“I scarred you.”
I grinned. “I’m wearing your mark. That should make you proud. Can you imagine explaining it to another man?”
He growled, his eyes slitting. “What man? You’re never going to be—”
“I know. I know. I was trying to prove a point.”
“Your way of doing it sucks. You with another man is never going to happen.”
“Then you’d better treat me nice and start by not coddling me or blaming yourself for my pain… and giving me time when I need it.” He frowned. “We will discuss what happened when I’m ready. We should continue as we have these past few days. Just together without bringing up past unpleasantness.” His expression grew pensive. I knew I’d put him in a tight spot. He could either respect my wishes or ignore them.
“Fine. But no keeping secrets from each other.”
Relief coursed through me. This meant no discussing his sister. Until I had all my facts straight, I was staying off that subject.
“There’s a difference between not wanting to discuss what we both know and keeping secrets,” he said. “Because of the way I was raised, I hate secrets. Even well-intentioned ones.”
He was going to go ballistic if Anne Marie wasn’t his sister, and he learned that I’d suspected it. “Okay. Now about the artavo, Lavion didn’t give us a date, but you can teach me some of the runes, right?”
“Sure.”
“Good because I want to be able to do things like open a portal and surprise you in Eljudnir.”
He grinned, obviously liking my idea.
“You sneaked into my room and held me without me knowing about it for months. It’s only fair I return the favor.”
His grin widened. “You think you can sneak into my bed, and I wouldn’t know about it? Never. Oh, Lavion mentioned something. He’s created a special bind rune for you.” Cruise Confidential
“A rune, for me?”
“Yes. It describes you, your strengths and weaknesses.”
“I don’t have weaknesses.”
“Of course you do. Me.” He grinned. “He said you were vicious with any archer that aimed at me, grinning while throwing them across the market. He’ll etch your rune on all your blades. He showed it to me and explained its meaning, and I swear the man is a genius. He described you so perfectly I wanted to punch his nose.”
I laughed. “Why?”
“No one should know you better than me.”
“No one does,” I said.
A throat clearing finally penetrated the sensual haze Eirik had created around us. I tried not to blush when my eyes met Afua’s. Her grin broadened while I wiggled to get down from Eirik’s arms.
“He will see you now.”
“Thank you.” Eirik waited until she was gone then nudged me forward. “Go. I’ll wait here.”
Confused, I frowned. “You’re not coming?”
“No. My presence will only distract him.”
I’d been counting on him to act as a buffer. When he was around, things always seemed less daunting. On the other hand, after Afua’s bowing and stammering, maybe I was better off facing Doctor B alone.
“I’ll know if you need me, Stjärna mín,” he reassured me. His dragon senses never failed to amaze me. Thank goodness he couldn’t tell when I lied. Not yet anyway. I gave him a tiny smile and followed Afua.
Nothing had changed around the store; except Shania’s vibrant personality was gone. She’d added to the magic in the store. The door was partially opened, but I knocked and waited until Doctor B’s rumbling voice instructed me to enter.
“Celestia, I’ve been expecting you.” He closed the gap between us and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to hug me. He didn’t. Instead, he gripped my hands. He had large hands, but then again, he was a large man. “How are you feeling? I heard about the attack by an Immortal and the coma.” He studied my face. “No bruises or scars.”
“They are there. I’m just better at hiding them.”
His eyes narrowed and for one brief second, I was sure he meant to ask if I self-healed. Instead he stepped back. The smile he gave me didn’t reach his eyes. I wondered who told him about my “coma.” Mrs. Mouton?
“I’m happy you are okay. Too many of our people are dying young, which is not good for our communities, or magic as a whole.” I noticed a slight tremor in his hand but he formed a fist and pressed it on his desk. When he turned around and faced me, he was composed. “Sit please, please.”
“I’m so sorry about Shania, Doctor B. I just found out.”
He perched his butt on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms. “It’s okay, child. I will see my baby girl again. At least her body didn’t disappear like some of the Witches. We brought her home, where I can take good care of her.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by “good care”, but I knew most Witches were consecrated before burial so their powers flowed back to the earth.
“Is it okay if I pay my respects?”
“Of course.” He glanced at his watch. “I can take you to the family mausoleum.”
“No, no, you don’t have to. You are a busy man. Just give me the directions.”
“You’d never find it. Our family crypt blends seamlessly with others in the City of the Dead. It’s okay. My car is parked in the back. The cemetery is only a few minutes away.” He smiled and once again, it didn’t reach his eyes. He was grieving, and I felt guiltier every second I was in his presence. He’d lost his only child and no matter what he said, he had to be angry and bitter.
“I have an idea. Just a second.” I left his office and went back to the store to get Eirik. I found him talking to a laughing Afua. Wasn’t there a female he couldn’t charm?
“Done?” he asked.
“Not yet. I want to pay my respects to Shania, but instead of Doctor B driving us, I thought we could, you know, use a portal,” I finished in a whisper so Afua wouldn’t hear us.
“Sure. Is he coming too?”
I nodded. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No. We’ve attended a few meetings together in the last several weeks without contacting immigrations in those countries.” He followed me back to Doctor B’s office and the two started discussing a meeting they had in Johannesburg. Even though he smiled and talked, Doctor B’s eyes were lifeless. The robust man I’d known weeks ago was now a mere shell of a man.
Eirik opened a portal and led the way to a broad aisle lined with family vaults and mausoleums made of marble or rock. The way he knew exactly where to direct the portal said he’d attended the funeral. We were in Saint Louis Number Three, the less crowded of the three cemeteries in New Orleans.
Like the surrounding tombs, it was huge with a well-tended patch of grass and an iron fence around it. Above the door was a relief of a woman wearing an elaborate headscarf around her head. Under her were words in a foreign language, probably Doctor B’s mother tongue. Plastic flowers, beads, candles, and other memorabilia covered the steps. From the names and dates on the door, members of Doctor B’s family had been buried in this crypt since the1800s.
Doctor B went up the steps, paused, and lowered his head as though composing himself before punching in the combination to unlock the vault. The door slid open with a sudden rush of air, and my heart began to pound with dread. The one and only funeral I’d ever attended was Grams’. She’d looked different. I had expected her to look the same, rosy cheeks and laughing eyes. Instead, she’d looked pale and empty.
Eirik reached for my hand, his smile reassuring. Together we followed Doctor B, making sure we didn’t step on the flowers or knock over the candles lining the steps.
Inside, Doctor B stepped aside to let us pass. There was a weird energy in the air. Probably remnants of the energy the dead left behind. We walked into the L-shaped interior, the first aisle wide with a platform for viewing. The coffin on top of it had a clear glass top more appropriate for viewing, than for burial. Eirik tugged my hand, and I walked forward, passed closed pa
nels with names of the dead and dates. I kissed my fingers and pressed them to the coffin.
My throat closed up as I stared down at Shania. She looked asleep, her skin not pasty like Grams’, yet I knew she’d never laugh or tease me when I entered their store. Never claim to be from a line of famous West African Witch doctors while beguiling her customers with her fake accent. She was dead. Something dropped on the coffin, and I realized I was crying.
“I’m sorry.” I lifted the edge of my shirt to wipe it, but Doctor B gripped my wrist and stopped me.
“Don’t apologize for mourning her death.” He glanced around. “You were friends and feel the pain of losing her. She’s watching us through the Veil separating the living and the dead, seeing those who loved her grieving for her. One day we’ll see her again— laugh and dance, and celebrate the life we had together.” He reached down and pressed his lips to the glass edge.
My tears continued to flow as he talked about Shania. When he stopped, he just stood there. I wasn’t sure what to do. Give him a hug? Pat his back? Eirik indicated outside with his head, and without saying a word, I followed him out and left Doctor B with his daughter. Eirik put his arms around me from behind and leaned against the gate. He held me while I cried, until my tears dried.
“I feel so bad for him,” I whispered.
“He’ll recover. Grief is funny that way. It hurts, then the pain lessens and you learn to live with the loss.”
“If you ever decide to turn any of the Witches into Immortals, he’d make the perfect candidate. He deserves another shot at life and a family.”
“Who said I’d start turning Witches into Immortals?”
“You break rules all the times. Or, if we ever build a special school for Witches, he’d make a wonderful teacher. He’s powerful, yet he respects magic.”
CHAPTER 6. A VISION
EIRIK
Celestia was quiet when we got back to her place. I wasn’t sure whether she was worried about Doctor B or if something else was bothering her. There was nothing I could do about the doctor, but her state of mind was my concern.
Her father brought home takeout and we ate in the living room while watching a zombie apocalypse movie. I was surprised that the chief had joined us. When the movie ended, I got up to help Celestia clear the plates then she froze.
“Eirik?” she whispered, her eyes starting to glow.
Before her eyes rolled into the back of her head, I caught her and lowered her on the couch. My chest grew tight as she separated from her physical body and stood over us. I’d never seen anyone astral project before.
“What’s wrong with her?” her father yelled, but I was focusing on her astral image.
“Is it a vision?” I asked.
She nodded. She opened and closed her mouth, but I couldn’t hear her. She grinned and blew me a kiss instead, and floated toward the ceiling.
“Come back to me, okay?”
She gave me thumbs up and disappeared. I glanced at her father, who was staring at me with stark fear in his eyes. “It’s okay. She just astral projected from her body.”
“You saw her?”
“Yes. She smiled and gave me thumbs up.”
Her father studied her still body and wiped his brow. He was sweating. I had no idea where she went, but I hoped she wasn’t in danger.
“I’m amazed you are okay with this,” Chief Deveraux said.
“I’m not, but it’s who she is and I have to believe she’ll do this and come back,” I sat on the floor by the couch and took her hand. “She’ll be okay. I’d know if she was in danger.”
“That’s what you said last time and she was gone for three weeks. I don’t think I can stand another three weeks of worrying.”
Neither could I. I listened to him, but my eyes stayed on Celestia’s face, waiting for a sign that she was afraid or hurt. The chief stopped talking and sat with me. He found some old detective TV series and watched while we waited.
Seconds crawled past. Then minutes. Finally, an hour. Her father paced, talked some more, and then went to the den. Celestia didn’t seem to be in distress, so I waited. After a while, I couldn’t stand the voices coming from the screen and turned off the TV. She would be back. I just knew it.
I must have dozed off because I jerked up to her hand stroking my hair. Her eyes were glowing. “Hey, I’m back.”
“She’s back,” I called out, and her father stumbled from the den with a pencil and book. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She sat up and took the pen and book, and started sketching. “Two men broke into a home by the lake. I saw a dock with two boats. Queenie is written on the side of the boat they stole. I have a feeling they are familiar with the home because they knew exactly where the boat keys were kept. The owner surprised them and one knocked him out. I don’t know if he’s okay. I tried to check, but he was just lying there, bleeding. They took off with a few things, but I have a feeling they’d come for the boat.” She sketched as she described the two men, the boat, and the house. She tore the page and gave it to her father. “It hasn’t happened yet, Dad.”
“I’ll call it in,” her father said and took off.
I sat next to her. “You scared him going out like that.”
“I told you I’d be back.” She started sketching another scene. “This one concerns you. They were talking to you about a dagger—a special dagger that belongs to their Wise One. They’ll tell you what you need to know if you bring them the dagger and her. I’m not sure who she is. This hasn’t happened either. Do you know of any such dagger?”
“No. Actually, the only dagger I know of is Raine’s, and I gave it back to her.”
She had sketched two girls and started on a third. “Have you seen any of them before?”
I watched the pictures come alive. Three girls. Damn Norns. “Where will I meet them?”
“You won’t believe this, at my school. Daiku and Ranger were there, but you walked away to talk to the three girls. They want the dagger.”
“That’s never going to happen. If it’s the dagger Raine has, they’ll never get their hands on it. I’ll just warn her that they want it. Not that it would do any good. I wouldn’t put it past them to probe her mind to find out where she’s hidden it.”
“What’s special about it?”
“They told her it could kill anyone—Mortals, Immortals, Gods, Valkyries, Grimnirs, and maybe even Norns. They’d asked her to use it on me before I turned evil.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. “What? How dare they?”
I laughed. “That was her reaction too. She laughed in their faces and told them no way, but she kept their dagger. I have a feeling she would have used it on them. Come on. It’s almost midnight.” I picked her up and headed to her bedroom.
“But I want to hear more about this dagger. Why did they think you’d turn evil?”
I set her down in her bedroom. “Get in bed, then we’ll talk.”
I watched her get ready for bed. She squeezed the toothpaste wrong, applying pressure in the middle and creating bulges on the top and bottom. I was taught to always squeeze from the bottom. When I used to sneak into her room and watch her, she’d always remove her contacts and place them in the solution before going to bed. She didn’t this time.
“You don’t use contacts anymore?”
“No. I think the runes fixed my eyesight. Promise to warn Raine.”
“They are two hours behind, so I’m good time wise. What else did you see or hear while in the astral plane?”
“Nothing. Just that scene with the Norns and the guy the robbers hit tonight.”
“You were gone for almost two hours.”
“When I was in a coma, I thought I was only gone for a few days. I think time just moves slowly in the astral plane.” She crawled under the blanket and patted the area beside her. “Okay. Let’s hear about this dagger and why the Norns thought you were evil. Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Have they met you?”
Grinning, I told to her
about Maliina and the black runes she’d etched on me, until Celestia fell asleep, then I opened a portal to Kayville, Oregon.
Raine’s house was in total darkness. Torin’s place also had no lights on, but then again, he often slept with her. Svana and Tristan were asleep, but I could tell he didn’t have long. I wondered who would reap him.
I opened a portal to Raine’s room. She was fast asleep and alone. Where was Torin? Did they have a fight or was he out reaping? A growl came from behind me, and I turned to find a large cat behind me by the door. It looked like a panther.
“Raine finally got a pet. Hey, Furball,” I said.
I’m not a pet, you thieving gargan. I’m here to guard her, so I will give you to the count of three to get out of here or I’m shredding you into pieces.
“Good. I’m happy to see you are serious about guarding Raine or you’d answer to me.”
You and whose army?
“I’m bigger and meaner than you, furball.” She bared her fangs, and I went into a partial shift, my eyes slitting and scales appearing on my arms. This time, I went further, so my jawline elongated and teeth jutted out. I even let my horns slide out at the top and the sides of my head. The cat’s fur rose, her eyes glowed with annoyance.
Dragons! I hate dragons.
I grinned. “I met a dragon from a Jötunheim village of feline shifters. She might have been your cousin.”
I do not have dragon strain in my lineage, and I’m from Sessrúmnir, Goddess Freya’s hall, not Jötunheim. Who are you and what do you want?
“You don’t know?”
I don’t play childish guessing games, meinfretr. State your business and leave.
I shifted back to normal. “You must be a hoot and a half to have around, furball.” I bowed. “Eirik Baldurson at your service.” She snarled, and I leaned in with my teeth bared too. “Now, let’s get down to business. Where’s Raine hiding her special dagger?”
Do I have stupid written on my forehead?
“No, you don’t, so listen carefully or I swear, I’ll come back and crush every bone in your little body. The Norns are after the dagger, so move it every few hours and don’t tell Raine where it is. If she wants it, give it to her, but hide it again when she’s done with it. Whenever they want something, trouble often follows. They can get inside her head and listen to her thoughts since she’s linked to them, so you have to help her.”
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