Gods (9 page)

“I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

“You think Jessica is Anne Marie?” Hayden whispered as we headed for the door. “She is around your height and age, and now that Cruella mentioned it, you two are about the same build. And eye color can be fixed with contacts.”

“Except when the contacts move.” Why had Marguerite adopted a girl that looked like me? Was it to replace me?

I glanced over my shoulder at Mrs. Mouton and caught her staring at us with a strange expression. She hadn’t moved. I smiled and thanked her again. Now I understood why Grams never liked her. She must have known about her friendship with Marguerite.

The first person I saw when we left the room was Eirik. Giselle stood way too close to him, laughing. Then she reached out and touched his arm. When her hand lingered, I wanted to hang her by her manicured fingernails.

EIRIK

Everything and everyone ceased to matter the moment Celestia stepped out of the Moutons’ den. I searched her face for signs of distress. I had no idea why she’d come to see the Moutons, but I had sensed her brief moment of fear.

“Excuse me.” I met Celestia in the middle of the room and reached out to physically connect with her, stroking her cheek and tucking her hair away from her temple. “You okay?”

She covered my hand and smiled, dimples flashing on her cheeks. “Yeah. What are you doing here?”

“You know how it is. You call and I come.” She laughed, and I captured the sound with a kiss. Her blue eyes were luminous when I lifted my head. “Am I getting a slap for kissing you in front of people?”

She glanced at the people behind me and grinned. “No. I’m ready for round two.”

I laughed. Her boldness was one of the things I loved about her. I tucked her to my side and smiled at Mrs. Mouton, who didn’t wear her disappointment well. The last few weeks, she’d tried to push her daughter at me with little result. Just because Celestia had been in a coma hadn’t meant I was a free man. I was willingly bound to her and wouldn’t have it any other way.

We said our goodbyes and headed for the foyer. Hayden was grinning with such glee I had to ask, “What’s so funny?”

“I love seeing the two of you together and love knowing it pisses some people off.” She glanced over her shoulder at Giselle, who was watching us leave. Hayden waved at the girl. I just nodded. I had no interest in the blond. She was pretty, but looks alone weren’t enough to hold my interest. I loved a girl with depth, someone to keep me on my toes. Celestia did that and more. She’d been mine the moment she entered my dungeon and thought I was a sheep shapeshifter, and I couldn’t imagine a life without her. If that meant she was destined to be with me and was my soul mate then I was damn lucky to have found her.

Hayden pulled out her artavus the second we left the mansion. “I’ll create a portal to my car.”

“Inside the car, please,” I warned her. “Witches are not too crazy about Immortals right now and the bunch back there are powerful enough to know if you disappear.”

“You think I care about them?”

“You should because you are friends with Celestia and they’ll shun her for associating with an Immortal.” I wiggled my fingers at Celestia. “I’ll drive, you talk.”

Celestia frowned. “About what?”

“Anything. I don’t care. I’ve missed your voice these past weeks and need to hear it.” She stopped smiling, and her eyes started to tear up. “What did I say?”

“Nothing.” She pushed the keys in my hand.

“Oh, you two-faced traitor,” Hayden growled. “Some best friend you are. I cannot believe you’re letting him drive your car, but you never, ever allow me. She’s crazy possessive about her things. Her car, her mp3, and now she’s rolling over for you.”

“You don’t say nice things like Eirik does,” Celestia said.

Hayden narrowed her eyes. “You are a dead Witch, woman. No, death is too good for you. Your soul will just head to his quarters in Hel’s Hall. I disown you for, uh, the next twenty-four hours.” She opened the car and disappeared in the back seat.

Not worried about Hayden’s attitude, Celestia gripped my shirt, went on her toes, and gave me a naughty grin.

“Round two for the road,” she said and then kissed me.

I sucked in a breath when her teeth sunk into my lower lip. She was a fast learner. I took over, exploring her mouth, memorizing the texture of her lips, and savoring the taste of her. Kissing her was like playing with fire. You know you could burn, but you don’t care. She did very little to push me over the edge. I pinned her against the car to stop her squirming and gripped the back of her head to anchor her in place.

A throat cleared behind me and reality crept in. Reluctantly, I eased off the kiss. While Celestia buried her face on my chest, I glanced at Hayden.

“You are shifting,” she said, her eyes going to the second floor window. Giselle had been staring down at us, but moved back when I glanced up. I still caught a glimpse of her pink dress.

I lifted Celestia and eased her into her seat. The fact that she didn’t complain about being carried said she was still affected by our kiss. I loved how she responded to me. I took the driver’s seat, adjusted it, and the angle of the steering wheel, and gunned the car.

My eyes met Hayden’s through the rearview mirror. “Wait until we leave the compound before opening a portal.” She nodded. “How’s Tammy doing?”

“Good.” Her eyes went to Celestia, a frown settling on her face.

I wondered if Celestia had agreed to talk to Tammy yet. I’d asked her about it this morning while on our way to Alfheim and she’d clammed up. I didn’t blame her for not wanting to go to Tammy’s. My grandmother would not have soul-napped Celestia if Tammy hadn’t marked her. While I mistrusted the woman for what she’d done, I would never have met Celestia if it weren’t for her.

I pulled over once I passed the Moutons’ gate and Hayden created a portal. She tapped Celestia on the shoulder. “Call me when you get bored of Eirik and want to hang out.”

“I will.”

“That’s insulting. I have ways of making your life interesting. Tell her, Dimples. Tell her of my many talents. If she doesn’t believe you, she can watch. I don’t mind.”

Celestia playfully punched my chest. “Stop being outrageous.” She glanced over her shoulder at Hayden. “But he’s right. That’s not going to happen. I’m thinking of paying Doctor B a visit tomorrow.”

“Why? Oh,” Hayden added as though she understood. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“It’s the least I can do.”

“Be careful. If you want me with you, I’m a portal away.”

“I have her back now, Hayden,” Eirik said. “Nothing is going to happen to her on my watch.”

“If that’s your way of saying she no longer needs me, then thank you. Watching her back all these years has been such a chore. You have no idea the crazy things she does after she trances and sees a vision.”

“That’s so mean,” Celestia protested. “And you loved every moment of post trance me. Could you do me a favor? Could you pick up packets from my teachers tomorrow, so I can start working on them over the weekend?”

“Sure. Later, guys.” Hayden opened a portal into her car. I waited until it closed before taking off. Celestia leaned against my shoulder and closed her eyes. She seemed preoccupied, but I needed to know a few things.

“So, what were you doing at the Moutons?”

She opened her eyes and smiled. “You won’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

“I wanted to find out where Marguerite lives.”

My hand tightened on the steering wheel. “Your mother?”

She shot me a hurt look.

“Okay. The woman who gave birth to you, but is otherwise crazy, demented, and psycho? Why do you want to see her? She has done nothing but make your life miserable.”

Celestia growled. “I know.”

“Stay away from her and anyone associated with her, Dimples. After the mess with my grandmother, I’ve reached the conclusion that once a psycho, always a psycho. There’s no changing them.”

She sighed. “Will you stop talking and let me explain? You sound like me when I found out you were searching for your crazy, demented, and
psycho
grandmother. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt and listened to your reasons for trying to find her.”

“And see where that got us. She nearly killed you.” When it came to her safety, I would take on anyone and do anything, including locking up her mother with my grandmother, and not lose sleep over it. “Please don’t tell me you are trying for a second reunion with her?”

“You’re not going to find out if you keep interrupting me. Can you keep quiet? Because if you can’t, I’m going to stop talking, then I will hit you on the head for being a total douche.”

Not hearing her voice would send me back to the dark place I’d lived while she’d been in a coma. I clammed up.

“I wanted to know where she lives and so I asked around.” She was talking faster and faster, as though she wanted the information out there. “She stayed with the Moutons for several weeks.”

I knew I shouldn’t trust that leathery woman. I wondered if she’d known what Marguerite had been up to these past few weeks, snooping around and asking questions about Celestia.

“No comment?” Celestia asked.

“No, I’m listening just like you demanded, and reserving judgment.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your grandmother said something before I passed out. She said I had a sister. Since Dad would never let someone else raise his child, or deprive me of a sister, that left Marguerite. I want to know if she had a kid with her when she was in town and that’s why we were at the Moutons.”

I frowned. I wanted her to focus on us, not her crazy mother, yet I couldn’t stand in her way of finding her sister when I’d done everything I could to find mine. And she’d helped me do it, no matter the cost.

“So did Mrs. Mouton confirm it?”

“Yes. Marguerite adopted two girls, Jessica and Miriam.”

I pulled up outside her house and switched off the engine. Instead of getting out, I turned to face her. “Go on.”

“I want to meet them instead of always wondering,” she added, speaking slowly now as though measuring her words. “But I also want closure with Marguerite. As long as she’s out there, I’ll always look over my shoulder.”

Her eyes showed vulnerability I hadn’t seen since the last time she’d faced that woman. I hated seeing her like this. When she crossed her arms, I opened the door, jumped out, and walked to her side of the car. I didn’t let her walk. I scooped her up and carried her to the porch swing. I liked that she didn’t complain about my tendency to pick her up. She was so tiny I wanted to carry her everywhere, protect her from even the tiniest pain.

She nestled against my chest and sighed. I remembered the last time I’d sat on this bench with her and how I’d almost attacked her as she’d explored my chest and neck. But superimposed on that tender moment was the destruction that had followed after Immortals had attacked her and kidnapped Hayden.

“Promise me not to meet her without me present,” I said, and she stiffened. I leaned back, so she could see my face. “I’m not saying you can’t protect yourself, Dimples. I know you can in most circumstances, but your mo… Marguerite is an Immortal while you’re not fully one yet.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

She laughed. “I’m agreeing with you.”

“That’s why I’m worried about it. You never agree with me.”

“When it comes to her, I’m with you.”

“Good. So what’s this about going to see Doctor B?” She pressed her cheek against my neck, and I lost my train of thought as need replaced curiosity. She turned her head and nuzzled my neck. “I can’t concentrate on our conversation when you do that,” I warned her.

“Maybe I’m done talking,” she whispered, her breath warm against my skin. My skin grew tight and tingly. She planted a kiss on my neck and moved to my ear and took a nip while her soft hand slid up to cup the other side of my neck. Scales erupted on my arm and lower back. “Kiss me.”

I lifted her off my lap, put her on the seat, and went to stand by the rail in a fraction of a second. She almost fell over because of the vacuum I’d left behind.

“You are distracting me while I’m trying to have a conversation,” I said, trying to be stern, but the hurt in her eyes made me want to tell her I was sorry even though I wasn’t. I could hurt her quite easily when I was partially shifted.

She extended her hand toward me. “Come here.”

Something in her eyes told me she’d deliberately gotten a rise out of me. Why?

“No. I’m perfectly happy here.” I leaned against the porch rail and crossed my arms. My scales disappeared. “So what’s this about visiting Doctor B?”

“I swear when I get enough speed runes, I’ll chase you and tackle you.”

I laughed at the idea. “You could try.”

“And when I pin you to the ground, I’ll not let you go until I’m done and ready. You want to know why?”

I loved that gleam in her eyes and I was curious about “done.” Done with what? “Why?”

“Because you are mine, Eirik Baldurson. And all the Giselles of the world need to know that so they can stop pawing you.”

So she’d noticed that. I grinned.

She threw me a disgusted look. “Okay, about visiting Doctor B. His daughter, Shania, died in Kayville and I want to pay my respects. I’m not sure how many Witches died, and I wish I could visit all their graves, but Shania was different. She was a friend.”

I didn’t want to discuss what happened in Kayville, my thoughts still on the image of Celestia pinning me with her runes blazing. I needed to get her artavo fast.

“Eirik?”

The concern in her voice yanked me to the present. “When do you want to leave?”

“Today would have been nice, but we can go tomorrow.” She looked at her watch. “We could drive to New Orleans in the morning.”

“Or we could open a portal to his shop now. Doctor B knows what I can do and will not be shocked by our sudden appearance. Let’s do it today. Tomorrow, we are going to Eljudnir.”