“We’ll swing by your place at four,” Kicker called out.
I glanced at her. “I told you I’m not going.”
“Uh, makeup and hair. You promised,” she said, and Sonya nodded.
“I’m coming, too,” Naya added.
I so didn’t need this. I could tell them to come to Raine’s or Torin’s but they’d just get confused. Maybe the mansion? It was closer and bigger, and they believed I still had a crush on Eirik. Lavania could continue to pretend she was Eirik’s aunt. It might work, except Kicker was nosy and everyone might be there, including Raine.
“I’ll come to your place, Kicker. Between four and five. The prom starts at six, right?”
They nodded, eyes sparkling with excitement. To be that carefree again would be amazing. Or not. I couldn’t trade Echo for prom.
Blaine was talking to Jen, or should I say she was attempting to wrap herself around him. Weird, the Norns hadn’t erased her obsession with him. I wondered why. Rhys and Nara seemed to have disappeared.
“Ready to go?” Blaine asked when I reached them.
“Nope.” I ignored the venomous look Jen threw my way. “I need to talk to my counselor.”
“Is Dev on duty?”
“Always.” I patted the side pocket of my pants. Jen frowned.
“Who’s Dev?” she asked as I walked away.
“A friend,” he responded. “So, about the prom…”
They followed me and stayed by the entrance of the hallway leading to the counselors’ offices. I was beginning to notice a pattern with Blaine. When talking to me, he often spoke like the others weren’t there. How did he explain things to his Mortal friends? First, he’d mentioned perks of being an Immortal in Drew’s hearing, and now Dev in front of Jen. I might have to learn how to survive as an Immortal from him.
The waiting area in the counselors’ offices was packed with students. The seats and the wall between them were taken. Mrs. Fennier, the dragon lady guarding the counselors’ offices saw me and smiled. Her husband was a farmer and often sold goods at the Farmer’s Market with my parents.
“Hey, Cora. What’s going on?” she asked.
I ignored the students. “I want my name removed from the junior prom court. I won’t be going.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Why?”
“A dark soul is after me and my best friend’s father is being buried tomorrow morning and no one remembers anything that’s happened the last year.” No, I didn’t say that. I should have just to see people’s reaction, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. “Outrageous just for crap and giggles” was the former me.
“I’m coming down with something, and I’d rather not spread it.” The students nearest the door shifted away as though not to breathe the same air as me. “In fact, I really shouldn’t be near people right now.”
She smiled. “That’s considerate of you. I’ll let your counselor know.”
“You can be crowned even if you’re not there,” a girl seated near her desk said. I recognized her from my math class. I gripped the straps of my backpack and shrugged.
“Thanks, Mrs. Fennier.” I turned, took two steps, and a hand cupped my elbow. I stared over my shoulder in confusion. “Drew?”
He indicated the door behind him with a conspiratorial nod.
I frowned. “What’s going on?”
His grip tightened as he pushed the door. “We need to talk.”
My jaw dropped. His voice. I tried to jerk my arm free, but he pulled me inside the room and closed the door. Adrenaline surging through me, I reached into my pockets and pulled out two artavo.
“Is that any way to greet an old friend, Cora?”
I pointed at him with the magical weapons and, at the same time, engaged my pain and strength runes. “You and I were never friends, Maliina.”
21. MALIINA
“What do you want?” I snarled.
Drew crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “Your body.” He smirked. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t Drew talking. Maliina had taken him over. Just like she’d taken over his head before and screwed with it. Every word from his mouth was hers.
“Let him go, Maliina.”
“Why? He’s perfect. You know how to pick them, don’t you? First Eirik, whom I played like a banjo. Now this knucklehead. At least Eirik got over you fast. This idiot will always be crazy about you. Even the Norns scrambling his memories didn’t take away his feelings. All I did was plant an idea in his feeble Mortal brain and he did my bidding.”
Her voice grated on my nerves. I opened my mouth to tell her exactly what I thought about her, but she, he, or whatever you called a possessed person chuckled.
“Get her alone, Drew, and ask her to go with you to the senior prom,” she said in a sweet voice and rolled her eyes. “Blaine already told him there was nothing going on between the two of you, paving the way for lover boy.” He pushed against the door and moved toward me. “Guess he doesn’t know about Echo.”
I stepped back, almost tripping on a chair. We were inside someone’s office. It was empty, but not for long. Today was Teachers’ Work Day, so teachers were going to be around most of the afternoon.
“I’m not playing your stupid game if you don’t let Drew go, Maliina.”
“Oh, but you will, Cora. That body,” she pointed at me, “belongs to me, and I’ve come to collect.”
I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you possess me.”
She chuckled. “Then you choose. Drew or you.”
My jaw dropped. “I’m not going to let you blackmail me. Get out of him, now.” My grip tightened on the weapons.
She laughed. “Or what? You think I’m scared of what you might do with those blades? Please.” She opened a drawer and rummaged through it. “Be a nice little Immortal and engage the right runes for me.”
“No.” My phone beeped.
“Don’t touch that.” She must have found what she was searching for because I caught a glimpse of something metallic before she palmed it. “I guess I have to give you a reason to do the right thing.”
I shook my head. “What happened to you? How could you have turned so evil when your sister is sweet and nice—?”
“Ingrid is sweet and nice because of me,” Maliina hissed. “I protected her from ugliness and pain. I made sure she wasn’t a punching bag for our drunken father. I stopped vile men from abusing her. Why do you think I studied hard to be the best witch our town ever had? I made sure…” A gleam entered his eyes, and I saw the thing in his palm. It was a letter opener. “Why am I explaining myself to you? You’re nothing but a means to an end. I’m going to count to three, then this is going here.” He pointed at his gut.
“No.”
“Yes.” He ripped his shirt, buttons flying everywhere. “I can absorb the pain. He can’t. He’ll have the wounds and the scars without understanding how he got them. That is if he survives.” She dug the sharp tip into his skin.
“Please, don’t hurt him.” I wanted to fight back, but the situation was hopeless. My hands flexed uselessly on my weapons. I couldn’t attack her because I’d only hurt Drew. My phone beeped again.
“Stop wasting my time, Cora.” Blood pooled at the tip of the letter opener. “Put the artavo away and engage the medium runes.”
“Okay. Just let him go.” I dropped the weapons in my pockets. As I straightened, a familiar cold invaded my body. My skin grew taut as though it was being sucked into my core. My breath stalled in my chest and my eyes stung. Maliina. This possession was worse than anything I’d ever experienced.
Let her get out of him; then I’ll take over.
Dev?
Sorry I dived in. I’m leaving soon. When I say go, race for the door. I’ll jump out and take her down.
“The wound is growing bigger, Cora,” Maliina warned in a sing-song voice. The cut was about an inch now, the blood starting to roll down his stomach.
My body was stil
l adjusting to the effects of possession. My chest hurt with each breath. I shivered, my fingers turning into icicles.
“I’ll do it,” I said, but my voice sounded distorted. I needed to engage the medium runes. “Just give me a minute.”
“Drew doesn’t have a minute,” Maliina snapped.
Taking a deep breath, I let the need for possession fill me, and the medium runes appeared, coiling under my skin like a tapestry coming to life. With them came an energy surge, which lessened the effect of Dev’s possession.
“I knew you’d see things my way,” Maliina whispered with glee, eyes gleaming. “With these runes, we can share the same body. I like that you have a sense of style, just like me. In fact, that was the reason I chose you. You also do a decent job with your hair.” She gave me a onceover and shuddered. “But those pants are fashion faux pas. We cannot be seen wearing anything like that. Ever.”
We. She was completely insane, and the thought of sharing my body with her made me want to throw up.
“Your hair.” He reached out as though to touch my hair. I moved back. Way, way back until there was a huge space between us. Smirking, he eyed me like a cat sizing up a rat before pouncing. What was she waiting for? Drew placed a foot on the chair and got comfortable on the table, eyes on the runes. “We’ll experiment with colors and styles later. We have different tastes in men, so keeping our love lives apart should be easy.”
She was Echo’s ex-girlfriend. Anger coursed through me, and my hands clenched. She saw that and chuckled.
“No offense, sweetie, but Echo was a means to an end. He’s too damaged for my liking. You can keep him as long as I have Andris.” A smile creased his face, and his eyes became gentle. “I was a fool to let him go. He’s the only person who’s ever understood me.”
“So this is about Andris?”
The dopey look disappeared from his face. “No, this is about living again,” he snapped. “Feeling and loving again. I want all of it. With Andris. Ah, you’re ready.”
So that was what she’d been waiting for. For the runes to cover my entire body. She separated from Drew the same way I’d seen Mrs. J leave her body, head and chest first. Drew fell backwards, the back of his head connecting with the wooden desk. I winced, imagining the size of the bump and headache he’d get.
Maliina stepped away from Drew’s limp body, and I swallowed.
She looked exactly the way she used to look, trendy white dress and a pink blazer. How could she look normal? There was no way the crazy bitch had spent the last several months floating around without possessing people.
I wanted to reach for my artavo, but she was too close to Drew and could easily slip back inside him.
Go!
I heard Dev’s voice, but I couldn’t move. Maybe I was too cold. Maybe I was too petrified. I just stood there like a statue and waited. Totally lame. Even worse, I did the dumbest, most stupid thing ever. I raised my hands and protected my head as though expecting a blow.
But something weird happened. Maliina’s soul bounced off me as though we were made of rubber. But the full frontal body slam pushed me backwards. I would have hit the wall if it weren’t for my backpack. I straightened, my eyes not leaving her. Her expression changed from eagerness to shock. Her mouth opened and closed, her face distorted as rage took over. What had stopped her from possessing me?
Not what. Who. Dev’s presence inside me. I guess I had one too many souls.
She reached the same conclusion and turned to look at Drew. Crap! She was going back into his body. Adrenaline kicked in, and my paralysis disappeared. I reached for my artavo and threw them at her.
She ducked, both blades missing her. They hit the metal cabinet on the other end of the room with a clang and fell to the floor. She smirked, sending rage through me.
Leave, Dev screamed inside my head, but I was on an adrenaline rush. Mixed with an energy surge from the runes, I felt invincible. I remembered the fire poker sticking out of my backpack like a sword, reached over my shoulder, and pulled it out. Gripping it with two hands, I swung it across Maliina’s soul just before she reached Drew.
She stopped and looked down in shock as her stomach became hazy and wispy. The effect spread. She looked weird, the bottom and top part of her body whole while the middle section disappeared. She looked at me with so much hatred I stepped back.
Good job, Dev said and separated from me. Maliina saw him, various expressions chasing across her face. The cold seeped out of me slower than it had pierced my core. Air rushed into my starved lungs. But with air came nausea. I pressed my stomach hard as though to stop the gag reflex and staggered forward.
Dev gestured for me to leave. I reached for the doorknob and yanked. I shot a glance over my shoulder to see something strange. Maliina’s soul extended her hands toward Dev as though asking for a hug or begging him to do something. Then he did something that didn’t make sense either. He floated forward and merged with her two halves.
Hands grabbed me, and I smothered a scream.
“It’s me,” Blaine said.
For a second, I clung to him, my heart pounding.
“What happened? A student said you were inside with a counselor,” Blaine said somewhere above my head.
What was I doing clinging to him like some damsel in distress? Drew was out cold and Dev was… What had Dev done?
I peered inside the office, but it was empty, except for Drew’s legs dangling over the edge of the table. My stomach heaved, my gag reflex gone to crap in a hand basket.
I pushed Blaine’s arms away, but they only tightened. “Let go, Blaine. Maliina tried to possess me. Dev took her away, but she used Drew. He’s in there. We need to help him before someone finds him.”
Blaine transformed from the über rich, preppy boy into the take-no-prisoners, centuries-old Immortal I knew him to be. He anchored me against the wall and pushed my backpack into my arms. “Stay here. Don’t move.”
Then he was gone.
I exhaled, my knees finally giving away. I slid down until my butt touched the floor. Deep breaths and slow exhales didn’t seem to help my stomach. Possession by a dark soul was a bitch.
“Are you okay?”
I glanced up at a girl. She must have just left the counselors’ offices.
“Yeah. No. I think I’m going to barf.” She took a step back and yelled something. The next second, someone thrust a garbage bag under my nose. I buried my face inside it and threw up, my body spasming as though to squeeze out every essence of Dev’s energy.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I jumped, but it was only one of the janitorial staff. He took the garbage can, pointed to a door at the end of the hallway, and mumbled something. All I heard was restroom, which I desperately needed to hide in and never come out of. Ever. Barfing at school was something one did behind closed doors, sickness or not.
I struggled to my feet and several unwanted hands came to help. I didn’t verify their owners. Otherwise, I’d never look them in the eye again.
“Thanks,” I mumbled and staggered away.
“Mystery meat strikes again,” someone said.
Great. Blame the school food. I felt sorry for the principal, but better the food than rumors that I was pregnant or bulimic. I pushed the door and disappeared inside. One glance at the mirror and I cringed.
Shit warmed over couldn’t begin to describe me. My entire body felt raw as though I’d tangoed with a meat grinder and lost. I rinsed my mouth and splashed water on my face.
“Hey,” Blaine said from the doorway. I turned and gave him a wobbly smile. He had my backpack and my poker. Before I asked, he showed me my artavo and dropped them in the side zippered pocket of my backpack.
“Thanks. Is Drew okay?”
He scowled. “He’ll live.”
“Where did you put him?”
“In bed. I took him home. Luckily, his parents are at work and the housekeeper didn’t question me when she saw me. I runed him, so he’ll forget the possession, but there�
��s nothing I can do about its effect. I’ll check on him later.”
Blaine had lived with Drew until a few months ago, so their housekeeper knew him. “How will you explain what happened?”
“Members of the football team were helping the student council prepare the gym for the prom. He slipped and banged his head. He has a bruise to prove it. The housekeeper will tell him I dropped him off. With all the trucks and farm equipment at their vineyard, anyone could easily have missed my car.”
“Uh, excuse me?”
We both turned to stare at Mrs. Fennier. How much had she heard?
“Are you okay, Cora?”
I nodded.
“I, uh, called your mother and told her you’re sick,” she said, smiling. “She’s on her way.”
“I’m not sick,” I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. I’d used it as an excuse to skip prom. Every freakin’ time I lied, it came back and bit me in the butt.
“Thank you,” I said through gritted teeth and waited until she was gone.
“Looks like no lunch at the mansion,” Blaine mumbled.
“I’ll call Mom and tell her I’m going to Raine’s.” I reached for my phone.
“Not a good idea,” Blaine said.
I scowled at him, wishing I had Twizzlers. My mouth tasted like puke. “Why not?”
“Chances are their memories were…” He imitated wiped with his hand.
The Norns. Crap! How do I go about asking Mom? I speed dialed her number and brought the phone to my ear, taking Blaine’s arm. I still felt weak and my legs felt rubbery. He didn’t seem to mind supporting my weight.
Mom picked up after one ring. “Mom?”
“We’re just leaving, hun. Stay inside until we get there.”
“You don’t have to pick me up. B—”
“I don’t want you driving when you’re sick, Cora. I shouldn’t have let you go to school this morning.”
“Blaine is driving me home, Mom.” Students in the counselors’ waiting area watched us like we were a freak show as we walked by. I was sure pictures of me barfing had already gone viral.
“Blaine?” Mom asked.
Souls (Runes series) Page 28
