My first instinct was to jump out of sight. Had he caught me ogling him? I leaned against the door and tried to act indifferent. “Morning. Should you be doing that already? What happened to rest and relaxation is the key to full recovery?”
He jumped to his feet with the agility of a dancer. His eyes, when he glanced at me, were hard to read. He gave me a slow perusal and I began to fidget. It was as though he’d reached out and touched me, and the flutter in my stomach increased. If he noticed my reaction, he didn’t show it.
“I wasn’t sick, and all I needed to recover was food and fluids. That nasty drink you brought with you helped and I ate well last night.”
He walked toward me, the swagger cocky and loose-hipped. I tried to focus on anywhere but his abs and the pajama bottoms riding low on his hips, so I stared at his feet for a spell. There was something really sexy about a guy walking barefoot.
“I woke up in the middle of the night while you snored and had a guard bring me more food. This morning, I ate a whole plate of pancakes, drank a pitcher of apple juice, and almost finished the pot of tea.”
He reached me and leaned in to study me, his eyes lingering on my lips before meeting my gaze. I was sure my eyes were wide.
“And now I’m hungry again,” he added.
My brain stopped functioning and my lips tingled as though he’d touched them. He smelled of sweat and soap. Had he bathed while I was sleeping? Even though the tattoos no longer glowed under his skin, I had an insane urge to rub my cheek against his skin, to smell him.
Concern flickered in his amber eyes. “What is it, Dimples? Are you worried about going home?”
Home was the last thing on my mind. What the heck was wrong with me? “Of course, and I don’t snore.”
“Do too.” He frowned. “Are you hungry?”
I nodded.
He gripped my shoulders and turned me around. “Start with that and I’ll ask Litr to bring us a fresh pot of tea.”
It was weird how warmth now radiated from his body like he was an oven, when yesterday he’d been frozen. He directed me to the bed, lifted the cart onto the lush rug by the bed, and placed it in front of me.
“The apple juice is from apples grown here in a greenhouse. Litr swears they are from Goddess Idun’s orchard. The tea is sweetened with honey. The Dwarves supposedly harvest it in their villages. And the pastries are amazing.” He picked up one and bit into it. He chewed and swallowed, then demolished the remaining half. “I’m not sure what the filling is, but it is unbelievable. Try it.” He picked up one and brought it to my mouth. I leaned back and he followed, his eyes challenging. Didn’t he ever smile?
I took a bite. It was good. The filling was creamy and sweet. The bread was flaky and buttery. I closed my eyes and moaned.
“That’s so good.” I opened my mouth for a bite and found only air. Frowning, I opened my eyes. Eirik was scowling, his expression saying he was either baffled or annoyed. “What?”
“You have cream on your lip.”
I tried to lick it off.
He murmured something, reached out, and wiped it with his thumb. “There. Gone.” He stuck his thumb in his mouth and sucked it off, then demolished the rest of the pastries. “Eat. I’ll ask Litr to bring you bath water.”
I stared after him, too shocked to react. I could still feel the print of his thumb on my lips. I studied his back, the way his broad shoulders tapered to his waist. He really had a beautiful body, like he worked out regularly. Masculine without being buff.
He spoke briefly with someone and turned to enter the room. I averted my eyes and started eating. When he joined me, I scooted to put some distance between us, but his legs were long and our knees ended up touching. I didn’t like this sudden awareness I had of his body and everything he did.
“I asked Litr to bring more apple juice, too, and drinking water,” he said.
I ignored our touching knees. Tried to anyway. “You know I can’t bathe in here.”
“Why not?”
My face warmed. “Look at this place, Eirik. There’s no privacy.”
“Oh, there’s plenty,” he said, demolishing another piece of bread. He poured the tea into the mugs. “The tub is over there and the bed is way over here. I used it last night and didn’t care that you were in the room.”
My eyes narrowed. “I was asleep. Not the same thing.”
He shrugged. “So I’ll turn my back and promise not to peek.” Sounds came from the hallway and he got up. “We can talk about your plans for today while you bathe. I’ll even close my eyes while I scrub your back if you like. The loofah doesn’t have a stick.”
He was nuts if he thought I’d bathe with him in the room, let alone allow him to scrub my back. Two Dwarves entered the room with a giant steaming pot and poured the water in the tub. They smiled at me and left. They made four more trips until the water was halfway up the tub.
Eirik dipped his fingers in. “Perfect temperature.”
“I’m still not using it,” I said, wrapping my hands around the mug and sipping the tea.
“Then more for me,” he said, then stepped back as the men returned carrying what looked like a rug, until I saw poles sticking out on one side. They lifted it upright and spread it out. The portable partition had six panels and covered the huge tub nicely.
The scoundrel.
“Thanks,” I called after them as they left. I shook my head. “You knew?”
“Before you opened your mouth. I can tell when you are about to be difficult. Those baby blues start flashing and your chin lifts. When you are angry, I actually see steam come out of your ears.” How could he say that without cracking a smile?
“You can at least get out of the room while I change.”
“With the partition in place?” he griped, reaching for more bread.
I crossed my arms and stared right back at him.
He sighed. “Fine. The towels are on the stone bed. I’ll see if I can find something else for you to wear.”
“No, I’m fine. As soon as I find Rhys, I’m going home.”
He paused in the middle of the room and glanced back at me. “I know. But this will give me a chance to apologize to your giant friend, too. I asked Litr to bring her to me, but he couldn’t find her anywhere.”
“Trudy’s mother is the head of the kitchen. Her name is Maera. She might know where she’s hiding. Or she could be with your mother. She’s her personal maid or something. Can I ask you something?”
He nodded and lowered his eyelids, but not before I saw the flash of pain when I’d mentioned his mother. My heart ached for him. The pain from the way she’d treated him must still be fresh. I decided not to mention her again.
“I saw glowing tattoos on your body earlier when you were working out.”
His eyes narrowed. “Interesting. But then again, your soul is here, so you would.”
“Okay, you’ve lost me.”
“Most Mortals don’t see runes. That’s what they are. Runes, not tattoos. Most Mortals don’t see them unless someone already marked them. But since your soul is here, it makes sense that you can see them. Did you notice my mother’s too? The glowing ones on her left and the black ones on her right?”
So much for not talking about his mother. “Uh, no. I didn’t see black ones. They were all glowing all over her body.”
He grew pensive. “Interesting.”
“What is?”
“That you don’t see the black runes covering half her body. They must be like Cora’s, designed to attract souls, so they glow.”
“Cora?”
“My girl… A girl I knew”—he rubbed his eyes—“know back on Earth. She was Mortal like you and couldn’t see the runes until after an evil Immortal marked her with strange runes and she started seeing souls. She thought she was going crazy and ended up in a psych ward. When she finally left”—anger flashed in his eyes—“a Grimnir mistook her for someone else and thrust her into our world. She was dealing with things she didn
’t understand. Scared and helpless. Someone, an Idun-Valkyrie, should have explained to her what was happening. Instead, he took it upon himself to do it. She wasn’t even a Witch but he…” He scrubbed his face and exhaled.
He sounded frustrated. Who the hell was this Cora? My girl? Had he meant to say my girlfriend? How many did he have? There was Maliina, the dead ex he was obsessed with. Now Cora. It was obvious whatever happened to her still affected him.
Instead of asking him about Cora, I went for a safe topic. “So, the tattoos on your body are called runes?”
“Yes, and their story is long, so if you want to hear it, you better strip and get in the tub. I’ll see what Litr can find in the way of clothes.”
“I told you I’m not changing out of my clothes.” That would be admitting I wasn’t leaving. “I have to go home today. I don’t want my father coming back from New Orleans to a house full of Witches trying to bring me back from Hel.” That would be funny if it weren’t true. “He might put me under lock and key forever and ban my magical activities.”
Eirik studied me pensively, and once again, I wondered if he ever smiled. “Is he gifted, too?”
“No, but Mom was.” I winced at the slip. “Mom is, but he accepted what I am a long time ago.”
“That’s good. It’s tough when they don’t and you have to hide what you know.” There was sadness in his voice and a haunted look entered his eyes. “Cora, the girl I just mentioned, her parents don’t know what she’s become. She’s an Immortal now and helps souls find closure. She allows them to possess her and listens to their thoughts; then Valkyries and Grimnirs reap them. She can’t share that part of her life with her parents.”
Okay, enough with the Cora this and Cora that. Possession was a foreign territory to me and Grams had warned me to never try it, yet this girl allowed souls to possess her? She sounded… crazy. Oh, who was I kidding? She sounded selfless and perfect. And from Eirik’s voice, he was totally into her.
Feeling angry for no apparent reason, I stood. “I’ll take that bath now.”
He didn’t leave right away. He was lost in thought. I studied him. The rock-hard abs, the chiseled face, the sad, tortured amber eyes that made me want to walk across the room and hug him. He wouldn’t appreciate that. He was such a beautiful guy, and he belonged to some faceless, perfect girl named Cora.
“Dimples?”
The nickname had lost its appeal. “I would like some privacy.” I grabbed two towels off the stone bed and went to the bathing area. “Find Rhys, please, because I can’t wait to get the hell out of here.”
~*~
EIRIK
What just happened? One minute we were discussing runes and the next Celestia’s eyes were flashing with annoyance. I listened to her remove her clothes and my mouth went dry. She draped her sweater over the partition, then the gray leggings, a black tank top, pink silk bra, and matching panties.
I imagined her standing naked and it became difficult to breathe. I realized I’d been holding my breath. I inhaled and much-needed air filled my lungs. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I was attracted to Celestia.
How could I be attracted to two such different women? Celestai and Cora were like the sun and the moon. One was bright and warm, while the other was seductive and mysterious. My goal should be Cora and winning her back, yet my thoughts kept returning to Celestia. She, of course, just wanted to go home. She had a family and friends waiting for her. Possibly a boyfriend.
The water sloshed as she got into the tub. I imagined her sinking in the hot pool of water, leaning back. A soft moan came from behind the partition and I knew I had to leave.
“Thanks for telling the guys to set it up, Eirik,” she called out. “The soap smells nice. Can I use it on my hair?”
How the hell should I know?
“I may have to do that last. I wonder if they can bring in more water for rinsing.”
“I’ll ask them.” My imagination had gone into overdrive and I needed distance fast. I started for the door.
“Eirik?”
I stopped and looked back. “What?”
“Don’t forget to come back. I want to hear about runes.”
I was already out the door and could see the guards by the stairs. “I’m going to find Rhys.”
“When you’re done with him. Please. I’m not going to be around forever and I want to learn about your world as much as possible before I go back home.”
I couldn’t resist her plea. She had done so much for me. And I shouldn’t act like a jerk just because I was attracted to her and she had no interest in me. “Fine.”
“Oh gee, such enthusiasm,” she teased. “Don’t leave anything out. What are they? How do you get them? How come you and your mother have them? Are they inherited? Why do they attract souls? Is that why I was drawn to you? Who else—?”
“Celestia?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
She laughed. “That’s so not cool.”
“You talk too much.”
“You were about to bail on me.” The water sloshed again. “Okay. I’ll stop asking questions. Witch’s honor. I would have said scout’s honor, but I was never in the Girl Scouts. They didn’t allow our kind.”
She didn’t exactly sound torn up about it. Shaking my head, I left the room, but the guards, already anticipating orders, hurried forward. “We need more hot water in thirty minutes for the rinse.”
They bowed briefly.
“Who do I talk to if I’m looking for a particular Grimnir?”
“Idun-Grimnirs,” one of the guards said.
“Or the kitchen staff,” the second guard chimed in. “Maera knows all of them.”
“Okay, you”—I pointed at the first guard—“tell Litr we need more hot water.” I nodded at the second guard. “You, open the portal to Maera and come with me.”
The kitchen was stifling and the blend of scents overpowering. I could see the Grimnirs eating through a wide window. Echo and a wrinkled old man walked past before they disappeared out of sight. I wondered if he and the rest of the Grimnirs knew where I’d been the last two weeks. The whole realm probably knew. I didn’t see Nara or Rhys.
The conversation with Maera was brief. She kept bowing and studying me on the sly as though searching for something. She must have seen me when I first arrived. Had I changed? Grown skinnier? Angrier? Half the time I wasn’t sure how to feel since Celestia had come back and rescued me. That bundle of energy might drive me crazy with her incessant chatter and lush lips, but I owed her.
Was I still angry? Yes, but I wasn’t sure who I was pissed at anymore. Echo for stealing Cora, my father for colluding with the Norns and sneaking me out of Hel, the Norns for kidnapping my sister, or my Immortal guardians for suppressing my abilities. The last one filled me with frustration. I wanted to know the truth, but at the same time, I was afraid of what I could shift into. Yet, it was the first thing I had to face and embrace before I could move forward. My sister needed me. My mother would once she learned of my sister’s existence. And my father would, too, once Mom learned about what he’d done. But before I could be there for them, I had to face my personal demons and embrace what I was. Rhys might shed some light on the marks on my back and what they meant.
“Tell him to come see me as soon as he arrives at the hall,” I told Meara.
“Yes, Baldurson,” she said, bowing.
“Is your daughter around?”
A gleam entered her eyes. “Which one?”
“Trudy.”
The light in her eyes dimmed and she sighed. “Oh, my little Trudy. She is the impossible one. Always getting in trouble, and that’s why your mother took her under her wings. She is with your mother right now. I could send word that you want to see her. Again.”
The thought of seeing my mother filled me with anger. “No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you, ma’am.”
“Don’t call me that, dýrr. Maera is fine.”
I left the hot kitchen
and follow the guard back to my dungeon. Back to the girl I owed so much and wanted to keep, yet I couldn’t. Shouldn’t. She didn’t belong in my world. I couldn’t protect her from my mother, not when I was supposed to focus on me. And when I was done with my obligations, I was going after Cora.
Celestia had to go home.
She was humming a tune softly under her breath. There was something familiar about the tune, yet I couldn’t place it.
“Eirik?” she called when I entered.
“What’s that tune you’re singing?”
“What tune?”
“When I came in you were humming it. It sounded familiar.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize it. Probably some pop tune. Okay, start talking. Please.”
I dropped on the bed. Her scent was on the pillows she’d used last night, and her coat and hat were still where I’d hidden them yesterday. I moved them to the stone bed, then rearranged the pillows. I could still find her scent. I inhaled and shook my head. I was a sucker for punishment.
“Are you still there?” Celestia asked.
“Yeah,” I said in a voice I didn’t recognize. I cleared my throat before starting with Alfadir Odin and how he’d acquired the runes. “He’s a very curious man, always searching for knowledge, sacrificing something or going through some ordeal to acquire more. He gave up his right eye to gain the wisdom to save the world. To gain runes and their meanings, he hung from a tree for nine days without water or food with a wound on his side. The right blend of runes can have a powerful effect on a person when etched on a body with a runic blade. Runes can give you immortality. There are healing runes, strength runes, speed runes, invisibility runes… I could go on forever.”
“Holy shit!” I heard her mutter.
I wasn’t sure what her reaction meant. I was sure people reacted differently to the knowledge of runes and the gods. When my Immortal guardians had revealed who I really was and what they were, I’d been furious. I hated people who kept secrets. Raine had been shocked while Cora… I had missed how she’d reacted. Probably scared.
“Alfadir taught the Asgardian gods runic magic. He is one of the most powerful Witches in Asgard because he combines runic magic with Seidr magic Goddess Freya brought from Vanaheim. He is a pretty cool guy.”
Demons (Eirik Book 1) Page 15
