And even then Christine was still undecided.
“Is it what you wanted?”
Christine stood up and smiled. She could tell by the look on his face Magni knew darn well this is what she wanted. The fact that he needed to hear it was what made him real. A man who went after what he wanted and took it, but still wanted to know he was needed. Appreciated.
“It’s better than what I wanted.” Christine looped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.” She pushed up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Magni brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “I just want you to be happy.”
Christine knew how he felt. His happiness was all she wanted too. It was a fact she had to keep reminding herself of. All she wanted was to have him at her side, holding her and promising her everything would be okay. But that wouldn’t be fair. Magni already had a woman put her happiness above his own and Christine needed to prove to herself she was better than Lori, now more than ever. Because if she wasn’t then she sure as hell wasn’t good enough for him.
“I made you something too.” Christine looked back at her new table. “It’s not quite as amazing as what you made me.” She looked back at Magni. “But it’s important.”
His brows went up in question.
Christine took his hand and led him to her workroom. “I’ve been thinking about what’s going on in the woods.”
She pulled the necklace from its arm on the display at the back of her work table and turned to face him. Her mouth went dry and her throat tightened.
He believed in her. Christine had to remember that. He was the reason she used her gift again. He would believe in this.
“The day I found you burying the animal I heard what you said. You prayed to the goddess Hel.” She held up the necklace. “This is a Norse symbol of protection called the Helm of Awe.”
Magni caught the disk pendant strung onto a sturdy chain in his palm and looked down at the design stamped into the metal. “I’ve seen this before.”
Christine forced herself to continue as his brow lowered at the necklace held in both their hands. “Some warriors drew the symbol between their eyes before battle to instill fear in their opponent and make the bearer invincible.”
Magni looked up from the pendant. “It’s warm.”
“I wore it. Put my energy in it. To protect you.” The last words came out a whisper as Christine confessed to using her gift in a way she promised not to before. He may believe in what she could do, what she could see, but his stance on using it on him may not have changed.
Magni wrapped his hand around the pendant and tugged the chain from her hand. He pulled it over his head, sliding the amulet under the neckline of his shirt. His eyes locked on hers and he began to speak.
“I wore before the sons of men
In defense of my treasure
Amongst all, I alone was strong,
I thought to myself,
For I found no power a match for my own.”
He knew the poem.
Christine nodded, breathless at his instant recognition of the gift. “Yes. That’s it.”
It was part of the Poetic Edda, an ancient collection of Norse poems. In the one Magni quoted a dragon credits the Helm of Awe with his invincibility. It was why she chose that symbol instead of countless others. He was her invincible beast.
But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still try to protect him from everything she could.
****
“How’s things?” Hagen sat down at the table in the corner of the bar and leaned back in his seat.
Magni gave him a nod. “Things are good.”
“Bout damn time huh?” Hagen tipped back his beer, swallowing it down before looking back Magni’s way. “I’m happy for you.”
“What’s going on?” Jerrik set down two beers and pulled out a chair between his brother and his uncle and flopped down. He thumbed over his shoulder. “I saw Joel coming from the B&B, he should be here any minute.”
That’s why they were here. To talk to Joel.
The door opened and Magni’s son stepped into the dim light of the bar, standing stock still as he scanned the room.
Jerrik leaned Magni’s way. “You know why he does that?”
“He’s always had to have his own back.” Magni watched as Joel mentally cleared the room, checking everything over, making sure there was nothing concerning, before heading their way.
“Afternoon.” Jerrik handed his cousin one of the beers he brought to the table.
“Thank you.” Joel tipped it Jerrik’s way before taking a drink.
Magni shoved out the chair across from Jerrik with one foot. “Have a seat.”
Joel pulled it out, deftly angling it to give him a clear line of sight around most of the bar including the front door before sitting down.
His butt was barely settled before Magni started talking. “You still liking it here?”
Joel looked his way. “I am.”
“Good.” Magni didn’t want to drag out the reason they were here, give Joel time to question their motivations for inviting him here today. “Because we like having you here.”
Hagen nodded. “All of us. I know you and Magni talked about the possibility of you joining what we do here on a more permanent basis and we don’t want to pressure you to give us a hard answer—”
“Yes we do.” Jerrik leaned against the table. “We want you to stay here and we’re not above bribery to make that happen.”
Magni held up one hand to Jerrik. Joel had so little control over his life up to this point and Magni would be damned if he made Joel feel like he still didn’t have a choice. “You’re a hell of a man Joel. You couldn’t fit in better if you’d lived here your whole life.”
Joel looked up at him. “I’d love to work with you guys.”
Hagen slapped him on the back. “Good. We were hoping you didn’t change your mind after you saw what it took.”
“Cause we’re all tired as hell.” Jerrik grinned across the table. “We can’t keep up with all the shit that goes on around here.” Jerrik’s smile faded.
Magni knew what he was thinking. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was worried. They found something new in the woods and while it wasn’t surprising after taking Christine to the tree, it was still hard to handle. “If you want to stay then we have something we need to tell you about.”
Hagen’s eyes bored into the side of his head. They’d decided this morning not to tell Joel about what was happening in the woods but that was before Christine gave him the necklace. Before Magni realized how worried she was. And if she was worried, they should all be worried. It wasn’t safe to keep this from Joel, not if they wanted him to guide with them and especially since he’d sensed Joel in the woods before dawn a few times, finally letting his beast roam free.
“There’s something bad happening in the woods.”
Joel looked from Magni to Hagen to Jerrik. “Does it have to do with the tree with the pentagram scratched into it?”
“You saw it?” Magni leaned forward in his seat. He’d gotten in the habit of staying in bed with Christine instead of venturing outside before dawn like he used to. Now, because he hadn’t been in the woods every morning like normal, they weren’t sure exactly when the symbol was done. “When?”
Joel pressed his lips to a tight line and shrugged his shoulders. “This morning was the first time I was in that area.”
“I think we need to start patrolling that part of the woods. Try to catch whoever it is in the act.” Jerrik wiped his hand down his face. “Even with Joel there still aren’t enough of us to go around.” He slammed his fist on the table. “Fuck.”
Every set of eyes in the bar turned their way.
“You’ve got to calm down.” Magni looked from his nephews to his son. Rarely was his the voice of reason but desperate times called for desperate measures. “We will figure this out.”
Jerrik shoved up from the table. “I don’t know how you
can be calm about shit like this.” He grabbed the back of his chair and skidded it across the room, sending it against the back wall of the bar.
“Sit the fuck down Jerrik.” Magni set his beer down. “You can’t act like that. Not in here.”
Jerrik looked around the bar. “Fuck this then.” He pushed his way through the bar and yanked open the door, disappearing into the bright light of the street as the door closed behind him.
“I’ll go talk to him.” Hagen stood up, dropping a heavy pat on Joel’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”
“I know it’s hard but we’ve got to stay calm or we risk being stupid.” Magni took a deep breath trying to abide by his own words. It was easier said than done.
“I agree and he will too. Jerrik’s just taking this personal. He thinks this is his town to protect and he feels helpless.” Hagen leaned against the table with both hands. “He’s right about patrolling that spot. I know we have a lot on our plates but I think we need to make this a priority.”
“I’ll take tomorrow morning and we’ll go from there.” Magni thumbed toward the door. “Go calm him down.”
Hagen’s jaw was tight as he turned to leave. This was wearing on him, especially after what happened with Christine in the woods. Not knowing exactly what she saw meant they were working with a half-dealt hand, but Magni would die before trying to force her to tell him. He’d never try to control how she used her gift again.
Magni looked at Joel hoping it would help to focus on what they did know. “Did you see anything strange? Sense anything out of the ordinary?”
“I haven’t been out there enough to know what would be strange.” Joel looked to one side, his eyes losing their laser sharp focus for a split second. “I didn’t hear anyone. Smell anyone. Nothing.” His gaze sharpened. “I would put all my money down I was alone this morning.”
“We need more hands out here.” There was no way they could watch the bar, take the tours out, give the tours the show they came for and keep a close eye on the tree in the woods, even now that there were four of them. Magni tapped his fingers on the table as he weighed his options. “What about Craig?” He looked up at Joel. “You trust him?”
Joel’s expression was serious. “With my life.”
“You think he has any interest in hanging around for a little bit?” It was the last thing Magni imagined he’d be saying after the first time he laid eyes on Craig, or more precisely the first time Craig laid eyes on Christine. While he couldn’t blame a man for appreciating her, Magni was happy Craig knew when to back off. Made it easier to admit he liked the private investigator who helped his son find him.
Joel raised his eyebrows. “Maybe. I can ask him. He hasn’t left yet.”
“Do that.” The more Magni thought about it, the better the idea sounded. “Maybe he can use his expertise to sniff around a little bit, see if there’s anything he can find that we wouldn’t know to even look at.”
“Craig’s a good man.” Joel took a drink of his beer, rolling it in his mouth a second before swallowing. “We were in the military together.”
Joel’s admission didn’t come as a surprise. Magni suspected his son was military almost from day one. Normal people didn’t scan a room the way Joel did. “What branch?”
“Marines.”
There were so many questions he wanted to ask, so much Magni wanted to know about Joel. Now he knew there would be time.
“I’m glad you’re staying.”
Joel gave him a small grin, looking younger and more relaxed than Magni had seen him.
“Me too.”
20
“They look beautiful.” Christine walked through the diner. Everything was finished and set to open next week. The lights she and Magni made dangled from the vaulted ceilings on brass chains, the low light of the bulbs inside making them glow more than shine, casting a soft mix of colors on the tables below them.
“They couldn’t be more perfect.” Gail touched one gently. “I’m glad you two worked together on these.” Gail looked at her out of the corner of her eye. “The rest I’m not so sure about.”
“He’s not what you think he is Gail.” Christine scooted a chair in, sliding it tight against the table it belonged to.
“I think he’s a pain in the ass.”
“Then he’s not only what you think he is.” Christine gave her oldest friend a smile. “He’s a pain in the ass in a good way.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible.” Gail huffed out a breath. “But as long as he’s good to you I suppose I won’t give him anymore hell.” She slowly smiled. “I probably won’t give him any less either.”
“I didn’t expect you would.” Christine chuckled. “He’s a good man Gail. But I think you already knew that.”
Gail rolled her eyes. “If you think I’m going to admit that I always had a soft spot for him then you can keep on thinking.”
Stubborn. They both were. But that’s why she liked them.
Christine walked to the door. “I’ve got to go down to the gallery to see Rhea. She has some special orders for me.” Christine pushed open the glass door.
“Wait.” Gail rushed to the front to catch her. “In that case I want one of those glass necklaces.” She pointed to the lights. “I saw one of the customers at the B&B with one on and I loved it but they were gone when I ran across to get one of my own.”
“You like those?” Christine was surprised. More like shocked. She never expected Gail in all her utilitarian practicality to appreciate something like the stained glass necklaces. It was why they only sold the basic, chunky key chains and ball chain necklaces before Hagen opened the gallery and put Rhea in charge. “I didn’t think you’d like something like that.”
“What? Why the hell not?” Gail snagged a chain almost completely hidden by the apron tied around her front and pulled it free. One of the delicate print charms hung around her neck. “I love this one too.” She looked down at the gold necklace. “I wish I knew you could do this before.” She looked back up at Christine. “I would have been selling them everywhere.”
“Huh.” Christine snagged one side of her bottom lip between her teeth. All this damn time she spent making excuses for why she had to keep her life closed off, finding reasons to keep people at arm’s length, even the ones who wanted to be close to her. The sad thing was those people probably thought they were, not realizing how far away she kept them.
She was a jerk.
Christine grabbed Gail in a hug and squeezed her tight. “Thank you for being my friend.”
Gail stiffened in surprise but softened almost immediately, patting Christine’s back gently. “Honey, I’m proud to be your friend.” She leaned back. “And I’m glad you are starting to open up a little.”
Maybe people weren’t as clueless as she thought.
“Don’t look so surprised.” Gail gave her an understanding smile. “I knew it was hard for you to be the way you were and all I could do was be there if you needed me.”
Christine pressed her lips together and nodded. She swallowed, trying to clear her throat. “Thank you.”
Gail pulled her back in for a strong hug. “Anytime honey.” She let her go and waved her off. “Now go get your orders. But I want mine first.” She pointed to one of the lights that had a lavender footprint surrounded by different shades of yellow and gold. “That’s my favorite light so if it could be like that I would love it.”
Christine stepped onto the sidewalk. “I think I can make that happen.”
Gail smiled wide. “I knew you could.” She looked down the street as she stepped out behind Christine. “Now about Jerrik...” She raised her brows in question.
Christine shook her head. “No.”
Gail huffed out. “No you don’t know or no you won’t tell me?”
“Just no.” Christine turned to walk toward the gallery but couldn’t resist throwing her friend a smile and a little reassurance. “Everything will be fine though.”
Eventually.
/>
That was always the hard part. Waiting for the fine to come.
Rhea and Cora were in the gallery, going through a stack of frames as she walked through the door. “What are you girls doing?”
Rhea held up a delicate line drawing of a cabin in a turquoise frame. “Isn’t this beautiful?”
Christine looked at the clean strokes and sure lines of the work. “It is.” A long row of similar frames lined the counter. “Where did you get these?”
“Kari knows a woman who lives way up in the mountains that does these. She has piles of them.” Rhea picked up another of a mason jar on a stool. This one was shaded with muted colors that gave it a soft, warm quality. “They’re all different but the ones I’ve seen are fantastic.”
Christine picked up one that was a simple sketch of the profile of a man. A man who looked very familiar. “Who did you say did these?”
Rhea looked up at Cora. “What did Kari say the woman’s name was? It was something sort of out there.”
Cora thought for a minute. “Essence maybe?”
“Could it be Spirit?” Christine looked down at the drawings, letting her hand rest on the one of the man. The vision of a tiny blonde looking at the picture with longing in her green eyes flashed through her mind. It was definitely Spirit.
And now what she saw in the woods when she touched the tree made so much more sense.
His strength will be tested, not in force but in nature. He will have to protect the one he hates to save the one he loves in a feat no man could match.
Christine pulled her hand away as the words burned into her mind as clear as the ones that foretold Rhea’s future. Only this time she knew both faces in her vision.
“I think I need to sit down.” Christine didn’t wait for the women to respond and she didn’t look for a chair. She simply dropped to her butt on the industrial carpet of the gallery.
“Is she okay?” Cora dropped to her knees beside Christine and grabbed her hand. “Do you feel sick?”
“She’ll be fine.” Rhea sat beside her, knees tucked to one side and grabbed her other hand. The slow heat of Rhea’s energy pushing into Christine crept along her arm, like a million little fingers tickling their way up her limb, filling her with a calm strength. “She just had a moment.”
Magni Page 22
