He did. “And he does have fond memories of her.”
“Not anymore. He knows she’s the one who tried to possess you.”
I blinked. “What? Teléia is the one who attacked me?”
“Tried to possess you, not the same thing. Echo can forgive many things, but an attack on you in unacceptable, which reminds me, I need to walk through your house and the grounds.”
I was still savoring the sweet rush of relief. Maliina hadn’t tried to attack me. She was probably screaming on Corpse Strand. I could rest easy knowing she was out of the picture.
“Cora?”
“Hmm?”
“When I come back, I’ll just stay in your room, so don’t freak out if you see me.”
“I’ll get more blankets.” I watched him slither out of my phone, waited until he disappeared through the wall, and then quickly changed into my sweatpants and shirt. My mind at rest, I had no problem falling asleep.
***
“Good morning, blondie. You have exactly thirty minutes to get to school. And you may want to wake up your parents.”
For a moment, I wondered where the annoying radio announcer was coming from. Then I realized it was Dev, and what he’d said registered. One look at my clock and I sat up. Crap! I was going to be late.
I kicked the covers off and ran to the bathroom.
“You’re welcome,” Dev’s voice followed me.
I splashed my face with water. “How was last night?”
“No unwanted visitors. Echo’s runes scared them.”
I left the bathroom frowning. “Does that mean some came close to the farm? And don’t lie to me.”
“Yes and no. FYI, your parents are still asleep.”
My stomach dropped, and I stopped in the process of choosing a dress. I usually laid out an outfit the night before. I hadn’t last night. “What do you mean?”
“Yes, some came close to the farm, and no, I’m not lying. Your parents are snoring loud enough to wake the damn state.”
Icy fingers crawled up my spine. “Uh, okay. Can you make yourself useful and… wake them up?”
“Uh, I don’t go ‘boo,’ missy. Hollywood gets everything wrong. And you wouldn’t approve of the other things I could do to them.”
Yeah, possession was not a fun trip. “Just float above their bed and let your cold front do the work.”
He sighed. “You’re trying to get rid of me. I’ve noticed you do that before you change. I cannot see you from this contraption unless you take a selfie. I’ve gone through your pictures and none show you naked or even half-naked. Echo’s pictures? Too many. Made me want to gag. Don’t you send him any naked pics, or do you delete them?”
For a second, I couldn’t find my voice. “You bodiless perv.”
“Perv? Really? I’m just stating the obvious. Most Mortals take naughty selfies, so I assumed—”
“Out!”
“You’re a grouch in the morning. I was only trying to make conversation.” He drifted from my phone, and I could swear he stuck out his tongue at me before drifting away.
A loud bump from down the hall had me racing to my door. I expected Mom to come out of her room yelling “A ghost!” Instead, her door swung open and she marched out still wearing her nightgown. Dad was right behind her.
“I don’t understand how I overslept,” Mom said, heading for the stairs. “In all my adult years, I’ve never…”
“Sweetheart, you did a lot of cooking last night for Cora’s friends, and remember afterwards?”
I wasn’t sure what “afterwards” meant, but I could only guess. Their voices grew faint and I went back into my room. Dev stood in the middle of the room. “Thank you.”
He bowed and slithered back into my cell phone without speaking. I finished brushing my hair and applied makeup. Then I grabbed my backpack and phone and raced downstairs.
“Morning. Bye. I’m running late,” I called out, heading for the door.
“See? She overslept, too,” Dad said. “Must be something in the air. Morning, sweetheart. Have a nice day at school.”
“Not so fast, young lady. You know how I feel about breakfast.” She removed toast from the toaster and dropped them on a sheet of paper towel.
I detoured, took her offering, and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Mom. Love you, guys.”
“I plan on calling your principal about the mystery meat. In fact, I’d planned to make you lunch this morning, but I overslept. Your father can drop it off later.”
Eek. “No-ooo. I’m in high school, not junior high. Raine and I can eat…” Hel’s Mist. Raine. I’d completely forgotten. “Mom, Dad, I, uh, got some bad news. Raine’s father died last night.”
“Oh, dear,” Mom mumbled.
“How did you find out?” Dad asked.
“Torin texted me. I tried to tell you guys, but you’d gone to bed.” The lies were beginning to slip out too easily.
Dad frowned, and for one insane moment, I thought he’d seen through my lie. But all he said was, “I thought he was getting better.”
“That’s what Svana told me, too,” Mom said.
I knew I’d one day lose my parents, but right now, the thought of never seeing them was scary. I ran back and gave each of them a hug. “I’m happy you guys are okay.” I started for the door, paused, and glanced at them. “But if one of you has cancer or some debilitating illness, don’t hide it from me. I’d want to know from the moment you find out, okay?” From their expressions, I had blindsided them. “I’m not ready to lose either of you. Not yet. Not for a very long time.” Tears rushed to my eyes. I turned before they could see them and ran to my car.
I was still in the I’d-hate-to-lose-my-parents mode and didn’t pay attention to my surroundings until I was close to school. Then I remembered dark souls.
“Are you there, Dev?”
“Yep. I was letting you have your moment. You’re an emotional woman.”
“Shut up.” I entered the road running in front of the school. “I’m an Immortal; they’re not. I want them around for as long as I can have them.”
“What about the part about wanting to know when they’re sick? Do you really want to be burdened with every misdiagnosed ailment? If they have headaches or dizziness, you’d think brain tumor. Chest pains, you’d conclude heart disease. Stomach pains, kidney stones or cancer. And don’t let me get started on senility and diseases. Everything stops working when Mortals get to a certain age. Prostate, bladder, liver—”
“Hel’s Mist, you’re a menace. Just keep your mouth shut.” I didn’t want to hear about my parents dying. I pulled into a parking spot. From the lack of students, the first bell had probably rung. I grabbed my backpack and hurried across the street. “If you must know, Raine’s parents knew about her father’s cancer and never told her. She only found out the truth later. I’d want to know if one of my parents was dying. Now, I’m officially putting you on mute until school is out.”
“Then you won’t like what’s waiting for you inside,” he said mysteriously.
“What?”
“I’m on mute. Remember?”
I rolled my eyes and tried to see through the big glass windows as I climbed up the stairs. “You just spoke, so out with it.”
Silence.
“Please.”
Nothing.
“I so hate you.” I pushed open the door and entered the school building. The first people I saw in the foyer were Rhys, Nara, and two more Grimnirs—a mocha-skinned guy with dreadlocks and a redhead.
17. TEACHERS
Since they were invisible, I couldn’t talk to them without looking like a lunatic. I made eye contact with Rhys and cocked my eyebrows. He pressed a finger on his lips.
Yeah, like I was going to do something idiotic and talk to them.
I ignored him and hurried toward my English class. There was no time to drop off my backpack. Just before I entered the class, I glanced back and blinked. Rhys and Nara were behind me. When I stopped, they
did too.
Nara rudely indicated I should keep walking. Bitch. I entered the class just as the second bell rang. I tried to focus, but my eyes kept darting around the room, searching for dark souls. Mrs. Bosnick was in the middle of discussing how a character’s conflicts related to the theme of a book when Rhys walked through the door.
He didn’t make eye contact. Instead, he walked toward me and planted himself behind me at the back corner of the class. Seriously? Was this about Dev? Were they so desperate to get their hands on him they were now hounding me? I’d bet they knew Echo was gone.
I ignored him during class, and when it ended, Kicker joined me before I could tell him to get lost.
“Are you excited?” she asked, beaming.
I stared at her, my mind processing at a slow pace. “About what?”
“The prom. Tomorrow night. It’s Teachers’ Work Day, so half-day. I heard they’ll post the nominees to the court this afternoon.”
I shook my head. “Oh, that.”
Her brows furrowed, and the beaming dimmed. “What do you mean oh that?”
Rhys stood near the entrance, watching us. I took Kicker’s arm and pulled her toward the main building. “Raine’s father died last night.”
Kicker’s eyes widened. “Dang.”
“I was planning on stopping by Doc’s and letting him know. You know, he might want to inform the swim team.”
Kicker nodded. “Are you going to her house after school?”
“Briefly, then to Moonbeam Terrace.”
“Can I come with you to Raine’s? I won’t stay for long.”
“Sure. Meet me by my car.” I headed to my locker, put my backpack away, and collected the textbooks and folder I needed for my next classes. Rhys and Nara watched me from the other end of the hallway.
Ignoring them, I pulled out my cell phone and texted Torin, then Doc, our swim coach. Finally, I whispered into the phone, “Grimnirs are following me around, so don’t try to leave my cell phone or say anything. You protected me last night. It’s my turn to protect you now.”
“Attagirl,” Dev said.
“No talking.”
“My bad,” he said, and I could hear the laughter in his voice.
The Grimnirs continued to shadow me. After two classes, Rhys and Nara were replaced by Dreadlocks and Red. Glaring at them didn’t make them go away. When Rhys and Nara reappeared just after I returned my books to my locker, I’d had it.
I marched to Rhys, grabbed his arm, and dragged him to the nearest broom closet, not caring about the stares from the other students. I was surprised he didn’t fight me and that Nara didn’t follow us.
He looked around and crossed his arms, his stance wide. “What are we—?”
“I’m the one asking the questions here, Rhys. Why are you stalking me?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Stalking?”
“Yes, stalking. I don’t have Dev. If you’re hoping to catch him by following me, you’re wasting your time. He’s too smart to come to me while you and your goons are around.”
Rhys’s expression didn’t change, but his ridiculously gorgeous violet eyes narrowed. Why would nature give a man such beautiful eyes? So unfair.
“We know that Dev is hiding in your cell phone, Cora,” he said.
I forgot about his eyes, my mouth opening and closing like a fish. How had they known? Of course, they’d sensed him. Grimnirs, like Valkyries, had soul radar encoded in their runes. I narrowed my eyes.
“Dev is under my protection. You want him, you’ll have to go through me.”
Rhys shifted, arms unlocking. Panic flashed through me, but I stood my ground and lifted my chin.
“You don’t scare me, Grimnir,” I said. “You’ll have to pry my cell phone from my dead hands.” His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, you heard me. But just be warned. If you touch me, Echo will chop you into little pieces so you die slowly, then escort you to the island while your body is still warm. And you know who will be waiting for you there?” My bravado ebbed when something flashed in his eyes. “The damned souls. They’ll make you their bitch.”
He laughed. “You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?”
“And you’re an inked bully. Now, I’m going to walk out of here and you will tell your people to leave us alone.”
“Poor, little Immortal,” Nara said from behind me, and I whipped around. She was leaning against the door, studying her manicured nails, boredom on her face. “You really think we’re scared of you and your threats? If we wanted Dev, we would have taken him last night when he was patrolling around your home.”
They were outside my home? “What stopped you?”
Nara sneered. “Because we were there for you. Just like we’re in this cesspool of teenage hormones and angst for you.”
My stomach hollowed. “For me?”
“For your protection,” Rhys cut in annoyance. “Echo told us what’s going on, and we’re here to help.”
How convenient. Echo wasn’t here to support their claim, and I knew he wouldn’t accept help from them. “I don’t need your protection.”
Nara laughed. “Yes, you do. Your friend’s father is dead. Echo and the pretty Valkyrie are trying to find him accommodation. The rest of the Valkyries and Immortals have rallied around Raine and forgotten about you. How am I doing?”
I hated her. “I have Dev.”
“Can the two of you stop the dark souls circling your town like vultures on your own?”
“Yes.”
“No, you can’t. That’s why he sent for us. There are twelve of us. Enough to reap a horde of dark souls without breaking a sweat. So play nice or I’ll rune you faster than you can blink and lock you somewhere until Echo returns. And FYI, I’m not scared of him. Never have been and never will be.”
Twelve? Wow. She didn’t have to sound so annoyingly smug. “Yeah, whatever. Just keep your distance. Your presence is annoying.”
I ignored their smirks, pushed open the door, and headed toward the stairs. Lunch was going to wait until after I spoke with Doc. Doc was really Matt “Doc” Fletcher, my geography teacher. Our meeting was brief, but he promised to contact the swim team.
“Text me with the funeral time.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Doc.”
Rhys and Nara were waiting when I left Doc’s office. Nara smirked when I glared at them. They followed me to the nearest bathroom and stayed outside while I disappeared inside. I still didn’t trust them. They could have easily made up that stuff to get their hands on Dev.
I searched under the stall doors to make sure they were empty, then pulled my artavus from the hidden sheath inside my boot and quickly etched runes on the mirror. I’d just engaged my invisibility runes when Nara walked in.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“None of your business,” I snapped.
She sighed. “Stop being childish, Cora. We are here because Echo asked us to be here. Do you know how big that is? He hasn’t spoken to us in centuries, yet he swallowed his pride for you. He even promised to hand over Dev if we helped him.”
“Echo would never throw Dev under the bus,” I said. The old Echo would have. “He’s honorable and loyal—”
“Except when it comes to you. For you he’d break rules, spit in Hel’s eyes and not care about consequences.” She shook her head and sighed. “There was a time when I thought I’d be the one to make him feel like that. Make him put my happiness and safety above his.” She studied me, a weird expression settling on her face. I couldn’t tell whether it was jealousy or regret. “I hope you realize how lucky you are.”
Definitely jealousy. I felt a little sorry for her. “I know.”
“Good. But just so you know, if you ever pull the crap Mortals do in the name of experiments and end up hurting him, I will make you regret it. I’ve seen enough of my Grimnir brothers and sisters go crazy over stupid things their Mortal and Immortal spouses do. We’d be better off staying with our own, but who can control love? So conside
r yourself warned.”
I took a mental step back. I had no need to hate or doubt Nara after that revealing monologue. She might have loved Echo, but she didn’t anymore. Besides, Echo would go ape if something bad happened to me.
“I’m going to Raine’s house to check on her. She’s the one who lost her father.”
“I know who the young Norn is.”
Of course she did. “I, uh, I’ll be back after lunch. I’ll use this bathroom.”
Nara nodded. “We’ll be here when you get back. As long as you stay in the house with the Valkyries, you’ll be safe. The souls are circling, but they haven’t come into town yet. The last one we reaped said they are waiting for orders from their leader.”
Nara didn’t sound bitchy anymore. In fact, she sounded downright nice. “I thought dark souls preferred to be solo.”
“Not this lot. Their leader appears to know a lot about you.”
I frowned. Could Teléia be their leader? “Uh, Nara, you should know that Dev didn’t betray you or your people.”
“He did,” she countered, eyes narrowing.
“No, he didn’t. Once you hear his side of the story, you’ll understand. Someone else did, but he accepted the blame. It was very noble of him.” I stepped into Raine’s bedroom.
Nara did something and the portal stopped closing. “Your Valkyrie and Immortal friends didn’t really desert you. I was being—”
“A bitch,” I finished.
She chuckled as though I’d complimented her. “Yeah. St. James was at your place last night. Echo told him to expect us, so he came to make sure we were on duty. You and Echo are lucky to have such loyal friends.” She waved and the portal closed.
***
Raine’s bedroom was empty. Even her black cat was missing. I redirected the portal downstairs and heard laughter before I stepped into her living room. The three women, Raine’s mother, Femi, and Lavania were in the kitchen. Lavania was cooking something at the stove.
Femi saw me first. “Cora, what a surprise.”
“I don’t want to intrude,” I said slowly. “I just stopped by to check on Raine.”
Souls (Runes series) Page 22
