Immortals (Runes book 2) (38 page)

“She doesn’t need to know that,” Marj cut in and glared at Jeannette. “All she needs to know is their presence means the boy is close to reaching the point of no return.”

I ignored Marj. As usual, her voice alone irritated me. “How can scars he had as a child reappear?” I asked.

“They’re not scars,” Catie said. “They’re a disfigurement he inherited from his mother.”

Marj glared at Catie. “Another fact the girl doesn’t need to know.”

I shook my head. “Are you saying that Eirik has some kind of disfigurement that appears when his evil side takes over?”

Catie and Jeannette glanced at Marj first before they nodded. “You are not dealing with a Mortal, Lorraine,” Catie said. “Therefore the laws of what you call science don’t apply to him.”

Okay, this was way out there. “So the runes have something to do with his disfigurement?”

“What runes?” Marj asked.

I wanted to ignore her, but something in her voice forced me to say, “The ones on his body. They are reversed.” They moved closer, forcing me to take a step back. “I wasn’t supposed to see them?”

“He’s not supposed to have runes!” Marj snapped.

“Catie was right,” Jeannette said triumphantly.

Catie nodded.

Marj sighed. “So it appears. I was too blinded by what he was becoming I couldn’t see the obvious.”

“Hey,” I said, drawing their attention back to me. “Catie was right about what? And what do you mean he’s not supposed to have runes? They’ve made him stronger, and he’s used them to create portals.”

“The boy is a god, Lorraine,” Marj snapped and glared at me as though I’d crossed the stupidity line with my comments. “He doesn’t need runes to create portals and acquire powers. They are within him. Like a child learning to walk, then run, these ability will come naturally to him when he comes of age.”

A sinking feeling gripped my stomach. “But he showed me his runes last week, and they appear when he has night terrors.”

They looked at each other again, silently communicating.

“Did he say how he got them?” Jeannette asked.

“He doesn’t know. They appeared after the Valkyries reaped the souls of the swimmers at the meet.” They looked at each other again. I really hated it when they did that. “What are you not telling me now?”

“Someone has been drawing runes on Eirik,” Catie said. “He’s not turning evil by himself, Lorraine. Someone is forcing him to turn.”

“Poisoning him with evil runes,” Jeannette added.

Marj leaned closer. “And that’s something you should have known had you joined us like you were supposed to months ago.”

I swallowed, finding it hard to ignore her again. Only someone who knew runes could be doing this. His parents? Or one of the Valkyries?

“Find whoever is doing this and stop them before it is too late,” Catie said. She extended her hand toward Marj, who pulled out the sheathed artavus she’d tried to give me before from under her jacket. She offered it to me.

I stared at the weapon with revulsion. “I told you I will not hurt Eirik.”

“You need it for whoever is poisoning Eirik,” Catie explained. She took the dagger from Marj.

“If I stop this person, will Eirik become better? Is his condition reversible?”

The Norns exchanged another glance.

“I’m afraid not,” Marj said. “If he survives this—”

“He
will
survive,” I cut off Marj.

“You didn’t let me finish,” she said, eyes narrowed. “If he survives, he must learn to control that side of him.”

“The effects of runes cannot be removed once they are in your body,” Jeannette added. “How many runes did you see on him?”

“A lot.”

Jeannette glanced at the others. “He’s a lot stronger than we thought.”

“Do whatever you can to find the person responsible and stop them before you lose Eirik forever,” Catie added.

My mind raced with possibilities. His parents could be the ones doing this. They had the means and the motive. They’d wanted to go home months ago, but he’d forced them to stay. Or maybe they’d resented living here all these years. They sure acted like it. To catch them in the act, I had to watch Eirik all the time. Even at night. There was only one solution—get him away from his house, enlist Torin’s help, and take turns watching him.

I took the sheathed dagger, glanced at my watch, and groaned. First period was halfway over. “I can’t carry this around school.”

“Then put it away,” Catie said. A portal appeared where the mirror and the sink had been. Through it, I could see inside my bedroom.

 
“Hide it where no one can find it,” Jeannette added. “Not even your Valkyrie boyfriend.”

My eyes wide, I glanced at Catie to confirm her words.

She nodded. “She’s right, Lorraine. Whoever is poisoning Eirik could be a Valkyrie. You cannot trust anyone. Not even Torin.”

22.
 
EIRIK

Torin was still outside, glowing runes covering his visible skin. He looked like some ancient warrior god. How much had he heard? Blue eyes sharpened. “What did she say?”

“More like what
they
said. The other two were waiting inside.”

Concern flickered in his eyes. “What did they want?”

“The usual.” I glanced up and down the empty hallway. “Let’s discuss it later. We’re not just going to get a tardy. Mrs. Bates will send both of us to the office for missing half her class.”

“Forget about math. This is more important. What did they say?”

I needed time to process what the Norns had said before talking to him. “Could you get rid of the runes, please? If anyone sees us, they’ll think I’m talking to myself. Again.”

He grinned and offered me his hand. “Then let’s go somewhere and talk.”

“I’m not ditching school. Can’t you just rune Mrs. Bates, so she doesn’t see us or remember we haven’t been in class?”

“Nope.” He stopped right there in the middle of the hallway and crossed his arms.

I groaned. “You know this your-way-or-the-highway attitude won’t work with me.”

He smirked. “You’ll get a tardy without me.”

“Argh, you’re so…” I growled, turned, and marched to the door.

I got a tardy and a warning—one more and it was Saturday class for me. Torin was already in the back of the class, smirking. I imagined several medieval tortures specifically modified for him.

Once again, Lavania was in class. She frowned when I walked in. Could she be the one? She hated Cora, and Eirik never liked her from their first meeting. Plus, she’d wanted to work with him and he’d rejected her. Maybe “work” meant something else. Maybe having refused her, she’d decided to teach Eirik a lesson.

Nah. I couldn’t see the Valkyrie I’d come to admire and respect sneaking into Eirik’s room to etch runes on him. Then there was Torin.

Our eyes connected. He winked, a smirk tugging his beautiful lips. I glared. Despite the fact that he made me want to use him for target practice, I knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. Hurting Eirik would do that. I’d give him a chance to tell me the truth about the favor he owed a friend before I grouped him with everyone else.

“Ready to tell me what they said now?” he asked as we walked to our next class.

“They couldn’t feel Eirik’s essence and knew he was getting worse.”

“And the runes?”

“They’re accelerating his transformation. The scars are part of it, too. As he embraces his dark side, the scars will harden and become scaly.”

Torin’s eyebrows shot up. “Scaly?”

“They are part of a disfigurement he inherited from his mother.” I wondered if she was a mermaid. “You don’t happen to know scaly beings in,” I waited for some students to pass us before whispering, “Asgard?”

“No, but I’ve heard of some that can shift into serpents and animals.” I didn’t know if he was serious or not, but he became very quiet. After history, I didn’t see him until lunchtime.

He was by the door with Drew and Keith, the jocks hanging on his words. Students passed and turned to smile or say something. Torin seemed so at ease, like he was a normal student. Why did he insist on keeping secrets from me? Maybe after centuries of getting close to people so he could reap their souls, lying came easily to him.

He pulled me closer when I joined them, the sexy grin I loved curling his lips.

“Later, guys,” he told his friends. Outside, instead of going to a restaurant, he headed east and away from the town square.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Home. I want to do something special for you.”

“Something special” often involved decadent and mind-numbing things that could shock the pants off every girl, and guy, around my age. Having a boyfriend with centuries of experience under his belt had its perks. My imagination went into overdrive.

“Special?”

He chuckled. “You have a one-track mind, Freckles.”

He sounded pleased with himself. My face warmed. I hated that he could read me so well. “And whose fault is that?”

“I’m not taking all the blame. Your enthusiasm matches mine.” He put his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer. “I do have other favorite pastimes, you know.”

“I hope it involves food because I’m starving.”

He laughed and was still laughing when we pulled up outside his place. Inside the house, he directed me to a stool, offered me a can of soda, and disappeared behind the fridge door. “Are you allergic to any vegetables?”

“No, but I hate mushrooms.”

He peeked at me from behind the fridge door. “How can you possibly hate mushrooms?”

“They taste funny.” I made a face.

Laughing, he came back to the counter with bags of frozen vegetables, including fresh shiitake mushrooms, and arranged them on the table. “You see this? It cures ulcers, high and low blood pressure, liver problems…” Still listing mushrooms’ healing powers, he dived in the fridge and came back with cooked pasta.

“It doesn’t matter what you say, mushrooms are disgusting. Uncooked they taste like… cardboard. Cooked, they are slimy.”

“I’ll make you change your mind.” He got a cutting board and knife.

I watched in awe as chopped up vegetables. Then he slowed down before he started cooking. I joined him. I had no idea what spices he added. It didn’t matter. He was poetry in motion, and the food smelled so good. Too bad I had no appetite and my insides churned with nervous tension.

Usually, I liked being alone with him, when nothing else mattered but us. Today I felt like a fraud. A traitor. Who in their right mind would suspect the guy she loved of doing something so evil? Part of me wanted to give him a pass, which was the right thing to do when you loved and trusted someone. No, loving him messed with my reasoning. I should at least get mad at him for keeping a secret from me. Unfortunately, all he had to do was smile and I forgave him for everything. Gah, I was so whipped.

“You’re not eating?” he asked.

I tried to eat, but every time I swallowed, my throat closed and my stomach threatened to rebel. I pushed a piece of shrimp around the plate like a puck on an ice rink, guilt tugging at my conscience.

“You don’t like my cooking?” he asked, his eyes volleying between my face and the food.

The flutter in my stomach grew. “No, that’s not it. I’m worried, uh—”

“About Eirik,” he finished, putting his fork down.

That too, but at the moment I was more worried about him and how he would react to what I was about to ask him. Taking a coward’s way out, I forked a piece of shrimp, placed it in my mouth, and chewed without tasting it. “This is really good.”

He rolled his eyes. “Now she humors me.”

“It really is.”

“You just ate a piece of mushroom.”

I reached for the paper towel to spit it out, but the way his eyes lit up told me he’d been teasing. “You’re a jerk.”

“Love you, too.” He went back to his food as though he hadn’t just told me he loved him. He’d never told me he loved me, not even before he lost his memories. Should I ask him if he’d meant it, or should I focus on what the Norns had told me about Eirik?

Thinking about the Norns only made things worse. My mind kept going in circles. Torin got a second helping, while I struggled through half of mine. When he was done, he sat back, sipped his drink, and studied me with a questioning expression. I squirmed. I hated it when he stared at me as though he could read my mind.

“Okay, Freckles. Out with it.”

I bristled. “Out with what?”

“Whatever is on your mind,” he said.

“I got a tardy today because you refused to help me,” I said and pouted.

“You can move fast, fade, and sketch forgetful runes. You don’t need my help anymore.”

“I’ve barely learned those things, Torin. I can’t practice on a teacher.”

“Why not?”

“Because… because she’s my teacher and I could do something wrong, and I didn’t carry my artavus.”

He sighed. “Don’t worry about Mrs. Bates. I already took care of her memories. In the meantime, talk to Lavania about carrying an artavus. You need two, one for your skin and another for portals.” He looked at his watch and leaned forward. “We don’t have much time. Tell me what’s really bothering you.”

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “You said, uh, that you came back because you owed a friend a favor.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes.”

“What’s the favor?”

He shook his head. “I can’t talk about it.”

“Does it have anything to do with Eirik?”

Torin frowned. “Eirik? Of course not.”

I studied his face. He seemed genuinely surprised, which meant he wasn’t the one hurting Eirik. Still… “Why can’t you just tell me what it is?”

“Don’t do this.” He got up. “I gave my word, and I can’t break it.”

“Not even for me?”

He rubbed his eyes. “You should never ask me to break a promise, Freckles. I wouldn’t be the guy I am if I did that.”

Dang it! He was right. I looked down at my hands, my face warming.

“I don’t know what happened between this morning and lunchtime, but I have a feeling the Norns have something to do with it. I’m here if you need to talk or—”

I gave an unladylike snort. “So it’s okay for me to share things with you while you keep secrets? You know I hate double standards. They suck.”

He sighed. “I know, and I’m sorry, but I can’t explain anything now.”

I got up, feeling tired and a little weepy. “You said the same thing months ago, Torin, and we almost lost each other.”

“I will never let that happen again.” He got up and gripped my arms. “Never.”

“You don’t know that. As long as you continue to keep your secrets, anything is possible.” I turned and started for the door.

“Freckles, wait!”

 
I wanted to ignore him. My heart dueled with my mind. My heart won. No matter how much he hurt or disappointed me, my heart would always belong to him. I stopped and turned. He closed the gap between us, blue flames leaping in the depth of his eyes.

“You mean everything to me.” He reached up and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, his eyes fierce. “I’m not going to lose you over this.”

I searched his face and saw the truth in his eyes. I should have known loving a Valkyrie wasn’t going to be easy. Yet I couldn’t have him any other way. I covered his hand and pressed it against my cheek. “Of course you’re not going to lose me. I just don’t understand.”

“The favor is personal. You’ll understand once you learn the truth. Will you give me a few days, please? A week at the most. Please. For us.”

How could I refuse such a plea? I reached up and touched his lips. His beautiful sculpted lips. He could make me agree to anything when he turned on the charm. “Okay.”

He grinned. “Will you tell me everything the Norns said?”

I laughed. “You’re charming, Torin St. James, but not
that
charming. You keep your secrets, and I’ll keep mine. I’ll take my car back to school.” I turned and opened the door.

“Why?”

“You have football, and I have errands to run after school.”

“My practice will only last an hour. We’re tapering down.”

“I need to stop by the store to see my parents then pay a certain deity a visit. Alone,” I added when his eyes narrowed with disapproval.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I can handle Eirik.” Torin followed me outside, still protesting, and watched me walk to my house. He was still standing on his porch, looking annoyed, when I drove past. I smiled and blew him a kiss.

***

If morning had been stressful, the afternoon was torturous. Teachers taught, but I didn’t hear a word they said. I kept going over what I planned to say to Eirik. He wasn’t returning my texts. When I tried to catch him between classes, he was always surrounded by his groupies. I never thought of Eirik as a chick-magnet, or an annoying, pig-headed douche. He was now both. I refused to compete for his attention.