The Undoing (16 page)

“And when he comes?”

“I'll deal with it.”

“You know, you may be able to keep the Crows from getting involved in this. But the Ravens like you. And Rundstöm is the wild dog they have on a really cheap leash. Preventing him from going after your ex will be next to impossible.”

“Yeah, but they're a little scared of me. No one likes when I get rage-y.”

“I don't mind it.”

“Seriously?”

“Well . . . if I wasn't one of the mighty Protectors, then I would mind; of course, because you'd beat me into the ground. But Tyr blessed me with awesome strength.”

“Do you see Tyr a lot?”

“Yeah. He comes to the library all the time. He likes to chat. So . . . be forewarned while you're working with us. I know how you hate chitchat.”

“I don't
hate
it.”

“You just hate it with me.”

“No. I'm just not good at it. It's awkward and uncomfortable. And when I was in the Congregation, I had to pretend-chat all the time.”

“Why?”

“It was my role as his wife.” She frowned at Ski, her face earnest. “I never believed, you know. Not for one second.”

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it sounds like you took every opportunity to expand your mind even though you were trapped in a pretty horrible situation. If you believed, even for a moment, you wouldn't have bothered.”

“I was lucky. I had my grandmother. That woman taught me two very important things before I was taken. How to make learning new languages easy . . . and how to trust goddamn nobody.”

“Well, what you need to remember is that you're not alone in this. You've got the Crows.”

“True.”

“The idiots.”

“Why do you hate the Ravens so much?”

“They're stupid. Purposely stupid. I have no time for that. Or patience.”

“They're really not that stupid.” She cringed. “I mean, they're
not
stupid.”

“You probably had it right the first time. And, to continue our conversation, you now have the Protectors.”

She smirked. “Really?”

“You got the Ormi seal of approval. Let me rephrase that. You're a
Crow
and got the Ormi seal of approval. That just doesn't happen. Plus, Bear—of all people—is out making sure your puppy has water. And I haven't seen that man show interest in anything that wasn't between two covers in . . . forever.”

“He is myopic.”

“Very. But it works for us. And then there's me.”

“The big man who's going to rush in to protect me?”

“No. I'll respect your boundaries. As boring as that may be.”

“Because you're a progressive male?” she asked, laughing.

“No. Because you're a Crow and if I get in your way, you'll just tear my face off with your talons. One of the first things my dad taught me . . . ‘never get between a Crow and her prey.' According to him, you guys hate that.”

“We do hate that.” She turned on the boulder, sitting Indian-style so that she could face him. “You do understand why, though? Why I won't go after him?”

“I understand. You're not the girl that you were. To kill him would give him the ultimate power, because it would mean he still mattered to you.”

“That's it exactly.”

“But
you
need to understand, he'll never stop. Men like him never do.”

“I know what my ex-husband can do. I know what he's willing to do. I also know that if he does come for me, I'll be ready. But I'm not going to him. I also won't have my sisters hunt him down like an animal.”

“Even though they're really good at that?”

“Yes.”

Ski turned to her, sitting the same way she was. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Did you turn down going on a date with me because of your ex-husband?”

“No.”

But she kind of snapped that at him and said it really fast. So Ski kept staring at her until her mouth twisted a little in frustration and she finally admitted, “Maybe.”

“I thought you were beyond him now,” he teased.

“I am. I just . . . I've never been on a date before. He's the only man I've ever been with.” She let out a breath. “What if you go out with me and realize I'm . . . a mess?”

“You're a Crow. Of
course
you're a mess.”

And he was glad when she laughed.

“But,” he quickly added, “I'm a Protector. They took me from my family when I was six. I knew how to kill a grown man by the time I was twelve. I'd actually done it before I was eighteen. You're Clan, Jace. You're gonna be a mess. All I'm saying is, why don't we be a mess together? One date. That's it. We give it a try.”

She cringed. “Except I hate the idea of dating.”

“The
idea
of dating?”

“Yeah.”

“Is this the chitchat thing again?”

“Yeah.”

“You have to talk to someone sometime.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Do I?”

Now they both laughed.

“Okay, okay,” she said. “How about . . . you come to the party this weekend? At the Bird House.”

“The one Kera was complaining about all the way here?”

“Yeah.”

He forced a smile. “Because it sounds like such fun.”

“No, no. It'll be fun. She just
thinks
no one will be there.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Because Erin's a dick.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He nodded. “She is.”

“So you'll come. We'll hang out. See if that works.”

“All right. I'll give it a try.”

“And bring Bear.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because I know you'll bring Gundo. And you'll bring Borgsten. But you won't bring Bear. Even though you should.”

“But he'll cramp my style,” Ski joked.

“What style?”

“All right, then . . .”

J
ace was up and dressed when her cell phone rang. She never used her cell phone, rarely gave her number out, and most of her sisters who would call her for some reason were hanging around the house today. So she stared at it for a really long time before she answered. But by the time she picked up, the call rolled over to voice mail. She had dropped it back on the dresser, when the phone rang again. This time she picked it up more quickly but didn't say anything.

After several seconds, “Jace?”

“Yeah?”

“It's Ski.”

“Who?”

She heard what sounded like a deep sigh. “Eriksen.”

“Oh. Yeah. Hi.”

“You call me Eriksen in your head, don't you?”

“Maybe.”

“Anyway, I wanted to point out to you that you don't have to come in on Saturdays or Sundays. Those are your days off until the job is done.”

“Okay.”

“And today is Saturday.”

“Oh.” She looked around. “Oh! Right. It is.” She rolled her eyes at his laugh. “It's not that funny.”

“It kind of is.”

“It's Saturday.”

“Yes.”

“You're coming tonight, right?”

“Definitely.”

“And Bear?”

He sighed again. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. He needs to be more social. It'll be good for him.”

“I can't believe you, of all people, is saying that.”

“I'm saying that about Bear, who probably wants to be around people, but he doesn't know how. I'm not talking about me.”

“All right. We'll all be there.”

“Great. And thanks for letting me know—”

“What day it is?”

“Again. Not that funny.”

Jace disconnected the call and dropped her backpack at the end of her bed. She motioned to Lev. “Come on, you. Break time.”

He leapt off the bed, crash-landed rather badly, shook it off, and ran . . . into the door.

Jace walked to the door and pulled it open for him. He took off and she followed, mumbling a greeting to her sister-Crows as she passed.

She entered the kitchen, where most of her Strike Team was sitting at the table, strategizing that evening's party. But still no Kera, which meant she still didn't know.

“How are you getting her out so that we can set up?” Tessa asked Erin.

“I've got it covered. We'll be out of here in another fifteen. Twenty at the most.”

“Good.”

Jace pulled open the sliding glass doors and let Lev run outside to relieve himself. She then poured herself a cup of coffee and took a long moment to sip it and stare out the window, smiling as she saw Lev play with the crows lurking in the yard.

“Oh,” she said to Erin, before she forgot, “I invited the Protectors.”

“To what?”

She faced her team. “To the party.”

“Why?”

She wasn't about to tell them she'd invited them so that she and Erik . . . uh . . . Ski, yeah, Ski. So that she and
Ski
could find out if they should start dating. She loved her fellow Crows, but some reactions she wasn't ready to deal with. “Just a nice gesture,” she lied. “Get the guys out.”

Erin frowned. “Do they know how to relax? Or are they going to try to organize us into proper rows or something?”

Not in the mood to even attempt to respond to that, she said, “Just let whoever is managing the front door know. Please.”

“Okay.”

Jace spied chocolate glazed doughnuts on the table and was reaching for one when Brodie ran into the room, quickly followed by Kera.

Papers were quickly hidden, laptops quickly closed, phones and tablets quickly flipped over. Jace couldn't remember her sisters ever moving so fast when food, liquor, or battle wasn't involved.

Swinging a broom, Kera dived under the table after Brodie.

“What's happening?” Tessa asked, leaning down so she could see what Kera was doing.

“Vermin!” Kera snarled. “We have vermin! I will not tolerate vermin in this house!”

Maeve ran out of the room. Without a word. Alessandra lifted her feet off the floor and made a disgusted squealing sound . . . that didn't really stop. Leigh grabbed one of the knives from the table. Tessa and Erin leaned down further to see. Annalisa watched it all and noted each person's reaction because nothing she loved more than monitoring varied human emotions to outside stimuli.

“What vermin?” Tessa asked. “Rats?”

Alessandra, always kind of a princess, squealed louder.

Something shot out from under the table and Kera and Brodie went after it. The thing went out the open sliding doors and its stalkers didn't stop.

“Oh,” Erin said, waving her hand. “It's just a squirrel.”

There was a minute of silence as everyone started to go back to what they were doing . . . then there was that moment. That moment when everyone looked up, mouths open, gawking at each other. The panic beginning to spread. Even Maeve walked back into the room. They stared more. Then everyone dropped everything and ran toward the sliding glass door. But they all tried to go through at the same time. The others got trapped but Jace dropped and wiggled through their legs.

“Kera! No!” Tessa screamed just as Brodie caught hold of the squirrel, shook it, flipped it in the air, caught it, shook it some more.

The rest of the girls made it past the door, but they could do no more than stand beside Jace, staring in horror.

“
Kera!
” Tessa screamed.

“
What?
”

“Get Brodie to drop that squirrel!”

Kera lowered the broom. “Oh my God. It's got plague or something, right?”

“It's . . . it's not just a squirrel.”

“What?”

Brodie was now running around the yard, her prize in her mouth. And she was still shaking it.

“What do you mean, it's not just a squirrel? What is it then?”

Tessa pointed at Brodie and the squirrel. “That's Ratatosk!”

“It's what?”

“Ratatosk! Messenger of the gods!”

Kera froze, eyes wide.

Hearing growling, she slowly turned. Brodie was right in front of her now . . . Ratatosk still in her jaws.

Kera lifted her hands, Broom still held, kept her voice firm but controlled. “Brodie. Drop it.”

Brodie took a step back.

“Brodie . . .
Drop. It.
”

Head down, ass in the air. Play bow.

Fuck.

“Brodie Hawaii, you drop that thing right now! Now!”

At the yell, Brodie took off running—and they all took off after her.

Vig stood at the kitchen table with Stieg and Siggy and ate the plate of chocolate glazed doughnuts while they watched Kera and her friends chase after Brodie.

“What's going on?” Stieg asked before shoving another doughnut in his mouth.

“No idea.”

“What's Brodie got in her mouth?” Siggy asked.

“Looks like a rat.”

Rolf, who'd just walked in, shook his head. “That, my friends, is not a rat. That's Ratatosk.”

Vig briefly closed his eyes. “Uh-oh.”

Siggy shook his head. “This will not end well.”

“Calm down.” Stieg picked up what was left of the chocolate glazed doughnuts, but Vig quickly yanked the plate from him.

“Not the chocolate, idiot.” He replaced that with the plate of jelly doughnuts. “This.”

Stieg walked to the open sliding doors and yelled out, “Brodie! Doughnuts!”

The dog stopped and spun, facing Stieg. She practically spit Ratatosk out of her mouth, then charged poor Stieg.

 

Jace cringed when Brodie hit Stieg right in the chest with her full weight, knocking the big Viking to the ground.

Annalisa winced and muttered, “Damn.”

Tessa ran over to the Raven. “Stieg? Stieg, can you hear me?”

Jace went to Ratatosk. His home was the World Tree—
Yggdrasil
—and not only did he transport messages between the gods and the underworld, but he was also a major, grade-A shit starter.

Literally, that was his job. To start shit and keep the rage going. At one time, that was his
only
job. Then the human Clans came along and Odin gave him something new to do—get messages to each Clan leader as needed.

Of course, Ratatosk didn't make things easy. He didn't necessarily deal with each Clan leader. Especially if that particular Clan leader had pissed him off once. And sometimes, he'd only speak to a Clan's seer. Or sometimes he'd make a leader guess the message by doing pantomime.

In other words, Ratatosk was just a dick. As many squirrels were.

With the LA Crows, Ratatosk currently only dealt with Betty. But, of course, she was still in a deep coma. A coma no one really knew when she'd be coming out of.

Jace crouched beside him, but she couldn't get past the fact that he really was a squirrel. Just a normal little squirrel. That was immortal and talked to gods.

“Is it dead?”

Trying to see if he was breathing, Jace leaned in closer . . . and that's when Ratatosk reared up, planted his claws on Jace's face, and crawled up until he sat on her head.

Jace fell back, screaming.

Annalisa caught her hands before she could slap the fucking thing off her head and Jace heard barking, Lev trying to protect her with his little body and paws.

“Get it off me! Get it off me!” Jace screeched, panicking.

“I think he's supposed to be there,” Annalisa said, using her best, “
I have a psychotic here!
” voice.

“
Fuck you!
”

Chloe walked out of the house and yelled, “
What is going on?
”

“
Get it off me!
”

Chloe came over, smiled.

She smiled!

“Ratatosk. Hi! Do you mind not fucking with my girls, sweetie?”

The vermin sitting on the top of Jace's head chittered. He was laughing at her! Bastard!

Jace sat up, Annalisa still holding her hands.

Lev jumped in Jace's lap, paws on her shoulder, as he barked incessantly at Ratatosk.

“Awww. He's being protective.”

“Because there's a rat on my head,” Jace snarled.

“He's not a rat. He's a squirrel,” Chloe patiently explained.

Gawking, Jace warned, “I'm about to get
really angry.
”

“Okay. Okay.” Chloe quickly reached down, holding her hand out toward the rodent sitting on Jace's head. “Come on. You've upset her enough.”

The little bastard scrambled onto Chloe's arm and up to her shoulder.

Now Lev was standing in front of Jace, barking wildly at Ratatosk, who chittered back.

“Feel better now?” Chloe asked Jace.

“I feel like turning in a circle and screaming, ‘I'm unclean! I'm unclean!'”

Annalisa pulled Jace to her feet. “That, out of context, can have many meanings.”

Jace bent over at the waist and brushed her hair with her hands. “Did he shit on me? I feel like he shit on me!”

“He didn't shit on you. Your hair's fine.”

Jace straightened up, glaring at the mocking rat. “It better be.” She reached down and swooped a still-barking Lev into her arms, holding him close.

The fact that he felt so protective of her made her love the dog even more. Something she didn't think possible.

Chloe looked at the vermin on her shoulder. “Betty can't talk to you right now. So you'll have to talk to me. And I don't play charades.”

Jace's lip curled in disgust as the immortal animal placed its tiny claws against the side of Chloe's forehead.

Kera walked over, her hand holding Brodie's collar. White powder and raspberry jelly covered the pit bull's entire snout.

Standing together, the friends watched their leader close her eyes and nod her head several times.

“Okay,” Chloe finally said, nodding. “Thank you.”

Ratatosk jumped off her shoulder and took off running. Kera yanked Brodie back as the dog's prey drive pushed her to go after him.

“You don't want my dog here,” Kera pointed out to their leader, “but you'll allow that
rat
in the house?”

“He's not a rat. He's a pain in the ass, but he's not a rat. And that animal,” she reminded Kera, glaring at Brodie, “isn't covered by our insurance.”