Heroes (Eirik Book 2) (3 page)

Now I felt like an idiot. Of course, Crazy Granny had a name. No one in Hel’s Hall used her real name. She was the Ironwood Maiden, and Mother avoided mentioning her.

“I call her”—Crazy Granny, but I doubted he’d appreciate that title—“Grandmother.”

Karle grinned, dragon teeth bared. “We called her Chieftess or Seeress because she was both to all the southern clans. All the other chiefs would report to her. She taught us how to fight, and used her visions to help our people survive. She was selfless, kind, and nice. Our people loved her.”

If only she’d extended kindness to her immediate family. I still disliked her. “So you are from
Jötun
heim?”

“Yes. Wolf Clan. My village is at the edge of Ironwood Forest, the center of magic in all Jötunheim. When your grandmother was alive, she united all the clans. We even sent clansmen and women to the national army in Utgard after she’d trained them. Most of them were orphans she took in and raised. Things haven’t been the same since she left us.”

How could someone who’d done all those great things turn evil? What had happened to change her? “Do you know what happened to my grandmother?”

“She disappeared years ago, but my father says she’s alive.” He smiled. “Would you like to see her hall? Járnvid still stands. No one is allowed inside. The elders made sure the pups didn’t turn it into a pack den in case she comes back. She’s cheated death twice before, so anything is possible.”

Of course, she had. She was a Seeress and could manipulate time. Celestia had said she’d warped time in the cave. As for going to another realm, especially my grandmother’s village, my mother would go ballistic. Besides, I wasn’t sure whether to trust this guy. He could be working for Crazy Granny for all I knew.

“How do we get to Jötunheim?” I asked, deciding to play along.

“Through Eastern Gj
ö
ll Pass. There’s portals there to all realms. It takes us two hours from Eljudnir to reach it. Three or four from here. If we open a portal here, we could end up anywhere and never find our way home.”

Eastern Gjöll Pass was the village where my mother’s workers lived. Some of the Dwarves commuted from Nidavellir, the massive underground city of the Dwarves in Svartalfheim.

“What about your sister?” I asked.

Karle cursed. “I’d forgotten about her. Maybe after I find her we can go.”

“Maybe.”

“I better head back and continue searching for her. Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For not telling me to go away and leave you alone even though you wanted to.” He grinned. “I’m good at reading expressions, especially dragons. I guess I’ll see you at the party tonight.”

“No, you won’t. I wasn’t planning on attending.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s a meat market. When I marry, I’m going for the rainbow.” He sighed. “You know, the girl whose smile makes me forget to breathe and her laugh makes me want to kiss her just to share her joy. And her voice…” Another long sigh. “I could listen to her forever.”

Celestia’s smile was breathtaking, but she drove me crazy when she talked a lot. Grinning at my thoughts, I studied Karle. The dragon could be a harmless romantic or a damn good actor, but I was seriously thinking of taking him up on the offer to visit Jötunheim. Maybe Granny would hear that I was in her village and come out of hiding. Finding my sister was worth the stink Mom would cause after she learned I’d gone to another realm.

“Okay, Karle. Let’s head back to Eljudnir. I’ll help you find your sister if you tell me more about my grandmother. I saw her a few months ago, but we didn’t have time to talk,” I added, watching Karle’s reaction.

His mouth opened and closed several times before he said in a whisper, “Chieftess is really alive?”

Okay, he was legit. No one could fake that borderline idiotic expression. He looked like he was about to cry. “Yes, she is alive.”

CELESTIA

The line to Red Barn was so long it wound around the building to the Windfall Fire Station on North Shore Boulevard. Every high school student from the county was wearing something purple—the official color of Street2Platinum—from locks of fake hair, hair scrunchies, shirts, tops, and pants to nylon bracelets. S2P was an up-and-coming boy band with a hit song about tolerance and bullying, which they’d released straight to iTunes. They made purple cool, no matter the shade.

Hayden bumped me with her shoulder. “I’m happy you came,” she said. “You’ve become a recluse.”

“Busy.”

“Hiding,” she shot back.

“I’ve been working on spells. I’ve even added a few in our family grimoire. Ask your mom.”

“You cannot do any wrong in her eyes. I’m so jealous.”

I rolled my eyes. She had no reason to be jealous of me. Her mother doted on her, and she now had Zack. My cousin was crazy about her and didn’t care who knew it. Seeing them together made me wish I had someone, too.

A face I’d tried to forget flashed in my head. Eirik. Four months had passed, and I hadn’t heard a peep from him. After that night, when I’d told him to leave, he’d never come back. The Eirik I’d met in Hel would not have listened to me. He would have pushed and pushed until I gave in.

The worst part was I hadn’t meant it. I’d been hurting and scared, and had lashed out instead of begging him to stay and hold me. Begging just wasn’t me. Grams had taught me to be independent, to depend on my wits and my powers. Being soul-napped and kept in that cave for days had shaken the foundation of everything I believed I was, and poor Eirik had received the brunt of it.

Still, he hadn’t tried to make me change my mind and that had hurt. Not anymore. I was so over him. I was free. In fact, my plan was to start dating.

Okay, now I was lying to myself. Freeing myself emotionally from Eirik was hard. In the beginning, I had dreamed about him, felt his presence only to turn around and find nothing. Nights had been the worst. I’d gotten used to sharing a bed with him, and I had found it hard to fall asleep alone. Once I did, the nightmares had followed. I’d relive those horrifying times with his grandmother in the cave, the fight, and the moments before I passed out.

As a child, I’d wake up screaming from nightmares after my mother left. I’d relive the ways she’d tried to kill me even though I couldn’t remember them, except the fire. She’d voiced them and planted them in my head, and my mind had done the rest. Dad would burst into my room and make the nightmares go away by sleeping on top of the covers and reading to me until I fell asleep. Dad wasn’t the touchy-feely, huggy type. So I’d grip his thumb or shirt. In the end, I’d gone back to sucking my thumb to calm down. Thumb-sucking was a nasty habit. It had taken me years to break it.

The dreams after coming back from Hel had been weird. I never woke up screaming, and I’d feel refreshed in the morning. I couldn’t remember how I calmed myself, either, but then again, I had the blanket I’d taken to Hel. Magic was crazy that way. I’d held the backpack while trancing and used the blanket in Hel, yet it had Eirik’s scent as though he’d actually used it. Wrapping it around me had helped me fall asleep. Maybe it had given me the illusion of being in his arms or his scent had really transferred to the blanket. Whatever the case, I’d wake up refreshed and surrounded by his scent, until the day I realized how unhealthy my dependence on the blanket had become. Luckily, the dreams had grown fewer as weeks turned into months. One day I hoped to say, “Eirik who?”

I pushed thoughts of him aside and focused on Hayden.

She wore a cute white mini skirt, a silk orchid top, and heeled ankle boots. Beside her, I felt overdressed in ripped white jeans, trendy combat boots, a leather jacket, and a high-neck white and violet shirt to hide a certain scar—another reminder of my stay in Hel.

“Did I mention I’m digging that outfit?” I asked.

“Once or twice.” Hayden grinned and gave me a once-over. “Wes is not going to take his eyes off you. You look amazing.”

“He’s not coming, is he?” I looked at nearby parked cars, but I couldn’t see Wes’ truck. “Please, tell me you didn’t.”

“I didn’t.”

I glared at her.

“Zack did.” She grinned. “So, where’s your shadow tonight?”

I searched for an unmarked police car. There was no way Dad didn’t send Davies or Sullivan tonight to keep an eye on me. He’d become even more protective since my stint in Hel. “I’m sure they are around. What?” I added when she frowned.

“You know, you do that a lot.”

“Do what?”

“Scratch the scar on your chest.”

I dropped my hand, warmth creeping up my face. “Yeah, uh, not knowing how I got them drives me crazy.”

I’d tried to hide my scars from her, but she’d visited me every day after I left the hospital and had noticed the bite marks. Of course, she didn’t know they were bite marks since there were three identical and evenly spaced, half-moon scars. They looked like the same object had made them. My father had concluded that someone had used a weird blade in some ritualistic ceremony at wherever place I’d disappeared to during my trance. I had told them I couldn’t remember a thing, and they’d not pressed me for answers.

“One day it will all come back, but in the meantime, just push it aside and keep on living. I’m happy you came with us tonight. You need to go out more.”

I used to tell her the same thing. “Hardy har har!”

She bumped me with her shoulder, and this time, I pushed back. We exchanged grins. Adjusting to life after Hel hadn’t been easy. The constant worry that my grandmother’s and mother’s premonitions might come true or that I could slip up and reveal something about my stay in Hel had kept me on edge. Then there was something the Ironwood Maiden had said. Someone had marked me. What did that mean? But at the top of the list was the thought of Eirik popping in unannounced and turning my world upside down. I still had no idea whether he or his grandmother had bitten me first. At least I’d never see him or the psycho dragon again.

“Sorry I’m late, guys,” a stocky guy in a varsity jacket said. He spared Hayden a brief glance before locking his green eyes on me. “Hey, Celestia, you look… amazing.”

Wes made it.
Damn.
Now I have to kill my cousin.

“Thanks, Wes. You don’t look bad either.”

He flashed a shy smile, liking my compliment.

Wes Lyons was a jock that didn’t fit the mold. He was nice, sweet, and nerdy. He also had a serious crush on me, something my annoying cousin knew but never encouraged, until now. I must have hit an all-time low for Zack to hook me up with him.

My cousin had made it clear to all his friends that I was off-limits, and Wes had listened and kept his distance. Lately, however, he had gotten bolder, which was kind of sexy. I just wasn’t feeling him. Not the way I’d felt…

Damn it! No Helboy comparisons. Tonight, I would give Wes a chance.

“What are you guys doing over here instead of inside?” he asked, his eyes not leaving my face.

“Waiting for Zack,” I said. “He went to get me a ticket.”

“I bought an extra ticket for you.” He dug into the pocket of his jacket and whipped out two tickets, a broad grin on his face. He was really cute.
Okay, Celestia, forget the fact that he doesn’t set your pulse racing and enjoy yourself tonight.

I touched his arm and gave him my most sexy smile. Yeah, I’d been practicing for Eirik. Damn, he crept in again.
Focus, damn it.

“Thanks, Wes. I’m happy you’re coming with us tonight.”

“Me too. I had to help my parents with something. That’s why I’m late. I texted Zack.” He helped his parents, too. He was really adorable. Wait, was that a hint he wanted my phone number?

“It’s okay. Here, let me give you my cell number.” I pulled out my phone and we exchanged numbers. I pasted on my practiced sexy smile again when he took my picture, causing him to laugh.

“Let’s go, you two lovebirds,” Hayden said.

I looked up and froze. My cousin was walking toward us, but he wasn’t the reason my stomach dropped and my heart started to pound. I’d been dreading this day. The day I’d come face-to-face with Grimnirs.

Two stood by the entrance of Red Barn, studying clubbers entering the building. They were definitely looking for someone. Me? Hayden reached Zack and slipped into his arms, their lips locking. Those two weren’t going anywhere.
Should I fake illness and ask Wes to take me home?

“Are you okay?” he asked, sounding worried.

No, I wasn’t okay. I probably looked like I’d seen a ghost. Well, this girl wasn’t hightailing it out of here. I refused to let Grimnirs force me into hiding. This was my town, not theirs.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” I wrapped an arm around Wes, surprising him. “Let’s go. I’m excited. They say S2P will be playing new songs tonight.”

Wes grinned and said something I didn’t catch. Zack did a double take when he came up for air and saw us. I ignored him. He’d set me up with Wes. Let him deal with the consequences.

Maybe the Grimnirs wouldn’t recognize me. There were thousands of them in Hel, and I didn’t get to meet all of them, just like they didn’t get to see me often. One turned and looked straight at me, and my stomach hollowed out. I was wrong. I knew him, and from the way his eyes narrowed and stayed locked on me, he remembered me too. He had a weird name. Something to do with sound.

Wave?

No, Echo.

He was ridiculously handsome like most Grimnirs, but something about his eyes said he was not someone to be trifled with. I’d never gotten that vibe from Rhys. As we got closer, Echo tapped his friend on the arm and the black dude with dreadlocks turned.

Damn. I recognize that one, too.

Four months ago, Dreadlocks had chatted with Echo outside Grimnirs Hall. Since then, he’d grown a nice moustache and a beard. Looked nice on him. When I got closer to them, I noticed the jagged scar across his right eyebrow. It only added to the dark aura of controlled menace Dreadlocks exuded.

He smiled, and I was surprised at how his features softened. I didn’t return his smile. I had my orders. Forget my stay in Hel. Too bad if they recognized me. I ignored them as Wes handed the bouncer our tickets. He waved us in, and we got our hands stamped. I could feel the Girmnirs’ eyes drilling holes in my back. I clung to Wes’ hand.

The crowd tonight was larger than usual. Windfall was the second largest city on the northeast shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Red Barn was
the
nightclub for most teens, even though we had two other clubs in town. The place had a stage with perfect lighting for bands, a dance floor, and seating areas downstairs and upstairs. It was a favorite venue for the local dance and gymnastic schools.

We weaved our way past giggling girls and their pretending-to-be-cool boyfriends. Zack high-fived some and pointed and nodded at the others, until we reached our table. Winning the state championships and MVP had made my cousin even more popular around town.

Zack’s friends and their cheerleader girlfriends were already seated. The table was to the right of the stage and perfectly set for watching performers without dancers blocking us. Three seats awaited us, and since no one had thought about poor Wes, I let him take my seat and sat on his lap, which earned me a scowl from Zack.

Yeah, deal with it.

“We’ll get you guys drinks,” Zack said and looked pointedly at Wes.

“We just sat, Zack,” I griped. I knew what he was doing. If Wes left with him, I couldn’t sit on his lap.

“Dude,” he said, ignoring me. He didn’t have to say, “Get up.”

Wes lifted me off his lap and stood. Zack clamped a hand on his shoulder and nudged him toward the bar.

“So you and Wes are knocking booties now, Pint?” Alejandro asked.

Shocked silence filled the table. Even Hayden stayed quiet. She wasn’t used to Alejandro and his bluntness. I was. Alejandro Sanches and Zack had been buddies since elementary school. He used to attend Windfall High until last summer when his parents moved to New Orleans. He might be visiting his grandparents, who were prominent Witches of Windfall.

“None of your business, Giant,” I retorted.

“Nice comeback. I expected a kick on the shin.”

“You might still get it,” I retorted. I searched for Echo and Dreadlocks among the faces in the club, but I couldn’t see them. They must not have come inside.

“Pint?” Hayden asked, and my attention returned to our group.

Alejandro smirked. “Celestia’s nickname. She’s puny.”

“Yet I can still kick your ass.” He grinned, showing a chipped tooth. He knew what I meant. Magic. Alejandro had embraced his family’s gift much more easily than Zack had. “Incoming.” I punched his arm. “Too slow. Told you.”

“I don’t have to be fast. I just need to knock people down. I leave chasing animal skin to your cousin and Liam.” He bumped fists with Ken Laroche. Alejandro and Ken used to be on the wrestling team while Liam and Zack played football.

This was the first time Alejandro was meeting Hayden. So while he charmed her, I searched for the reapers. I couldn’t see or feel them. Techno music thrummed in the air and some people were already dancing. The stage was empty, but soon the four members of S2P would take to the stage and pull more people to the dance floor.