Gods (38 page)

“I know, but she’s worth it.”

“Damn right she is. I’ll keep an eye on you guys from Odin’s high throne in the tower and make sure you behave.” His eyes narrowed. “I knew the girls before you Grimnirs and Valkyries entered their lives, so chill,” I improvised when I wanted to tell him Cora might be my sister and he had to treat her right or else.

Okay, I was officially losing it. I needed proof before jumping to conclusions. Cora could not be my sister. I would have known. Deep down inside me, I would have connected the dots.

“I’ll check on Tristan then head to bed. Goodnight.” Before I could walk away, Echo grabbed my elbow and insisted I do likewise. “What for?”

“An oath. Something we—Dev, Rhys, Nara, and I—did back in the day.”

I sighed and grabbed his elbow. “Now what?”

“Now I speak and you stop asking too many goddamn questions in that grumpy voice.” He grinned. “You can always count on my loyalty, Eirik Baldurson. The same fealty I extended your mother when I joined her hall now extends to you. It doesn’t mean I won’t challenge you or insult you from time to time, but I will stand by your side in life and in death.”

The frustration drained out of me, and in an oddly twisted way, Echo’s declaration actually touched me. I studied him and he stared right back at me, a sheepish expression on his face.

“Thanks, man. That was deep.”

He shrugged.

“You don’t expect me to repeat it, do you?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“Good.” I stepped back. “Because, dude, you’re beyond weird. I’ll always have your back too as long as you do right by, uh, Cora.”

He grinned. “That’s easy. And you do right by the little Witch. In fact, I’ve just decided to make her an honorary Druid because I know she’s the reason you were asking me those questions about healing. She must have Druidic genes in her. So sleep with one eye open if you ever hurt her.”

I chuckled and watched him walk away, but my thoughts drifted to Cora. I was not going to stress about her and her identity, until I proved it.

I pushed open the door and found Trudy and Andris talking in the living room. As long as they were just talking I was okay. She was an innocent compared to Andris, who slept around and didn’t care who he hurt. I hoped he understood the look I gave him. Tristan was resting in the bedroom, so I left him alone.

Trudy told me my father had left a while back, so I bid them goodnight and hoped he was still up. He might need to send gifts to Asgard. He was talking to Litr in the living room and dismissed him when I arrived.

“I hear you’ll be heading to Asgard, Son?”

“Yep, so if you have messages or gifts, we can take them with us.”

“Seeing you will be enough of a message,” he said and I wondered what he meant. “Have you spoken to Einmyria today?”

“Not since I returned. But I’ll talk to her briefly before I go to bed. Remember Maliina, the Immortal Mother sent to find me?”

“Yes. She betrayed your mother and went to work with the Norns.”

“Did Mother ask her to etch runes on me?”

My father looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know, Son. You’ll have to ask her that. Just remember, she was in a dark place when she made a deal with that Immortal, so there are certain things she did she doesn’t like to discuss. If she says to leave it alone, don’t push.”

Not if it meant learning the identity of my sister.

“Thanks, Dad.” I left him for Einmyria’s room. The door was closed and she didn’t respond to my knock. I debated whether to enter anyway, but ditched the idea. After what I’d learned at Serenity House, she never had any privacy. Never belonged anywhere. This was probably the first home she’d ever had. No wonder she clung to my father. He was the only one Crazy Granny hadn’t demonized.

I unfolded the printout Paula had given me and studied the picture again. I had questions, but couldn’t ask them now and that bugged the crap out of me. On the other hand, if I did it would be like kicking a cornered dog.

“Anne Marie, I came to say goodnight. Remember what I said earlier. If you need to chat, come find me. I’ll be heading to Asgard to see my grandparents on Friday. I was hoping you’d tag along, but I decided I don’t need a bratty sister, so I’m taking Celestia.”

I thought I heard a movement from behind the door and waited, hoping she’d open it. She didn’t.

“However, next time, I’ll drag you along whether you like it or not. Let them drive you nuts instead of me. The first time I visited them, they partied for a week. Every hall chose a day and the themes were hilarious. I swear they use every excuse to throw a party. It’s that or hold jousting tourneys. The place is cool though. All the twelve main gods have thrones in their hall, but also in Gladsheim, where they hold court. It is a scary room with high chairs. You enter it and you realize just how puny you are. They call it the
Aesir
Court. It’s where they strategize about wars.” I chuckled. “They love to fight.”

Once again, I heard movements. I let my dragon senses take over. Her heartbeat indicated she was on the other side of the door on the floor. Encouraged, I continued to regale her with stories of Asgard.

“The goddesses’ halls are just as impressive as the gods’. Grandma’s is called Fensalir. It’s near a spring and sanctuaries for birds and animals, meadows of flowers with different scents and colors. It was a bit overwhelming, but you might love it. You might think it’s weird that the married goddesses have their own hall, but they have thrones too. And I guess when their husbands act like douches, they just ignore them and live in their halls. Unlike Grandpa’s court, Grandma’s is much more relaxed and has lounges with fluffy pillows and her servants serve mead, fruit, and pastries during sessions, yet they’re just as powerful as the gods. The
Ásynjur
Court, that’s what they call it, has more goddesses than the
Aesir
Court.” I wasn’t sure whether I should tell her about Celestia and her healing abilities. One of the Handmaidens, Eir, was the goddess of healing. I was hoping she’d help Celestia master her healing abilities. She knew about all sorts of medical practices, from energy manipulation to surgery. She took care of the gods and the men after they were wounded during battle. The gods didn’t use runes to heal wounds like Valkyries even though Idun’s apples kept them young. “So what else would you like to know?”

I knew she wouldn’t answer and I probably looked like an idiot talking to myself, but she needed to know we still considered her part of the family.

“Celestia is visiting for a few days, so if you’d rather talk to her, send Litr. I also hope to introduce you to Tristan Cooper. He’s the man who helped raise me. We were neighbors and his family took a pity on me because the Immortals who adopted me loved to travel and having me sort of cramped their style, which makes me wonder why they volunteered to adopt me in the first place. Actually, I know why. They were offered a chance to relocate to Asgard afterwards. Anyway, my childhood would have been crappy if it were not for Tristan, his wife, and their daughter Raine. He died this evening and Mom is trying to find him the best Resting Hall. Why is that important you may ask? Those in the east Resting Halls are often invited to parties my father throws. Raine and her mother could visit and talk to Tristan. One day you’ll meet Raine too. Although she’s likely to fill your head with lies about the mean things I used to do to her when we were little.” I chuckled, remembering our childhood escapades. “Okay, enough chatting. Let’s talk tomorrow. Maybe. Goodnight.”

I took off. My parents weren’t eavesdropping this time. In fact, Father was no longer in the living room. I left their quarters and headed to my bedroom and Celestia.

I pulled on pajama bottoms, crawled in bed beside her, eased my arm around her waist, and buried my face in her hair. Man, she smelled nice. I sighed. Now I was ready to go to sleep. All that walking up and down the hall, talking to people had done what flying couldn’t do. Killed my libido. As long as she stayed asleep, I’d be okay.

“I’m happy you’re back,” she whispered. “You were gone so long I thought I’d driven you from your bed.”

Just listening to her sexy voice was enough to get a reaction from me. Man, I was screwed. There was no way I was going to sleep now. “Never. I was talking to people. Mom. Dad. Anne Marie. Echo. He just made you an honorary Druid, which puts you under his protection.”

“Why? I can protect myself, and when I fail, I have you.”

I grinned. “Yes, you do. Dimples. Always. Now, go to sleep.”
Please.

She turned and faced me, her breath warm on my chest. Damn it. “Can we talk tomorrow?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

“Okay. Goodnight.” She planted a kiss on my chest, and I held my breath. Slowly, I released it. She drifted back to sleep. I pressed a kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight,
Stjärna mín
.”

CELESTIA

I woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon and freshly baked bread. Eirik’s side of the bed was empty. Instead of following my nose, I buried my face in Eirik’s pillow and inhaled his scent. Laughter drifted into my room and I realized my door was open. Frowning, I scooted to the edge of the bed, ignored the covered breakfast plates, and followed the voices to the rotunda.

Eirik and his father were talking, and both men looked up, their expressions identical. Baldur could pass for his older brother rather than his father.

“Morning, sleepy head,” Eirik said. He came to meet me, his eyes searching my face. “I tried to wake you up but you were out.”

“Thanks to you.” I added in a low tone.

He pressed a kiss on my forehead and said, “We should make out more often before bed.”

My face warmed while he grinned. I glanced behind him, expecting his father to be staring at us, but he was gone. The guards watched us without expression.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll feed you while we plan our day.”

We were halfway through our meal when I decided to come clean. I eased in. “How is Einmyria?”

“Anne Marie. Every time I called her Einmyria, she corrects me. She’s still locking herself in her room. She had a rough childhood, but she’ll be okay now. We’ll take care of her.”

I put my very flaky and buttery bread down. “There’s something you should know, Eirik. I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from you and I should have mentioned it last weekend, but I wanted to protect you. I tried to get proof first, but from the way things are going and being here, I don’t think I’ll ever get it.”

He stopped eating and fought a smile. “You tried to protect me?”

“Yes, I know. You are an all powerful dragon and unstoppable.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I like it. You can protect me any time. So what’s this big secret?”

“Just before I passed out outside Niorun’s home, your grandmother said something that didn’t make sense at the time. She told me to have fun with
my sister
in Eljudnir. My sister, Eirik. Not your sister. So I decided to investigate it. That’s why I was searching for Marguerite. You know, to find out if she adopted a girl by the name of Anne Marie. Hayden and I went to Serenity House where she works, and she admitted to adopting Anne Marie without knowing who she was. I know it was a lie. She knows exactly who she is. Her real name is Jessica.”

“Jessica,” Eirik said at the same time.

“You know?”

“Yes. I went there yesterday afternoon. Jessica does not have gray eyes. She wears contacts. Her eyes are blue.”

“Like mine. Mrs. Mouton said so.”

“No one has eyes like yours, Dimples,” he corrected. “Marguerite changed her name to Anne Marie after she left Serenity House. She told the workers that her real name was too hard to pronounce.” He explained what he’d learned from Paula while I stared at him in shock. “I know that Marguerite is trying to have some sort of a relationship with you, but I think she’s hiding things.”

I’d really hoped she had changed. I shook my head. “I don’t think she wants a relationship. She’s up to something and it involves me.” I got my sketchpad from my bag and flipped through the pages, until I came to the page with the sketches of the three girls.

“You see these three? She’s been using them. They were the ones at the mall. Remember I told you someone was draining my energy?” I pointed at Miriam. “Her name is Miriam. She was the one doing it. I found a thread of energy that led to her. They’re the ones who attacked Mrs. Mouton after she called and told them I wanted to meet my sisters. And I felt Miriam’s energy when my car was tampered with. They are after me, and I don’t know why.”

He studied the sketches. “I think it has something to do with Jessica. Miriam was one of the orphans we rescued at Nidavellir. She was quite vocal about Anne Marie. I remember something else. When I asked if my grandmother was with a girl, a few of the kids said Jessie. It didn’t mean anything to me at the time.” He reached inside his coat and pulled out a printout. “This is Jessica without contacts. Your mother lied that she’d been adopted by a police chief in a small town outside New Orleans.”

I studied the picture then looked at Eirik. “Really? How unoriginal.”

He nodded. “I think Anne Marie is not my sister.”

I studied his face. “Oh, phew. I’ve been so scared of telling you I felt the same way.” I scooted closer to the edge of the couch. “You worked so hard to find her, except she’s someone my mother planted. Your sister is still out there.”

“I know.” He went back to his food. “The worse thing is I can’t confront Anne Marie. She’s messed up. I know I should be angry she’s part of this elaborate lie cooked up by Marguerite and my grandmother, but I can’t afford to let anger control me. I have to focus on finding my sister.”

I heard the suppressed emotions in his voice. “Come here,” I said gently. He shifted and rested his head on my lap. I stroked his hair, his face, and soothed the beast. “We’ll find your sister. No matter how long it takes, we’ll find her.”

“The Norns offered to tell me the truth yesterday,” he mumbled.

“What did they want in return?”

“The dagger, just like in your vision. And Raine.”

“Oh man. How despicable. So to learn the truth, you’d have to betray a friend.”

“Yep. And to sweeten the deal, they’ll tell me how to help you cope with your powers.”

“I hope you told them to take a hike.”

He chuckled. “I did. We’ll figure out your powers and find my sister without their help. Promise me one thing, Dimples,” Eirik said, taking my hand.

“Anything.”

“Since we know Marguerite is up to no good and Anne Marie is really Jessica, let’s agree to work together from now on and talk to each other. No more secrets. I don’t care how damning or heartbreaking it is, I need to hear it. I don’t like to be blindsided by things.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now I have to find a way to tell my mother. She’s going to be devastated.”

“Actually, she won’t. She already suspects Anne Marie is not Einmyria. She came to see me.”

He sat up. “When?”

“Tuesday night. She explained about Einmyria hurting herself and wanted to know if that’s something common among Mortals. I had her talk to Aunt Genevieve. As a nurse, she could explain medical things better than me.”

“Who did your aunt think she was talking to?”

I grinned. “Your mother. The queen of some country in Europe.”

He grinned. “I’m happy she talks to you.”

“She’s awesome. We had fun last night during dinner. Anyway, she said she couldn’t feel the bond between her and Anne Marie, and suspected she wasn’t her daughter. She would have told you how she felt, but she was protecting you, too.”

He laughed. “That’s funny. Dad and I thought we were protecting her by not telling her the lies Crazy Granny fed Anne Marie. My family needs to understand that keeping things from each other is bad. Starting with you. No more secrets. Deal?”

I nodded. “Deal. Talk to your mom and tell her the truth, too.”

He cupped my face and rubbed the pad of his thumb along my cheekbone. “I plan to. We’re going to find the connection between Marguerite and the three girls. I gave your father the license plate of the SUV she used on Saturday.”

“Don’t protect me from the truth about her. If you learn anything, I want to know it.”

~*~

EIRIK

I went in search of Mother. They were finishing breakfast. Litr brought me a plate, but I shook my head. I wanted to talk with my parents far away from their quarters. Anne Marie was down the hall and might hear us.

“Can we go for a walk?” My parents exchanged glances, the confusion on their faces making me smile. “I need your opinions on something.” Father got up and offered Mother his arm. We reached the rotunda and the guards fell in step behind us.

“No. Wait here,” I ordered them.

The guards bowed and stayed put. I waited until we were halfway to the pool when I stopped by the window overlooking the River Gjöll. I turned and faced my parents.

“Anne Marie is not Einmyria.”

Relief flashed across their faces, then Father said, “We know. Your mother had her doubts from the first day she arrived here and I’ve learned never to doubt your mother’s instinct. We discussed it and decided we’d leave the girl alone until she confesses.”

“So all these weeks when you spent time with her and planned the pool, you knew she wasn’t Einmyria?”

Father smiled tenderly. “She is a lost little girl, Eirik.”

Mother nodded. “And a pawn in a twisted game my mother is playing. What have you learned?”

I told them everything I knew and Celestia’s role, and answered their questions. Then it was my turn to question Mother. “Did you send Maliina to etch runes on me when you sent her to find me?”

She winced, but she didn’t back peddle. “Yes.”

“What kind of runes?”

“Special locator runes I created.” She extended an arm toward mine, her runes moving faster and faster. As though they triggered mine, dark runes appeared on the surface of my skin. My runes were responding to hers. “When I engage mine, I can trigger yours. The locator runes attract souls too. They are the same runes Mother etched on me when I was a child. She knew she could send souls to find me if I was ever lost. I swore I’d never use them, but when I learned you were still alive, I was willing to do anything to find you.”

She slid her arm back under the cloak and my runes disappeared. I glanced at Father. From his expression, he knew about the dark runes.

“When Maliina first offered me her services, I gave her those same runes to etch on you. I didn’t know she’d double cross me and work with the Norns to block me from finding you.”

“Did you etch the same runes on Einmyria?”
Please, say yes.

“Yes. After you were taken, I was desperate, so I etched them on Einmyria when she was born. If I had known she was alive, I would have sent Idun-Grimnirs to find her.”

“The ancient reapers? What can they do that regular reapers can’t?” I asked.

She chuckled. “First, they’re unstoppable. Second, they can see my runes like the souls.” She glanced at Father. “Now that I know Einmyria is out there, nothing will stop me from finding our daughter, Baldur. First, I’m going to have a little chat with my mother.”

“No,” Father and I said at the same time.

Mother chuckled. “Boys, I can handle my mother.”

“We know,
elskr mín
, but I think we should focus on finding our little girl and bringing her home.”

“Then you can visit Crazy Granny and rub her nose in it,” I said.

“How is that even possible? Or is that one of your funny Midgard expressions?” Mother asked.

“It means make her feel bad by telling her in excruciating detail how her plan failed and you won.”

Mother chuckled and wrapped her hand around my arm and the other around Father’s. “That’s all well and good, but we don’t know what her plan is, do we? Why did she use that sick child locked in her room? Or how is Celestia’s mother connected to her.”

She had a point. We didn’t know Crazy Granny’s end game and what role Marguerite was playing. We reached the poolroom and for a brief moment, I was distracted. The workers were already framing the walls with wood and reinforced steel. The Dwarf in charge whisked Father away to point out a problem, so Mom and I walked to the hot tub. It appeared completed.

“About the locator runes, Mother,” I said. “If Maliina etched them on someone else, could you trigger them with your runes?”

She chuckled. “No, Son. I can only trigger runes of those I have bonded with, like you, Celestia, Trudy, and Einmyria. Show me yours.”

I visualize them and in seconds, the black runes inked my skin. Mother brought her normal arm closer to mine. Her runes responded.

“I guess I could always find you if you got lost,” I said.

She chuckled. “That’s true,
dýrr
. But I’m not going anywhere, except to find your sister.” Which was exactly what I planned to do.

“Does it involve you leaving the realm again?”

She chuckled. “You worry too much, Son. I used to leave this realm before you were born and reap children with my Grimnirs. Then your father arrived and offered me a more fun distraction.” Her eyes went to my father. As though aware of her eyes on him, he looked up. From their expressions, they were having a moment.

“You know kids aren’t supposed to know their parents still have the hots for each other.”

Mother glanced at me. “The hots?”

“Fun distractions.”

She laughed. “Do you plan to give me grandchildren with your Celestia someday? Because I’ll tell you right now, I need some. It doesn’t matter if it takes a century or a millennium, I will have this hall ringing with the laughter of my grandchildren. So you better have
“the hots”
for that special girl for a very, very long time.”