Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (354 page)

“I, uh, I was talking to myself,” I stammered.

“How could you say that is cute? You look fabulous,” Cora gushed. “Turn around.”

I turned, aware of Torin watching my every move, his eyes gleaming. He reached out and ran a finger down my back. Heat shot up my spine, and my knees nearly gave away. But he was there, tugging me against him so my back rested against his chest. He was tormenting me whether he knew it or not, and worse, I couldn’t scold him without looking and sounding like a lunatic.

“You okay?” Cora asked. “You just stumbled.”

I blinked. “I did? I must be more tired than I thought.”

“Then let’s finish here. Oh, and you’re buying that dress or I’m never shopping with you ever,” Cora threatened, moving closer to the mirror to study her own reflection.

“I’ll shop with you,” Torin whispered. “You can buy anything you want.” He dropped his head and kissed my shoulder. I trembled, shocked by his boldness and the sensations rocking my body. He was seducing me right in front of Cora. Worse, I didn’t want him to stop. His lips moved along my neck. I moaned and closed my eyes, tilting my neck to give him better access.

“What are you doing?” Cora asked, studying me through the mirror.

My eyes snapped open. “I’m, uh, imagining I’m dancing in this dress,” I said in a squeaky voice then tried to put some distance between me and Torin, but he wasn’t ready to let me go. “I’d love to buy it, but it’s outside my price range.”

“Charge it,” Cora said. “Your mother gave you a credit card, didn’t she?”

“No, just the debit,” I corrected her.

“I have money, Freckles. Plenty of it. I’ll buy it for you,” Torin offered, his voice seductive and hypnotic. “You can wear it just for me.”

“Okay, I’ll buy it,” I said, answering both of them. Torin chuckled and stepped back from me, while Cora grinned as though she’d won the argument. If only she knew.

I ran into the changing room, expecting Torin to follow. He was so bold I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. I wanted him to. I could still feel his lips on my skin. A delicious shiver shot up my spine.

“You didn’t tell me what you thought of my dress,” Cora called out.

“I’ll be out in a second.” By the time I pulled on my jeans and stepped out, I was calmer and Torin was gone. Disappointed, I studied Cora’s outfit. “It’s nice, but I like the blue one better.”

“Me, too,” she said. She disappeared inside her changing room. “Be out in a second.”

We paid for our purchases and headed home. Marj, Catie, and Jeannette, the three girls who’d helped Eirik and Cora with my birthday party, were getting groceries from an SUV outside Torin’s house. They saw us and waved.

Marj walked over, her curly hair rolled up in a bun. As I studied her, she looked more and more like the nurse at the hospital. It was spooky. I shivered a bit.

“We didn’t know you and Torin were neighbors,” Marj said.

“I’m not, Raine is,” Cora said. “What are you guys doing?”

“Helping Torin. He’s gone all out, and his place is amazing. Are you guys coming over to help?”

“I will,” Cora said. She glanced at me and cocked her brow.

I shook my head, just as Torin stepped out of his house. Our eyes met and heat sizzled between us, my senses remembering the incident at the mall. He grinned as though he’d read my thoughts. Cora, oblivious to the undercurrent, walked over to chat with him.

“I guess we’ll see you tonight,” Marj said.

“Sure. Uh, Marj? Are you by any chance related to the Guillaumes? I met a nurse at the hospital by the name of Gabrielle, and you two could be sisters.”

She blinked. “Yeah, uh, we’re cousins,” she said, laughing. “But I look nothing like her. See you later.”

As I watched her go, I wished I had agreed to help with the party just so I could ask her about her cousin and aunt. On the other hand, one second in Torin’s presence and they’d all know how I felt about him.

Sitting on the window seat, I started on something I had put off since our visit to the hospital. I pulled out the phone book and tried to track down the other two nurses.

Mullin was a common local name and yet I still couldn’t find a Sally Mullin or anyone who’d known her. Kayla Jemison wasn’t even listed.

“
H
ave fun
,” Mom called out hours later.

Even though she smiled at the three of us—Cora, Eirik, and me—I knew she was talking to me. My heart picked up tempo the closer we got to Torin’s. Along with the excitement was worry. What if Jess was there and she saw me staring at Torin like a love-struck idiot? I wasn’t even sure what I felt for him was love. All I knew was that I wanted him. Needed him. He made feel alive, special.

Some students lounged on the front porch while others were in the backyard, plastic cups in their hands. The thrumming music didn’t seem loud, until we entered the house. Sketches of runes in neon ink ran across the walls. Maybe they had something to do with the dampening effect of the music.

I searched for Torin among the dancers in the living room, but didn’t see him. Jess wasn’t around either. Were they making out somewhere? I had no idea where the thought had come from, but it made me sick.

Pushing aside the thought of the two of them together, I looked around. Instead of the single couch I’d seen before, several lined the wall. A band played on the large flat-screen TV above the fireplace, giving the illusion of a live show. For someone who didn’t like technology, he’d sure gone all out on the latest gadgets.

Loud laughter drew us to the kitchen. The L-shaped kitchen counter and the island had chips and dips, crackers and cheese, and pitchers of drinks. Some students sat on the stairs leading to the second floor. Others were crowded in the family room across from the kitchen, watching a four-player game on another large-screen TV.

“Happy you could make it, guys,” Torin said from behind us, and we turned. Jess clung to his arm like a leech.

“We won’t stay for long,” Eirik said, his arm tightening around my shoulders.

“Then help yourselves to anything and have fun.” His gaze lingered on my face, or maybe it was just my imagination.

“I hope you don’t mind, Jess, but Torin promised me a dance.” Cora grabbed his hand and tugged until Jess let him go. She pulled him toward the living room.

Jess stared after them, then turned and faced us. Her friends, Danielle, Savanna, and Vera stood behind her like courtly entourage.

“Hi, Eirik,” Danielle said sweetly.

“Danielle. Excuse us, girls.” He started to lead me way.

“That was a beautiful eulogy, Raine,” Jess said.

I stiffened. A compliment from Jess? I didn’t think so. She was buttering me up for something. “Thanks. It was a group effort.”

“Group effort?” she asked, her eyebrow lifted.

“She means we worked on it together, Jess,” Eirik said in a hard voice. “Excuse us.” He started forward, forcing Jess and the other two girls to move aside. Danielle wasn’t easily intimidated, even though she was petite.

“Dance with me, Eirik,” Danielle said, wrapping her hands around his other arm, completely ignoring me.

Eirik freed his arm from hers. “Maybe next time. Right now, I need to dance with my girlfriend.” He shuddered as we walked away. “Piranhas. How can Torin stand them?”

I had no response for him. Coming to Torin’s party had been a terrible idea. This afternoon he had looked at me like I meant everything to him, and now he was with Jess. My chest hurt just thinking about them together. I wanted to go home and cry my eyes out. The problem was if I left, Eirik would want to know why.

Determined to act normal, I smiled and pretended everything was okay. We got drinks, nibbled on cheese, and mingled. The turnout was huge, and from the animated faces, everyone appeared to be having fun. I was miserable.

I focused on the house, noting the changes from before when Eirik’s family had lived here. The old den was now a mini-gym with weight racks, several machines, and a workout bench. A few guys were messing around with dumbbells. Upstairs, two doors were locked. One led to Eirik’s parents’ old bedroom. The other was Eirik’s old bedroom, now Torin’s. The other rooms were empty, but not for long. Students had a way of finding all the cool niches to make-out.

Back downstairs, some of the guys dragged Eirik to the video game. He gave me a helpless look, and I found myself smiling.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him and headed outside where Marj and a group of people sat on the trampoline. Eirik’s parents had gotten rid of the jungle gym when he became too old to use it, but left the trampoline alone.

Intent on attracting Marj’s attention, I didn’t see Jess and her friends until I stepped on the back porch. “All alone?” Danielle asked. “Did Eirik desert you?”

I ignored them and tried to walk around them, but they blocked my path.

“I guess it’s just you and us now,” Jess said.

“What do you want, Jess?” I asked, injecting as much venom as I could in the single question. I wasn’t scared of her or her friends.

“Stop ogling her boyfriend,” Vera snarled.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t think we haven’t noticed the way you’re always staring at Torin?” Danielle added. “You already have Eirik.”

“As for the fake tears in church today, we saw right through them. You wanted him to feel sorry for you and take you home,” Jess said. “You’re so pathetic.”

“Actually, you three are the pathetic ones,” a familiar voice intruded. I looked over Danielle’s shoulder at Andris, his silver hair spiked, brown eyes twinkling. He winked at me. “Hey, sweetheart. Miss me?”

“No.” For the first time since we’d met, I was actually happy to see him, not that I’d let him know it. He sat on the porch rail with his back against a pole, legs crossed and a bottle of a clear liquid in his hand.

“Who are you?” Jess asked.

“Get lost,” Andris said rudely, then waved me over and patted the rail. “Join me, Raine.”

I slid past the three girls and moved to his side. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

“I rescue you from these…” he studied Jess and her friends and dismissed them with an eye roll, “and you’re giving me attitude?”

“I didn’t need rescuing,” I said.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Jess snarled at the same time. “This is my boyfriend’s house.”

“Boyfriend?” Andris laughed. “Not only are you stupid, you’re delusional. One word from me and St. James will throw your sorry ass out of here. Now beat it and take your groupies with you.” He dismissed them again with a flicker of his hand.

“Oh, we’ll see who gets thrown out,” Jess said peevishly and stomped away. Her friends followed.

Andris focused on me and smirked. “Did you miss me even a little bit?”

I ignored the question. “Where’s Maliina?”

“Home on a timeout. She’s been a very naughty girl.”

That was an understatement. “You can’t put her on a timeout. She’s not a child.”

“No, she’s not, and I’m crazy about her. However, I had a lot of explaining and groveling to do because of her. That’s why I was gone for so long, just in case you’re wondering. Want a sip?” He offered me his drink.

I wrinkled my nose. “No, thanks. If you’re crazy about her, why don’t you show her? She only acts out because she needs reassurance that you love her.”

“I know, but when you’ve been together for a couple of centuries, you do what you can to spice things up. A little jealousy goes a long way, and the makeup sex is amazing.” He wiggled his brow.

My face heated. “That’s a stupid reason to chase Mortals.”

“I pretend to chase Mortals, except in your case. You’re special.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“That’s him,” Jess said from the doorway and pointed at Andris. Torin stepped on the porch behind Jess, followed by Vera, Savanna, and Danielle. Torin’s gaze swung from me to Andris, his eyes narrowing.

“What are you doing here?” Torin asked. He sounded too calm.

“Doing your job, big brother. I rescued Raine from your… whatever they are.” Andris studied Jess and her friends and made a face. “They ganged up on her, the skanks,” he added with mock outrage.

Skanks? I almost laughed, until I saw Torin’s expression. He looked thunderous as his eyes shifted from me to Jess. “You did what?”

Jess blinked. “I, uh…”

“Come with me,” he snapped.

Jess frowned, confusion on her face, and she followed him.

Andris snorted. “She’s like a puppy, isn’t she? Run along,” he added to the other three girls. As they turned and scurried away, I almost felt sorry for them.

“Are you always this rude to people you plan to recruit?”

“Absolutely. I don’t like Mortals, especially those not on my list.” He sipped his drink. “No, that’s not true. I prefer them,” he hopped down, leaned toward me, and whispered, “dead.” He laughed, bathing my face with alcoholic fumes. I leaned back. “You should see your face. Classic. Later, sweetheart.” He entered the house, still chuckling.

He was nuts, just like Maliina. I had no idea how I fit in their grand scheme of things, but I was done with this party. I went in search of Eirik, but he was busy playing whatever game they had on the screen. The crowd watching had grown larger and louder. Not sure whether to leave without telling him or not, I paused behind the couch. Then my heart tripped as I felt Torin’s presence. It was as though I was wired to sense him or something.

“Dance with me,” he whispered, his breath brushing my ear.

I swallowed. “Where’s Jess?”

“She doesn’t matter. You do.”

I wanted to believe him, wanted to look into his eyes and see if he meant it. It was impossible to explain how he’d come to mean so much to me so fast. “You marked her with de-skanking runes?”

He chuckled. “She and I have an understanding now.”

The back of his hand brushed against mine, and I sucked in a breath. For a moment he traced squiggles on the back of my hand, his caress light and hypnotic.

I closed my eyes, savoring his touch. He shifted, the tips of his fingers running up and down my palm, inviting me to play with him. Heart pounding, I went for it. Fingers caressed my palm. It was the most erotic foreplay ever. He gently stroked my arm, and I trembled. He wasn’t playing fair. Finally, he looped his pinky around mine. Since we stood so close with the back of the couch in front of us, I hoped no one could tell we were touching.