“You okay?” he said, eyes darting around the room before coming to me. I grinned. He frowned, squatting. “You’re smiling.”
I nodded. “You’re my hero.”
He reached out and stroked my nose. He loved my freckles. Always had from the first moment we met. He slid down and sat beside me, bringing his warm and intoxicating scent. He always smelled nice. “Except you don’t need me rescuing you, do you?”
“Not this time.” I rested my head on his shoulder while he stroked my arm. I trembled. My reaction to his touch had never changed since we met. A touch and I melted. Heck, he didn’t even have to touch me for my body to respond. A look across a room often did the trick and he knew it and loved it, the arrogant Valkyrie.
My mother and Femi joined us through the door, their eyes frantically searching my room. Usually, they’d react to my scream like it was the end of the world, but not today because they’d known I was with the goddess.
“You know, if I was being attacked and Torin wasn’t here, I’d be dead by now.”
At least they had the decency to look guilty. Mom recovered first. “What a terrible thing to say,” she reprimanded.
“Don’t even try it, Mom. You knew she was up here, didn’t you?”
She gave a brief laugh. “Yes, but uh…”
But nothing. Her loyalty was to the goddess, I knew that and understood why. My focus shifted to the cat.
So this was my present? Coat sleek and black as midnight, emerald green eyes that reminded me of Mom’s eyes, which was a plus, except they were slit like the cat couldn’t wait to scratch the crap out of me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Her fur rose as she arched her back. You should be, skreyja vilfill. I’m being forced to live in this godforsaken realm because of you.
“What’s going on?” Torin asked.
“I stepped on the cat,” I said, giving him a sheepish look.
His eyebrows shot up. “You have a cat?”
“Not really. She’s a present, but she doesn’t want to be here.” I glanced at the cat. “Maybe you can take her back to Asgard.”
The cat’s arched back slowly lowered.
“No, you can’t,” my mother said in a horrified voice.
“Why not?” I asked. “Because your goddess brought it?”
One second Torin was beside me, the next he was on his feet. “We had a deal, Mrs. Cooper.”
“I know, dear. We were surprised when she appeared and asked if she could see Raine. I had no time to prepare. And she came bearing gifts.”
“So did the Greeks,” Torin murmured, but I heard him. Did he mean that the cat was like the Trojan horse?
“She’s very particular about who gets her kittens, Torin.” Mom went down on her knees, studied the cat, and smiled. “No, this one is not a kitten. She’s one of the goddess’ own. The changeling from the last litter.”
“What deal are you two discussing?” I asked, my eyes volleying between Torin and Mom.
“It’s nothing, hun.” Mom got up, and Torin gripped her arm, leaned in, and murmured something to her.
“Hey,” I called after them when he started to lead her out of my room.
“Bond with your cat, Freckles,” Torin said.
My jaw dropped. That sounded like ‘mind my own business’. The arrogant…
I tapped into my magic. It wasn’t easy getting the spark going, but I hoped it was enough. I let images fill my head and willed them into his. Torin stopped and squinted at me. I gave him an innocent smile.
“What did you just do?” Femi asked, surprise sharpening her blue eyes.
“Projected something to him. You felt it?”
She nodded. “Yes. Nice. You’re getting stronger.”
I grinned. “The goddess showed me how to find the source of my magic. It’s not easy, but with time, I might do it without stressing about it,” I said. My focus shifted to my unwanted feline present. “Cats have never liked me. This one will probably hate me forever because I stepped on her tail. It was an accident.”
“Goddess Freya,” Femi whispered, her expression dreamy. In fact, I doubted she’d heard anything I said. “I never thought I’d ever meet her.”
Femi was an Immortal, which meant she’d never visited Asgard. The gods tended to ignore Immortals, since they were turned in order to serve Mortals.
“Was she nice to you?” I asked.
“Oh yes, very nice and gracious. None of my friends will believe me when I tell them I met her.” She thumped her forehead. “For all that’s holy, why didn’t I think of taking a selfie with her?”
A selfie with a goddess. I laughed. Femi would have asked too. She might be pint-sized, but she was feisty. “Maybe next time.”
“Maybe next time what?” Mom asked as she and Torin returned.
“Take a selfie with Goddess Freya,” I said while studying their faces. Mom seemed the same. She even laughed at my response, but Torin… I was getting some weird vibes from him. He didn’t meet my eyes. What had Mom told him? I knew he wasn’t too crazy about me being a witch, but I thought he was adjusting. Maybe he didn’t like the idea of Goddess Freya paying me a visit in the middle of the night.
I reached for his hand and tugged. He slid down beside me on the floor. I searched his face and got my answer when he flashed one of his sexy grins. He wasn’t fooling me. Something was wrong. Mom tried to reach for the cat and she hissed.
“I can’t keep her,” I said. “She’s feral.”
Call me feral again, baulufotr, and you’ll be sorry.
Baulufotr. Skreyja vilfill. They all sounded like curses. Part of me wanted to ask Mom if I was supposed to hear the cat or not, but another part shied from sharing that bit yet. Like I said, Torin wasn’t too thrilled about my witchy gifts, especially after I’d put a whammy on him before he battled his father.
“Cats hate me,” I griped.
Mom stood. “No, they don’t.”
“They do too. Don’t you remember how often I begged for a dog or a cat when I was little? And how we’d go to the pet store or animal shelter, and they’d hiss at me and the dogs would snarl?” My eyes met Torin’s. “Eirik used to call me animal repellant. I ended up getting fish and birds. Why couldn’t the goddess give me a bird? Isn’t she the patron of ravens?”
Mom dismissed my words with a wave of her hand. “Swallows and cuckoos, and Eirik didn’t know any better. You and the cat will bond and work together. Returning her would only insult the goddess.”
I knew about the bond between a witch and her familiar, but that didn’t mean I had to have one. I was an elemental witch. I communicated with the elements of the earth. “Did you guys have cats?”
Mom nodded. “Saoria was a charming companion.”
“Azhara saved my life more often than I care to admit,” Femi said.
Mom had a Celtic background while Femi was an ancient Egyptian. Both were thousands of years old. I was dying to find out if Mom’s cat ever talked to her, but I wanted to be alone with Torin and find out what was wrong. His hand let go of mine, leaned forward, and extended toward the cat.
There was no hissing. The cat left its hiding place and sniffed his hand, then rubbed her cheek against it. The little traitor!
“See? Just be as gentle as Torin,” Mom said.
The cat continued to rub her neck against his fingers. Finally, Torin picked her up and lifted her up like a baby, hands under her front legs. The two had a stare-down. It was both cute and impressive. Both had hair the color of midnight and sapphire eyes—Torin’s blue and the cat’s green. Both were deadly. One swipe and the cat’s claw could leave nasty gashes on Torin’s handsome face. And with very little effort, Torin could crush the cat’s skull. The effect of strength runes was scary to watch. I’d seen Torin bring down a tree with a blow. It was as though he and the cat were sizing each other up. When it seemed like they’d reached an understanding, Torin lowered the cat to his thigh.
And what do you know. The
fur-ball curled up like they’d known each other forever. Seriously? Everyone adored Torin. He’d won Mom’s heart a long time ago and earned Dad’s respect. And now he had even bonded with my familiar before me.
He belongs to me, I forcefully projected to the little cat.
The cat purred and closed her eyes. Jealous?
I blinked, surprised she’d heard me. Not of a four-legged fur-ball.
Kiss my paws, baulufotr. You need me, not the other way around.
Great! I didn’t just get any normal witch cat. She had to be smart-alecky. Torin glanced at me, saw my expression and smirked, but I saw through it. Something was wrong. I glanced at Mom. I wanted her and Femi to go. The cat situation could wait until tomorrow.
“Goodnight, Mom. Femi.”
Mom glanced at Femi. “I guess that’s our cue. Goodnight, hun. Torin. Don’t keep her up late. It’s a school night.”
As soon as the door closed, Torin said, “Why were your eyes glowing when I arrived?”
“I’ll explain after you put her,” I pointed at the cat, “down. I don’t even know what to call her or where she’s going to sleep.” The cat lifted her head and glared at me.
Torin scratched her neck. “You should name her. It might help with the bonding.”
“No, thanks. She’s going back to Asgard,” I said even though I knew she wasn’t. “Were you reaping?”
“No, scouting at StubHub Center. I’m subbing for a math teacher at a local high school and coaching a U-16 youth soccer team for LA Galaxy Academy in the evenings. Most of the team members go to the school.”
Torin often befriended those whose souls he reaped. “And that bothers you?” I pried.
“Nope.” He was such a liar. “It’s just a job.”
He didn’t look too thrilled. StubHub Center was in Carson, California. It was the National Training Center for the U.S. Soccer Federation. There was no telling which team was about to have an accident because they held camps and competitions for all U.S. soccer programs in the area and for national teams. Even the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) used the stadium. Torin and Andris could be waiting for souls of teenagers or grown men. Something about his present assignment was bugging him, but I couldn’t figure out what.
“Can I come with you tomorrow and watch you coach?”
He chuckled. “Why? You hate sports.”
I bumped him with my shoulder. “Hey, I cheered the loudest when you were the quarterback.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We have a game on Saturday at three, but I’m having them practice at five every day this week. They made it to the quarterfinals.”
“Then I’ll come tomorrow after I shop for her,” I nodded at the cat.
“Don’t you have after-school lessons with Lavania?”
Lavania Celestina Ravilla was my trainer and a Valkyrie. “Yeah, but I should be done by five.” I stifled a yawn and the cat yawned too. Coincidence? “Seriously, where is she supposed to sleep?”
“The window blanket.” Torin got up and placed the cat on the window seat. The cat moved around as though searching for the most comfortable spot, then laid down. Dang, my favorite throw blanket was going to be covered with cat hair. No more window seat for me.
“Cats are smart. They can sense when someone doesn’t like them,” Torin added and threw me a censuring look.
But do they project their thoughts into people’s minds? “She doesn’t like me.”
“She doesn’t know you yet.” He pulled me up, wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. “Once she does, you two will be inseparable.”
“Since when are you okay with me being a witch?”
“Since you and your witch friends defeated the Earl.” He grinned. “Now stop talking and kiss me. I haven’t seen you since this morning.”
He liked to order me around, but I didn’t mind this time. I studied him. He was still the cocky and outrageous guy I fell in love with, but something was off with him tonight. His voice had changed when he’d mentioned his father. Four days had passed since we’d defeated the Earl of Worthington, but the Immortal was very much alive despite the fact that Torin had vowed to kill him. A fact that still bothered him. A trip to Florida over the weekend to unwind had appeared to help. I’d made sure of that. But now that we were back home in Kayville, everything must remind him of what his father had done to his mother, and the fact that he hadn’t killed him.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Torin said.
I tilted my head. “Like what?”
“Like you’re using your witchy powers to see stuff I’m hiding from you.”
On a normal day I would have told him I could see through his bullshit and that hiding things from me only caused friction between us. “What stuff?”
“The hot California girls. The nude beach Andris found.”
He was really trying to act normal and I loved him for it, but he didn’t fool me. “He would. One day he’ll catch something runes can’t cure.”
Torin frowned. “Sometimes I think that’s his intention. He does the craziest things.”
Nah, Andris loved life too much to have a death wish. On the other hand, Torin had known Andris for centuries and might know a lot more about him than what I’d seen in the past eight months.
I tilted back Torin’s head and studied his eyes. Shadows drifted like a dark rain cloud across his sapphire blue irises. “What’s going on?”
A spasm of something—anger or pain, I couldn’t tell which—crossed his face. “You have five seconds to kiss me, or else,” he threatened.
Or else what? He needed me as much as I needed him. I kissed him, pouring all my love into the kiss and hoping to erase whatever had caused his pain.
The next second, my back was on the bed and he was crushing into me. Not that I was complaining. The invasion of my senses sent a shudder through me and I pulled him closer, my fingers sinking into his hair, my other hand slipping under his shirt to caress his back.
He rained kisses down my neck, his mouth relentless, one hand holding my head in place as though making sure I didn’t move. Shudders rocked him and he pulled back, but I wasn’t ready to let him go yet. He, on the other hand, had his own idea. He trapped my arms above my head, easily circling my wrists with just one of his hands.
“Torin,” I protested.
“Engage your runes,” he ordered.
I didn’t like being ordered around this time, but once again, I let him get away with it. He was in a strange mood. His runes were already blazing and as he lowered his head, I caught a glimpse of the grim determination in his eyes. He needed me to forget something. I just wished I knew what it was. I didn’t push because he would eventually tell me everything. His mouth did its own exploration as he reduced me to a trembling mass of needs and cravings. I squirmed, getting frustrated fast.
“Let go of my hands,” I begged.
“No.”
“Yes.”
He kissed me again, as though to shut me up. Then he stopped and rolled with me, so I was on top. I stroked his arms, loving the way his muscles jerked. He watched me from under half-closed eyelids. I loved that look on him. It was sexy, yet challenging. Like he was daring me to be bold. My hands skimmed over his broad shoulders, my lips following. When I nipped him, he jerked. I soothed the skin with my tongue.
He smelled nice. Woodsy. Exotic. Intoxicating. I burrowed my nose in his neck and breathed him in. Was it possible to want someone as badly as I wanted him now? I showed him and he groaned.
I glanced at him. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Don’t. Don’t ever stop loving me, Freckles,” he growled. That was all I needed to hear.
I ran my tongue along his lower lip, then the upper one before slipping my tongue inside his mouth to play with his. His chest heaved with the strain of holding back. I trailed kisses down his neck as tremors shot through him.
“We need to stop now,” he said.
“No,” I protested. I could tell he didn’t want to and I was tired of waiting for him to make up his mind. Tired of being a virgin.
“Shh,” he added when I opened my mouth to complain. “If I claimed you and made you mine, Freckles, I wouldn’t want to stop. I’d want to do it again and again, all night and into the next day. That’s what honeymoons are for. I’ve waited for you for nearly nine centuries, I can wait a few more months.”
Okay, put that way, I could live with it. Sort of. Why couldn’t he be like most guys? You know, selfish with a raging libido? “What if we agree to stop after—”
He pressed a hand to my lips. “I will not negotiate with you when it comes to this, Freckles. There’ll be no stopping and no going back once you are mine. And tonight…” He sighed. “In the mood I’m in, things could get out of control fast.” He pulled me closer as though to absorb me into him and pressed a kiss on my forehead. I swallowed my disappointment and hugged him tight, the glow from our runes blending.
Once our hearts slowed to a regular beat, I lifted my head and studied him. “What happened?”
For a brief second, I was sure he’d blow me off. He tended to keep secrets in the name of protecting me, but after the fiasco with his father, I hoped he had learned his lesson.
“I saw my father tonight,” he said.
His statement robbed me of words. One, Torin always referred to him as the Earl. Second, I hated that conniving bastard. Hated what he’d done to Torin’s mother and what he was doing to Torin now. No wonder he was a mess tonight.
“Where?” I asked.
“StubHub. He watched me coach, then came over after we were done.” Torin took my hand and pressed a kiss on my knuckles. Only then did I realize that I’d formed a fist. He uncurled my fingers and pressed a kiss in my palm as though to take away my anger.
I tried to relax and pretend we were discussing something mundane, but I couldn’t. The Earl was pure poison. My anger grew. “What did he want?”
Witches (Runes series Book 6) Page 4
