“What do you mean?”
“He couldn’t leave you alone while we were dating, and now he’s treating you like a stranger.”
“It’s not Torin’s fault. The Norns erased his memories.”
Eirik scowled. “Why? Norns only scramble Mortals’ memories.”
“They did it to punish me.”
“What? Why?” Cora entered the cafeteria, and his eyes zeroed in on her. She’d changed her T-shirt and pants for a dress that looked really great on her. She must have had it in her car because there was no way she’d driven to her house and back that fast. Eirik dragged his eyes from Cora. “Never mind. We’ll talk later,” he added just as Cora slid beside him.
“Talk about what?” Cora asked, her eyes volleying between us. “What did I miss?”
“I was telling Eirik about my psychic business and my rates.”
Cora laughed.
Eirik wore a bewildered expression since he had no idea what I was talking about, but he caught on fast. “Yeah, brilliant idea.”
“I’m going to be the accountant.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “You can be the muscle.”
Eirik flushed.
***
For the rest of the afternoon, all I thought about was Eirik—his identity and why I was supposed to protect him. He might have dismissed the Norns’ warning, but I couldn’t.
During last period, a student aid came to my class with a note from Mrs. Underwood, my counselor. Somehow, I knew she’d want to see me.
I collected my books and headed toward the front office. We had three counselors and several students were already waiting. The only empty place left to sit was between two guys, one listening to his iPod while hitting imaginary drums and the other looking like he hadn’t bathed in decades.
Choosing the wall by the door, I let my backpack drop by my feet, placed the oboe case beside it, and pulled out my cell phone. I barely put in the earbuds when Mrs. Underwood’s door opened and a boy stepped out.
“Lorraine,” she said, opening the door wider.
I grabbed my things and followed her. I sat and hugged my backpack. The last time she and I had spoken, we met with the principal in his office. They’d been worried that my father’s accident had left me unhinged. I hadn’t blamed them or felt insulted. The school security officer had spotted me talking to an invisible Torin and assumed I was talking to myself.
Torin. I’d completely pushed his problem aside. What was I going to do about him? I had to help him remember me. I didn’t care what the Norns had said. He needed me just as much as Eirik did because he and I were meant to be together.
“Did you hear what I said, Lorraine?” Mrs. Underwood asked, leaning forward on her desk.
I blinked and stared at her. “I’m sorry. What?”
“How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
“No effects from your surgery?”
I shook my head and wondered if she would ask me about the meet and how I’d known the students were in danger.
“I know today was your first day back since we lost your teammates, and it couldn’t have been easy. I want you to know that my door is always open if you need to talk.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Underwood.” I started to get up.
“Please, don’t leave yet. I want you to come see me every day after school for the rest of the week.”
I groaned.
She smiled. “Just for a few minutes to catch up. How did things go today?”
“Good.”
“Did anyone give you a hard time?”
“Not really.”
She studied me intently as though she knew I’d just lied, but then she nodded. “Okay. You can go now.” She got up and walked me to the door. “See you tomorrow.”
She meant well, but there was really nothing she could do for me. Students still loitered around the school’s front entrance and silence fell when I walked past them. Like this morning, whispers followed and people moved aside to clear a path for me. This time I didn’t cringe. I expected it.
Outside, some of the buses were still at the curb while others had pulled away. A group of students gathered somewhere to my right were laughing and pointing at someone or something in the east parking lot. Hopefully, it wasn’t some poor student. People were such idiots. Shaking my head, I started across Riverside Boulevard.
“Raine!” someone called.
I looked left. Lavania and Ingrid stood beside the SUV I’d seen Andris drive this morning. Lavania waved me over. I wanted to ignore her, but she was my trainer. If I wasn’t in love with Torin, I’d tell her right now I didn’t want to be a Valkyrie. But the thought of spending the rest of my life as a human, aging, while Torin stayed young for goddess knows how long didn’t appeal to me.
Sighing, I walked toward them.
As I got closer, I noticed Andris behind the steering wheel staring at me with an unreadable expression. Had his memories been erased, too? Why wasn’t Torin with them? His bike was still parked at the curb.
“We’re going to get something to drink at the Creperie before heading home. Why don’t you join us?” She indicated the car, and Ingrid hurried to open the back passenger door.
I shook my head. “Sorry, I can’t. I’m meeting my dad at the shop.”
“Your dad can wait.”
Who died and made her my guardian? “No, he can’t.”
Lavania stepped forward, her eyes boring into mine. “Listen, I’ve been sent down here to train and help you with your transition. I think—”
“Yeah, about that,” I interrupted her. “I haven’t really made up my mind whether I want to be a Valkyrie or not. Could I have more time to decide? A week or two?” Maybe forever.
She chuckled, but her eyes grew cold. “No, you can’t. I’ve already wasted two weeks of my life hanging around while you were gone. You see, my naïve novice, it’s been six hundred years since I’ve had to deal with Mortals or even pretend to be one. Until two weeks ago, I had a life I enjoyed, friends my age, whom I loved chatting with, and an important position in Goddess Freya’s hall. Then she called me to her quarters and told me of a special Mortal that needed my guidance. A Mortal who can see Norns. A Mortal who can stop Norns from doing their job. That might seem like nothing to you, but up there, it is huge.” She moved closer, her eyes narrowing. “If the goddess is mistaken and you’re not that Mortal, tell me right now so I can stop wasting my time.”
Shocked by her attitude, I gawked. “But I didn’t stop the Norns. Twelve of my friends died.”
“There were supposed to be more,” she said. “At least five...” she glanced at Andris.
“Seven,” he said.
Lavania smiled. “Thanks, sweetheart. See, you saved seven people, including Eirik and your blonde friend. Did you know that you pushed Eirik so hard he flew across the pool deck, slammed against the wall, and lost consciousness? Have you asked yourself how you, a mere Mortal, managed that?”
I shrugged. I’d wondered how Eirik had ended up unconscious on the dry end of the pool deck. Had I protected him without even knowing it? How had I done it? Only Valkyries had that kind of strength. Did the Norns do more than mark me when I was a baby? I really had to talk to my mother.
“I gotta go,” I said. “I’ve tons of homework, and my father is expecting me. I, uh, can join you when I finish with him.”
Lavania shook her head. “Not good enough. You must come with us now.”
Was this how she planned to teach me? Do things her way or the highway? “Fine. I’ll follow you in my car.”
“No. We’ll bring you back to pick it up.”
I glanced at Ingrid. She looked worried. Andris was amused. He shrugged. “Never argue with her. She always wins.”
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll leave my backpack and oboe in my car.” I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm. I winced as her nails dug into my skin.
“We have enough space in the SUV, Raine,” she said. “Now be a dear and enter
the car.”
What was her problem? “Then let me collect my wallet. I left it in my car.”
“The drinks will be my treat.” She tugged my arm.
A bad feeling washed over me. She didn’t want me to go to my car. Why? I glanced over at where I had parked. Eirik and Torin appeared to be doing something to my car. Somehow I hadn’t realized that the crowd I’d seen earlier had been near my car.
Lavania’s grip tightened. “Okay, some students trashed your car, and Torin is taking care of it,” she said, her voice gentler.
I yanked my arm from her hand and ran across the nearly empty parking lot, my heart pounding. Torin and Eirik knelt by the back tire. Torin was sketching runes on the tire, which had a huge tear and was deflated. More runes covered the windows of my car.
“What did they write on the windows?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Torin said. He glanced at Eirik. “Get her out of here.”
I raised a finger when Eirik stood. “No, I’m not going anywhere. What did they write on my car, Eirik?”
“Die, witch, d—”
“Shut up, Seville.” Torin’s eyes narrowed on my face. “We’ll find whoever did this, Freckles, and make them pay.”
4. MISUNDERSTOOD
“You called me Freckles,” I whispered, staring at Torin.
A bewildered expression crossed his face. “What?”
“Freckles, my nickname.” I touched my nose. He looked more confused, which told me he must be remembering things on a subliminal level without understanding what they meant. I sighed. I was in for a very long and very painful recovery phase. I should’ve been happy his subconscious was spitting out information, right? It meant his memories were there, just suppressed. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate yet. “Never mind.”
I caught Eirik’s eyes. He was staring at us and scowling. His gaze shifted to someone behind me and I turned. Lavania and Ingrid had followed me. Andris hadn’t left the SUV.
“You were supposed to keep her away,” Torin snapped.
Lavania’s eyes narrowed. She obviously didn’t like his tone. She glanced at me. “You have a week.” Then she whipped around and nodded at Ingrid. “Let’s go.”
I watched her leave, hating her attitude, wishing I could tell her I didn’t want to train period, even though it wasn’t true. I wanted to, but at the same time, it seemed like a huge step to take. So permanent. When I’d thought I’d be with Torin, it had seemed like the right thing to do. Now, not so much. Then there was Eirik’s situation to consider.
When I turned around, Torin was working on the next tire. He didn’t seem to care that someone might see him. Eirik offered him cover, but it still wasn’t safe even though the parking lot had only a few cars left. The staff parking lot had more cars, but it was on the west side of the school compound and too far for them to notice anything. I opened the front passenger door and put my backpack and the oboe inside the car before joining Torin and Eirik.
I studied the runes Torin had just sketched. Air filled the deflated tire, then the slashes sealed. I tried to catch his eyes, but he moved to the last tire. I followed, loving the fact that I could be this close to him. I wanted more. To touch him. Kiss him. Force him to look at me again. Really look.
I cleared my throat. “What runes are you using? Air-flow-into-the-tire runes or fix-a-flat runes?”
The corners of his lips lifted into a half-smile. “More like they’d-bloody-well-stay-inflated-forever-or-else runes.”
I laughed. His British accent became stronger when he was pissed. “Do I need to take the car to the shop after this?” I asked.
“Nah. This will hold until the treads wear thin and need changing. The next person who tries to slice your tires is in for a surprise.”
I frowned. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Oh yeah.” He still didn’t glance at me.
Short of grabbing his head and yanking it toward me, I had to wait. I hated the way he was acting. The old Torin had openly sought me out and got a kick out of shocking me. “They’ve already labeled me a witch. A tire that can’t deflate will only confirm it.”
“I don’t care what they think,” he snarled. “Your safety is more important.”
At least his instinct to protect me was still there. “I can’t afford to think like that, Torin. I want all this,” I indicated the car with a brief wave, “to go away.”
“It will. Mortals don’t mess with what they fear. They’ll leave you alone for a while, which is not bad.”
“Spoken like a loner.”
He grinned. “True. You should also charge more for your psychic readings for those brave enough to ask. A thousand bucks perhaps?”
“Oh, you sneaky… You eavesdropped on me?”
“I couldn’t help it. You had them believing everything you said and...” His voice trailed off as our eyes finally met. The moment stretched. The grin disappeared from his lips, and blue flames leapt in the depth of his sapphire eyes. We were so close I could count his eyelashes.
How could he forget moments like this when we’d looked at each other and gotten lost in our little world? His eyes shifted to my lips, and I stopped breathing. It was as though he’d reached out and touched them. My lips tingled, then parted slightly in an invitation. All we had to do was move a few inches toward each other and we’d kiss.
He must have thought it, too, because he inched closer, his eyes burning.
A sound came from above me, and my head whipped up. Eirik. I’d completely forgotten his presence. From his annoyed expression, he knew it, too, and didn’t like it. My cheeks warmed.
“I’ve swim practice, so see ya,” Eirik said through clenched teeth and took off.
Torin ignored Eirik and continued to study me with a conflicted expression as though he wasn’t sure whether to grab me and kiss me or run. I wanted more time with him, but it wasn’t going to be now.
Sighing, I jumped up.
“Eirik, wait up.” He kept walking. I didn’t catch up with him until he stopped by his Jeep. “Eirik—”
“Freckles? How close did you and Torin get before the Norns scrambled his memories?” he practically snarled.
This wasn’t how I’d wanted him to find out about Torin and me. “We talked a bit.”
“A bit? He has a nickname for you, Raine. One you hated when we were kids. Were you seeing him behind my back?”
Heat seared my face. “Not really. We were neighbors, Eirik, so we talked, and he gave me a ride to school once.”
His eyes narrowed, and I wondered if he was remembering the few times Torin came to my rescue when he wasn’t around. “Did you kiss him?”
“Eirik,” I said and sighed.
“I guess that means yes.” His glance shot past me to Torin. “Bastard.”
“Don’t. You don’t understand.”
He yanked open the door of the Jeep and paused before getting inside. He studied me and smiled, but it was a sad smile. “Actually, I understand perfectly. He took advantage of you. You’re seventeen while he’s older and more experienced. He healed you when he wasn’t supposed to, and I bet he told you he was a Valkyrie. They are not supposed to tell Mortals such things.”
“He didn’t take advantage of me,” I insisted. I glanced over my shoulder to find Torin watching us from my car. I hoped he couldn’t hear our conversation. “He didn’t tell me he was a Valkyrie. Andris did. On the night of Homecoming Dance. By then Torin had already disappeared.”
Eirik frowned as though mentally taking a step back. “So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying things are a lot more complicated than they seem.” I wish I could just tell him the truth about Torin and me, all of it. I hated keeping secrets from him. Until I knew what the Norns meant by he needed my help more than Torin did, I had to play it safe. Unlike Eirik, I didn’t doubt the Norns. There had to be a reason why he was raised on Earth. “We’ll talk tonight. I’ll explain everything.”
His eyes
moved back and forth between Torin and me. For a second, I thought he’d say no. I sighed with relief when he nodded curtly. “Okay. Tonight.”
Eirik was changing, and I hated it. Hearing him use the word ‘Mortals’ several times as though he and I hadn’t grown up as neighbors, fought over stupid things like sand shovels and buckets in our backyards, shared everything including the same bedroom during naptime and sleepovers bugged me. I wanted the old Eirik back. He’d been sweeter, cocky but lovable.
I waited until he drove away before walking back to my car. Torin watched me with an unreadable expression, fingers shoved into his front pants pocket except for the thumbs.
“What’s his problem?” he asked.
You, I wanted to say. “He’s worried about me. That’s all. Thanks for fixing my car.”
“No problem. Is he your boyfriend?”
I stared at Torin. Maybe the stress finally got to me, but the question hurt. You are my boyfriend, I wanted to yell even though I knew it wasn’t his fault he couldn’t remember. Needing distance between us, I shook my head, turned without answering him, and pulled open the car door with more force than necessary. He gripped the door before I could slam it shut.
“Raine,” he whispered softly.
“Don’t. I’m trying really hard to be understanding, but it’s hard.” Tears welled in my eyes. No, I’m not going to cry. No, no, no! I was better than this. Crying over a guy was something I’d never done until I met Torin. I looked away from him and blinked hard to stop the tears from falling.
“Look at me.”
“No, go away.” I pushed the key into the ignition.
“Please.” He took my chin, lifted it, and turned my face toward him. A spasm crossed his face as though seeing the misery in my eyes—there for the entire world to see—was too much for him. He caressed my cheek. “I’m sorry I always make you cry or angry.”
“I’m not crying,” I ground out and blinked harder. “And I’m not angry.”
He pressed his thumb on my lips to stop me from talking, and the effect on me was instant. My lips tingled, his touch searing. A storm of longing burst deep in my soul, and I shuddered. I was completely helpless against the effect he had on me.
Immortals (Runes book 2) Page 4
