“Why are mine different?” he asked, but he didn’t seem concerned.
I studied the ones on his back. “I don’t know. When did they start appearing?”
“Right after the meet when the swimmers died.”
“And the scars?”
“Friday night.”
Friday night was the first time he shifted into his other, evil form. I winced, hating that I always referred to his Hulk persona as evil. I loved Hulk. He was my third favorite superhero after Thor and Ironman. As I watched, the runes disappeared and so did the scars, leaving his back flushed. Were the runes and the scars connected? He pulled on his T-shirt and started for the bed, but I caught his arm.
“What?” he asked.
“I think we should talk to Lavania about your runes and scars.”
21. POISONED
Eirik yanked his arm from my hand and gave a brief laugh. “Hel no!”
“Eirik, you have weird runes. That can’t be good. If you won’t talk to your parents—”
“I’m not discussing my problems with that Valkyrie,” he snapped.
“Just because she doesn’t like Cora?”
“She treated Cora like she was nothing. Someone beneath her.”
I closed my eyes. I loved Cora, too, but he was being stubborn over nothing. “Then ask her to apologize or something.” He made a face, walked back to the pullout bed, and sat. Seriously, he could be a real pain sometimes. “Why the double standards? You’re not nice to Cora most of the time, hurt her every time you surround yourself with other simpletons, yet you refused to forgive Lavania.”
“That’s different.” He scrubbed his face and glared at me. “I’m protecting Cora from me. My other self. Once all this blows over, I plan to ask her out.” His cheeks grew pink. “Lavania thinks Cora is not good enough for me. Who does she think she is?”
“A powerful Valkyrie with amazing knowledge of runes.” I closed my eyes and exhaled. She also needed to control her mouth. Being a senior Valkyrie didn’t give her the right to say whatever she pleased. “Let me talk to her. I won’t mention your name or—”
“No.” He jumped up, runes appearing on his body. “This is my problem, Raine. I’ll deal with it.”
“We’re in this together. The Norns asked me to protect you.”
He bowed. “Then I release you from your obligations.” He walked toward me, smirking. “You have a new life as an Immortal. Enjoy it.”
“You know I can’t do that when you have this thing hanging over your head.”
“Over my head, not yours.”
“Semantics. You and I—”
“Don’t!” The mirror dissolved into a portal. Instead of the warmth I often felt whenever Torin created a portal, a frigid draft shot across the room. I shivered. “Don’t talk to anyone about the scars or my runes. And FYI, I’m not attending the swim meet on Saturday. Seeing Cora screws with my head.”
“Then talk to her. Explain why—”
“No!”
“Oh, you’re so annoying.” I was seriously contemplating kicking his deity behind. “And don’t you dare interrupt me mid-sentence or I swear... I love you, Eirik, but your stubbornness drives me nuts. You are family, and family sticks together through thick and—”
“Family?” He turned and faced me, eyes narrowed. “Just because you throw that word around doesn’t make us a family, Raine. Let’s be honest here. You are a Cooper. I’m not. You have two loving parents who’d do anything for you. Mine couldn’t care less what happened to me, so they dumped me here. Hell, I’m not even human. So yeah, stay out of my business. This monkey on my back and upside down runes are things I inherited from my parents. This is my problem. My family problem, so stay out of it.” His eyes became unfocused the way they did whenever he shifted. The same demented, evil smile curling his lips, he turned and stepped through the portal.
Hurt rained down on me. I stood there and stared at him. The portal opened into his bedroom, which was huge enough to sleep the entire swim team. He’d been part of my family his whole life. I never cared that he was loaded and pampered and impossible when he didn’t get his way. He was like the brother I never had. An annoying brother. How dare he disown me? I didn’t care whether his Hulk persona came out to play. I was going to slap him into Asgard.
I started forward, intent on following him. He whipped around and stared at me with a hard expression. I froze. Then something registered. The glaze that had covered his amber eyes was gone. Could he control the shift? I know I hadn’t imagined it.
“Eirik?” The portal started to seal from his side, the swirling gray mass filling the short hallway, a chilling draft of air sweeping past me. “Eirik!” I gripped the frame of the mirror and stared helplessly as the gateway closed. The last thing I saw was his smile. It had grown sad. Frustrated, I wanted to scream. I needed to learn how to create portals. No, I needed…
Torin. Where was he?
The portal opened again with a warm breeze, and Torin walked into my room. “What is it? What happened?”
“Eirik…” My throat burned, making speech difficult. Torin wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his neck.
“You’re shaking. What did he do?” He looped his arm under my knees, effortlessly lifting me up. He reached the bed and sat me on his lap. “Deity or not, I’m going to make him sorry he hurt you.”
I shook my head, tears racing down my face. I couldn’t believe I was crying, but no matter how hard I tried to stop, I couldn’t. There was a knock at the door. It opened and closed, but when I looked over, there was no one there.
I wiped my cheeks. “Who—”
“Your mother.” Torin wiped the wetness from my cheeks, his eyes probing. “What happened?”
“I hate Eirik,” I ground out.
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.” I scrambled off his lap and paced. He got comfortable, piling pillows behind him on the headboard and crossing his arms.
I started talking and didn’t stop until I finished with, “I know I should be happy he can control the shift, but all I can think about right now is the things he said. When this is over, I’m going to make him so sorry he won’t forget for millennia. I don’t need this from him now.” Tears rushed to my eyes again, and I blinked hard to stop them. “Dad looks like he has some debilitating disease. You healed him after that fall, but he looks worse instead of better. And to top it all, Lavania told me to choose between my training and Cora. What kind of crap is that? I thought she was nice and sweet, and she’s morphed into this imperial high priestess trainer from Hel’s Mist. I need—”
“Me.” Torin patted the bed. “Come here.”
“No. I need to think, come up with a plan. There must be a way to ask her about the runes without arousing her suspicions and—”
“Freckles!”
I paused and stared at Torin. “What?”
“It hurts to see you cry like this.”
“I’m not crying. I’m pissed and angry and really, really pissed.” I wiped my cheeks.
“Okay. It hurts me to see you ‘pissed and angry and really, really pissed’. Come here and make me feel better.”
He was silly, but I was glad he was here. I crawled on the bed beside him, curled up on his side, and wrapped my arms around him. The tears continued to flow until I was spent. I wanted to pull the covers over my head and never, ever come out of my room again.
“First of all, I healed the bump on your father’s head, so the fall didn’t hurt him,” Torin said softly as though discussing something mundane like the weather. “Second, Lavania had no business giving you an ultimatum. She’s my maker and I respect her, but she’s your trainer, not your keeper. She should not dictate to you how long you and Cora can be friends. You’ll only have about five years together. Ten at the most before she realizes you’re not aging. No one should take that from you.”
I lifted my head to study his face. “Are you trying to cheer me up or make me more miserable?�
�
“I want you to be realistic.” He kissed me and added, “And last, you have me. I might have lost my runes book, but I know enough to explain the meanings of what you saw. All you have to do is draw… Where are you going?”
“I have your book.” I went to the drawer, yanked it open, and reached in the back. “I meant to give it back to you after we talked last Friday, but with the things happening, I completely forgot.”
He took the book and flipped it open. “No, that’s okay. Let’s see if the runes you saw on Eirik are here.” He pulled me back on his lap. “Runes that are upside down or reversed like you said you saw usually have opposite meaning to regular runes. Instead of courage, the rune infuses trickery… generous becomes greedy… nice becomes—”
“Mean, I get it. It might explain the creepy grin he wears after he shifts, like he’s enjoying people hurting each other.” I shuddered. I wanted the old Eirik back.
Torin nodded. “With some runes you cannot tell when they’re reversed by just looking at them. Still, they work in opposition to the rune’s true power, like Tiw’s. His rune represents justice, honesty, and faith. The reverse is cowardice, immorality, and deceit.”
“Thor’s was there, too.”
“Thor’s stands for protection and defense,” he explained. “The reverse is betrayal, torment, and lies.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. When he’d said he knew runes, he hadn’t been bragging. As for Eirik, I could just imagine what the runes were doing to him. His reaction this evening wasn’t typical. He was stubborn, but never cruel. Evil runes had changed him. Whatever anger I felt toward him slowly disappeared.
Torin and I focused on single runes at first. Bind runes were complicated because they were a combination of two or more runes and harder to memorize. Still we tried, using Lavania’s book, which was thicker than Torin’s.
A knock at the door and Mom poked her head inside my room. Torin jumped to his feet. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, Mom.”
She still hovered near the doorway, one hand gripping the knob, her eyes searching my face. “Where’s Eirik?”
“He and I had a big blow up, but I plan on talking to him once he calms down.” And is not under the influence of evil runes.
Mom stepped into the room and walked to the bed, her gaze going to the two runes books. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
I was tempted to confide in her. She always had answers for everything, but I couldn’t go against Eirik’s wishes. Besides, there wasn’t much she could do. She was still not allowed to share her knowledge. “No, we have this covered.”
“Okay, try to keep it low. Your father is asleep, and I don’t want him disturbed.”
I looked at my watch. It was barely nine, a little too early for him to be sleeping. “Is he okay?”
Mom smiled. “Of course. He plans to run in the morning, so he decided to go to sleep early. Don’t stay up late, you two.” She dropped a kiss on my forehead and squeezed Torin’s shoulder as she passed him. At the door, she paused. “Is Eirik still having night terrors?”
I sighed. She was never going to leave. “Yes.”
“Was he here last night?”
I nodded. I was no longer surprised by her knowledge of everything that went on inside my bedroom when she was at home. “He was sleepwalking last night and came through the portal. He pulled out the bed and fell asleep right away.”
“Hmm, interesting. He loves you and knows he can trust you. That’s why he gravitates to you when he’s scared.”
She was laying it on thick. “Mom, I promise he and I will talk. The fight wasn’t serious.”
She still looked doubtful. “Okay. Goodnight, sweetheart. Torin, make sure you leave at a reasonable time tonight. Tomorrow is a school day.” She closed the door softly behind her, and I blew out a breath.
“Nothing ever escapes her,” I mumbled, my face warming.
Torin flashed a wicked grin. “She was a Norn-in-training when she fell, so her senses are more acute than your average Valkyrie’s,” Torin said. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked my hair and my shoulder, his grin widening. “Does it bother you that she knows you can’t keep your hands off me?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s the other way round.”
“I’m not ashamed of wanting you.”
“I’m not either.” I caught his hand. “Stop distracting me. We need to find a way to help Eirik.”
Torin sighed melodramatically. “He’s going to owe me big. Okay, I know three people who can give you some answers.”
I stiffened. The Norns. “Don’t say their names. After our last meeting, I never want to see them again.”
“Then talk to the one you said was nicer.”
I sat up and scooted to the edge of my bed. “No. I can’t deal with her either tonight.”
“It doesn’t have to be tonight.”
“Or tomorrow. Or ever,” I ground out.
“At least think about it.” Torin came and stood between my legs, cupped my face, and tilted it. He studied me, his smile becoming gentle, making my insides melt. I couldn’t refuse him anything when he smiled at me like that or looked at me like I was the most precious person in his life.
“Fine,” I gave in grudgingly.
“Think of it this way. You’re doing this for Eirik, not for you.”
“He’s not on my favorite people’s list right now.”
Torin chuckled, leaned down, and rubbed his lips against mine. “You’re adorable when you pout.”
I loved it when he spoke against my lips. His warm breath made my lips tingle. We exchanged a breath before we kissed. “I don’t pout.”
“Yes, you do. I gotta go. I promised to take care of something for Lavania before she goes to bed.”
“Are you coming back?”
“Of course.” He ran a finger along my lower lip then touched my nose. “I love making you happy before you fall asleep.”
I loved it, too. Anticipation coursed through me, my imagination kicking in.
“And listening to you snore afterwards,” he added.
“I don’t snore.” I meant to push his head, but his hair was so soft and inviting. I forked my fingers through it and pushed back the locks falling over his forehead. He turned his head, planted a kiss on my arm, leaned lower, and claimed my lips in a long, hot kiss. Then he was gone, striding across the room. Runes appeared on his skin, and the mirror dissolved into a doorway. He paused, looked back, and smiled. I missed him already.
“Come back soon or I’ll be asleep,” I warned.
“Then I’ll wake you up,” he vowed and disappeared.
***
Torin didn’t need to wake me. I was wide-awake. As usual, I fell asleep surrounded by his warmth and scent, and I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed. The pullout bed was still out, exactly how Eirik had left it. He hadn’t wandered into my bedroom, which meant he’d slept through the night.
Dressed, hair styled, and makeup done, I bounded down the stairs, almost bumping into Dad at the bottom. He was already dressed in his running pants and shirt.
“Careful,” he warned. “You still race down the stairs with little regard for yourself or anyone else.”
“Morning, Dad.” I planted a kiss on his cheek and slipped under his arm. “Don’t want to be late for school.”
“I made oatmeal if you want some.”
I made a face. No matter how often he tried to get me into the habit of eating oatmeal, I still hated the stuff. “No, thanks. Still hate it and will continue to hate it until I die.”
“When you reach my age, you’ll change your mind.” He started upstairs.
“Don’t hold your breath.” I noticed his empty running water bottles on the counter. I put frozen waffles in the toaster and started filling up the bottles. I was eating when he returned downstairs.
“Thanks, pumpkin,” he said when he noticed the filled bottles.
“How far are you going toda
y?”
“I don’t know. Depends on how I’m feeling.” He added electrolyte gels and protein bars in the pouches on the belt. I had worried about him for nothing. He looked ready to conquer miles this morning.
“I think someone is waiting for you,” he said, glancing at the window.
I followed his gaze and grinned. Torin was staring at our house. He was giving me a ride to school again. I kissed Dad, grabbed my backpack, and hurried outside. Aware that Dad was probably watching us, I turned just before I reached Torin and waved.
“Your dad?” Torin asked.
“Yeah.” I slipped into the front passenger seat then turned. Andris and Ingrid were having a heated discussion in the backseat, but once again, Lavania was missing.
Andris looked up and winked. “Are you going to watch the guys practice?”
“Yeah. You?”
He grabbed her pom-poms and waved them. “I’d hate to miss out on Ingrid’s toe touch jumps.” He imitated cheer moves. “Give me a K… Give me a V…”
“Shut up.” Ingrid slapped his arm and tried to wrestle the pom-poms from his hands.
They continued bickering while I scooted closer to Torin as he left the cul-de-sac. “Where’s Lavania?”
“She left early to check on something at school.”
“Please, tell me this is not about Cora again.”
Torin shook his head. “I don’t know. She didn’t explain.”
“It is,” Andris said from the back.
I turned. “Why is she convinced Cora hates me enough to vandalize my locker? Besides, Officer Randolph tried to catch the person and couldn’t.”
“You still think one of us is behind it?” Ingrid asked. She tended to act like I didn’t exist. Even when I went to their house for lessons, she’d cut through the living room, where we often worked, nod at Lavania, and completely ignore me. “We’re not that petty,” she added.
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to think.”
“Randolph is incompetent. Do you know how many guys bring weed to school? He probably lied to save his ass,” Andris added.
Funny that hadn’t crossed my mind. Eliminating the Valkyries meant Cora could be guilty. I found that hard to believe. “How do you know about weed?”
Immortals (Runes book 2) Page 30
