Witches (Runes series Book 6)

by Ednah Walters

  “So you’re saying you and Torin are tight?” Beau asked.

  I crossed my forefinger and the middle one. “Like that.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d take that as a challenge.”

  “And you’d lose. Besides, you have enough girls panting after you.” We reached the lockers and I stopped in front of mine. “One more and your head would explode.”

  “You held my hand yesterday outside the cafeteria after deliberately bumping into me,” he shot back.

  My face warmed a bit at that. I’d done both and he was full of himself enough to have reached his own conclusion. “It wasn’t deliberate. As for holding your hand, I saw bruises on your arm and knuckles. They looked painful.”

  He frowned and I wished I hadn’t brought those up. The whole point was to make him feel at ease so he could ask me to tutor him. Sure I’d blown my chances, I unlocked my locker, retrieved his sweatshirt, and handed it to him. “I found it outside the boys’ locker room and it happens to have your name. Ok bye, unless you want Torin to think you’re hitting on me.” I wiggled my fingers.

  “Thanks.” He turned to leave and my heart dropped. Maybe he had someone in mind. Ellie was smart and a senior. McKenzie and I just happened to be one of the few juniors in the AP class.

  Beau stopped, pivoted on his heels, and faced me, a sheepish expression on his face. He shoved his hands in his jeans’ front pockets and glanced around as though making sure we were alone. “So, you want to do peer tutoring?”

  “Yeah. It will look good on my college application, but the few times I went to the resource room, they had more tutors than students.” I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder and started toward the school entrance. He followed. “I didn’t want to hang around, so…”

  “Do you have to do it here at the school?”

  So that was why he hadn’t attended peer tutoring. Embarrassment. No, an image or reputation thing. Guys like Beau liked to pretend that grades didn’t matter. “When I did it last year, we worked anywhere. My place. Her place. The Hub.”

  He was quiet. The front hall was empty and so was the schoolyard. We crossed the road running in front of the school and reached my car first. The parking lot was nearly empty, but his battered Chevrolet truck stood out. It was old and rusty, but I could tell he was trying to take good care of it. Part of it was freshly painted.

  “See you around, Beau,” I called out.

  He seemed undecided, and then he closed the space between us. “Would you consider tutoring me?”

  “You?” I faked surprise. “In what?”

  “English lit. Have you read The Scarlet Letter?”

  I nodded. “First semester. It was a tough one, but I enjoyed it.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I hate his style of writing. Anyway, if you can, cool. If you can’t…” he shrugged, but his expression was hopeful.

  I pretended to think about it then nodded. “Sure. When do you want to start?”

  After we set a time and place, I headed straight to the nearest Petsmart and splurged on everything cat—self-cleaning litter box, odor-control litter, and some of the best food a cat could possibly have. I was tempted to get her a tag since they had a machine for making them right there in the store, but I needed a name first. Fur-ball might get my eyes gouged out.

  As though she knew I came bearing her things, she stood at the top of the stairs when I opened the door. “Missed me?” I asked her.

  You wish.

  “She did,” Femi called from the kitchen. “We watched a little TV but she got bored and went to the window to look outside. Did you get her a flea collar? She could go outside to explore when she has one.”

  I placed my purchases at the foot of the stairs. “Yes, but I need a name before I can get her a personalized tag. Where do I put her food and water?”

  “The laundry room is large enough. I moved the hampers and created room for her litter box.”

  “Good. I don’t want my bedroom smelling like fish.” I went back to the car to get the litter. Mrs. Rutledge pulled up into her driveway and nodded without smiling. I bet she didn’t miss a thing.

  No one in our cul-de-sac owned a pet. A few neighbors had dogs when I was young, but I couldn’t remember what had happened to them. Then there was the Labrador on the other side of our backyard fence. The dog ran away so often Eirik and I were convinced dog snatchers, or dognappers as we had called them, got it. I didn’t think my cat was in any danger of being snatched. I was more likely to be scared for anyone crazy enough to kidnap Fur-ball than for the cat herself.

  I set up the litter box while she watched. Femi shook her head when she walked by and heard me explain how the box worked. I stashed the rest of the cat food in one of the cabinets, and headed upstairs.

  I had an hour of homework, then studies with Lavania.

  ~*~

  I peered into the mansion and listened for the housekeeper. All was quiet. It seemed like she’d already left for the day. I stepped into the room and the mirror portal from my bedroom started to change. My cat left her lofty place by the window and peered at me curiously before the portal disintegrated.

  The silence was almost spooky, reminding me of the days when Eirik and his parents had lived here. The Sevilles had tried to act like Mortals, surrounding themselves with expensive paintings and knick-knacks. I’d always known there was something off about them. They’d been cold and standoffish towards everyone, including Eirik, their supposedly adopted child. Turned out I was right. Not only were the Sevilles Immortals from Asgard, they were bound to serve the gods. And their adopted child, my best friend since I was little, had turned out to be the grandson of Odin. How I missed Eirik. I didn’t care that he was a god in his own right. We were raised together, like brother and sister.

  I headed for the stairs, hurrying past the living room. The room was more inviting than when Eirik had lived here. The chairs were comfortable and the expensive paintings and works of art had been replaced by more cheerful contemporary pieces, thanks to Lavania. The two story foyer with its winding staircase was still imposing, but I was no longer scared of knocking down a vase or some museum worthy décor.

  I headed upstairs and turned left past Andris’ bedroom and into the library. Of course, Andris had chosen a room close to books. The guy was a closet nerd. I’d even spied a pair of glasses by his bedside. Not that he would ever admit to owning a pair or loving books. Ingrid and Lavania’s bedrooms were on the other side of the second floor. Blaine’s and Eirik’s old bedrooms were downstairs by the pool. Torin could have taken Eirik’s room but he chose to stay closer to me.

  “I met your cat earlier when I stopped by your place,” Lavania said as soon as I entered the library. The entire wall of the room overlooked the pool below, which wasn’t being used today. The gang wasn’t around. Blaine, being an Immortal, was probably out on an assignment. Ingrid was probably at cheer practice or out with friends. She’d gotten an intern position in New York with some editor, but I didn’t know whether she still planned to take it. She was taking runic lessons from Lavania first.

  Andris had turned Ingrid into an Immortal using his personal runic artavo, instead of ones specifically chosen for her. Runes were weird like that. Each person had to use his or her own artavo. If you use someone else’s the effect only lasts a few centuries no matter how often you add runes. Ingrid was only a couple of centuries old, yet a few weeks ago, she’d found out that she was starting to age. Lavania was nice enough to get some artavo for her from Asgard. Lavania was also the one who’d given me my set, which covered artavo for body runes and special ones for surface runes that are used for creating portals or fixing things.

  Lavania was what you called an Immortal Maker. She had the authority to rune people, or Mortals as they called them, and turn them into Immortals. It was a long process that took months and lots of runes. I was still etching runes on my skin though not as often as I did seven months ago when she started training me. She’d been doing th
is a long time. She was the one who’d turned Torin and Andris centuries ago.

  I kicked off my shoes and sat on the mat across from hers. I’d gotten used to sitting on the floor on mats and using a low table when she taught. Usually the tables were lined up side by side and covered with runic text books, our books, and artavo holders for the three of us—Cora, Ingrid, and me. Since we weren’t working on runes and she was doing a one-on-one session with me, she’d pushed the three tables aside to create more room. If anyone walked in on us, we’d appear to be meditating.

  “Did you have a cat too?” I asked her.

  “Yes, before I joined the Vestal Virgins. I even named her Vesta after the goddess. We had several cats in the Temple, where we lived. In my time, cats were seen as the Gods of Liberty and sacrifices were made to them.”

  She’d joined Valkyries during the period when ancient Rome was at the peak of its civilization. “There should be a manual for all this, you know,” I said. “What to expect when a witch’s abilities start to show? How to train your familiar? What to do about visions or Norns?”

  She chuckled and took my hands. Torin poked his head inside the room and she shooed him away. Once the door closed, she focused on me.

  “We’ll figure things out,” she said. “I’ll show you how to channel your power, when to let it flow and when to shut it off. It will help you control your visions.”

  Yes! Exactly what I wanted to hear. “I know I have you, and some Witches like Rita and Gina have their mentors and parents to help them. But what about those who don’t have anyone and don’t belong to a coven? Do they freak out when their powers appear? I didn’t even know what the Call was until the Witches appeared here and Gina mentioned it.”

  Lavania sighed. “That’s because you’re a lot more powerful than most Witches and your powers are appearing much faster. Most times, the gift of sight is passed from parent to child, and the child learns from the mother.”

  Yeah, except my mother was a Valkyrie but hadn’t revealed that to me because she’d fallen in love with my father, a Mortal, and renounced her calling to be a soul reaper. The punishment was to never, ever mention anything to anyone about who she was. Not even me, her daughter. I was surprised the Norns hadn’t wiped Dad’s memories so he’d forget too.

  “Andris’ mother helped him understand his special connection with the spirit world way before he took lessons with the high priest,” Lavania said. “Torin’s case was different. His father wasn’t willing to share his knowledge with anyone, not even his children.”

  Selfish butthead.

  “Things were a lot easier for young Witches when we had schools,” she added.

  “Then why not open one again? After what the Earl and his Immortal followers did, there should be a safe place for Witches to go and learn. Norns could choose from among them instead of stealing Seeresses. Oh, and you could make sure the students not only learn magic in a controlled environment, but have expert teachers in all areas.”

  For a moment, she just stared at me. Warmth crept onto my cheeks. Like my mother, Lavania was centuries old. Though in her case, she could pass for a college student, which made it easy to sometimes forget she was my mentor. She was smart, patient, and wise. I liked that she was a good listener and often discussed my ideas without putting them down.

  “It’s scary when your powers blindside you,” I said. “And things are easier when you’re not alone. I mean, I have you, but—”

  “I know, dear.” She patted my hand. “I just don’t think I can run a school. It’s been so long. Centuries. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

  “Right here. You are teaching the three of us, but we are surrounded by Immortals with a vast knowledge of the supernatural world. Femi. Hawk. Blaine. Mom. Torin and Andris. Then there’s you. You’re so good with students, so patient. And your students love you. Look at Andris and Torin. They look up to you and respect your wisdom. I’m able to face new challenges because of the confidence you’ve instilled in me.”

  Everything I’d said was true except the part about my confidence. That came from my parents. They laid the foundation for me to thrive. Dad taught me to always plan for the unexpected while Mom taught me to embrace changes, no matter how hard. Lavania and my Seeress’ adventures just benefited from that.

  “I didn’t even know I could shape-shift… I mean, mimic other so that people only see what I want them to see,” I added.

  She nodded, a far-away look in her eyes. “That’s something you’ll learn years from now. Right now, we need to focus on controlling your powers.”

  “But I did it last night. I’m not good at it, but the goddess helped.”

  Lavania glanced at me as though I’d yanked her from miles away. “What goddess?”

  “Freya. She’s the one who dropped off Fur… my cat.”

  Lavania’s eyes widened. “Femi didn’t say anything about Goddess Freya dropping off one of her cats. She just said the cat was yours. I assumed Svana got her while you and the others were in Florida. Tell me what happened. From the beginning.”

  When I finished, she was pacing. Finally, she pulled her black hair to one shoulder and sat. Her hair had grown so much she could sit on it.

  “Show me,” she ordered.

  I closed my eyes and tapped into my power source. This time, I found the spark a little faster. As it bloomed, I let an image fill my thoughts. When I opened my eyes, Lavania was staring at me in awe.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  She made a face. “Unsettling. You look exactly like him. How long can you maintain it?” Excitement laced her words.

  “I don’t know.”

  There was a knock on the library door and Andris entered. He frowned when he saw us. “When did you get here?” he asked. “I mean, I just left you in the field a few minutes ago.”

  I jumped to my feet, grinning and hoping I had nailed Torin’s smoothness. I didn’t. I stumbled a bit. Torin wouldn’t. He was graceful. Adopting his easy loose-gaited stride, I sauntered to where Andris stood and dropped an arm around his shoulder.

  “That’s because I’m faster than you’ll ever be, little brother.” Then I kissed his temple with a loud smack, something Torin wouldn’t do, and smirked when annoyance crossed Andris’s face. “Shouldn’t you be assisting me with the team?”

  “You asked me to get Raine.” Andris pushed me away and swiped his temple. “Put your lips on me again and I’ll slug you.”

  I reached for him again, lips puckered up for a kiss. “Come on, Andris. Just one kiss. Plant it right here, hot stuff.” I touched my lips.

  He punched my arm hard. “You’re an ass.” Andris glanced at Lavania, who was watching us and trying hard not to laugh. “Stop enabling him. This shit is not funny.” He turned to leave. “I’ll be at the beach if you need me.”

  I blocked his path. He balled his hand and I knew he would slug me. He took a step back as I let the image of me fill my head. I knew I was transforming back to me when blood drained from his face.

  “Hel’s Mist! What… Since when…?” He stopped and glared when I started to laugh.

  “You should see your face,” I said between bouts of laughter.

  He wasn’t amused. “That was creepy. I should have guessed it wasn’t Torin. How did you do that?”

  “She’s a Norn-in-training, Andris,” Lavania said by way of explanation. “Give us thirty minutes, then you can take her.”

  “I prefer witch, or Seeress, or Völva-in-training,” I said.

  Lavania just chuckled. Half an hour later, I went in search of Andris and found him eating in the kitchen while searching for things online. He grinned when I sat next to him.

  “Can you shift into anything?” he asked.

  “Not yet. Right now, I can shift into those I love because I know them. You know, features, facial expressions, mannerisms.” I showed him and from the way his eyes widened and color crept onto his face, I knew I had surprised him. “Hi, I’m Andris. Everyone wan
ts a piece of me,” I said, imitating him. “Men or women, it doesn’t matter. Want to know why? Because I’m hot.”

  “That’s so corny and so me.” A weird expression crossed his face. “I wish…”

  I shifted back to myself. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  I sighed. “You too? When are you Valkyries going to learn that ‘nothing’ is not an answer? It is a concept that has no meaning or value. You can’t answer me with nothing.”

  He laughed. “You’re so weird. And yes, smarty pants. The answer in this case is nothing. Let’s go.”

  “I’m not leaving until you explain, dufus.”

  A glint appeared in his eyes. I was beginning to recognize that look on him. He was about to say something outrageous. Andris tended to be brutally honest.

  “You should be mine instead of Torin’s,” he said.

  He sounded serious. I didn’t think he was into me or felt anything lasting, but watching Torin and I get closer the last few months while he flitted from lover to lover couldn’t be satisfying. After all, he and Torin had been reaping together for centuries. He either felt left out or was simply jealous. And I knew there was only one way to deal with this.

  “First of all, I’m not his. He’s mine. Second, you and me? Really? First, you complain that I’m mouthy, stubborn, and I let emotions control my actions. Recently I’ve been promoted to weird. Torin might complain, but he loves those qualities in me. Second, you don’t have a type. Third, faithful is not in your DNA, which means I’d bore you in no time and then you’d break my heart.” I leaned and added, “And hell hath no greater fury than a witch scorned. I’d pay you back with a nastiest hex ever created and turn you into a eunuch. No, I’d make you see things.” He was laughing by the time I finished.

  “But you can shift into anyone. Think of all the famous people you could turn into. I wouldn’t be bored or unfaithful because you can shift into, uh, actresses and actors. Models. Musicians. Tennis players. Lately, I seem to have a thing for tennis players.”

  “And where would I be in your twisted world?”