“So you’re Daddy’s little girl?”
“Guilty. And your parents? I mean, the guardians who raised you in, uh, Kayville?”
“They had their lives and having me around kind of cramped their style. They traveled a lot and left me at home with nannies. They didn’t stick to one in case I got too attached to her. There was this particular one I really liked. She made the best chocolate chip cookies and lasagna, two of my favorite foods. They banned her from baking cookies.”
I reached up and gripped the wrist of the arm he’d placed around my shoulder. My mother might have hated me, but I had Dad and Grams.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. No child should grow up without…” The rumbling from his chest had me looking at his face. He was trying hard not to laugh.
I yanked my hand from his and pushed him. “Jerk! I can’t believe I actually felt sorry for you.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him so we were chest to chest with his arms locked behind me. More like chest to rock-hard abs since I only reached his chin. My sketchbook and pencils almost slipped from my hands since he’d trapped my arms.
I had two choices, either stare at his chest while lecturing my body to stop betraying me or lift my chin up and pretend I wasn’t liking our close proximity. Self-preservation won. I looked up and went on the offensive.
“How much of that garbage you just spouted was true?” I asked.
His expression grew serious. “All of it. Marisol made the best chocolate chip cookies and was fired when she defied them after they ordered her to stop making them. So instead of adoring her or the other nannies, I got Raine’s family.” A nostalgic smile touched his lips and I knew he wasn’t bullshitting me this time. “She became like my little sister. We did everything together. Played. Napped. Fought over buckets and sand castles, what to watch on the TV or what video games to play. I spent more time at her house than mine and her parents became my honorary aunt and uncle. When Uncle Tristan barbequed, I was by his side in my assistant chef apron, rotating the hot dogs. We baked chocolate chip cookies every week. When he taught Raine to change tires, I was there. When they ran…” He frowned. “No, running was their thing. I cheered with Aunt Svana and celebrated their victory afterward with a trip to an ice cream store. See? You and I have something in common.”
We had a lot in common. I wanted to correct him. We were both magical, had shitty mothers, although his had some redeeming qualities, and we both were raised on Earth.
“It was a good life,” he continued. “Is there something I could have changed? Yes. Did it shape the person I am today? Definitely yes.”
I just had to know one thing. “So you and Raine ever…?”
“What?” His smile grew naughty. “Kissed? Made out?”
My face grew hot. “Dated.”
“We did.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Kissed too, but it wasn’t meant to be. She had a crush on me, though, and when my parents found out, we moved.”
I rolled my eyes. “Parents don’t just up and move because a neighbor has a crush on their kid.”
“When said son is someone you are guarding and the girl is a Mortal, they do.”
I was a Mortal. I had no idea where that came from. He had Cora, who was Immortal. I realized I’d been standing in his arms like I had a right to. I wiggled, silently asking him to let me go, and his arms dropped. But before I could move away, he dropped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his side again as we continued to walk toward the gym.
“Did you have a crush on Raine?”
“No. Raine is gorgeous and funny and stubborn to a fault, but I don’t think I’d call what I felt for her… what I feel for her a crush.” He became quiet, his eyes partially closed, and his expression set. I had a feeling he was processing a whole range of emotions. His voice sounded different when he added, “Raine is the kind of girl you move Heaven and Earth to protect because she’s loyal and loving and takes no crap from anyone when it comes to defending those she loves. She inspires people to be better and do better.”
Okay. He definitely loved her.
“If Torin ever hurts her, I’ll personally escort him to Corpse Strand and chain him to a wall for eternity.”
The emotions in his voice filled me with envy and awe. To have someone love me like that would be awesome. Did I have it in me to love someone that completely? I imagined someone hurting Dad and what I’d do to them. Probably mess them up real good. I had a potential of hurting many people. Mom had seen it. Yes, I loved my dad enough to make people’s lives a living hell if they ever went after him.
Not liking the direction of my thoughts, I focused on Eirik and the man he would torture for Raine. “Who is Torin?”
“Her Valkyrie boyfriend.”
So Raine was taken. Yippee. “Is he nice?”
“No. He’s an ass.”
We’d reached the hallway leading to the gym and a lot of gorgeous men and women were traipsing in and out of the rooms in gym shorts and tank tops, but after giving them a brief glance, my focus returned to Eirik. I wanted to hear more about his friends and growing up in Kayville, but he was already waving to Rhys. From the looks of things, the Grimnir had started without him and was hitting a speed-boxing bag. He saw us and stopped without grabbing it. The bag bounced back and hit him on the side of the head. He didn’t even flinch. The runes on his skin might have had something to do with that.
Had he recognized me? He cut across the gym floor.
“So where do I sit and watch?” The gym was huge, but there were no sitting areas that I could see.
“There are booths on the second floor.” He pointed at the glass wall above the gym. It was in total darkness. “The stairs are over there.” He pointed to the right. “Just a sec and I’ll show you.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll find them.” I walked away before Rhys could reach us. I’d wanted to talk to him about Hayden, but now that I knew she was safe, I hoped he didn’t recognize me.
“Hey,” someone said, and I automatically glanced over my shoulder. It was Rhys. “I know her.”
“No, you don’t,” Eirik said, gripping his arm.
Rhys frowned, his eyes volleying between Eirik and me. “The girl you asked me about, Hayden…”
“Not here,” Eirik said. “We’ll talk later.”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. Hopefully, Eirik would take care of the situation. He seemed to have a knack for fixing problems. I gripped my sketchbook against my chest and kept going, the guards staying with me. How the hell were we going to lose them this afternoon? Eirik had better come up with a plan.
I found the stairs. Crystal lights turned on and lit up the way to the second floor, where arched doorways led to hallways and balconies to the left and right side of the staircase. Cushioned seats like those in private booths at stadiums back at home were arranged in descending rows on the sides of the hallway. The right side faced several basketball courts, where some Grimnirs were playing a game that made NBA games look like child’s play. It was NBA mixed with WWE. They were too brutal with each other. Yes, zipping past each other, slamming, tackling, or even becoming invisible was cool, but when thuds reverberated around the gym and people just laughed, it stopped being fun. I enjoyed sports because of Dad, but this wasn’t sport.
I glanced over at the guards. They didn’t talk or make any noises.
“I’ll just grab a seat inside over here,” I said and smiled. No return smile. Yeah, whatever. I’ll be leaving soon, sour faces.
I found the perfect spot to sit and sketch. The seats faced the boxing ring and training area, and to the far left was an unpadded hand-to-hand combat zone.
I waved to Eirik when he looked up and found me. He was frowning, which couldn’t be good. The two warmed up on the floor, kicking and pounding on a punching bag. A couple of women were in the ring, trying to outdo each other on who could body-slam the other the most. I cringed with every punch. This wasn’t my idea of entertainment.
I didn’t realize I had stopped watching all together and was sketching until I caught Eirik waving from the corner of my eye. He was trying to get my attention. He had been doing that since we arrived, looking up here, probably checking on me to make sure I was still there.
Where could I possibly go? The two guards seated behind me weren’t exactly discreet. They could have sat closer and watched the ongoing brutal sparring below, but no. They had to sit way behind me, their eyes drilling holes in the back of my head.
I waved back, but Eirik’s response was a scowl. Rhys was talking to the two women who’d been using the boxing ring, but Eirik didn’t seem to be in a hurry to join him. After what I’d seen, I didn’t think I wanted to watch him fight. I lifted the sketchbook and waved. He only scowled harder. Oh well. Whatever had crawled up his gym shorts was his problem. I went back to sketching.
“What did you do?”
I tensed and my pencil skidded along the pad. I scrambled to my feet to face the goddess. I hadn’t heard her enter the viewing area or walk to my side.
“Sorry. I don’t understand.”
She glanced at the people below. “Yesterday, I sat here and watched my son practice with Rhys. He’s not exactly where he’s supposed to be, but I know he’ll only get better. Today, I get a message that he was back in the ring and he’s not playing nice. Jeff is one of the best instructors.”
My eyes flew to the ring. Eirik was still inside it, but he was no longer sparring with Rhys. He was facing a different man. This one was bigger and buff, and the other Grimnirs had stopped their workouts and were cheering them on.
“That man is huge,” I said.
The goddess’ chuckle was mocking. “Size is not everything—as my son has proven. I hate to admit it, but he learned a thing or two in Asgard. That’s the third person he’s fought in the last hour,” the goddess continued. “One has a broken neck.”
I cringed. “Rhys?”
“No. He’s a trainer and knows when to stop a fight. So I’ll ask again. What did you do or say to my son?”
“Nothing. I’ve just been sitting here sketching. I hate watching them pound each other like animals. That’s not entertainment.”
“No, it’s not.” The goddess studied me, her eyes narrowed. “Unfortunately, my son is trying to impress you.”
I scoffed at the idea. “Eirik doesn’t care what I think.”
“You cannot be that naïve, Celestia. Look at him.”
She knew my name?
“Look,” she snapped.
I glanced down to see Eirik bring the Grimnir to his knees with a blow. He followed by landing on the man’s back and twisting his arm, effectively stopping him from getting up. Then he glanced up at us and smirked.
“Idiot,” I mumbled under my breath, but she heard me.
“Idiot is not a word I’d use to describe my son. Stubborn. Smart. Opinionated. On the other hand, his fascination with you is cause for concern. It’s a distraction he doesn’t need.”
I fought the pull of her runes and studied the goddess objectively. Behind her twisted way of doing things and obvious dislike of my relationship with Eirik was a mother worried about her son.
“I know. Once I’m gone, he’ll forget I was ever here.” Then I realized what I just said.
“Good, because he tends to have an unhealthy fixation when it comes to girls. First was the girl he was raised with, then her best friend. Then Maliina.”
The goddess really didn’t know anything about Eirik. “You should try asking him about his life on Earth, instead of assuming. You’ll be surprised.”
“His past is of no consequence. I’m only interested in his future, which lies here with me. Come.”
I hesitated. I didn’t trust the woman not to push me inside an Eternal Hall and lock it with magic. “Where are we going?”
She glanced below one last time. “I want my son to be strong and ready to lead. At this rate, he will decimate my reapers, and I need them to recruit more warriors. If he can’t have a friendly practice with them, then he’s ready for the next step in his training. I want you to see what he will be facing.”
What could be worse than this? And why show me? Eirik was still in the ring. The one time when I needed him and he was busy pounding some guy. No, getting pounded on. He finally met his match. The goddess nodded at her guards and one of them created a portal. On the other side was a bridge. I could see the snowy landscape through the glass walls. It was snowing hard.
“Come now,” she said.
Not trusting her, I dragged my feet. Maybe she was going to take me outside and leave me there just for the fun of it. All I had on was a T-shirt and leggings, neither could offer much protection against the biting cold.
She turned and studied me. “From what I’ve seen and heard about you, I figured you are either very brave or very stupid. Which one are you?”
Possibly the second one because I actually wanted her to like me. Lord knows why since I was leaving and never coming back. I glanced down just as Eirik looked up. He was the only one who could stand up to his mother. I waved him up, but he mistook my gesture because he waved back.
Distracted, his partner clipped him and knocked him on his ass. He landed in the corner of the ring. My heart hurtled to my throat. That must have hurt despite the runes. He didn’t get up right away and my stomach hollowed out.
“Come on, Eirik! Get up.”
He rolled over and sprung to his feet, turned, and faced the man again. The crowd cheered. He rushed the guy, feinted a jump as though he was coming for an upper-body attack, then went into hyper-speed, dove down, and tackled the man. The man went down.
“Yes!” I yelled before I could stop myself. Damn, I was becoming bloodthirsty.
“He must have picked up that move from Asgard,” his mother said, her voice ringing with pride.
“How can you watch him without cringing? What if he gets hurt? I mean, seriously hurt?” I asked, feeling like a hypocrite. I’d enjoyed watching Eirik get the upper hand.
“He’d heal. You see what just happened? He was caught off guard because he looked up here. You are distracting him.”
I glanced at the arena, and the Grimnir had Eirik pinned to the ground now. I tried to look away, but couldn’t. Get him, Eirik!
“Come along,” the goddess commanded, and I couldn’t refuse.
I stepped onto the bridge and the portal closed behind me. My jaw dropped at the scene below. There was some kind of outdoor arena packed with spectators, and in the middle were about a dozen fighters dressed like post-apocalyptic survivors. The snow didn’t seem to bother them.
Their clothes appeared to be rejects from the Salvation Army. Layers of strips and tattered fabric wrapped around their arms and legs gave them added cover. And they were hell-bent on killing each other with medieval weapons. No, change that to magical weapons. Axes and daggers flew from person to person as though directed by invincible hands. The absence of sound as they body-slammed, kicked, threw, and stomped each other made the entire scene seem so surreal.
I smothered a scream, my sketchbook landing on the ground with a thud. Someone’s head just got hacked off, blood spewing every which way. My gag reflux kicked in. Someone rolled the head back to him, and the man picked it up and slapped it back onto his neck. He turned his head right and left as though removing kinks, then went back to fighting.
“Who are these people?” I asked.
“Souls from Corpse Strand,” the goddess said. “Nothing can kill them except fire. Each has a chance to prove himself or herself worthy to join my army. If they survive Ragnarok, they’ll stay in this realm as Immortals. A few lucky ones will join my household as guards.”
“And those unworthy?”
“Fodder for the fire giants. I like to give people a fighting chance, Celestia. Once they disappoint me, I don’t show mercy.”
Okay. That sounded too much like a warning. I didn’t respond, just continued to follow her like a lamb to the slaugh
ter.
“I don’t like liars and weak people,” she continued. “Centuries ago, we’d get visitors from Midgard. Witches and Immortals. Once they got here, they would find a reason to stay. Some claimed their powers had waned while others lost them completely.” She stopped. “I’d give them an ultimatum. Go home or else.”
My stomach dropped. She knew about me. “Or else what?”
“Do you think Eirik will enjoy training with them?” she asked instead of answering my question. Then what she said registered.
“You expect Eirik to fight these people? That’s insane. Why?” I couldn’t mask my outrage.
“Because I can. Insane is believing that he can’t. That they are better than him. No one is better than my son.” She turned and smiled, but her eyes were not focused on me. “How nice of you to join us.”
I turned around and saw Eirik. How much had he heard? His face was pale. His mother might think he was invincible, but the fighters under the bridge were not ordinary either.
~*~
EIRIK
Celestia wore a stricken expression as she closed the gap between us. Mother had just threatened her. I pulled my arms around her. She was shaking.
Focusing on calming her, the panic I’d felt after finding her gone melted away and a weird calmness settled over me. I pulled her closer, my eyes meeting with Mother’s. She watched us with an expression that was partly annoyed and partly smug. I hoped my feelings were crystal clear too. She had no business threatening Celestia.
“Really, Mother? Is that how you treat guests in your hall?”
She studied Celestia, her expression hard to read. “I didn’t know she was one. Most visitors don’t go beyond the front hall. The lucky few who get to spend the night leave at first light.”
“Then we must do something around here to be more courteous to people. Father already started by extending Celestia an open invitation to stay as long as she wants until…”
Demons (Eirik Book 1) Page 25
