The second I saw Celestia, I forgot about her mother. Instead of her usual ripped jeans, she wore a tan, lace dress with a black kimono cover, and cowboy boots. I didn’t think there was anything she could wear that didn’t suit her. She took my breath away every time.
My palm itched to stroke the flawless skin left bare between the hem of her dress and the top of her boots. I settled for her neck, where three layered necklaces with mystical stones and amulets hung. The stones matched those on her charm bracelet. I stroked the longest chain, grinning when she released a shaky breath. Her reaction to my touch never failed to amaze me.
“I love your hair,” I whispered, playing with the strands.
“Uh-mmm, thanks.” She looked adorably confused. “It’s a ponytail.”
“So? It suits you.” I kissed her nape. Her scent was intoxicating.
She tilted her head and sighed softly. “I’m happy you brought the camera.”
“Anything for you.” I captured her lips, until Trudy cleared her throat. “Go watch something, Trudy.”
“Don’t you two ever get tired of that? I mean you were together yesterday afternoon, and the day before.” She went to the window and peered outside, her excitement tangible. Her accent seemed to have gotten heavier. Without the influence of magic, she couldn’t control what people heard anymore. “Can we go now?”
I growled. She was seriously cramping my style. Celestia grinned and mouthed, “be nice.”
“Where’s your father?”
“At work.” Her phone dinged, and she glanced at it. “Hayden and Zack will meet us in an hour.”
Trudy groaned. “Hayden makes me feel drab.”
I laughed, lifted my camera and took a picture of her. I studied the result. “Not bad. You are cute.”
Trudy glared at me. “Cute? I hate cute.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Celestia said and elbowed me. “You are beautiful. Besides, Hayden is nice once you get to know her. I’ve known her for years, and she doesn’t lord it over us less gorgeous people.”
Was she serious? Didn’t she realize how perfect she was?
Trudy sighed. “I noticed, which makes it even harder to hate her. I want to buy clothes and change before we meet them. Then I won’t feel so gray.”
I was so used to seeing Trudy and most of the staff in various shades of gray that it had become the norm.
“Can I?” she asked again.
“Sure, Trudy. And you”—I cupped Celestia’s face and leaned in—“are breathtakingly beautiful. No one compares to you, so don’t you ever imply—”
Celestia cut me off with a kiss and grinned when she leaned back. “I won’t. You drive, I’ll navigate and point out our beautiful landmarks.” She pressed her car keys into my hand.
She was maddening and adorable. Windfall was a one-commercial-street town with nothing to brag about. In fact, I’d been convinced she’d want us to go to New Orleans instead of their little mall. She opened the back door.
“No, Dimples. If I’m driving, you sit in front with me.”
“This is Trudy’s first ride in a car and she’ll miss out on a lot from the back seat.”
Trudy didn’t need a second urging and took the front passenger seat. She was like a kid at a candy store. As soon as I adjusted the seat to accommodate my long legs and slid behind the wheel, Celestia leaned forward to rest her arm around the headrest of my seat and sunk her hand into my hair.
“Turn right at the gate,” she instructed.
We appeared to drive in circles as she pointed out various historical buildings. Preserved homes of past notorious Witches, a crumbling mental institution believed to be haunted, and a building that was carried away with a row of trees uprooted during Hurricane Katrina and deposited at the outskirts of the town.
“The mayor said it was a sign and chose to replant them where they stopped. Now we have this amazing park where we hold concerts and summer movie nights. Turn right at the light and head north.”
I pulled up at the stoplight and turned my head toward her. She’d been driving me crazy ever since we left her home. It wasn’t just the fact that she played with my hair, and stroked my neck and ear. Every time I turned my head toward her, her warm breath fanned my skin. It was stimulating and distracting. I captured her lips in a kiss and forgot I was at a stoplight, until a driver honked.
“Are you two always like this?” Trudy asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “You kiss every chance you get and then forget where you are. No wonder you want her to have healing runes. You’re an accident waiting to happen.”
I ignored Trudy and focused on Celestia. Our eyes met in the rearview mirror. We exchanged grins.
“Where are we going, Dimples?”
“New Orleans. Trudy’s first real visit should be memorable. The other time doesn’t count.”
She went back to explaining about hurricanes to Trudy as we approached Twin Span Bridge. I notice the change in her the second we hit the bridge. Her heartbeat spiked, and her words faltered. At first I thought that she was remembering the devastation of the hurricane, but then I realized it was the water that bothered her.
I took her hand and pressed it against my chest. She became quiet. Her heartbeat slowed down to a normal beat before we were halfway across the bridge.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yes, thank you. How did you know?”
“I just do.” I planted a kiss on her knuckles. “You have nothing to worry about when I’m around.” Marguerite ought to be hanged for trying to drown her. And now she wanted to reconnect so she could find closure. It bugged the crap out of me.
Celestia went back to playing tourist guide for the rest of the ride, but kept her hand pressed to my chest as though the contact calmed her. Texas and Daiku appeared the moment we parked by a giant mural outside the Hilton Hotel. While Celestia and Trudy admired the mural, I studied the outlet mall. I wasn’t much of a shopper, but Raine would drag me from store to store while I griped, until I found a gaming store. This mall was three stories, and about ten times the size of the one in Kayville. It didn’t look packed for a Saturday. There must be a game or an event somewhere.
“How many stores are you planning on visiting?” I asked, studying the people on the escalators.
“All the stores. She’ll need clothes, shoes, and jewelry. I want to get something nice for Modgie and a scarf for Maera. You’ll like it.” Celestia took my arm. “I get to model clothes just for you.” She turned and looked over her shoulder. Trudy was already inside the first store, drawn to the colorful, stylish clothes.
“What is it?”
“Just a powerful energy. It’s hard to describe.” Her eyes closed briefly. When they opened, they were glowing. “There’s more than one. There are two. No, make that three. They are close together.” She turned and shook her head. “Damn.”
“What?” I studied the people around us.
“They’re gone. Wow. I mean one moment they were there and the next gone. They must be Immortals. Let’s go before Texas and Daiku send people running from the store.”
She was right. For whatever reason, the Grimnirs were not cloaked. My father had spoken to them before we left, so he might have suggested it. I didn’t care whether they were visible or not as long as they protected Trudy and Celestia. Three powerful energies sounded too much like Norns. What did they want?
I pushed aside the matter when we went inside the store and Celestia joined Trudy in the changing room. I found a seat and got comfortable, resigned to being bored. I fixed the camera settings for indoors.
My idea of shopping was going online and clicking on what I wanted. My Immortal guardians had set accounts for me on various online retailer sites and made sure the bills were covered by the end of the month. Hanging out at malls had been a chance to check out girls.
Trudy stepped out from behind the curtain in a bright pink outfit. I winced, but took a picture anyway.
“No. Too skimpy.” She rolled her ey
es and went back to change. The next one was, “Too tight.” She growled. Celestia stuck her head out of the curtains covering the doorway.
“Stop being impossible, Eirik. You are out as a judge. Texas and Daiku are in.” I didn’t realize the two Grimnirs had moved closer until she mentioned them.
“No tacky or skimpy outfits,” I warned without looking at the guys. After a few more trials, Trudy found her first outfit. The sales girl cut off the tag from the dress while she still wore it and gave her a bag to carry her old clothes in. She also found sandals and got rid of her boots. People in Helheim preferred boots lined with fur outside and sandals for indoors. The stones used in the hall helped trap heat, so it was never cold.
We were finishing with the cashier when Hayden and Zack arrived.
“I love your outfit, Trudy. It’s perfect for your coloring,” Hayden said.
“I agree,” Zack added. “Hot.” Hayden jabbed him with her elbow, a habit she shared with Celestia. “She looks amazing.”
We moved to the second store, which was larger. I got comfortable. Zack walked over, hands in his front pockets. He’d never liked me to begin with, but his attitude had gotten worse since Svartalfheim. He’d been upfront about who he blamed for what happened to Celestia, and I respected that. I blamed myself, too. But he’d crossed the line when he’d said I wasn’t good enough for her. So we were polite to each other and kept our distance. That he’d never told Celestia’s father about what had actually happened to her gave me hope of winning him over.
I was sure he’d ignore me the same way he’d done whenever he came to visit Celestia while she was in a coma. Instead, he dropped on the chair next to mine and mumbled, “Ever done this before?”
“Yeah. With Raine.”
“An ex-girlfriend?”
“No, a girl I grew up with in Kayville, my best friend. I hated it, but she put up with my bullshit, so I figured it was the least I could do.”
Zack grimaced. “Tell me about it. Hayden drags me around malls once every few months.” He rested his elbows on his knees and stared ahead. “So, can you come up with an excuse to get us out of this? I’m dying for coffee and there’s a shop upstairs. Your men can keep an eye on the girls.”
“Sorry, man. I promised Maera I’d take care of Trudy and that means not letting her out of my sight.”
“Oh, come on. She’ll be fine with your men.” He indicated Texas and Daiku with a nod.
The two Grimnirs stood by a rack, pretending to shop, and probably scaring away shoppers. They should have gone invisible. The sales girls whispered to each other and eyed them with a mixture of fascination and wariness, but lacked the guts to tell them to leave.
Trudy came out wearing a crazy hat, mismatched pants and top, and posed while Celestia and Hayden peered at us and waited for our reaction. Zack laughed. Even the Grimnirs chuckled. I just took pictures.
“I’m buying it,” she said a little defiantly. I didn’t complain this time. She was having fun. They all were. From Celestia and Hayden’s faces, they had a live Barbie to dress up. Einmyria should have come with them.
“She seems to be enjoying herself,” Zack said.
“Yeah, but if she panics or gets scared, she could shift,” I mumbled.
“Into…” Zack indicated a giant with his hand, and I nodded. “Damn.”
Whispers drew my attention to the salesgirls. They must have called their supervisor because an older woman was with them now. I adjusted my hearing and eavesdropped on their conversation. They definitely wanted the Grimnirs gone. I was tempted to tell the guys to cloak, but that might start a different kind of panic.
I glanced around. There were less than ten customers inside the store. Some peered in, saw the Grimnirs, and kept walking. Texas and Daiku were definitely scaring away customers, and I didn’t like the stares the salesgirls shot Trudy when she came out to get more clothes. It was time for damage control.
I walked over to the salesgirls and explained that the Grimnirs were bodyguards for the girls in the changing rooms.
“They are scaring away shoppers, sir,” the older lady said. She was fidgety, like she couldn’t wait to dial the mall security to boot us out. “Can’t they wait outside?”
“How much merchandise do you sell per hour on a slow Saturday like today?”
She blinked at me, glanced at her two workers, then back at me. “Excuse me?”
“In the next hour, how much do you expect to make?” I asked impatiently.
“Uh, a couple of hundred to, uh, a thousand?”
A thousand was pushing it. After all, this was an outlet for brand name merchandise, and most of the sales were at thirty percent or higher. But I wasn’t going to squabble over money. I pulled out my wallet, thumbed out a credit card, and offered it to her.
“Close your store for an hour, and we’ll spend anywhere between five hundred to one thousand, and tip the girls if they help.”
“Sir, I would never.”
“Then my men stay until the girls are done.” I went back and sat, but I was aware of their stares and whispers.
“What was that about?” Zack asked.
“They want to kick us out.”
“Why?”
“Daiku and Texas are scaring their customers, but the girls are having way too much fun to leave.” Celestia and Hayden started trying on goofy combination of outfits too. It was entertaining, but I kept an ear on the salesgirls and knew the moment they decided their next move.
The older salesgirl approached us, her smile uncertain. “We did it,” she said. “All the customers are gone and the store is closed for the next hour. The salesgirls will get your friends anything they need.”
“Thank you.” I handed her the credit card. She left with it.
“I can’t believe you asked them to close the store for you.”
“Not me. For them.” I indicated the changing rooms. Besides, I was enjoying watching Celestia model the clothes. She didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was only interested in my response. She ignored her cousin and the Grimnirs.
“I’d do anything to make her happy.”
“I’m happy to hear that because the jury is still out on whether you are good for her or not.”
I shot him a glance. “Seriously?”
“You just escaped death row, Baldurson. You might still end up there, so tread carefully. She’s been through a lot, and I’m not just talking about the crap you’ve put her through.”
I winced. “I know about Marguerite.”
“Worst Mother of the Year award recipient if there was one,” Zack retorted. “Shames me that we share blood.”
“Celestia wants to reconnect with her.”
“Like hell. Why?”
“She needs closure. She also discovered Marguerite adopted two girls after she left.”
Zack cursed. “That’s effed up. You need to put a stop to this. Take her out or something, before she hurts her again.”
“And deny Celestia closure? No, she needs this. But if Marguerite steps out of line, no one will know where the body is buried.”
Zack chuckled. “You are an okay, guy. You just moved to general pop.”
“No, I’m going for a Get Out of Jail Free card.”
The salesgirls arrived with different outfits once they figured out the girls’ sizes. Celestia had a distinct style, preferring long, flowing skirts or ripped jeans and frilly tops, and she loved boots. Whether ankle-length, calves, knee, or above the knee, she wore them with skirts, pants, shorts, and even dresses. My favorites were the ones that came to above her knees because she tried them on with short dresses, giving me a glimpse of more skin.
It didn’t matter what she wore. She was perfect. I wanted to join her and be her personal dresser, but Zack’s presence made that impossible.
After an hour, Trudy had picked several outfits and shoes. She went for bright colors—red, fuchsia, greens and blues. I threw in a couple of dresses and a pair of boots with Trudy’s purchas
es and tipped the salesgirls generously.
My Immortal guardians might have been lacking in affection, but they invested their money wisely and taught me to always tip people. Grimnirs could scare even the toughest of women, so I didn’t blame the salesgirls for being wary.
“Come back any time, and we’ll do this again,” the older woman said, grinning. The salesgirls nodded.
“Is there a woman immune to your charms?” Celestia asked, misunderstanding the exchange. I loved it when she acted possessive.
“Nope. After all, they’re mere Mortals.”
She laughed and slipped an arm around my waist when I tucked her to my side. Trudy rushed ahead of us to the next store. Texas and Daiku were the designated bagmen, but they kept up with her.
The store we just left must have made a few calls because the next few stores offered to close their doors for us. Since I wanted the girls to get the best service, I accepted their offers, kicked back, and relaxed. Zack smirked and shook his head.
“You must have led an interesting life in Kayville,” he mumbled.
“Not really. I was a typical high schooler.”
“Right. I bet you had the coolest car in school, the latest gadgets, and threads, and a monthly allowance average people make in a year.”
I chuckled. I had received a hefty allowance, which I’d only touched to order electronics and buy unhealthy snacks and fast foods when not eating at Raine’s.
“I drove a Jeep, my dream car, and bought cameras. I loved to capture important moments.”
“Loved?”
“Still do. Just don’t have as much time, and Helheim doesn’t really inspire me to take pictures. Other than the hall, there’s nothing I want to immortalize.” Celestia stepped out in a gorgeous lacy dress and above-the-knees boots and Zack ceased to matter. When she turned and showed us her back, blood rushed south and left me lightheaded. The dress had a triangular cut that showed most of her back. It was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. When she asked what I thought, I just stared at her like a moron. She smiled and went back to change again. I hoped that meant she’d buy the dress. I wanted to take her out and show her off in it. No, I wanted to capture her image forever.
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