Gods (23 page)

“I don’t buy that.”

“Yes, well, you are young. The location of the wedding is the same. See if your people can arrive by ten in the morning, UK time. I have to talk to the caterers and Torin’s people to make sure the chapel is cleaned. Thank goodness Femi was once a wedding planner. I don’t know what I’d do without her help. Sit.”

It was an order, so I sat and fought a grin. Svana’s lectures tended to be lengthy, so I tuned her out. She used to be a Valkyrie, a Norn-in-training, when she met Tristan, Raine’s father, and fell in love with him. I doubted she ever regretted giving up soul reaping for love, but she was back at it now. She’d faced the Valkyrie council, asked for her old job, and won.

“I forgot to ask. Are you hungry?” she asked.

“I already ate, but…” My eyes went to the pies on the counter, and she grinned.

“But you wouldn’t mind some apple pie. Cora’s mother dropped those off yesterday.” She didn’t bother to cut a slice, just placed the entire pie and a fork in front of me. “Dig in. I’ll check on Tristan. Femi is out shopping, but she told me you were here earlier.”

“Yes, we spoke briefly. Uncle Tristan was awake,” I added.

“Yes, he drifts in and out of consciousness, but he enjoys your visits. Eat. I’ll be back in a second.” She disappeared into the living room, and I started on the pie.

Femi was the Ancient Egyptian Immortal. She was probably worth millions, but nursing was one of the few professions she’d dabbled in, and she’d offered to take care of Uncle Tristan. She and Svana had apparently been friends for centuries. I got that tidbit from their back and forth banter on Saturday.

I was washing down the pie with ice tea when Svana returned. “He’s asleep.”

I studied her. She didn’t seem overly sad about her husband’s imminent death. She’d probably made plans to have him in Valhalla, where they could be together. She rubbed my arm.

“We didn’t get a chance to really talk about you on Saturday. How are things? I heard rumors, but I’d rather hear them from you.”

“I’m good. What rumors?”

“How are your parents doing?”

“Good too. What rumors?”

A weird expression crossed her face and when she spoke, I knew she’d deflect my question. “So many, which makes me proud. I had no idea there were so many children the Norns brought to Earth and placed with Immortals.”

“And I had no idea how much you did to protect me from the radar of the Suits,” I said.

She grinned. “I wasn’t alone. There are other Immortals here too. Most prefer to remain anonymous and raise their children among Mortals. We did what we could to protect all the orphans in this area. Suits?”

“That’s what the orphans called the Immortals who’d hunted them down. There are other Immortals and orphans here in Kayville?”

“And the surrounding county and towns, yes. No one told us who you were. We assumed you were just like them. Now about your dragon, it’s all they talk about in Asgard. First, it was Raine, now you. Show me.”

I laughed. “What?”

“Your dragon. I want to see that part of you.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement, but I couldn’t do it. I glanced around the kitchen. As a child, it had seemed spacious. After Hel’s Hall, it seemed puny. I’d spent many evenings having dinner with them or helping Uncle Tristan prepare a meal for the family. It had been my home in a way and the last thing I wanted to do was destroy it.

“Eirik?”

“If I shifted here, I’d wreck not just this room but half the house.”

“Oh my. You are that big?”

“Yep.” I grinned. “We could go to the forest, and I’ll shift.”

A thoughtful expression entered her eyes. “No, not here. It was foolish of me to ask. Tell me about the goddess. Does she treat you well? Is she loving?”

“She’s my mother, Aunt Svana. Of course, she is nice and loving.”

Svana’s eyes narrowed. “Does she know about me?”

“Of course. You, Tristan, and Raine taught me about love and laughter, giving and sharing. Without you, I would never have known what a real family is, or what a real mother should be like.”

Svana’s eyes grew bright with tears. “Oh, Eirik. That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. You made it easy to love you.” She leaned in and dropped a kiss on my forehead with so much love I was transported back to my childhood. A kiss from her had healed a lot of wounds. I smiled.

“So what is this personal favor you mentioned earlier?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“Aunt Svana?”

She sighed, determination entering her eyes. “Do you have time now?”

I glanced at my watch. I had two hours before Celestia’s school was out. I had planned to talk to the principal and then escort her home.

“Where is your head, Son?” Svana snapped her fingers. “I swear, you are worse than Raine. She never hears a thing I say. So here is what I need. I want to meet your mother. We won’t be gone for long.” She got up, walked to where she’d dropped her bag, and removed her phone. Within seconds, she was talking to the guy who ran her store. “Yes, Hawk. I won’t be in for a few more hours.” She paused, listened and then chuckled. “Okay, I’ll see you then.” She hung up and made another call. “I’m going out for a few hours. When will you be home?” Another pause. “Okay. Good. I’ll see you when I come back.” She threw the phone in the bag and glanced at me. “I’ll need something warm, right? And winter boots and gloves.”

“Aunt Svana, are you talking about going now?”

“Yes. You said you are happy and your mother treats you well. I have to see it. Because if you’ve lied to me, young man, I’ll go straight to your grandmother and tell them what I’ve learned. She worries about you. Your grandfather and uncles, Raine and Torin, too.”

I scoffed at the thought of the Valkyrie caring about me and received a censuring glare from Svana.

“Then there’s the story your grandparents heard from Viggo. I’ve waited a long time to have a chat with your mother, so yes, we are going. Right now. And you’ll make sure I make it back because Raine needs me to plan her wedding.”

My mother had a bad rep for not letting people leave her realm, but that was before me. “Of course, you’ll come back. Whatever stories you’ve been told about my mother are exaggerated. And even if there are some truths in them, she’s no longer that person. The Norns wronged her when they took my sister and me away, and she had every right not to trust anyone.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes, my sister. She was an orphan here.”

Svana’s eyes grew luminous with tears. “Oh, your poor mother. To lose two children is horrifying. I’d go out of my mind if I ever lost Raine. Now, I want more than ever to meet her. I’ll get my things.”

“And I’ll tell my guys I’m heading home for a couple of hours. Uh, does Raine know about my dragon side?”

“No, dear. I figured that was something you’d share with her when you are ready.”

Svana might look like she should be running around barefoot with flowers in her hair, but she was very smart and intuitive. “I’ll eventually tell her the truth, just not now. I’ll be right back.”

She tilted her head to the side and studied me as I pulled out my artavus. “Do you remember when I’d ask you to help me in the kitchen and you’d say ‘I’ll be right back, Aunt Svana?’ You’d disappear to your place and hide until I was done.”

I grinned. “I was a kid, and I hated doing dishes. I still do.”

“So you won’t disappear on me?”

“No, ma’am. I take my responsibilities seriously now. Besides, I think it’s time you two met. You laid the foundation of the man I am and Mother has built on it.”

“Aww, what a sweet thing to say, but you got it all wrong.
You
are shaping your future, becoming the man you are meant to be. Your mother and I only nudged you in the right direction.” Instead of heading upstairs, Svana closed the gap between us and hugged me. “You also gave my Tristan the son he’d always wanted. Now go before I change my mind.” She stepped back and grinned. “I’m excited and a bit scared, to be honest, but I know you will take care of me or you’ll have to deal with Raine.”

An angry Raine was a scary thought, especially now that her powers had emerged. I’d watched her take on seasoned Immortals, using elemental magic to bend the earth and trees to her will. She could bury me alive if I let anything happen to her mother.

~*~

The portal I opened led to the bleachers. Celestia’s class was having PE inside a gym. Daiku and Ranger sat at the very top seats, munching on popcorn while keeping an eye on her. I joined them, scooped a handful of the popped kernels, and watched the basketball game. Celestia lost the ball to the other team and growled in frustration.

“Someone needs to teach our girl the fundamentals of basketball,” Ranger said.

Daiku nodded. “I’ll do it next time she comes to the hall because she is awful.”

“Really awful,” Ranger echoed.

They were right. Celestia couldn’t dribble to save her life and kept running with the ball. I was sure the teacher noticed, but ignored the rules for her. I would ignore many rules for her. She looked cute running down the court, her ponytail swinging left to right. She’d knotted her T-shirt in front, leaving bare a bit of skin in her midriff and the upper part hugging her chest. I wanted to stroke her skin. I adjusted my eyesight, and I noted the sheen of sweat dotting her spine. Forget about stroking it. I wanted to taste her skin.

Scales appeared on my arm. Okay, I wanted to more than taste her. Devour was more like it. I was crazy to want to stay in her school for the next six weeks when the sight of her made my blood boil with need, yet I didn’t see any other way. I had to protect her, which meant I must learn to control the shift in her presence.

I grinned when she cheated for her team by telekinetically directing a ball into the basket. Laughter came from the bottom of the bleachers, and I followed it to two guys in basketball varsity jackets. I knew that look in their eyes. They were mentally undressing the girls. I adjusted my hearing.

“She’s always been hot,” one of the guys, said.

“But she’s become even hotter since she hooked up with the Asgardian,” the taller of the two said. “Look at those knockers. I’m going to ask her to dance on Friday at the party just so I can size them up. I can always tell a cup size when I hold a girl close and hers looks like Ds, but I gotta confirm it.”

What the…?

I didn’t realize I’d moved until I was behind the two guys. I clamped on their shoulders, right by their necks, and barely controlled my instinct to snap their necks.

“What party?” I asked, keeping my voice light.

“The one our coven is throw…” the shorter guy’s voice trailed off when he looked over his shoulder and realized his friend wasn’t the one holding him. “Throwing on Friday,” he finished in a rush.

“No more covens, dude. This is the first Guild party,” the tall one said, his eyes still on Celestia. “And I’m hitting on her and her Ice Princess best friend.”

“Shut up, dude,” his friend warned him and backhanded his arm. “She’s taken.”

“He won’t be there, but I’ll get serious cred for hitting on his girl. I’ve had my eyes on her since—”

I’d squeezed on his shoulder hard to get his attention.

“Ouch! Dude, what the…?” His eyes collided with mine. He swallowed.

“Don’t stop now. Since when?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t mean anything. I swear. We were just fooling around.”

“Fooling around? I think you were mentally undressing my girl.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Okay, say I believe you. Does that mean you don’t think she’s hot? And her knockers aren’t perfect?”

His face became red. “Uh-mmm, is that a trick question?”

“It’s a simple one. You either think my girlfriend is hot or you think she’s ugly.”

“Oh, she is hot. Very hot.”

My eyes shifted, my hands tightening on his shoulder.

“Out of my league hot?” he squeaked.

I took pity on him and glanced at his friend. “And your verdict?”

“She’s real pretty. Classy. Powerful Witch. I respect that shit, man. And I don’t lust after other men’s girls.”

“Good, because if you look at her wrong, I’ll know. If you say anything to anyone about her, I’ll know. And if you fantasize about her, I’ll pluck the images right out of your head.” They blinked, their eyes widening. “Oh yes, I can. The same way I heard you call her breasts knockers. And no, she didn’t become hot because we hooked up. She’s always been hot. The difference is now she’s off limits.”

They bobbed their heads.

“Good. Make sure all your jock friends know that.” Without letting him go, I engaged my invisibility runes and disappeared. They both whimpered, but the taller one moaned in pain when I squeezed his shoulder again. My eyes met Celestia’s. She stood in the middle of the court with the ball, staring at me.

How much had she seen?

I blew her a kiss and received a scowl. She’d seen enough. I could already hear her verdict. “No bullying guys at school.” I raced up the bleachers, explained to the Grimnirs where I was headed and left.