I closed my eyes and fisted clumps of grass. Funny how touching the ground felt so amazing. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mind. I let the need to connect with the stadium fill me.
At first, all I heard was the crowd cheering and singing, the sounds rising and falling. Slowly, sunlight streamed in like a shaft of light into a dark room. It spread, until I was in the sun, standing on the Grass Berm on a sunny afternoon.
Fans on blankets sipped drinks and snacked on nachos, popcorn, and corndogs. Couples, parents with their kids, a few even had babies. A girl, about five in braids and a floral dress, played with her baby sister, completely indifferent to the game going on below. Two boys in LA Galaxy T-shirts alternated watching the players in the field and the trading cards of the players in front of them. Others watched the big screen at the other end of the stadium showing the close-ups of the players. The stadium was crowded, every seat filled.
Then a different sound mixed with cheers and the songs. It grew louder and closer. I shielded my eyes and searched for it. At first I saw nothing, but I recognized the droning engine of an airplane. Then I noticed people pointing at something. I followed the tip of the nearest finger to a low-flying airplane with smoke streaming from its rear end like a comet’s tail. I didn’t know if there was an airport nearby, but it looked ready to land. It already had its wheels out.
While the people on the grass no longer watched the game, the crowd in the stadium was still clueless. Then the plane appeared to crumple as though giant hands were breaking it into two. It changed direction and headed straight for the stadium.
Around me, the crowd gasped and panic swept over their faces. In seconds, chaos erupted. Parents grabbed their children. Husbands reached for their wives. They ran every which way, but there was nowhere safe. They were out in the open and the plane was faster.
Below, the ones in the stands were now aware of what was happening. Another pandemonium. Panic translated into screams and people started shoving and jumping over each other.
The plane hit the Grass Berm, the tail breaking off and the wings collapsing, taking people down. Blood-curdling screams filled the air. The impact slowed down the body, but not enough for it to stop. The sloping landscape did the rest. It tipped and rolled toward the stands and the running people. Some of the passengers were still trapped in their seats, unconscious. Others lay around the carpet of grass like broken dolls.
Bodies were everywhere, the injured screaming for help, the ones incapable of speech moaning. The rest were silent, their deaths swift. Their souls separated from their bodies to stare at the carnage.
The little girl with braids and floral dress was trapped under her father a few feet from me, crying and calling for her daddy. Her mother and the baby were gone.
I closed my mind and darkness replaced the gruesome scene. Then I heard Ingrid beg, “Come on, Raine. Come back.”
I didn’t open my eyes right away, but I felt the wetness of tears run like rivulets down the side of my face and into my ears. So many dead. And that poor little girl… All alone. I sat up and wiped the tears, but more kept appearing and I couldn’t stop shaking. I tried to tell myself it was just a vision, that I could stop it from happening.
Ingrid put her arms around me and rested her chin on the crown of my head. “Shh, it’s okay. It was only a vision.”
“The screams. So many dead. Going to… to…die.”
“What happened?” Torin asked sounding like he’d sprinted to reach us.
“She got a vision. A bad one.”
Torin’s arms replaced hers and for a few minutes I clung to him. So many were going to die. We had to do something. I wiggled out of Torin’s arms. “They have to cancel the game. You could convince them. Or we could call the airlines. I saw the logo on the plane. It’s wasn’t an American airline. We have to save them, Torin. That little girl…”
“Shh.” He wiped the wetness from my cheeks. I could read the frustration in his eyes. He hated seeing me in pain. “We will.”
No, he couldn’t be involved. “No, I’ll do it. You stay out of it. The Norns might use it against us.”
“Okay, luv. Whatever you say.”
I frowned. He was patronizing me, but I lacked the fire to get angry at him. “I just need to know who to call. LA Galaxy people? Maybe the airline? I could tell them something was wrong with their airplane.” I tried to remember the colors of the teams playing so I could pinpoint the exact day of the accident. I opened my eyes and looked into Torin’s. “I have to do it again. I didn’t get the team uniforms.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“No, but I must know which team is playing that day. It’s the only way to know the day of the accident.”
Torin looked over his shoulder. His team wasn’t done. He must have taken off in the middle of practice.
“I’m okay now. Go. Finish the game. I can do this.”
He glanced at Ingrid. “Take care of her.”
She nodded. I wanted to protest that I could take care of myself, but the vision was more important. I lay down again and opened my mind. This time, I willed myself away from the grass and into the field, and studied the uniforms, the names, and even the players’ faces. When the plane crashed, I watched the catastrophe from the field.
The people seated in the northern section, right below the Grass Berm were not going to make it. Their mistake was running toward the field. If Jace was going to be injured that evening, he would be seated in that section of the stadium.
Crap! I couldn’t stop the crash. If I did, Torin wouldn’t save Jace and get his first Immortal. If he failed, would the Valkyrie Council take away his promotion? My eyes flew open and I stared at Ingrid in horror. She reached for my hand.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I can’t stop it. I can’t stop the accident from happening.”
~*~
As soon as I got home, I went straight to Lavania when all I wanted to do was strip, get in a tub and have a long bath. The bloody scene was etched in my brain, and my skin crawled with it. Worse, I felt like all the deaths would be on me. Like I was going to fail all those people.
Lavania wasn’t in the kitchen, but Ingrid heard sounds coming from her quarters. The spacious bedroom had a sitting area with a large-screen TV, and a private study attached to it. It used to be Eirik’s parents’. He and I would hide there when we played hide-and-seek as children.
I knocked and was surprised when a man opened the door. The guy had red hair, a nicely trimmed beard, and piercing blue eyes. He had Norse god written all over him. Could he be Lavania’s mate from Asgard? I heard she’d married a minor god. He only wore a towel and from the looks of it, he must have just stepped out of the shower. I tried to keep my eyes on his face.
“I’m, uh, looking for Lavania,” I said.
He studied me with unnerving intensity. “You are Lavania’s young protégée. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Raine.” He bowed.
I blinked. “Oh. Thanks.”
“I’m Belmar, Lavania’s mate. Do come in.” He stepped back and indicated the room. “She went to get us something to eat and should be back shortly.”
I didn’t move. “Uh, I didn’t see her in the kitchen.”
“Oh no, she went to our home in Asgard.”
I bit my lip. “Could you just tell her I stopped by? I’ll talk to her later.” I turned to leave then glanced at him and offered a tiny smile. “It was nice to meet you, sir.”
“No, my dear. The pleasure is all mine.” Then a twinkle entered his eyes. “Maybe I could be of service to you?”
And what would he want in return? Gah, I was becoming suspicious of every god now. “No, but thanks for the offer.” When he smiled and bowed again, I changed my mind. He had kind eyes. “Unless you know something about Idun-valkyries like Lavania.”
He nodded. “She and I have been together for centuries, so I know of her work.”
“Is she given a list of people to turn into Immo
rtals or does she get to choose?”
A thoughtful expression settled on his face. “At first, she was given a list to prove herself. From my understanding, if she didn’t succeed in getting the people on the list, they’d assume she wasn’t ready.”
My interference could screw Torin’s chances. Lavania entered the room with a tray brimming with covered plates and bowls, and frowned when she saw me. She smoothly shooed her husband away and joined me, closing the door behind her.
“What is it?” she asked.
I quickly explained about the premonition and my concerns.
“Oh dear,” she murmured and my heart sank. “A Norn’s and an Idun-valkyrie’s works don’t complement each other very well. He can only offer them Immortality just before they die.”
“Have you ever lost people?”
“Oh yes. Not everyone wants to become Immortal. Although at the beginning of my training, the Council gave me a list of people they hoped would accept Immortality.” She peered at me, her brow furrowing. “This is a test, Raine. Torin can either pass or fail it. If he fails, it goes on his record and it will be centuries before he gets nominated again.”
Great! “Who provides the list?”
“The Valkyrie Council. You may have to let this one go, honey.” Lavania touched my arm. I nodded, turned, and left.
There had to be another way. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the plane crash and that little girl trapped under her father. Tears rushed to my eyes again.
How could I let this happen? All those people would die if I did nothing. Yet, I couldn’t take this opportunity from Torin.
I stripped and entered the shower. For what seemed like forever, I stood under the hot sprays and cried. What was the point of being a Seeress and not helping people? My bathroom door opened and I looked over my shoulder, my eyes widening. Torin? I covered my breasts, my back still to him. He’d never seen me naked.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a strangled voice I didn’t recognize.
“Joining you,” Torin said.
My heart trembled and my stomach dropped. I was naked while he wore shorts and a T-shirt, yet a feeling of deja vu washed over me and images that made no sense flashed in my head. We’d never showered together or made out in his shower. Yet the images said we had. Wishful thinking on my part perhaps, or a premonition? I shook my head.
“Is that a no?” Torin asked, reaching behind his neck with one hand and pulling off his shirt. He flashed a smile that said he’d try to make me change my mind if I denied him.
I swallowed and shook my head.
“So it’s okay to join you?”
I nodded.
“Use words, Freckles.”
He was being his usual impossible self. When he slipped his fingers under his waistband, my eyes widened. He chuckled. When I realized he wasn’t stopping, I faced the wall, my heart pounding with anticipation and panic.
What was he doing now? I wanted to check, but I didn’t dare. I heard the door close. He slipped his arms around me and pulled me closer until I felt every inch of his naked body. All of him. Pressed against my back. Holy smokes.
“I hate to see you cry,” he said.
Was I supposed to respond to that? I was too busy trying to control my erratic breathing, and my mind had stopped working except to monitor his every movement. I listened to his breathing, stared at his arms around my waist, and my flushed skin was aware of his every muscle pressed against mine. I didn’t think I could speak or move. In fact, I was sure the only thing holding me upright was his arm.
“Was the vision that bad?”
He seriously wanted to talk about that now? How about the fact that we were in the shower together? I nodded.
He dropped a kiss on my shoulder and swept my hair away from my neck. “Want to tell me about it?”
Hel’s Mist! I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t remember what I was about to say. My body was still reacting to the kiss he’d casually dropped on my shoulder. Worse, he was gently stroking my stomach and rubbing his cheek against mine. But the most distracting of all was all that skin and body parts pressed against me. I couldn’t think, let alone speak.
He chuckled and whispered in a husky voice, “It’s okay. We can talk later. Do you want me to wash your hair?”
I must have nodded because he reached for the shampoo, squirted some on my hair and gently lathered it. I pressed my hands against the wall since he’d let me go and my knees were like Jell-O.
“Close your eyes,” he said, fingers massaging my hair and scalp. “I’ve always wanted to wash your hair. It’s so thick and silky.”
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to respond to that, so I kept my mouth shut. He rinsed my hair and squirted conditioner on it.
“Funny how I’ve had all these fantasies about you that I swore I wouldn’t act on until you were my wife, but now I realize I was a fool. We could have been living them.” He chuckled, rinsing out the conditioner. “Some of them at least. The others might shock you.”
Wife. We’d never really discussed marriage although I’d hoped we’d be together for eternity. For now, I was more intrigued by, “Fantasies?”
Yay! I finally found my voice.
“Oh yes. So many and,” he lowered his head and whispered, “so naughty you’d kick me out of here if you knew.”
Kick him out? Never. “Like what?”
“Memorizing the perfection of your body.” He poured bathing soap on his hand and slowly rubbed it down my arms, until our hands met. He slid his fingers between mine. Again, his movements were slow and hypnotic. I never knew the skin between my fingers was so sensitive. “You have soft skin.”
He ran his knuckles back to my shoulders, his touch light and reverent as though he was worshiping my skin. He stepped back, soaped my shoulder blades, upper back, then slowly down the small of my back, even lower to my feet. Slowly, he came back up. He squirted more soap all over my front.
If we did this often, I’d be out of shampoo, conditioner, and soap within a week. Not that I was complaining.
“Close your eyes.”
He hadn’t been kidding about the memorizing part. My breath hitched at times and other times I just stopped breathing as he explored every curve and dip, his touch gentle, reverent, teasing. He had me completely under his spell. I forgot about the plane crash and the dilemma I was facing, and focused completely on him and the moment.
Sensations cascaded through me. I shivered and shuddered. I even begged him at one time though I wasn’t sure whether I wanted him to stop, or never stop.
He turned me around and said, “Open your eyes, luv.”
I stared at him in bemusement. He stroked my cheek and I leaned against his hand. “That was…” I couldn’t describe it. Better than this morning? He set a new bar every time.
He smirked. “Amazing, I know. Now put your arms around my neck.”
His arrogance was rearing its ugly head. I grew bolder, my voice returning. “Is ordering me around part of your fantasy?”
“Oh yes. Do you have a problem with it?”
Part of me didn’t like being ordered around, but another part got a kick from it. “Yes.”
“Get used to it. Now, kiss me.”
I cupped his face and kissed him, pouring all my love into it. When I lifted my head, I looked him in the eye and ordered, “Turn around.”
“This is not part of my fantasy,” he complained.
“No, but it’s mine.” He let me wash his hair, but before I could do my exploring, he was out the door. All I could see was his back. “What… Where are you going?”
“Home. This was about you, not me.” He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, picked up a second one and held it out for me.
How come he got to see me naked, but I couldn’t see all of him? I hated double-standards. I turned off the water and allowed him to wrap the towel and his arms around me. The towel was nice, but unnecessary. All I needed was his warmth to chase away the sudden ch
ill. I sunk against him, never wanting this moment to end. He pressed a kiss on my temple. “Did I mention what an amazing body you have? Every curve and dip.”
My face warmed. I had no response to that. “What do you mean this was about me?”
“You don’t trust me.”
I rolled my eyes. “You had lipstick all over your face and lips.”
“Slight exaggeration, but I forgive you.” He lifted my chin so I could see our reflections in the mirror. “Look in the mirror,” he said, eyelids dropping and lips curling in that slow, sexy smile I loved. Then he opened my towel. I tried to cross my arms. “Don’t do that.”
Again, images flashed in my head. Me in his bathroom trying to cover myself while he ordered me not to. How was this possible? It couldn’t be a premonition. I couldn’t see my own future.
“Look at you. You are breathtakingly beautiful.”
I didn’t see it. My hips were too wide and my chest too small. With my hair plastered to my head and no makeup, I looked like a drowned rat. He tucked the towel around me.
“Why would I want any woman when I have you? You’re it for me, Freckles. My alpha and omega.” He nuzzled my neck. “I’ll prove it to you every day if that’s what it takes for you to believe me, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”
My throat closed. He’d proven in more ways than I cared to count that he loved me. But I wasn’t saying no to what we just did. No, what he just did. I wanted more of that. A lot more.
“The fantasies?” I asked, reaching up to caress his cheek.
He turned his head and pressed a kiss in my palm. “I’m going to live them with you, one at a time. You can have your turn when you’re about a century or two.” He stepped back, his towel threatening to unwrap. I didn’t mind.
I lifted my chin and used my abilities to loosen it just a few more inches.
“Now get dressed,” he ordered, spoiling my moment. I should have just yanked the damn towel off. “I’m cooking us dinner. We can discuss your vision and what to do about it, then you can tutor that airhead.”
“Beau is not an airhead. Besides, people at school think you’re jealous of him.”
Witches (Runes series Book 6) Page 21
