretchen right now, or I would let you buy me a coffee,” she murmured.
He winced, but he didn’t say anything, and he didn’t look at me. By this point, my heart had plummeted all the way down to my ankles.
“Anyway, I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning,” Kylie continued. “Save me a seat on the bus, handsome.”
What bus? Then I realized she was talking about the field trip to the Idun Estate. Of course she was. Kylie took myth-history the same as Ian and I, and all of Professor Dalaja’s classes were going to the estate. And now not only was I going to have to be on the lookout for Reapers, but I was also going to have to watch her flirt with Ian all day. Terrific. Just terrific.
“Yeah. Sure,” Ian replied in a faint voice. “See you tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it, Viking.”
Kylie flashed Ian another dazzling smile and brushed past him as she headed over to the double doors. Ian and I watched her go, and he winced again as one of the doors banged shut behind her.
I turned toward him, crossed my arms over my chest, and waited, but he didn’t say anything. Looked like it was up to me to make the first move—again.
“I didn’t realize that you and Kylie were…friends.” Even though I wanted to scream the words, I managed to keep my voice calm and even.
He shrugged. “She’s just a girl in my gym class.”
An arrow of hurt shot through my heart. Kylie Midas wasn’t just a girl. Not to me. No, to me, she was the one person who continually went out of her way to remind me about all the horrible things my parents had done.
“I see. Like I’m just a girl on the Midgard?”
Ian shook his head. “It’s not like that, Rory.”
“Really? Then what is it like? Because it looks to me like Kylie wants to be a lot more than just a girl in your gym class.”
He opened his mouth, like he was going to tell me what was going on. But after a moment, his lips pressed together, and he shook his head. “Nothing is happening with Kylie and me. Trust me. She’s not my type.”
Spartan Promise Page 5
