I laughed and took his arm. “No. It’s perfect. What did he say?”
“You are his little princess and if I hurt you, he’ll hunt me down like a rabid dog and decapitate me.”
I giggled. “My father is not that blood thirsty.”
Torin chuckled. “No, he’s not. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘No man, Valkyrie, or deity will ever be good enough for my little warrior, so treat her with the respect she deserves, young man, or I’ll be the soul that refuses to be reaped.’”
That sounded like something my father would say. “He knows about left-behind souls?”
Torin shuddered. “He knows I can’t stand them and was taunting me.”
“I’m sure he was just shocked by your gallantry.” I tugged at his arm and added in an exaggerated British accent, “Welcome, Sir Torin St. James. Your breakfast waits.”
“Your accent is atrocious,” he said, trying hard not to laugh.
Breakfast was fun and took longer than my usual five minutes. I hated to see him leave, but the thought of spending the next several hours with him had me racing upstairs to shower and change. I dressed warmly in a three-quarter-sleeve top, long pants, and knee-length boots. I grabbed a pair of gloves and hurried upstairs. I couldn’t wait to learn how to create portals so I could just slip into his room in a matter of seconds.
Outside, the skies were overcast, but it hadn’t started to rain yet. Mrs. Rutledge was doing something on her porch. For once she didn’t cross herself or run back into her house as though I was Hel’s spawn. She even smiled and nodded. I gave her a tiny smile. She must have decided I wasn’t evil anymore.
I headed next door, aware she was still watching me. The garage door was open. Were we taking the SUV? I hoped not. Torin appeared from the other side of the SUV where he kept his Harley, a helmet under his arm. My helmet. I recognized the red lightning bolt on the side.
“This is—”
“Mine,” I said. “You remembered?”
A spasm of an emotion I couldn’t define crossed his face. “No. I guessed.” He came to stand in front of me and carefully slipped the helmet on my head. The first time he’d done it, I’d been nervous about riding with him. Nervous, but excited.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“Just remembering the first time we rode on your Harley.” His eyes grew stormy as he tucked my hair under the helmet. This time, I recognized the regret in his sapphire eyes. Any reminder of the past bugged him. “Never mind.”
He tilted my chin, rubbed his thumb across my lips, ruining a perfectly applied lip gloss then kissed me. It was a total invasion of my senses and though I welcomed it and gave as good as I got, I knew something was wrong. When he lifted his head, he was frowning.
“It doesn’t matter that you don’t remember, Torin,” I said.
Blue eyes studied me. “It does to me. I feel like I’m competing with myself. My other self.”
“But—”
“I know it sounds insane, but the memories the Norns took are part of our shared experience, Freckles.” His eyes flashed with determination. “I want them back. All of them.”
They meant that much to him? I reached up, pushed the lock of hair from his forehead, and caressed his face, my eyes smarting. “Okay. Then we’ll do everything we can to get them back.”
His eyes narrowed “Are you crying again?”
“No, I’m not.” I straddled the bike and sat. “So Andris decided to give Rod back?”
He chuckled. “I told you he was testing me. He can be an ass, but he’s not bad. He knows Rod and I are inseparable.” He sat, took my arms, and wrapped them around his waist. “Hold on tight.”
“Do you know where we’re going?”
“Andris showed me the map on his laptop. It’s all in here.” He tapped his head.
I rested my cheek against his back. He cranked the engine and pulled out of the garage. I thought I saw Dad at our kitchen window, but I could have been mistaken. Mrs. Rutledge was still outside. She waved.
Like before, Torin went at a regular speed until we hit I-5 and headed north. Runes appeared all over his body, and he picked up speed until the scenery became blurry. Twenty minutes later, he slowed down near the sign to Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfalls in Oregon, and exited the highway.
He parked, but before we could start toward the falls, he murmured, “The water falls over two cliffs and into a wishing pond at the bottom of the second drop.”
“Yes.” Please, let him remember. I tugged his arm. “Come on.”
He looked around as we retraced the route we’d taken the first time we came to the falls. The leaves had completely changed color now that fall was in full swing. We took the paved trail to the bridge. At the guardrail, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer, and we soaked in the view. Then we went to throw coins in the wishing pond.
He grabbed my wrist when I was about to toss a coin. “You only make one wish or you dilute the first one. I don’t know where I heard that, but it’s profound.”
I leaned sideways and glanced at him over my shoulder. He was remembering. “My dad said it, and I told you when we first came here.”
“It’s weird how I remember that, calling you Freckles, and that you told me your name was Raine with a silent E, yet I still don’t remember when you said them.”
Feeling his frustration, I wrapped my arms around his waist as we walked back to the lodge. I wish there was something I could do to make him remember everything. We took the stairs to the second floor. The restaurant wasn’t packed, so we found a nice window table with a panoramic view of the falls.
“We serve Sunday brunch until two o’clock,” the waitress said, handing us the menu.
Their menu was extensive. Instead of egg-based dishes, Torin went to the kitchen to talk to the chef. He convinced them to serve us food from their regular lunch menu—prime rib with roasted potatoes and asparagus for him and a chicken potpie for me. I was impressed.
We took our time eating, then moved to a couch near the fireplace and just got lost in our little world. Later, we went downstairs to the gift shop. I made the mistake of telling Torin I loved stuffed penguins because he insisted on getting me a stuffed one and a hand-blown glass one with gorgeous colors made by Glass Eye Studios. When I touched a gorgeous paperweight with the falls, he bought it, too, and another. The description said the ash used to make the glass came from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington.
It started to rain, giving us a reason to stay a little longer. Between the cozy lounge and bar area on the second floor and the snack bar, espresso cart, and gift shop downstairs, we had enough to keep us busy. There was even a U.S. Forest Service interpretive center. It was no Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum, which was only half an hour’s drive from the falls, but it was worth a walk through. Torin loved history, and it showed when he lingered and read footnotes on the displays.
We didn’t leave until closing time at six.
***
At home, Torin walked me to the door. Mom opened it before he could leave.
“Hey, you two,” she said. “Where did you disappear to?”
“Multnomah Falls. We would have been home hours ago, but we couldn’t ride the bike in the rain,” I added when Dad peered at us from behind her. I knew that look on his face. He’d been worried.
“You came home safely, and that’s what counts.” Mom stepped aside and opened the door wide. “Are you coming in, Torin?”
“No, Mrs. Cooper. I need to check on the others.” He touched my hand. “Later,” he mouthed then turned and strolled back toward the driveway.
“That was a whole day excursion,” Mom said, closing the door behind me. I wasn’t sure whether it was a criticism or rhetorical statement.
“You didn’t want me home to help with anything, did you?”
“No, sweetheart. But next time you decide to disappear for the whole day, call home.”
“But Torin told
Dad where we were going and you just said we came safely…”
“It doesn’t matter what Torin said, and I was being polite. You always call home to let us know you are okay if you’re going to be gone the whole day.”
I grimaced. “Okay.” I started up the stairs.
“Not so fast,” Dad said. “Have you eaten? I cooked lasagna, and it’s still warm.”
“Torin and I ate at the lodge, Dad.”
He and Mom exchanged a glance that set off alarm bells in my head. When he disappeared in the den and left me with Mom, I knew for sure something was up. I could see laundry hampers from where I stood. She usually folded the laundry and kept him company while he watched a game on the television.
“Is everything okay?”
“Mrs. Rutledge said she saw you talking to yourself last night. Is there something you want to tell me?”
Nosey hag. I hated her, but not as much as I hated the three Norns. They must have been invisible, which meant I’d looked like a complete nutcase talking to myself. No wonder Mrs. Rutledge had smiled at me. She probably felt sorry for me.
“Well?” Mom asked.
Sighing, I debated how to handle this. If I told her the Norns had come to the house, Mom would go ballistic. Besides, I couldn’t tell her what they said without checking with Eirik first. “Cora rang the doorbell, then she went back to get something from her car. Mrs. Rutledge must have seen me while I was waiting for Cora. Why is she always poking her nose in people’s business anyway?”
Mom gave me a censuring glance. “She’s lonely. Be careful when dealing with her. She’s convinced you are crazy. She even gave me a card of a shrink, a friend of her husband’s.”
“I hate her.” I started upstairs.
“Lorraine Cooper. She’s an old woman.”
“That’s no excuse. Her husband is old too, but he’s nice. Goodnight, Mom.” I leaned over the stair rail and yelled, “Night, Dad.”
“It’s barely after six, a bit early to be going to bed,” Mom said.
“I have homework packets. I’m this close,” I indicated with my finger and thumb, “to getting done.”
Upstairs, I glanced out the window. Lights were on in Torin’s bedroom. A warm breeze drifted across my room, and I turned just as he entered. One look at his expression and I knew something was wrong.
“What is it?” I asked, searching his face.
“I have to join the others at Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in California. There was a fire in one of the buildings, and several of the trainees and their instructors died.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll see you later, depending on how many souls we have to reap.”
“You cover California, too?” I asked, following him to the portal.
“Just Pacific Northwest for now, but the Valkyries in California need our help.” He turned, grinned, and winked. “I’ll be back.”
For the rest of the evening, I kept checking their house to see if they were back, but the house stayed in darkness. It wasn’t until I was in bed that I realized I hadn’t heard from Cora or Eirik. I sent them text messages.
“I’m out of town. See you tomorrow,” Cora texted back.
Eirik didn’t return my texts.
18. FIRST RUNES
I was up early the next morning and took my time getting ready before heading downstairs. My parents weren’t up. I chewed on cornflake cereal and studied Torin’s place. There was no movement from the house. No sound of the Harley. Were they still in California? Valhalla? Sighing, I grabbed my backpack and headed outside to my car.
It was strange arriving at school and not seeing Eirik and Cora waiting for me in the parking lot. I hoped they made up and were making out somewhere. Torin’s Harley was missing from its usual place. That felt strange, too. A few students waved to me, and I waved back. I guess being the girlfriend of the QB erased my Wicked Witch of the West past.
“Raine, wait up,” Drew called out before I reached the school entrance, and I turned. He was with his sidekick Keith.
“Where’s St. James?” Keith asked.
“He missed the barbecue at Coach Higgins’ house.”
“He had to take care of some, uh, family business.”
Keith placed an arm around my shoulders. “Since you missed our game in Portland, are you attending the kickoff?”
“In two weeks,” Drew added.
“Who are we playing?” I asked, trying to show some enthusiasm.
“The Crusaders,” Drew said. “The best part is…” He glanced at Keith, and they both grinned. “It’s a home game. We just found out.”
Jesuit High at our stadium? That was huge. The Crusaders was one of the best teams in the state. They’d advanced to the Final Four several times and won state a few times. We had no chance of beating them. Once again, I faked interest. “That’s great.”
“Will you be with the pep band?” Keith said.
I didn’t need the extra credit. “No. I’ll be cheering you guys from the bleachers.”
“Great! St. James will deliver if you’re there,” Drew added.
Yeah, like girlfriends determined who won games. But being the QB’s girlfriend had its perks. The boys walked me to my locker. Along the way, a few of their friends joined us. They all wanted to know why Torin had missed the barbecue. I couldn’t tell them he’d spent Sunday with me.
“You’ll have to ask him,” I said then groaned when I saw my locker. More graffiti. Now I had bewitched the new QB. Someone seriously had issues with me.
“Hey,” Drew yelled, waving to the students walking or standing along the locker area. “Whoever is doing this shit to Raine had better stop or deal with me.” He jabbed his thumb against his chest.
“Me, too,” Keith added.
“And me,” several jocks said at the same time.
“You mess with St. James’ girl, you mess with the entire team,” one of them added.
Cora arrived while they were still swearing to dismember the vandals. She made a face. “Their loyalty reminds me of the swim team’s before…” Her cheeks grew pink. “Well, before the accident. When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.”
“You really should. We need you.” She shoved her books in her locker, selected what she needed, and added, “I gotta run. See you at lunch.”
I stared after her. The way she’d ignored Drew and Keith was so unlike her. Usually, she’d flirt outrageously. I ditched the jocks and headed upstairs, but Torin wasn’t in class and neither was Lavania. That must have been one hell of a fire.
Eirik appeared in the hallway surrounded by several girls from the swim team. I waved for him to come over. He placed one arm around Emma Wheeler and the other around Darby Shaw, and completely ignored me. What was he doing? First Cora acted weird, now Eirik. Getting annoyed, I walked to where they stood.
“Hey, Raine,” Emma said.
“When are you coming back to the team?” Darby asked.
“I don’t know.” I tried to catch Eirik’s eye, but he refused to make eye contact.
“We heard about you and the new QB. How did you manage that?” Emma asked.
I glared at her. “What do you think, Emma? I bewitched him. Eirik, we need to talk.” Ignoring the girls’ protests, I pulled him away. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t heard from you since Saturday. Are you ignoring me?”
“No, I’m surrounding myself with love.” He waved to the girls. “The more the better. See you later.”
I grabbed his arm and whispered, “I know why you’re doing this, Eirik.”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t.”
“Don’t believe everything the Norns said. They’re manipulating us.”
“The Norns didn’t hurt you, Raine,” he said through clenched teeth. “I did.”
I waited for some students to pass then said, “Torin healed me.”
“It doesn’t matter. This is how I make sure it neve
r happens again.”
“By not returning my calls and texts?”
“No, by staying away from you and anyone I care about.” He jerked his arm away from my hand. “Leave me alone.” A few students walked past and stared. They’d probably heard him.
“That’s stupid,” I called after him.
“Yeah, whatever.” He went back to the girls, who’d watched our exchange and were now busy whispering. By lunchtime, I’d bet they’d have an explanation for the incident.
Shaking my head, I went to class before the second bell rang. Torin’s chair was still empty, as was Lavania’s. They weren’t there in the second period or during lunch. Eirik, once again, was surrounded by swim girls. When Cora slid across from me, I cocked my brow.
“What?” she asked.
“Are you seeing that?” I nodded toward Eirik. He was still in line.
She glanced over at him and shrugged. “He seems happy.”
“So you’re okay with him hanging out with other girls?”
“It’s his choice. As for you,” she pointed her fork at me, “if you ever ditch me again like you did on Saturday, I will officially disown you.”
I made a face. “Sorry about that. So what happened on Saturday? I thought Eirik came back to the movie theater to see you.”
She grinned. “More like to humiliate Jaden. It was epic.”
“What did he do?”
Her eyes lit up. “He waited until we left the theater, walked up to Jaden, and told him if he ever treated me with disrespect again, he would break both his legs.” She laughed. “Jaden laughed in his face and started to walk away. Then Eirik grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against his car. I thought the car would have a huge dent.”
Jaden was a few inches shorter than Eirik, but he was wider and buff. I would have loved to see him humiliated. From Cora’s voice, she’d enjoyed it.
“Eirik held him against the car with one hand, Raine. One freaking hand and Jaden couldn’t break free. I don’t know how he did it, but he was amazing.”
“Did you two talk at all?”
The light disappeared from her eyes. “No. He drove away. I came back with Andris and Ingrid.”
Immortals (Runes book 2) Page 25
