Demons (Eirik Book 1)

by Ednah Walters

  “Yes, she did. We saw a few memories. One reminded me of Dad. He loves to fish.” I turned my head and found her watching me with wide eyes. I sat up. She did, too. “I’m from Earth, Trudy. I’m a Witch who can astral project anywhere. Usually, I try to help the people in my visions. I landed here when Eirik was first locked up in the dungeons, went home, and came back to help him. I’ll be going home today.”

  She laughed. “I knew it. I knew you were different.” The smile left her face. “You can’t leave. You are the only one in the castle around my age. All the workers, the guards, and Grimnirs with children live in the village and only come here to work, so I never see people my age. My family and the guards on duty are the only ones who live here, and they are busy all the time. My sister has no time for me. Hanging out with the Grimnirs might be fun, but Mama always tells me to stay away from them. You are the first friend I’ve had in years. You just can’t leave.”

  I felt bad for her. I hadn’t actually thought about the families of the workers here. I’d just assumed Hel’s Hall was the only building in the entire realm.

  “And I’d love to stay, but my family is worried, too.” I reached for her hand and squeezed. “It’s just me and my dad, and so you can imagine how he feels seeing me unconscious.”

  “Then promise to come back,” she said. “Now that you know how to get here, you can visit whenever you like. We can hang out on weekends and catch up. Oh, and you can see Eirik, too. I bet you’d like that.”

  I ignored the last part. She was asking for the impossible. “Tell me about the village where the workers live.”

  “No. Not until you promise.”

  “I’m not making any promises, Trudy. Why don’t you visit me instead?”

  Her eyes widened, then her expression grew pensive as though she was actually considering it. I was kidding. Grinning, she flopped back on the bed.

  “Was that an invitation?”

  I tried not to wince. I couldn’t imagine Trudy in Windfall. “Yes.”

  “Good.” Then she started talking about the village. The husbands of most of the kitchen staff created weapons for the goddess and lived underground in a nearby village and grew indoor gardens. I assumed she meant green houses. But the majority traded with Dwarves in their homeland, Svartalfheim. She talked about a market place for traders in Nidavellir, the underground city of the Dwarves. Most of the food was grown in Vanaheim and Alfheim.

  She was still talking when the door flew open and Eirik staggered in. He wore a stupid grin on his face.

  “Hiya, Dimples. The fire spells will have to wait…” His voice trailed off when he realized I wasn’t alone.

  CHAPTER 18. THE BURNS

  CELESTIA

  “Sorry, Trudy. I didn’t know you were here.” Eirik dropped his shoes and lumbered off toward the bathroom. What was wrong with him? He looked drunk again. Trudy stared after him with rounded eyes.

  I grabbed her arm and pulled. “Go. I need to talk to him.” And yell and curse him out.

  “Will you come to say goodbye before you leave? Please?”

  “Yes.” I was cutting across the large bedroom before the door closed behind her. I entered the bathroom to find Eirik brushing his teeth. “Why do the spells have to wait?”

  He spit out the foam and rinsed his mouth. “I’m sorry I blurted it out like that, but I can’t do a spell right now. I need to sleep this off. Don’t worry. I’ll get you home.”

  “Sleep what off?”

  “The energy drain. I pushed myself too far too soon and my body is still adjusting.”

  “You were working out again? This is ridiculous. First, she starves you. Then, she wants you to be in shape and fight her psycho warriors. Can’t you just tell your mother you have nothing to prove?”

  He paused in the process of rinsing his toothbrush and studied me. “You look cute when you’re angry.”

  That threw me off. Then I realized what he was doing. He was trying to throw me off my game by complimenting me. “Seriously?”

  He wiped his mouth and turned to face me. He looked ready to keel over. “Seriously. Completely adorable. Your eyes flash and those dimples…”

  I wanted to deck him, and he must have realized it because he stopped.

  “We’ll leave that for another day.” He staggered toward me as though his legs couldn’t carry him. I almost let him fall, but he looked completely drained. This was his mother’s fault. No parent should have so much sway over her kid like this. The anger drained out of me.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist and helped keep him upright. He buried his face in my hair and inhaled, slowing us down. When he exhaled, his breath fanned my skin and it was my turn to go weak at the knees. At least, he didn’t smell like that awful drink, mead. I’d actually come to dislike the drink with a passion.

  “I have no idea what’s going on, Eirik, but if you fought with the Grimnirs or her psycho warriors and overdid it again, then it’s your fault you feel this exhausted.” I helped him onto the bed. Wait a second. He should take a beating and keep on ticking. “Why don’t you engage your runes and fix yourself up?”

  “Runes can’t fix everything, Dimples.” He gripped my hand when I could have stepped away. “Stay with me.”

  “I need to think. Maybe talk to your parents about the giant in the cave.”

  His eyes opened, and for a brief moment, I could have sworn they were slits like a cat’s. He lowered his eyelids. “You get me, Celestia. I’ll make sure you get home, but right now I need you. Stay with me. It’s going to take me longer to recover if I don’t sleep and I can’t sleep without knowing you are safe.”

  I wanted to remind him that he had Cora, but even as the thought went through my head, I knew I was grabbing at straws. This wasn’t about him needing me forever. He needed to know I hadn’t astral projected without his knowledge and ended up in that cave again.

  “If you like, we can talk to my parents together.”

  “Okay.” I sat on the bed.

  “Here, where I can touch you.” He patted the area closer to him.

  Sighing, I lay down and faced him. His eyes were closed, his long lashes forming a canopy over his high cheekbones. He reached for my hand, interlaced our fingers, and shifted closer until our knees touched.

  “What’s happening to you?” I whispered. “No one gets drained like this.”

  “It’s nothing serious,” he said, speaking slowly. “I’ll be okay.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. The heat from his lips skidded across my skin and my breath caught. “Thanks for not running away.”

  “I don’t run away, Eirik. That’s not who I am.”

  “I know. Your tenacity is one of the things I love about you. You don’t cave.”

  My heart flipped. Love about you. He couldn’t… Of course, he didn’t mean it. It was just a figure of speech. “Go to sleep.”

  “I can’t. Move closer. I need your scent.”

  I frowned. “What?”

  “Your scent calms me.” He smiled dreamily and opened his eyes. They were unfocused, but normal. “And I love the way your hair feels. It’s silky and smells nice. Spoon with me.”

  My stomach hollowed out. “Uh, I don’t think so.”

  “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. Please, Dimples.”

  Why was I fighting something I wanted anyway? He might not be mine, but I could have these memories. I turned so I faced away from him. He scooted closer, slid one arm under my pillow while the other rested loosely around my waist, and buried his face in my hair.

  “You smell so good,” he murmured and pulled me closer. He sighed. “Perfect.”

  I had stopped breathing the moment his hand circled my waist. Now, my body shook with the effect he had on me. This wasn’t normal. No one should have this devastating effect on another. There must be a spell somewhere to counteract it.

  I murmured a few spells with no results. His arm grew heavy as he fell deeper into sleep. Then his runes appeared. I c
ould only see his arms, but I recognized the ones he’d pointed out. Healing, speed, and strength runes. Some I didn’t recognize.

  Bemused, I ran my hands along the arm around my waist and shivered at the sensations that followed. It was as though the heat and something I couldn’t describe leaped from his body to mine. Warmth invaded my limbs. My stomach. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling. I wished I could see his face. I’d capture him like this, covered with runes.

  I tried to ease away from him, but his arms tightened, the movement bringing my head under his chin and his other hand between my ribcage and the bed. A few inches and he could touch the side of my breast. No man had ever held me this close or intimately. I closed my eyes tight and fought to control my senses.

  It took a while for me to relax. Then I drifted off to sleep.

  Something woke me up and I opened my eyes. The door was open. His mother stepped into the room. Luckily, she was looking over her shoulder while talking to someone and didn’t see us right away. I tried to ease out of Eirik’s arms, but they tightened. I closed my eyes, went still, and pretended to be asleep.

  “He seems okay,” a familiar male voice said.

  His father was here, too? I wasn’t sure how long I could fake being asleep with the two of them in the room. Why were they in his room anyway?

  “Of course, he’s okay. He’s my son,” the goddess said. Arrogant woman.

  “You did promise he’d one day become yours.” There was laughter in his voice, so he was clearly not bothered by her assertion. “Look at how fast he’s adapting.” The pride in his voice was obvious.

  “He has a long way to go.” The goddess sounded worried. “A long way before he’s ready, and her presence is not helping.”

  I almost opened my eyes. Ready for what? Poor Eirik had his entire life mapped out for him and didn’t know it.

  “She’s good for him, Elskr mín,” Baldur said. “You worry too much.”

  I liked him. He was approachable and easygoing. He sounded like he was moving away from the bed. I couldn’t tell if the goddess was gone too because for once, I couldn’t feel the pull of her runes. Maybe the effect of Eirik’s runes had neutralized hers.

  “His protection runes are on even when he’s asleep because he cares about her and wants to protect her. That is good. It shows he takes his responsibilities seriously. The guards told me how he reacted on the west bridge.”

  “Doesn’t mean she’s a good Witch. You saw how Maliina turned out.”

  “That’s because you didn’t let me vet Maliina. I vetted Celestia and she passed. She’s a very forthright young woman. Honest. Besides, she didn’t come here for herself. She came to help him. How many Witches would brave your wrath to help someone in your dungeon?” Baldur asked.

  “Just proves she is a brave and foolish girl.” She was still near the bed, and it was getting harder not to give myself away. “We don’t know anything about her. Is she good or evil? How did she get here? How many of her kind will follow once she goes back home and brags about her adventure in my realm? I’m not running a B and B for Midgard Witches. I want her gone.”

  Baldur laughed. “B and B? You are starting to talk like Trudy. She picks up the craziest Mortal expressions.”

  “She said it means lodging and food.”

  “B and B. It’s rather catchy.” He sounded like he was by the door. “I’ll talk to the child.”

  “Can you imagine what the Norns will do if they find out she knows how to get to our realm? They’ll blame me.” Was she ever going to move away? What was she doing anyway? And when had Baldur vetted me? “We’ve suffered enough at their hands,” the goddess continued. “She must never come back here once she leaves, Baldur. Never. None of her kind should.”

  “I’ll make sure of that.”

  “I want to be there when you talk to her.”

  “Oh no, dýrr. You put me in charge of security. Let me do my job.”

  “She could be his downfall,” the goddess said after a brief silence. Finally. She was moving away from the bed.

  “She won’t. I’ve watched them together. The girl has a big heart. All you have to do is see them together to know she cares about him. Once she understands what’s at stake, she will know it’s in his best interest that she never comes back.” The door opened. “Guards, the hourly reports continue. Stay with her at all times.”

  The door closed behind them and I exhaled. Wow, so Baldur was head of security. He acted so easygoing and nice no one would ever suspect it. From the sound of things, when he’d asked about my story, he’d been testing me.

  They were right about one thing—I was never coming back here once I left. I slid from Eirik’s arms. Even though he protested, he was too far gone to do anything about it. I took the sketchbook and started on spells. Just sitting around waiting to be kicked out was not my way of doing things. I could still make it home without Baldur’s help. All I had to do was give the giantess in the cave what she wanted. Help Eirik. If only she’d explained how I was supposed to do that. Teaching him spells might not even be what she meant.

  After an hour of writing all possible spells, I moved on to something else. The runes were still on Eirik’s skin and I got to capture a few pictures of him.

  “Hey,” he said, and I looked up. He wore a half smile and studied me with lazy eyes. The look was sexy on him. “Do you know you talk when you sketch?”

  My cheeks warmed. I closed the sketchbook. “You think you’re ready to try the spells now?”

  “No.”

  He stretched, the T-shirt riding up to show six abs. Nice. Now I knew what was different about him. He had added muscles. Was it the air? He’d said something about his body adjusting.

  “I just want to hang out,” he said.

  I would, too, if the conversation between his parents wasn’t playing in my head. Everything I did was being reported to his father, and I was expected to make a permanent exit out of his life. The sooner the better.

  “Let’s hang out in our old room and work on the spells,” I suggested and scooted off the bed.

  He groaned. “You are no fun. We should cuddle and exchange childhood stories.”

  My heart skipped. Yes, I’d love to cuddle, but what would be the point? He had an Immortal girlfriend already. Cora dealt with souls and would fit perfectly in his life.

  “The spells won’t learn themselves, Baldurson, or are you forgetting I’m needed at home?”

  He studied me intently, then sighed and rolled over to his feet. He walked to the couch, sat on the arm, and pulled on his sneakers. “Okay, teacher, lead the way. Open a portal.”

  “I can’t. I tried opening one from here and I can’t do it anymore.”

  He frowned. “Your magic is disappearing?”

  No, his father—the security guy—had done something to stop that. I didn’t want to explain how I knew.

  “No. Let’s walk. We can exchange childhood stories.”

  I ripped out the page with the spells. He pulled that move where he took my hand, then walked beside me, and looped his arm over my shoulder, neatly tucking me to his side. The guards fell in step behind us as we weaved our way past the rotunda to the hallway leading to the east dungeon.

  Eirik talked about his school, Raine, and photography. I noticed he didn’t mention his Immortal guardians. He also avoided talking about Cora, thank goodness. He had serious problems with the Valkyries, especially Raine’s boyfriend, Torin St. James.

  “Why don’t you like him? He’s a nobleman, and it sounds like he adores Raine.”

  “He was a nobleman and he had no business marking her with runes when she got injured without explaining what the runes could do. You always give Mortals choices.”

  “But you said she was already marked by the Norns.”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  Okay, so he was overprotective of Raine and completely blind when it came to her. “So the Norns just go around messing with people’s heads and destini
es? Even the gods?” Even his mother had said that she and Baldur had suffered at their hands.

  “Add kidnapping to their list of crimes.” A brief expression I couldn’t explain crossed Eirik’s face.

  “Who did they kidnap?”

  The look on his face returned and this time, I recognized it. It was the same gleam I’d seen on his mother’s face. Calculating. Mean. He was plotting mayhem.

  “Eirik, who did they kidnap?”

  He glanced at me and smirked. “Me, actually.”

  “Oh. Is that why you grew up on Earth?”

  He nodded. “But they’ll get what’s coming to them.”

  “That sounds like you are plotting revenge.”

  He just smiled. “I’ll find a way to pay them in kind.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  He shrugged. He never seemed scared of anything. It was like he had a death wish. Challenging his mother. Fighting psycho souls in her army. And now the Norns?

  “You could always find a way to punish them without putting yourself in harms’ way.”

  “What’s the fun in that?”

  He was definitely more his mother’s son than his father’s. “Self-preservation. After all, they are in charge of destinies.” We finally reached the dungeons. I’d forgotten just how long those stairs were. “What do they fear the most?”

  “Raine.” Eirik chuckled. “But I’d never use her or put her in harm’s way. They’ve hurt her enough.”

  That was one Witch I’d actually go out of my way to meet. “There must be something else they’re scared of.”

  Silence followed, and the gleam returned in his eyes. I tried not to be concerned, but I couldn’t help it.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” He pressed a kiss on my temple. I had a feeling he just had an epiphany. Somehow I knew it would involve reckless behavior and mayhem. He glanced over his shoulder at the guards. “We need torches.”

  ~*~

  EIRIK

  I waited until the guards left the room and locked the door. Celestia looked around with a frown on her face.