Mist Revealed (17 page)

Or their human mates.

Rune pivoted on his heel and faced Jaron. “The
eldjötnar
believed that the way to prevent Ragnarok was to give ultimate control to one element and eliminate the need for mist and fire to clash. They vowed to take the place of the gods.”

“Yes, but it is foolish. Surtr himself killed Freyr during the final battle. Many times. He never absorbed his powers.”

“But humans can. That is what the gods feared. And we take human—”

“Mates.” Jaron stood. The chair clunked to the floor. “This is not good. We need to find the gods before that happens.”

Rune pinched the bridge of his nose. “I fear it’s too late for that. Our only hope is to find the humans now hosting the gods’ power before the
eldjötnar
do.”

“And do what with them?”

“Protect them.” Rune glanced at Cat’s door. “Mate them.”

“Cat?” Jaron shook his head. “Your consort did not kill our gods. I believe her and so do you.”

Rune shrugged. “Maybe not directly, but she’s special. The mist has shown its affinity toward her.”

Jaron slid his gaze to the door. “It has chosen her.”

“Or she has picked her element by selecting me.”

“Either way, you must mate her before the fire demons steal her away.”

“The way we did their consorts?” Rune leveled a hard look at him. “Malin never quite believed Draven would have murdered her. She loved him.” Life had come full circle. The irony hit him square in the chest. “In the end, being with us killed them anyway.”

“No, the
eldjötnar
ended their lives. We would have given them an eternal existence.”

“In a loveless bond.”

Jaron have a half-shrug. “Is that not what you’re proposing now?”

“I can only speak of my involvement with Cat. Mating her is my choice, not something forced upon me by the elders.” Rune faced his brother, the one who’d labeled him cold. “I love Cat or at least I’m falling in love with her. She appeals to me. Her personality, compassion, beauty and…”

Rune glanced over his shoulder and stared at Cat’s door. She was up there on her computer, researching.
Well, hell.

“And what?”

“Her intelligence.” Rune met Jaron’s eyes. “She is driven by her quest for knowledge.”

Silence stretched. Finally, Jaron cursed. “Like Odin.”

“Yes, like Odin.” Rune nodded, the full scope of what he theorized hitting him.

“And she’s mine.”

Cat accepted the tray of food from Ivan’s son. “Thank you.”

The boy nodded and slipped out of the room.

She set the food on the desk and lifted the lid. A folded piece of paper sat on top of the sandwich. She opened it and read.

Are you ready for your answers? Open the window, and let me in.

She crumpled the note and tossed it in the trash can. Did the fire demon think she was a fool? She didn’t doubt Rune enough to blindly put herself in danger by inviting one of the creatures who killed Janice into her room.

She shoved the food away. No way would she eat anything the
eldjötnar
had touched. How had he gotten into the hotel with Rune and Jaron here anyway?

The door opened. She glanced over her shoulder. Rune’s wide shoulders filled the space. Her thoughts scattered. Each time she looked at him, he grew more captivating, more gorgeous, more everything. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that she had to lock him to her side before she lost her chance.

His heated gaze settled on her. “Cat.”

She went to him, the draw undeniable. He circled his arms around her waist. A tug slammed their bodies together. He captured her mouth in a fierce kiss. Desperation and stark hunger fueled it. She felt it in each stroke of his tongue with hers. He ate at her mouth as if he hadn’t seen her in years and wouldn’t again. In truth, it had only been an hour, but the same demands pulsed through her. She needed his touch as much as her next breath.

He slipped his hand under her shirt and covered her breast with his palm. She didn’t wear a bra. He’d snapped the straps on the only one she’d brought. A swipe of his finger over her nipple pebbled it. She pushed more of the flesh into his hand. He massaged, teased the tip and continued to love her mouth. Desire hit hard and fast.

She reached for the button of his pants.

He grasped her wrist. “As much as I want to love you, we don’t have time. Our flight leaves in less than an hour.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Then you need to stop kissing me. As soon as you get your hands or mouth on me, I want sex. This is getting a little ridiculous.” She shoved out of his arms. “And quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. You turn me into a bundle of hormones.”

He chuckled and ran his finger over her shoulder. Tingles skipped across her skin in his wake. “I’m glad, Cat. You don’t know how much it pleases me that you enjoy my touch.”

Because your last consort had favored your brother over you?
She didn’t ask the question though. If she did, she’d have to admit to eavesdropping on him.

He settled his hands on her waist and stepped behind her. The long line of his arousal pressed into her back. “I want you.”

Unable to resist, she leaned into him. “You confuse me, Rune. Do you know that? You just said we didn’t have time for sex.”

He clamped his mouth over her neck. The press of his fangs against her skin quickened her breaths. She gripped his arms. He eased back so only his lips brushed her throat. “As soon as we get to your home, I want to make you my mate. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

She sucked in a breath. “Why the rush? You said we had time.”

He released her and moved away. She glanced over her shoulder. He stood rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’ve changed my mind.”

Alarm bells went off in her head. “Why?”

“Because.”

“That’s not an answer.” She turned and crossed her arms under her breasts. “What’s changed over the past hour?”

“When I fed from Ivan, I learned Draven was here asking about you. He’d even planted a compulsion in the human’s mind to contact him as soon as you arrived at the hotel.” He clenched his fists and took a step closer. “He knows you are my consort. We have a history, Cat. If he can steal you from me, he will.”

“What kind of history?”

“It doesn’t matter. I will protect you from him.”

“By mating me?”

“Yes, I—”

“What history do you have with Draven?” She let the warning show on her expression. She wouldn’t let it go.

His eyes grew cold, distant. “He claims I stole the female he had planned to mate. In truth, I saved her from him and gave her a new life.”

“What was her name?” She held her breath. Would he confirm what she’d overheard?

His features hardened more. For a long moment, he said nothing. Finally he sighed. “Malin.”

His last consort; the woman he’d considered his obligation and had never loved. Draven had, though. Only, he’d lost her. To Rune.

“Oh.” It was all she could say.

He held a hand out to her. She didn’t reach for it. He dropped it and curled his fingers into a fist. “You are my future. Please tell me you understand that.”

In the face of his expectant look, she nodded.

“We’ll talk more in a bit, okay?”

She gave another dip of her head and walked toward the door. She opened it and stood to the side.

“Sure. I need to call the lab anyway.” And think about his words. There was something not right about his sudden change of heart.

He stepped through but grasped her hand before the door closed. Warmth snaked up her arm and ignited her body. She swallowed past the surge of lust. “I’ll keep you safe from him.”

“Okay.”

She yanked free and closed the door. Doubt was a dangerous thing. So too was temptation. Both surrounded Rune. She didn’t know what to do about either.

The ringing phone dragged her out of her thoughts. She answered the landline.

“Hello?”

“Do not hang up, Catherine. Hear me out.”
Draven.

She backed into the corner of the room. The spot gave her a perfect view of the windows covered in ice and the door. She didn’t see any signs of smoke.

“Why should I?”

“Because I want to earn your favor. Give me a chance.”

Did he? Janice’s face flashed before her. Cat curled her hand into a fist. “Who killed my sister?”

“I don’t know. I can only vouch for myself. I am unmated and do not carry the curse.”

“Okay then. Chance over. Good—”

“Did Rune admit to stealing my consort? Or how coldly he treated her? Did he—”

“Stop it. Do you think I’m a fool? A fire demon infected my sister. Why would I believe another one over Rune?”

“I know, and I am sorry for her death, but I had no part in it. What I am trying to do is save you from the same fate.”

She snorted. “Then don’t sweat it. Rune already offered to save me.”

“But he can’t, not truly. He is not
eldjötnar
. The blood he would share with you will not protect you from the virus. Only mine can.”

Excitement replaced the irritation of his call. “Give me a sample.”

He laughed. The low sound didn’t affect her the way Rune’s did. She was glad. One sinful temptation was enough.

“I will, when I make you my mate.”

She clenched her jaw. “You don’t know me. Why would you want to spend eternity with me?”

“Why would Rune?”

“Because he cares about me.”

“Has he declared his love for you?”

“Yes.” He’d said he liked her. That was close. Sort of. She bit her lip.

Another low chuckle filled the line. “You lie, and if you think sex is the same, you are wrong. That was all he offered the woman I loved after he stole her from me. She learned quickly though, and she hated him for it.”

She tensed. She knew better than to engage him but couldn’t help asking more. “Why didn’t you take her back?”

His growl filled the line. She flinched. “It would’ve been pointless. The Norse gods favored the children of the mist. They ordered Malin to mate Rune. She feared going against them.”

“I cannot take her place.” Hadn’t she said the same thing to Rune?

“No, but I understand love. I am not cold, Catherine. I can warm you as—”

She ended the call and groaned. “I don’t understand it either. I don’t understand anything.”

She wanted her sister. Janice would’ve given her advice on Rune and love, but she wasn’t here. She was dead, and the fucking demon who knew her killer thought to make Cat question Rune. She hated Draven for that, but she hated herself more. His words were like a poison. They were destroying the only good thing that had come out of the tragedy surrounding Janice’s death.

Rune.

Cat paced the length of her room. Rune had just left after delivering the news that their flight was delayed. Engine trouble. He was going to try to find them another way out tonight. Jaron had already left. He and another Warden were going to travel on the wind currents and meet them in Maine. She’d nearly laughed when Rune told her that but hadn’t. After everything else that had happened, the concept didn’t sound as farfetched as she would’ve thought a couple of days ago.

They were treating the delay as if it was the end of the world, but she didn’t mind it. She didn’t want to leave Greenland without all the information she’d come for. There was still one person she wanted to interview—Ivan’s grandmother. Irene knew of the local legends, all those contained in the books neither Cat nor Ivan could read. She’d asked him.

She halted her steps and glared at the stack of books. There were answers in there. Maybe not the ones to the questions plaguing her, but she wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew for sure. It was the same damn obsessive-compulsive disorder that kept her in the lab for days at a time without eating or sleeping. Sam suffered from the same problem.

They both came from a long line of OCD scientists.

She locked her knees to stop herself from buckling to the floor. “Oh my God.”

Sam’s great-uncle, Robert Downs, had worked alongside her grandmother. He’d died shortly after the war. He never had children.

She snatched the landline and hit the zero button. Ivan answered. “Did you talk to your grandmother? Will she come over?”

“Yes and yes.” Ivan sighed. She realized she was being a pain in the ass, but dammit, sometimes she couldn’t help it. “You must understand she isn’t in very good health. My son is helping her dress and walk across the village, but she doesn’t move very quickly. It would’ve been easier if you went to her.”

She’d been tempted. The lure of knowledge had nearly overcome her reason. She wasn’t a complete fool, though. Draven got close to her once. She wasn’t going to invite a second encounter. No matter the doubt she harbored over Rune’s reason for mating her, she didn’t fear him. He would protect her at all costs. She just didn’t know if the price was one she wanted to pay.

“I know, but all the books are here along with my computer.”

“She is bringing another tome, an older version than even the ones I have.”

She gripped the phone so hard she was surprised it didn’t break. “Oh that’s wonderful. How much longer do you think it’ll be?”

He sighed again. “Soon, Miss Saunders.”

He rang off.

Another book. She resisted the urge to do a little dance.

Her cell phone rang. She ran over to it and glanced at the ID.
Sam.
She answered; screw her budget. That was what she had a trust fund for.

“Hello?”

“Your little mystery has become my new obsession, Catherine. I can’t think of anything else.”

She waved off the irritation in his voice. “Did you find out anything more about the bodies recovered from Iceland?”

“Fuck, no. Everything’s gone.”

“What do you mean everything is gone?”

Sam groaned. She could envision him rolling his eyes. “All of information on the investigation in Iceland is gone. How much clearer do I have to make it?”

“Even the reference to it on Roland’s computer?”

He sighed. “Yes, Catherine.”

Shit. She nibbled her lip. What now? I needed that information.

“So I went to the vault,” he added.

Like any good scientific institution, they archived all their data. Part of Janice’s job had been to scan all the old lab notebooks and create electronic files in case the originals were lost.

“And what did you find?”

“That some fucking asshole got into our center and destroyed two years’ worth of data.”

“Destroyed? How?”

“Burned. All the notebooks were taken out of their storage boxes, piled into the center of the room and burned. God knows how they accomplished it without setting off the fire alarms.”

“The eldjötnar.”

“The fire demons? Jesus, you can’t be serious. I know you said—”

“I am. I’m deadly serious. They were there, and they killed Janice.” She told him about Janice’s email and waited for him to respond.

Silence stretched. Finally, his sigh filled the line. “I was hoping you were just going crazy like your grandmother.”

“She wasn’t crazy.” Her grandmother was brilliant, driven and had accomplished more than many women of her time. Maybe she did so by straddling the line of ethical behavior, but her research had advanced science.

“She thought so. When I saw everything destroyed, I started going through the boxes from years afterward in case they’d missed something. I found your grandmother’s journals. She detailed the whole time period.”

She gripped her phone tighter. “What did she say?”

“That the government was led by a bunch of closed-minded fools. They refused to study the bodies they’d found. So she and my great uncle stole one before they were shipped off and put in storage.”

“Oh God.”

Another weary sigh filled the line. “That’s the conclusion she came to also. After they finished their examination, the body started decaying rapidly. Within hours only a skeleton remained. By the next day only dust did. Then both she and Robert began to have hallucinations. My great uncle killed himself. Your grandmother took to drinking and threw herself into work as an escape.”

She swallowed hard. “What kind of hallucinations?”

“She’d see smoke or fog. Sometimes both at the same time, but she could never figure out where it came from. As soon as she pointed it out to someone else, it disappeared.”

“Have you ever seen smoke or fog?”

Sam laughed. “No.”

Of course she hadn’t either until she’d met Rune. “Okay, see what else you can come up with. We need to get Roland involved and find those other bodies.”

“I’ll try. He hasn’t responded to any of my messages.”

Great.

“Well keep trying.” She didn’t know what else to say. “Oh, and Sam?”

“What?”

“Be safe.”

“You too.”

She hung up and wondered if she should’ve told him about Rune and Jaron.
Not yet, not until I have more facts.

Her theory needed them. Sam would never believe her if she told him she thought her grandmother and his great uncle had absorbed the power of the god they’d killed and somehow passed it down to them. Yeah, a hypothesis like that required major support, not simply the coincidental details she’d amassed.

Both she and Sam were the youngest in their respective family lines. Both of them struggled with OCD, had the same quirks and couldn’t relate to members of the opposite sex. The only difference between them was her visit to Greenland. She’d met Rune. Their connection and the mist that had followed her to the inn were not normal, not by any conceivable means.

Then there was Draven.

I know who you are… What you are… A treasure, Catherine, one that can’t fall into the wrong hands.

He had the answers. She wanted them.

She took a step toward the window. He was out there, waiting. She knew it. He’d come to her. She touched the lock on the window. Ice met her fingertips. She froze.

Jesus, what am I thinking?
She jerked her hand back. Deep breaths calmed her racing heart.
I’ll get my answers. First, I must exhaust the avenues I have open to me. Irene and the tomes come first.

Always choose the safest route before dabbling in the riskier. How many times had Janice told her that?
You’re a genius, Cat. Don’t sell yourself short. Find a way that won’t leave you with regret.
If she went to Draven for her information over Rune, she’d be saddled with a boatload of it.

A knock sounded. She rushed to the door. Ivan stood there.

“My grandmother is waiting in the parlor for you.”

She grabbed her books and rushed forward. She took a single step into the hall and froze. Rune stormed up the stairs, anger tightening his features. “Where are you going?”

How had he known she left her room? Her gaze shifted from his face to the chair at the base of the stairs. Next to it, a notebook, unfolded map and phone were scattered.

“You were watching me?”

“Of course. Now answer me.”

She clenched her jaw. “Is this what my life will be like until I agree to mat…” She glanced at Ivan. “Marry you?”

Ivan cleared his throat. “This is a private discussion. Come down when you’re done talking.” He took the books from her and walked away.

Rune glared at Ivan’s retreating back until he disappeared down the stairs.

Alone, he faced her. “I know a lot has been dumped on you. It isn’t fair of me to expect you to not only believe everything I’ve told you but to trust me.”

He caressed her arm. She bit her cheek to stop her sigh. The simple touch rocked her. He dropped his hand. “I feel this too. For me it is a gift as much as you are, but I know it scares you. I’m trying to give you the space you need, but I must also protect you.” He motioned at the chair. “That was the only thing I could think of which satisfies both.”

She stared at the chair for a long moment. He knew exactly how much his touch and nearness messed with her. He hadn’t used it against her. Shame settled over her heart, but it didn’t chase her uncertainties away.

“I’m not ready to mate you.” She blurted the words before he could say anything else.

He fisted his hands and nodded. “I know. I’ve pushed too hard. I will wait for you.”

His words lifted a weight from her shoulders she hadn’t realized was there.

“Thank you.” She offered him a smile. The reason she’d rushed into the hallway came back to her. “There is something I want to talk to you about after I speak with Ivan’s grandmother.”

“That’s sounds ominous, Cat.”

She snorted. He’d used the same words she had. Intentional or not, it made her smile. “Maybe it is. Maybe you’ll want to reconsider your offer to mate me.”

“Nothing will change my mind.”

“We’ll see.”

He cupped her face in his hands, a gesture she was quickly learning to anticipate and savor. It made her feel special. And appreciated.

“I am falling in love with you, Cat.” He pressed his lips to hers but didn’t kiss her. “Don’t say anything. I just…” He eased back and held her gaze. “I just wanted you to know.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed. He didn’t claim undying love, just offered her the truth. He was
falling
in love with her. She let her gaze roam over him. One question surfaced—was she falling in love with him? Her mind immediately started dissecting their interactions and her responses to come up with an answer.

No, dammit, not everything needed to be cataloged and analyzed. For once in her life, could she make a decision solely on her emotions?

She caressed his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Her heart flipped over, cracked open and took him in. The answer was there, in her soul. Crazy or not, she was falling in love too.

“Rune, I’m fa—”

He pressed his lips to hers, stopping her. “Not yet. I see my answer in your eyes. Save the words for when I can love you properly. Okay?”

A small nod was all she could offer.

He grinned and took her hand. “I was able to secure a private helicopter to take us to an airport in southern Greenland. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done talking to Irene.”

She pulled free of his comforting hold. “I’d like to talk to her alone.”

If the woman knew of the alternate outcome to Ragnarok, she didn’t want Rune there while she asked specific questions about the new gods and how they related to her. That was her legacy. Good or bad, she wanted to come to terms with it first.

He opened his mouth as if he meant to argue but nodded and led her into the room where Irene waited. He greeted her, then waved his arm. Ice formed a thin layer over the windows, outlets and the gas fireplace.

Cat glanced at Irene who sat blowing on a cup of tea. She showed no signs of noticing the unnatural occurrence.

Rune ran his fingertips down Cat’s spine. “I’ll wait right outside. Yell if you have need of me.”

She nodded, waited until the door closed, then took the chair next to Ivan’s grandmother. “Irene, I’m sorry I made you travel so far, but I’m grateful you came.”

“You’re welcome. Few young people want to hear what I have to say. I’m honored you do.” She motioned to the teapot and empty cup. “Tea first, then we will talk.”

Cat poured some, added a spoonful of sugar and stirred. It still tasted bitter. She drank it anyway. It would be rude not to. That was what Janice would’ve said. Hell, maybe Cat hadn’t lost her voice of reason after all. Janice simply lived on in her head.

She took another sip and resisted her grimace. “What do you know of an alternate outcome to Ragnarok?”