“You are mine, Dimples. Since the day your soul found mine in that dungeon and became my guiding light. Stjärna mín.” He pressed me tightly against him.
“Show me, Eirik.”
“Soon,” he whispered, his arms tightening around my waist. “The timing must be perfect.” The warmth disappeared from my back. I wanted to beg him to stay, yet I understood why he was holding back. Finding his sister had to be his first priority. I drew in a deep breath and turned to face him.
His eyes were so intense it was as though he could see straight into my soul. He reached out and touched my lips with the tips of his fingers. Desire pulsed through my body, and my knees threatened to give out. I steadied myself on his chest. His eyes became slits at my reaction, scales popping up on his arms.
“Run,” he snarled. “I’m happy you came to find me, but you need to go. Now.” He nodded at someone behind me, and I turned to see Daiku.
“I’ll be at your place to take you to the meeting,” Eirik growled as I stumbled forward, my body shaking. “Wait for me.”
I had a feeling his dragon side either was about to take over or something had pushed him over the edge.
CHAPTER 16. TAKEN
CELESTIA
Hayden and Zack were still talking, their feet dangling in the water. I wanted that with Eirik—an evening spent gazing into the water, talking with our heads pressed together and no worries in the world. Soon, he’d said. I couldn’t wait. Sighing, I opened the door and headed for the kitchen. Someone had put my potatoes back on the stove to cook.
I pulled out margarine, garlic powder, and salt, and tried not to think about Eirik. The slight tremor in my hands said I was still affected by Eirik’s kiss on my neck. If my body reacted like that, I could just imagine what his kiss would feel like. I took out my frustration on the poor potatoes. Between spells and working on my astral projections, Grams had passed on to me her second love—cooking. She loved southern cuisine.
My watch said it was almost six-thirty, yet Dad wasn’t home. I removed the chicken breast I’d defrosted, cut it into four pieces, wrapped each one with bacon, and secured the ends with toothpicks. Then I blended sugar and chilli pepper. Grams would sometimes use chipotle chilli powder to give it southwestern flavor. I coated the bacon-wrapped fillets with the mixture, put them in the oven to bake, and set the timer. All that was left to make was veggies. Steamable veggies were lifesavers. My meals when Dad was out of town were steamable vegetables or Cup Noodles. Grams would crawl her way out of a Resting Hall to yell at me if she knew. I removed the load from the dryer.
“I punched the son of a Norse goddess?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Zack. He looked worried. “He forgave you, so think nothing of it.”
“Damn, Celestia. When you get in trouble, you dive in headfirst.”
I closed the lid on the dryer. “I’m not in trouble.” Yet. I studied his face. He looked a little pale. “Where’s Hayden?”
“Trying to talk to orphans from the other sectors.” He chuckled softly. “She’s Immortal, heals when hurt, moves like The Flash, and can bench press me.”
“Only when she uses runes. Without them, she’s just a girl—drop dead gorgeous, and a very loyal friend, but still just a girl.”
“Hayden would never be just a girl.”
It was frustrating not to be able to read him. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in.” He shoved his hands in the front pocket of his jeans. “Erased memories. Other realms. Reapers. The two out there look like assassins for hire. Hayden might not even be human.”
So that was bugging him? “Dwarves, Elves, and even Jötnar are like us, Zack. Flesh and bones. Some more magical than others, like us with our gifts.” Why couldn’t he see how cool she was? She was Immortal, yet so humble. “You watch Supernatural all the time, so knowing that other beings exist shouldn’t be a stretch.”
Zack sighed. “That’s fiction, Celestia. This is real. What if she’s a shifter?”
“Or the daughter of a god.” He was by the window watching Hayden. I went to stand by his side. “You can either accept that the girl you are crazy about is different or deny that part of her and lose her. Did she tell you about the Suits and how she and her mother pack up and move whenever they appear?”
“Yeah. That’s messed up. Who the hell are these people?”
Screams came from our left, and I jumped. My first thought was the Suits. Splashes followed. The Gordons were throwing a party for one of their kids again. They had five boys ranging from pre-teen to teen, and every weekend, one of them had their friends over. Last weekend, the oldest boy had his entire high school class on their dock. The bushes and trees were supposed to offer us privacy, but they didn’t block sounds and jocks determined to retrieve a ball. The Moutons’ insanely huge mansion was to our right. Their dock was equally big, and they had a large boat. We had a corner property with mature trees on either side of our property.
“I gotta go,” Zack said, and I followed his gaze to Hayden. She’d left the gazebo and was on her way over. “Dad got a new shipment, and I promised I’d go back by closing time to help with the inventory.”
He was a terrible liar. I knew him well enough to know he was running. “Sure. We’ll be heading to the meeting at seven, so if you can make it, you know where to find us.”
He nodded, turned to leave, and then paused and met my gaze. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
“She said you told Uncle Richard that the reapers are guards from the Guild.”
“It’s better than lying or hiding them.”
“I guess so. But if Eirik plans to stick around, you’ll eventually have to tell Uncle Richard the truth.”
“I know.”
“Okay. Just be careful.” He gave me another uncertain smile and opened the door. A scream filled the air, and I groaned. Thank goodness I was spending the rest of the week at Hayden’s. Our neighbors and their stupid parties would have been intolerable.
“What the…?”
Zack was still in the doorway, so I peered around him, expecting to see one of the annoying kids running across our yard. Instead, Hayden was struggling against two men in suits while more fought Ranger and Daiku.
“MOVE!” I pushed Zack out of my way and barely took a step forward when the men disappeared with Hayden.
“No,” I mumbled and staggered forward, my chest squeezing with dread. I couldn’t think or breathe. A surge of energy and warm air from my left, followed by another on my right, told me people had opened two portals on my porch. Since I couldn’t see them without my cloak, I curled my fingers, my eyes darting left and right. I wasn’t being taken without a fight.
Energy burst from my core as I tapped into my magic. It flowed to my hands, translating into my ability to move objects. My hands whipped out, directing the energy and unleashing its effect. It hit them hard, and they stopped cloaking.
One yelled something as he flew backward across the porch and landed on our patio table and chair, flattening them. The other one flew over the porch rail and landed on the grass, but they recovered fast and lunged for me. Ranger moved so fast he was a blur across my lawn. Then he body slammed the one on the grass, the two becoming a blur of black and white as they rolled. The dent they left looked like a backhoe had dug through our lawn.
I screamed when the other caught my arm, but Daiku grabbed the pole of the porch and swung around it, pulling some weird ninja move. He wrapped his legs around the second man’s neck and threw him toward the dock while still swinging. He leaped off and chased the man, who disappeared, presumably into a portal. Daiku dived in after him.
I stood there in shock. Then everything that had happened came rushing back.
“They took her,” I mumbled. Ranger’s curses reached me before I realized he’d lost the other attacker, too. “Go help Daiku,” I yelled at him. “They took Hayden. GO!”
“I can’t leave you alone. He’ll be
fine.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll…” My eyes fell on Zack, and my stomach dropped. He was unconscious on the lawn. I ran to his side and dropped on my knees. He was out cold. I lifted his head, cradled it close, and glared at the Grimnir.
“Go find her, Ranger,” I screamed, fighting tears.
“My orders are to stay with you.”
“I don’t care.”
The cowboy didn’t leave. Instead, he walked toward the water where Hayden had been kidnapped and picked up something from the grass. It was her phone. She’d dropped it. Now, I couldn’t even call her. Tears of frustration filled my eyes. First Tammy, now Hayden.
“Don’t touch him,” I yelled when Ranger squatted beside Zack.
The blast of cold swept the air, and I knew Eirik had arrived. Tears of relief rushed to my eyes. I refused to break down now when Hayden needed me.
“They took her, Eirik. The Suits took Hayden.”
“Where’s Daiku?”
“He followed one of the kidnappers through a portal,” Ranger said. “It was a coordinated attack by eight of them. Four came after us, moving in and out of portals, while four more went after the Immortal and Miss Celestia.”
“Join Daiku and find out where they took Hayden. Once you have her location, come and get me.” Ranger left while Eirik knelt beside me and studied Zack. “What happened to him?”
“I don’t know. Someone knocked him down.” I searched his face. “You’ll find her, right?”
“Yes.” His voice was so calm my fears went down a notch.
“I want to help. I can find her energy.”
“And they can find yours. They didn’t just try to take her, Dimples. They tried to take you too. That’s a game changer. I’ll carry Zack inside. I don’t think lying out here in the driveway is good for him.”
Eirik tried to pick up Zack, but I wasn’t ready to let go. Everything was falling apart, and I needed to hold on to someone familiar. “I’m coming with you, Eirik. I can’t sit here like some helpless nitwit.”
“No one can ever call you that. First, someone has to stay here with your cousin. Then you have a meeting to go to at seven.”
“I don’t care—”
“Yes you do. Ease up, Dimples. Let me take him inside, okay?”
I released the grip I had on Zack’s shoulders and Eirik took him. I picked up Hayden’s phone and punched in a code. She’d been making calls before she was taken. Maybe the person she’d called had come for us. I tried the last password I’d seen her use, but it was the wrong one. I tried another and another. Why did she insist on switching her password every week? It was a stupid habit.
Reaction set in. My body began to shake, and the damn tears threatened to fall. I lifted my chin to blink and control them as Eirik left the house, concern darkening his amber eyes.
“I’m fine. I just need to find the person she called. Why should they come for me? I’m not one of them.” He squatted and peered into my eyes. He was worried about me, and that only pissed me off because it fed my urge to cry. I fought the tears. “Stupid passwords. Stupid, stupid phone.” A tear slipped and fell on my hand.
Eirik lifted me up and carried me to the porch. He stepped over broken chairs and tables, sat on the porch swing, and tucked me under his chin. “I was in the middle of frying a few warriors midair while they attempted to aim their useless arrows at me when I sensed you were in danger. Halfway across the field, I realized I couldn’t use the portal as a dragon. I had to make a U-turn and head back to my changing room. To add insult to injury, I shifted in midair before I could reach my changing room. My dragon form is an idiot.”
His voice calmed me down and the urge to cry disappeared. I imagined him landing on the snow naked while the guards and Grimnirs watched.
“Were you hurt?”
“I would have been if it weren’t for healing runes. After that stunt, I’m putting a freeze on shifting.”
“That’s not fair. You’ll be shutting off a part of you. Your dragon side was concerned for me. No, you were concerned for me.”
“No, I was pissed for going back to fight the warriors instead of showering and coming back here.”
He continued to rock while I nestled in his chest and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to move even though I knew I’d have to eventually. His robe felt soft against my cheek and he smelled of sweat, but I didn’t care. I loved his scent, clean or sweaty. And I loved listening to the stories about his escapades—especially in his dragon form. One of these days he’d accept that both forms represented his personalities—playful, flamboyant, funny, calm when calm was called for, and stubborn as a mule.
“Luckily, I was close to my changing rooms, but the only clothes I have there are robes. Can you imagine running through the snow in a robe and no shoes? I entertained the entire staff. My parents must think I’m a total idiot.”
I chuckled because I knew he was just trying to make me feel better. Still, curiosity got the better of me and I looked down.
“You are wearing sweatpants and boots.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed. Next time, I’ll tell Litr not to chase after me with a pair of pants and boots. Centuries of living in Helheim and he still whines about a little cold. He vowed to keep a trunk full of pants and boots in the cave for these moments when you need me. He doesn’t understand that once I pick up your distress signals, I have to find you. Tell me what happened.”
“She was talking on the phone by the river when we heard her scream. I looked outside and two men in suits had her. More stopped Daiku and Ranger when they tried to go to her rescue. The moment I stepped outside, two attacked me. Someone must have knocked out Zack. Oh crap.” I sat up. “Zack.”
“He’ll be fine. He got a slight bump on the back of his head.” Eirik ran his knuckles up and down my arm in a reassuring gesture, and I lost my train of thought.
“Go on?” he urged.
“Daiku and Ranger stopped them, but they had portals already opened and disappeared through them. She dropped her phone, but now I can’t contact whoever she was talking to because of her paranoia and tendency to change passwords.”
“Shhh, it’s okay. We’ll find her.”
Looking into his eyes, it was so easy to believe him. He was so confident and nothing ever bothered him. I nodded, my eyes dropping to his chest. His robe had shifted while he was holding me and exposed more skin. My emotions were all over the place, but the strongest was the need to connect with him, to hear the pound of his heartbeat, and feel the warmth and texture of his skin.
“Because I was bitten, they thought I was one of the orphans,” I said, speaking slowly, completely distracted. He really was a beautiful man with an amazing body. “Um, let’s go inside so I can, uh, find you something to wear.” Despite my words, I’d moved and pressed my hand against his chest. His breath caught, and my eyes flew to his. I tried to move my hand, but he covered it, trapping it against his chest.
“It’s okay,” he whispered in a husky voice and moved my hand over his heart. “I don’t mind. Can you feel how fast it’s pounding?”
“Yes.”
“That’s how it reacts every time I’m near you or think about you.”
“Do I scare you or excite you?”
He grinned. “You scare the crap out of me. But in a good way.”
“How is that good?”
“Because it’s exciting too. More exciting than anything I’ve ever felt. Because I need you in more ways than you’ll ever know. I crave your touch and the sound of your laughter. Because you tempt me. Everything about you, Celestia Deveraux, tempts me. Your smile. Your scent. The way your eyes flash when you’re angry. The way you bite your lower lip when you concentrate. Your crooked smile.”
The intensity of his words would have scared a normal girl. I wasn’t normal, and I wasn’t afraid of things I didn’t understand. Grams had taught me to explore and embrace the unknown. It was the only way to conquer fears. His declaration made me want to con
nect with him even more. He’d complained that I only touched him when he was a dragon. That was about to change.
Slowly, I moved my hand up his chest to the pulse beating so hard at the base of his neck. I think he stopped breathing. He had a powerful neck. Endless masculine shoulders. The muscles flexed underneath my hands. His beauty was timeless. It spanned realms. He groaned when I moved to his chiseled jaw and my fingers touched his ear. I cupped his face while his eyelids dropped so he studied me lazily from under them. His lashes were ridiculously long and dark. I had to apply an extra coat of mascara to achieve half that length.
I leaned in and kissed his neck the way he’d kissed mine. A soft purr escaped his lips. That was his dragon side making sure his presence was felt. I got bolder and continued up his neck to his ear. I took his earlobe between my teeth and nipped. The familiar growl rumbled through his chest, the sound sending excitement through me.
“I claim you too, Eirik Baldurson,” I whispered. “And I’ll wait for you for as long as you need me to.” I leaned back and our eyes locked. My mouth went dry at the heat in his amber eyes. His eyes seemed tortured as though he was struggling not to haul me into his arms.
“Are you two kidding me?” Zack yelled through the window. “I have a lump the size of a tennis ball on the back of my head, Hayden is missing, and you two are making out?”
Oh crap! I’d completely forgotten about Hayden. I was officially the worst friend ever. I jumped from Eirik’s lap and hurried toward the house.
As though the fates—or the Norns—were conspiring against me, Wes’ Jeep turned the corner and moved toward our driveway. Explaining Eirik’s robe was going to be a nightmare. Maybe if I got him a T-shirt before Wes got inside the house, things would not be awkward.
“Come inside,” I said, my cheeks fl Stjärnamín g when our eyes met. “I’ll get you something to wear.”
I turned, expecting him to follow. He didn’t. Instead, he stood and stretched, a smug smile on his lips as he stared at Wes. I swear he did things to make my life complicated. I waved to Wes, who was stepping out of his Jeep, and disappeared inside the house.
Heroes (Eirik Book 2) Page 26
