“Sure.” I got up and went to close my bedroom door. “Your dad’s still here, so keep your voice low.” I turned and caught her studying my outfit. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect. Simple but elegant. Love the accessories, too.”
“I raided Mom’s jewelry box.” The dark-blue dress with white zigzag across the chest flared down from my rib cage. It was flirty and girlish without being over the top. The navy-blue, three-quarter sleeve cardigan was the same length as the dress. The stacks of bracelets, dangling earrings, and necklace had lots of red and matched my heeled boots. I grinned at Cora. “You’re rocking a bathrobe tonight?”
“I can’t seem to decide on anything, but seeing your outfit helps. I think we’re going somewhere private tonight.”
“Really? In Kayville?” We had national restaurant branches galore, and they were usually packed on Saturdays.
“They actually got together this morning to discuss the details without starting World War III.”
“No way.”
She laughed. “Oh yeah. See you in a few.”
She disappeared through the portal, and I headed downstairs. Sounds came from behind Dad’s door. Femi was preparing two dinner trays. She stopped fussing with the tray and beamed.
“Look at you. You look amazing. You should wear dresses more often.”
“You sound just like Mom,” I said and wished I hadn’t. I missed her. “Do you need me to carry anything?”
She gave me one of the trays.
Inside the room, Dad and Cora’s dad were watching ESPN. Dad was propped against the pillow while Mr. Jemison sat on the chair at the head of the bed. Dad usually perked up whenever Cora’s dad visited. I stayed with them for a few minutes.
At five to six, Torin entered our living room, and my heart trembled. He looked amazing in a dress shirt and a dinner jacket.
His eyes narrowed on me, a slow smile curling his lips. Hel’s Mist. That grin was downright sinful. Warmth infused my body. He had no business looking at me like that. Not when my father was in the next room.
“Keep drooling and we’ll skip dinner,” he warned in a voice as smooth as satin.
“That should be my line, dufus. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He closed the gap between us, bringing all that pure deliciousness my way. My breath caught. He smelled amazing. “Can you handle that?”
“I can handle anything you dish out.” He chuckled, and I realized how that sounded. Like a challenge. He loved challenges. I bit down on my lower lip and wrapped my arms around his. “Am I going to like this surprise?”
“What’s not to like? I’m part of the package.”
I rolled my eyes. “Bring that arrogance down a notch, pal, or this evening will be a disaster.”
He turned his head and pressed a kiss on my temple. “Did I mention how amazing you look tonight?”
“No, but that’s a start.”
He laughed, then glanced over my head and said, “See you later, Femi.”
“You kids have fun.” There was laughter in her voice, and I knew she hadn’t heard every word we’d exchanged. She might be laid back, but Mom had left her in charge of me.
We entered the portal and appeared in Echo’s living room. Now I was confused, but I refused to give Torin the satisfaction of asking again. Then Cora and Echo entered the room. She looked preppy in black shorts, a striped blue shirt with matching high-heeled shoes, and a white dinner jacket. Echo wore his usual duster, but he traded his leather for a black dress shirt and matching pants.
He led us to the front of the house where a limo waited. Cora and I exchanged glances. I was sure I wore a bemused grin on my face. A date with these guys was out there. I’d never been inside a limo or a city like Miami, except at Echo’s.
The nightlife was in full swing, people crossing from their cars to restaurants and clubs, some like us rolling in limos. This was an upscale neighborhood, and it showed in the clothes the people were rocking. I was happy I’d worn a dress.
Torin drew my attention when he chuckled. The sound sent a warm shiver down my spine. As though he felt my response, he shot me a half a smile. I had no idea what he and Echo were discussing. He ran the tips of his fingers up and down my bare skin, from my elbow to my palm.
Sensations turned me into a puddle of goo. I couldn’t remember accepting a drink, yet I held a sparkling something in a chute. I sipped. Non-alcoholic. Cora stared at her man with a love-struck grin.
I forced myself to focus on Torin and the words coming out of his mouth, but I got distracted again by the sensual curve of his lips and the way the blue lights inside the limo made his sapphire blues glow with an unearthly brilliance. The shadows under his high cheekbones were just as fascinating.
He bumped me with his shoulder, and I gave him a broad grin.
“Would you like some music?”
Wasn’t there music already playing? No, that was the pounding adrenaline hurtling through my veins and fantasies I was weaving. “No, I’m good.”
We pulled up outside a building. Going by the name, it was an Italian restaurant. Someone opened the limo door from outside, and the guys ushered us toward the entrance. I overheard a hostess on the phone say, “We are booked solid for the rest of the night. We do have a few openings for tomorrow night.”
The club must be popular, except it was empty when we entered.
Nice interior. Very upscale. Candles graced every table, but the focus was on the one in the middle of the room. They’d even pushed the other tables and chairs back to create space for our table. The setting was for four, and four servers waited with napkins draped over their arms.
It was surreal. Our servers were super nice and polite. The female with a cart of drinks lost her train of thought a couple of times. I couldn’t blame her. Torin had that effect on most of the female population. Throw in Echo and the entire female population didn’t stand a chance.
I got ginger-lemongrass soda. The menu listed ten dishes, and they all looked so good.
“Is there something you don’t like?” Torin asked.
“Shouldn’t that be ‘I do like’?”
“Nope. We’re going to sample all of the dishes listed. If you want Chef Vincenzo to make anything else,” he lifted his hand and a hovering waiter whipped out a notepad and pen, “he can add it to our menu.”
“This is good,” I said. I couldn’t believe they’d arranged all this.
“I agree,” Cora seconded.
“I’m reserving judgment until I eat this carefully planned menu.” He gave Torin a mocking smirk.
“Don’t start, limo man.”
Listening to their exchange, everything fell into place. Echo had been in charge of transportation, and Torin had been in charge of our diner. I was sure the evening would be a disaster, but we all found a common ground. First was the great food by an enthusiastic chef who came out to personally check on us. Second were horror movies. Who knew reapers would like a zombie apocalypse.
“Everyone dies in the series,” Cora complained. “What’s so great about that?”
“That’s the fun part of it,” Echo said. “Now if only something like that could happen in real life.”
Cora punched his arm and murmured something I didn’t catch.
“Dead Mortals means more reaping for you, Echo?” I teased.
Echo smirked. “No, it means Ragnarok is around the corner.”
I frowned. “How do you figure that?”
He leaned forward. “Best way to kill zombies is by chopping off their heads. Best weapon for that is a sword. No more guns, just machete-wielding Mortals trying to avoid the inevitable.”
From what I recalled, the first signs preceding Ragnarok was “sword age,” a period of violence and battles followed by three years of nonstop winter when families would turn on each other. Then Ragnarok itself would be next, the death of the gods and destruction of the world to make way for a new world.
“Don’t
be so bloody literal,” Torin said.
“Or talk about chopping people’s heads off during dinner,” Cora added.
Echo rolled his eyes. “Okay. What should we discuss? Supernatural?”
“Now that’s a series worth discussing,” Cora said.
Torin and Echo groaned. Cora and I just laughed.
“Stop hating,” Cora said. “I would not have known how to disperse souls with iron if it weren’t for the Winchester boys.”
“So that’s where you got that crazy idea,” Echo murmured.
“Brilliant idea,” Cora whispered and kissed him.
“Have you guys set a date yet?” I asked.
Cora exchanged a look with Echo. “Don’t say it,” she warned.
The smile he gave her was downright sinful. “I asked her to elope with me when she turned eighteen, but she wants to go to college first.” He shuddered. “I hate college as much as I hate high school.”
“Nobody asked you to go,” Cora said. “Just plan on being there between my classes and in the evening, or I’ll hook up with my R.A.”
Echo scowled. “What in Hel’s Mist is an R.A.?”
“Older college guys who prey on freshmen,” Torin said and smirked.
Echo didn’t look too happy. He glared at Torin. “Why are you so happy? Raine is going to college too, isn’t she?”
The smile disappeared from Torin’s face. I held my breath and waited for him to say something. Anything. We hadn’t discussed college and now wasn’t the time.
Echo chuckled. “Let me guess. You two are going to the same college.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I plan to be her R.A. and T.A. ,” Torin said. “Then we’ll start working on the basketball team.”
“Basketball team?” Cora asked.
Torin gave me a slow grin. I knew that smile too well. He was about to say something naughty. “The number of children I want,” he said.
I choked on my drink. Where the heck did that come from? He had the nerve to pat my back and whisper, “You okay, luv?”
I wanted to neuter him. We hadn’t even talked about college, let alone marriage and kids. I assumed he planned to propose and wait for my response before I started popping out those babies. Babies. With Torin. The thought was mind-boggling.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have a couple of centuries to practice and fulfill all my other fantasies before we start,” he added.
My face, I was sure, was as red as the jewelry I’d borrowed from Mom’s jewelry box. I couldn’t come up with a response, so I stared at the flickering candlelight and plotted his slow demise. Would he haunt me if I decapitated him? Probably.
He reached for my hand and interlocked our fingers. He tugged, forcing me to look at him. Glared was more like it. He was always pushing my buttons. Deliberately keeping me off balance.
“I hate you,” I mouthed.
“You adore me,” he whispered back. He brought my hand to his lips. My heart trembled, heat racing under my skin from where his lips touched. He didn’t play fair.
My “not at this moment, pal,” sounded forced.
“But I made this,” he waved his hand to indicate the restaurant, “happen.”
He could be such a baby. “It was nice.”
He rolled his eyes and glanced at Cora. “Was dinner nice or awesome, Cora?”
“Awesome.”
Torin slid me a grin. “Dinner was awesome, ergo, your man delivered.”
“I chose the restaurant and rented the limo,” Echo said.
Pissing contest before dessert. Great! I hated to be around when the bill arrived. Cora showered Echo with praises; then silence followed as the servers cleared the table. One came with the dessert cart. She rattled off the treats and lingered, her eyes volleying between Echo and Torin. Cora and I might as well be invisible.
Andris chose that moment to swagger into the room. The hostess tried to detain him, but he waved toward us. “I’m with them, sweetheart.”
Torin was already on his feet by the time Andris reached us. “What is it?”
“We’re back,” Andris said.
“Are you kidding?”
“Would I?” Andris glanced at me. “Thank you.”
I tried to understand their conversation and failed miserably. “Back from where? Why are you thanking me?”
“Someone caused the Norns to remove the death block, and only one person can do that. You. We need to go.”
Torin glanced at me.
I shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.” Or had I? I could tell he wanted to leave. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
“No. Let’s finish here.”
Andris rolled his eyes. “Seriously? The Seeresses will not wait and most of them are not in our sector. We need to go question them before they die.” The hovering servers gasped. He smirked at them.
“She’s coming with us.” Torin reached for my hand.
I practically leaped from the chair. He chuckled and shot Echo a glance. “The bill is taken care of so we’re good.”
“You paid my half?” Echo asked, sounding insulted.
“Tip them, Echo. It’s no big deal. Oh, and rune everyone. We were never here. They can remember this was a private party but that’s it.” He headed for the restrooms and mirrors.
One of the servers was leaving the restroom and gave us a strange look. I could just imagine his thoughts. A girl entering the men’s room with a guy. Two guys since Andris led the way. My face warmed.
Torin gave the man a folded note and touched his lips. “We don’t want to be interrupted.”
He was horrible. I couldn’t think up something snarky. Then I saw the way the guy checked them out. He shot me an envious look and a wink. I laughed.
“What?” Torin asked.
“Thanks for turning me into a freak.”
He kissed me. “As long as you are my freak.”
I groaned. “That’s twisted.”
“I know. Listen, this is your first time reaping with us, so watch and learn. Engage your invisibility runes and follow Andris. I’ll take the rear. We’ll start with the furthest Seeress. Brisbane.”
***
The portal opened into a bathroom several floors up. It was eerily quiet, and that weird sterile scent hospitals had lingered in the air. Kind of reminded me of the week I’d spent in the hospital after my surgery.
“Raine?”
I closed my eyes and felt the magic. It was faint, but we were on the right floor. I pointed. “That way.”
We walked past the nurses’ station. They didn’t even look up, but a chill spread across my skin. “Are there souls here?” I asked.
“A few,” Torin said. “You still can’t see them?”
I shook my head, hating that I still couldn’t. How the heck was I going to reap what I couldn’t see? Damn the Norns. Seeress or not, I was going to be a Valkyrie.
Andris stopped outside a door and pulled out his artavus. I shivered. A telltale chill crawled its way up my spine. This time, it was stronger and familiar. I caught Andris’ hand before he could create a portal.
“She’s not alone,” I whispered.
Torin scowled. “How do you know?”
Andris already created a portal through the door and peered inside. He stepped back. “There are three nurses with her.”
Torin pulled me away from the door. “How did you know she wasn’t alone, Raine?”
“Those are Norns with her.”
He grimaced. “That’s our sign to scat. Let’s go to the next one and come back once they heal her.”
“No. I don’t think they’re here to heal her.”
Torin and Andris gawked. I saw the question in their eyes.
I shrugged. “I can’t explain it. They’re too happy. I want to talk to them.”
“No, Raine. The last people—”
“I have to, Torin. My own Norns deserted me after I refused to listen to them. The ones in there are not in charge of my destiny. We need answers.”
/>
“Raine—”
“I need to do this, Torin.”
“Then we’re going in with you,” he said. He crossed his arms and tried to intimidate me into submission. Was he serious? I wasn’t the girl he’d met last year.
I lifted my chin and glared right back at him. “No, you’re not,” I snapped.
“You piss off Norns every time you open your mouth,” he said.
Meanie. “And you piss them off by just being in the same room.”
He smirked. “It’s a gift.”
“It’s not funny. You remind them you are the reason I’ll never be one of them.” The smile disappeared. Blue flames leaped in the depth of his eyes. Oh, so that was the problem. “I’m going to talk to them, Torin. Not join them. Eavesdrop on our conversation if you want, but I’m going in.”
“I don’t like it,” he said.
“Just go,” Andris snapped. “I swear you two are like a toothache.”
I moved closer to Torin, propped myself against his arm, and leaned in to kiss his chin. “Well, I happen to love this particular toothache.”
He growled, cupped my face again, and kissed me. He pressed his forehead against mine. “You drive me crazy.”
I grinned, turned, and walked to the door. Andris and Torin stared at me with worried expressions. I gave them thumbs up and pushed open the door.
Three nurses looked up. One ginger-haired with freckles, another exotic Hawaiian, and the third had pitch-black hair and porcelain skin. Nice disguises, but they were Norns all right. Just not my Norns.
“What are you doing here, Lorraine Cooper?” the ginger-haired one asked.
How did she know my name? “Checking on the Seeress. How is she doing?” I stayed by the door and peered at the woman on the bed. She was so still.
“She will be okay,” Ginger said again. She must be the spokesperson of the trio. “Should you be here, considering what’s going on?”
Of course they knew what was happening to me. Probably chuckled over it during dinner at Norns’ Hall. “Who’s after me?”
“You know we can’t tell you that,” Ginger said again.
“Maybe I should let them take me.”
They stared at me in shock, and I knew they didn’t want this to happen.
I grinned. “Why don’t you stop them?”
Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) Page 20
