“You may want to slow down before a cop sees you,” he warned.
I hated that he was right. I slowed down and took a calming breath. It was over between us. I had to accept it. Move on.
“About that night, you see—”
“Don’t. I don’t think I can take any more confessions from you today. Please.”
Surprisingly, he became quiet. I focused on getting home in one piece. What was involved in moving on once a guy dumped you? Hook up with a new guy? Forget about dating and focus on school? No, I was never big on sitting around and nursing my wounded pride. I needed a new boyfriend. Someone hotter than Echo. Someone who’d never hurt me.
“We still need to talk,” Echo reminded me when I pulled up outside my house.
“Not now.” I jumped out of the car, but he was faster. He blocked my path, runes glowing. The look in his eyes was heartbreaking.
“Can I come upstairs, so we can finish this discussion?”
I blinked. “Are you serious?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll wait in your room until you are ready to listen.”
“No. I don’t want you anywhere near me, Echo.”
He winced. “Okay.”
“Fine. Goodbye.” I took off and didn’t look back.
My parents were downstairs, and chances that they’d seen me talking to myself were high. They didn’t say anything though. We went through my usual afterschool ritual—they asked about school and swim practice and I gave them vague answers, grabbed something to eat, and headed upstairs.
For once, I didn’t search for Echo when I entered my bedroom. He was leaning against my car as though he planned to stay there the whole night, his eyes on my window. My heart tripped. Stupid heart.
11. Searching for Maliina
Echo was still outside when I went to bed, but I knew the moment he appeared in my room. Awareness zipped up my spine. Too tired to fight, I ignored him. Or tried to. Surprisingly, I fell asleep.
He was gone the next morning, the throw rugs on the chair telling me he’d slept there. Mom was already in the kitchen, a hearty breakfast on the stove. She still wore her pajamas and her graying blonde hair was mussed from sleep. It was my first meet in weeks, and my stomach churned. I always got nervous before a meet.
“Can’t eat?” Mom asked, placing a lunch bag with my usual swim energy supplies—banana, granola bars, and bottled water—on the counter.
She knew me too well. I gave up the pretense of eating and put down the fork. The weather didn’t help either. It was raining hard. The situation with Echo and the Grimnirs made things worse.
Mom gave me a hug, and I let my head rest on her stomach and wrapped my arms around her waist. I needed a mommy-and-me moment. I needed to feel loved.
“Are you coming to the meet?” I’d never asked before.
She chuckled. “What a silly question. Of course.” She dropped a kiss on the crown of my head. “When does warm-up start?”
“Eight.” I looked at my watch and sighed. “I’d better get ready.”
“And I’ll wake up your dad. He had a late night, but he’s looking forward to watching you swim. We’ll be there before the meet starts.” She poured a cup of coffee and paused in the process of leaving the kitchen. “Make sure you have extra—”
“Goggles and caps, I got it, Mom.” I gave her another hug, put my plate away, and carried my snack bag. Doc always provided sandwiches and drinks, which I never ate. They got their sandwiches from a local store, and I hated limp lettuce and the bread they used. If I needed more munchies, I knew exactly where to go. This was a home meet, and I knew where all the vending machines were in the building.
My bag packed, I pulled the hood of my raincoat over my head and hurried to my car.
Echo wasn’t there. Somehow I’d expected him to be inside the car. Neither Andris nor Torin was waiting to escort me like they’d been doing.
I threw my gear in the front passenger seat and cranked the engine.
A chill crawled under my skin when I hit Orchard Drive. I wasn’t alone, and it wasn’t Echo. I checked the rearview mirror, but there was no one in the back seat. My head whipped left and right, but I couldn’t see anything. It was raining too hard.
Then I noticed the vines on either side of the road rustling in one direction as though something invisible was running through them.
Grimnirs in freaking hyper speed. Crap!
I reached for my cell phone and floored the gas. My heart pounded, my hand shaking so hard I almost couldn’t punch the numbers. Any minute, I expected the Grimnirs to hit the car and squish me like a bug. Raine didn’t pick up her phone.
I yelled something into the phone and dropped it, my hand returning to the steering wheel. The Grimnirs stayed with me, inching closer. They were now on the grass and bushes, blurry mini twisters from Hel. Shaking, my chest hurting with each breath, I ran a stop sign and entered another street, tires squealing. Lucky for me, it was Saturday and the traffic was nonexistent. And only a fool would run in this downpour.
A shadow appeared in the back of my car. No, not a shadow. The beginning of a portal. One of them was trying to get inside my car. Echo’s words screamed in my head. They had no problem attacking a Mortal.
Where was Echo? I deliberately swayed, making the car zigzag so they wouldn’t create a portal. My eyes darted around between the road, the Tasmanian devils racing my car, and the rearview mirror. My windows frosted and a chilling draft filled the car. My crazy driving hadn’t stopped them.
A scream filled my car.
I didn’t realize it was mine, until Echo’s voice reached me from the back seat. “It’s me,” he said calmly. “Stop the car.”
I slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched in protest, and the back wheels turned and skidded as the car swerved and rotated until I was facing the opposite direction. I brought us to a stop on the side of the road, almost landing in a ditch. Frantically, I searched the hedges.
“You okay?” Echo asked.
No. I opened my mouth, but my teeth were chattering so hard I couldn’t speak. He moved to the front passenger seat.
“You are going to reopen your wound,” he warned, gently prying my fingers from the steering wheel. He was cold—his clothes, his skin, his hands—but those arms never felt safer or more comfortable when they pulled me into his chest. His face, when he buried it in my neck, was arctic too, but I welcomed it. It was familiar.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I was only gone for a moment and didn’t think they’d come after you right after I left. Luckily, I heard you.”
He didn’t make sense. How could he have heard me when I’d never called him? But his breath was warm on my nape. Another familiar thing. My heartbeat slowed down, and I opened my eyes.
“Did… did you stop them?” I asked.
“They’re taking care of them.”
“Who?” As the question left my lips, Torin appeared from the other side of the road and sauntered across the street. The rain didn’t seem to bother him. He wore sweatpants and his leather jacket only. He was also barefoot.
Torin opened the door and slid in the back seat. “We got them.”
“Good. We are even now,” Echo said.
“I didn’t do this for you.”
“It doesn’t matter. Your debt is repaid,” Echo added firmly as the other door opened and Andris joined us, his silk pajamas plastered to his body.
“Hel’s Mist! It’s cold out there,” he griped. “Next time you feel like racing Grimnirs, Mortal, make sure it’s in the afternoon or far, far away from this stupid state and weather.”
Echo stiffened.
“I have to go,” I murmured. “Warm-up will be starting soon.”
“Are you serious?” Andris asked. “After being chased by Hel’s private army you still want to go to that stupid meet?”
Echo growled. “Shut up, Andris. You talk to her like that again and I’ll...”
“You’ll what?” Andris asked.
Torin gripped Andris’ shoulder. “Easy, bro.”
“You should be apologizing, not pissing me off, Valkyrie,” Echo warned. “I told you the Grimnirs were after her.”
“Except you haven’t told us why,” Torin retorted. “Two dead Grimnirs doesn’t make you innocent.” He used an artavus to etch runes on the car door and a portal appeared. I didn’t see where it led, but as soon he stepped into it, I heard Raine’s voice.
Andris looked at us and smirked.
“You’re trying my patience, Valkyrie,” Echo said.
“It’s going to take a lot more than a few dead Grimnirs to convince us you’ve changed, Echo,” Andris retorted.
“Too bad I’ve no interest in convincing you of anything. Cora is in this mess because of your idiotic decision. Get out of here before I forget she needs me.”
“Bring it on,” Andris snapped.
“Leave him alone, Andris,” I cut in. “Just go.”
A snicker escaped Andris. “Maybe you two deserve each other.” He created his own portal and left.
“You defended me,” Echo said, his voice softening, his breath warm on my nape.
I stared at our linked hands. His larger ones swallowed my smaller ones. He wasn’t cold anymore. “I hate it when they treat you like that. It’s also not Andris’ fault Maliina turned into a psycho. You should cut him some slack.”
“He’s an idiot. He turned her using his artavus, after I warned him not to.”
“He was in love and made a mistake.” I turned my head and our gazes met. His eyes were warm and hypnotic. I wanted to grab his face and kiss him, make him want me.
“Are you warm enough to let me go?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
“Yes. Are you calm enough to drive?” His voice had gone smoky. Sexy.
“I’m good.”
He didn’t move. Neither did I.
“Your poor hand.” Without breaking eye contact, he brought my injured right palm to his lips and pressed a kiss to the healing wound. My breath caught. His eyes dropped to my lips. My teeth sunk into the soft flesh of my lower lip and he groaned. My eyes flew to his. I held my breath and waited to see what he was going to do.
“Cora,” he said.
The way he said my name in an achy I-want-to-kiss-you-so-badly voice had my heart leaping and warmth unfurling in my stomach. “Yes?”
“Drive.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Start the car.” He spoke through clenched teeth, his voice curt.
“But—”
“Now.”
He didn’t have to snarl. I got it. He didn’t want me. He was here to protect me. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“I get it,” I snapped back, turned away from him, gunned the engine, and took off. He leaned back and took his warmth with him. Funny, how fast he went from cold to warm to hot. And I wasn’t talking about his skin.
Pissed with myself for letting my guard down, I repeated, he doesn’t want me… he’s here to protect me… over and over, until I entered University Boulevard.
School buses were in the parking lot outside the Draper Building, but the students were already inside. It was a quarter past eight, and Doc was probably thinking I’d missed the meet.
I parked and glanced back at the brooding reaper in my car. Golden flames leaped in his eyes, but all he said was, “Go. I’m right behind you.”
I grabbed my bag and headed for the building, not looking back until I was inside. My car was visible, but I couldn’t tell whether Echo was still inside. Having him around was both frustrating and reassuring.
He doesn’t want me. He’s here to protect me. I kept repeating that as I changed and headed to the pool.
***
I didn’t see Echo on the bleachers during the meet, but I felt his presence. Mom and Dad were hard to miss. Dad cheered the loudest, his voice following me out of the pool.
“Way to go, Cora!”
“That’s my girl!”
The good thing was he cheered just as hard for the other Trojans. Most of our students were used to him and just smiled. Others even waved. He did have quite a local fan base in the valley. It didn’t take the visiting team long to connect me to him. They stared as though he was a whack job and then smirked.
How I wished Raine were still with the team. Her parents had been just as bad as my father, and we had suffered the embarrassment together.
“Please come rune my father and make him invisible,” I texted Raine.
“I don’t think I’d know how,” she texted back.
“You are a seer. Use your powers.”
“I’m using what I know to make myself invisible, smarty pants. I suck at it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The guy on my left is onto me or something. It was nice to see others catch your waves during the last heat.”
I glanced at the bleachers, but I didn’t see any glowing beings. “Where are you?”
“The hallway.”
I looked up the wall adjacent to the bleachers. The hallway’s glass wall was another viewing area, even though there were no seats. I saw her and almost waved. “You sure you don’t want to join my parents? You might calm my dad.”
“I’m about to leave. Just wanted to make sure things were okay.”
My stomach dropped. “Are the Norns around?”
“LOL,” she texted back. “Nope, thank goodness.”
“Have you seen Echo?”
“Briefly when I got here, but he’s gone. Gotta go, Cora.”
“I have two more heats. See you at your place later. Start working on my lost soul.”
“Okay. Will need to hear more on this morning’s mess, too. Torin was sketchy with the details.”
“Thanks for sending them.”
“That’s what friends are for. Later.” She disappeared from the window. I put my phone away and refocused on the meet. A few times, I found myself searching for Echo, and each time I wanted to slap myself.
It was over between us.
Seven schools were at the meet, most of them not top contenders for state championships. It was obvious some came out of curiosity to see the pool where lightning had nearly decimated our team. A few guys from the other teams even asked outright which one of us was the girl who’d had the premonition.
The meet ended at two. We got second place, while the guys placed third. Majority of us dropped time, so it was all good. In the changing rooms, I got more questions about the tragic Lightning Meet, as everyone was now calling it, and furtive glances. Some big mouth from my team had told them I was tight with Raine.
I stared down a few, but it didn’t stop them. I didn’t bother to change, just pulled on my sweatpants and jacket, grabbed my stuff, and took off.
Outside, the rain had stopped, but the sky was still overcast.
Kicker and her dynamic duo besties caught up with me just after I exited the building. We’d won the relays, and they were stoked.
“We’re headed to my place to hang out and watch Supernatural reruns,” Kicker said.
“Want to come?”
I loved Supernatural, but I didn’t feel like hanging out with them.
“I can’t. I’m so tired I just want to go home and crash.” I waved to my parents who were waiting for me. “If I change my mind, I’ll text you.”
I hurried to my parents, while Kicker and the others headed in the opposite direction.
“You kids were amazing,” Dad said, giving me a bear hug.
I wrapped an arm around his waist. “And thanks for embarrassing me again. One of these days they’ll throw you out for being too loud.”
Dad laughed. “Let them try. It’s my right to root for my daughter.”
“So we’ll see you at home?” Mom asked.
“Later. I promised Raine I’d stop by for a visit.” I searched for Echo.
“When will you be home?” Mom asked.
I shrugged. Raine and I had plans. “I don’t know, Mom. Raine is
going to help me with my homework.”
More hugs and they left.
I headed for my car, unlocking it as I got closer. Heart pounding, I opened the door and peered inside. No Echo. Disappointment washed over me.
I hated how my emotions were tied to whether he was around or not. Somehow, they were slow at getting what I already knew. He was not for me. Grimnirs didn’t date Mortals.
“I like your dad.”
I whipped around, almost banging my head on the doorframe. Echo was leaning against the car, arms crossed and eyes on my parents, who were pulling away. He had runes all over his body, so I knew they didn’t see him as they waved. I waved back.
“I didn’t see you inside.”
“I was around. I saw your reaction when you finished the breaststroke and saw the board. How many seconds did you drop?”
I completely forgot about everything else as we talked. He took the passenger seat while I slid behind the wheel. We were still talking about the meet when I pulled up outside Raine’s.
“What are we doing here?” Echo asked.
I shrugged. “I’m going to hang out with Raine for the rest of the day.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Because there’s nothing to do at my place but sit around and wait for Grimnirs to attack.”
He chuckled. “I was hoping you’d want to eat or catch a movie.”
My heart leaped at doing something with him. To be able to pretend we were normal, act like young people on a date would be wonderful. No, that was a lie. It would be terrible. He’d look at me the way he’d done earlier, as though he couldn’t wait to devour me, then turn away. I wasn’t strong. One more rejection and I’d crumble.
“I’m not hungry,” I fibbed. “And I really think the less time we spend together the better.”
“Cora—”
“In fact, I don’t need you to protect me here,” I continued quickly. “I’m sure Torin can keep an eye on us for the rest of the day.”
Echo smiled. “Whatever you say, doll-face.”
I grabbed my gym bag and stepped out of the car, feeling bad for turning him down. But it was better this way. I could feel his eyes on me. Goosebumps spread across my skin, yet heat pulsed in my veins. It was peculiar the way I reacted whenever he looked at me. Hot and cold. Angry with him yet wanting him. Pushing him away but longing to hold him closer.
Runes #03 - Grimnirs Page 19
