Gods (42 page)

I felt a little sorry for the couple. It was obvious they loved Cora, so this was going to be painful. Worse, Cora might feel betrayed because they’d hidden the truth from her, and lash out. So Eirik coming back too soon after she’d just learned the truth might not be a good idea. I studied him as we stepped out of the house and onto the porch. He looked worried.

“Are you okay?”

He glanced down at me and smiled. “I don’t know. I’m happy I finally confirmed she’s the one, but it’s going to take me some time to get used to it. I mean I’ve known her for years and I even had crush on her, which is disturbing to say the least. And now she’s my sister.”

“I know. But maybe it wasn’t a crush. Maybe it was the blood connection you two share, a brother and sister bond, but you didn’t know how to interpret it at the time. It might explain why you didn’t ask her out when you had the chance. Instead, you stayed friends and loved each other.”

He pressed a kiss on my temple. “You are probably right, but I still can’t help but feel conflicted. Poor Cora. I hope she reaches out to Raine. It’s going to be rough for her. And you… wow. You were awesome in there,” he said. “How do you know so much about babies?”

“Babysitting for my old neighbor.” He was frowning. I hugged him. “About Cora, it’s going to take some time to sink in, but if you need to talk, I’m here for you. She’ll be okay too. She has Echo and Raine.”

“Yeah, she does.” He scrubbed his nape. “Cora. My sister. It was one thing to imagine it, but quite another to confirm it. Can you imagine how she’s going to react?”

“In disbelief. Maybe even go through denial. She’ll also need time to adjust. And the last thing your mother needs is a daughter who refuses to believe she’s her daughter. When you see Cora in a week’s time, talk to her, then let the news sink in. Let her decide when she wants to visit Eljudnir and meet your mother.”

He chuckled. “You’re right, except you are forgetting who is involved, too. Mother. The second she learns we know where Cora is, she’ll want to meet her, take her home, and get to know her. And nothing I do or say will make a difference. Then there’s Echo.” He sighed. “I’m getting a headache just thinking about it.”

“Why should Echo be a problem?”

“His relationship with Cora is about to get very complicated.”

I frowned. “I don’t think your mother will care. She didn’t mind that I was a Mortal when you showed interest in me.”

He smiled. “No. But you don’t work for her either. Echo is her favorite reaper and I just don’t know how sh… You know what, this is something they’ll have to deal with on their own. I’m going to stay out of it.” He took my hand. “I have you and you are brilliant and amazing, and I’m lucky you’re mine. Let’s go home, so we can celebrate finding her.”

Stay out of it? He cared too much about his family not to get involved, but I didn’t correct him. “Can we stop by the police station first? I have this weird urge to hug my dad and thank him for being so awesome.”

Eirik chuckled. “Okay. Cloak.” He opened a portal into Dad’s office, but it was empty. I used his office phone to call him.

“You’d better be calling me from Helheim or Asgard, young lady, because I’ve received a strange call about an attack by swamp creatures from your principal, the ER, and parents of kids from your school. The officers at the scene found nothing but mounds of stinking mud.”

I winced. “I’m in your office. I, uh, had a premonition about the attack while at the hall.”

“And came back to help?” He sighed. “Meet me at home. And Baldurson had better be with you.” The line went dead. I groaned.

Eirik’s brow shot up in question. “What?”

“He’s pissed I came back. He wants to meet us at home.”

Eirik chuckled, stroking my cheek. “Don’t worry. One look at your contrite face and he’ll forget about being mad. Your father is all bark when it comes to you.” He opened a portal and the sound of crows greeted us. They were going crazy above my house and my car.

“I think someone misses me,” I said.

“No, that’s not it. Stay close.”

“I can calm them down, Eirik. All I have to do is call Merle and she’ll lead them away from the house.”

“Not this time. There’s a reason they are behaving like this. They don’t want anyone to go near the house. Keep that cloak on.”

The crows descended on us. Animals and birds could sense what humans couldn’t. Eirik went into a partial shift, scales spreading across his arms and protecting him. He swatted at them when they came too close to me.

“Go by the lake and wait for me,” he said.

“Where are you going?”

“Inside the house.” His eyes became slits and his head angled as though he was listening to sounds. He glanced at me, his expression somber. “Is there anything you’d want me to get from your room?”

“What?”

“You house is filled with gas. I picked up the smell the moment we stepped through the portal. From the sounds, the leaks are coming from several places. I’m going to shut off the gas supply to the house, go inside, and open the windows. Do you want anything from your room?”

“Are you nuts? I don’t care about my things. You’re not going inside a house that’s about to explode.” He was gone before I finished talking. Damn it! I was working up a rage when he reappeared. “The outside valve is turned off.”

“Don’t ever do that again, Eirik. I don’t care about the house or my stupid things. You’re not invincible. If I lost you, I swear…” My voice broke. I lifted my chin. “I’d bring you back just to kill you again.” He laughed. “It’s not funny.”

~*~

EIRIK

Sometimes Celestia forgot I was an Immortal and a dragon. Fire couldn’t kill me. I cupped her face, hating the panic in her eyes. I never wanted her to worry about a thing, which was why I hadn’t told her about the heartbeats. While listening to the hissing gas, I’d picked up several heartbeats. Even now, I could hear them. Four heartbeats. My gut told me it was Marguerite and her girls. How they had gotten inside a house protected by runes was beyond me.

“Look at me, Dimples. My scales will protect me. Where are the keys to the house? I don’t want to break the lock or create a portal. The energy accompanying a portal or a spark from the door knob can set off an explosion.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m coming in with you.”

“No, you’re not. I have scales. You don’t. Fire is part of who I am. I can suck in the methane, blow it out, and burn it.”

“Showing off right now is really not winning you points, pal. I’m not standing out here biting my nails while you put your life in danger. Besides, I can self-heal from burns just like you.” Then she frowned. “She’s here, Eirik. Miriam is here.” Another pause. “The other two are here, too.” Her eyes flew open. “Four. That’s Marguerite. I can recognize her energy anywhere. How did they get inside? My house is protected by runes.”

“When Marguerite visited you, she used the bathroom by the den, didn’t she?”

She nodded. “Yes. You think she did something there so she could create a portal into the room?”

“Yes. Counter protection runes can neutralize regular warding runes.”

“That snake.”

I sighed. Now that she knew her mother and the girls were in her house, she wasn’t going to stay outside. She was smart, stubborn, snarky, and sometimes a real thorn in my side, but I adore her, so I couldn’t say no. She needed closure.

“Engage your strength, pain, and healing runes,” I said. “Put your hood up and stay behind me. I don’t want them to see you. That cloak will help us again.” Once the hood was up, even I wouldn’t be able to see her. I’d have to rely on my dragon senses to locate her position.

“It is big enough if you want to share,” she said. “We can surprise them and snap their necks before they realize we are there.”

“No, I want them to see my face and know I bested them. Tell me where the key is.”

“The second rock by the first step. Eirik?”

I glanced at her. She wore a determined look. “Yes?”

“Does it hurt when a neck breaks?”

“When you don’t expect it and don’t engage pain runes, yes. It hurts like crazy. It happened a couple of times to me when I practiced with Mother’s crazy warriors. Why?”

“I’m going to snap their necks, all of them. Can I do that? Will you let me?”

I chuckled. “Of course. Whatever you need.”

I led the way, and once again, the crows flocked us and tried to stop us from entering the house. But the moment we got to the porch, their self-preservation kicked in and they fluttered away. Only one landed on the porch rail and continued to caw. That has to be Celestia’s Merle. Hopefully, her cries would block any sounds I made.

I unlocked the door and entered ahead of Celestia. I followed her heartbeat as she walked past me then carefully closed the door. The house reeked of gas and voices came from the side of the house where her bedroom was located.

What were they doing in her room? I opened the living room windows, letting in Merle’s caws. It wouldn’t be long before they came to investigate. I headed to the kitchen and opened the windows there, too.

The knobs on the top burners, oven, and broiler were all off, but the valve and the pipe in the back were yanked out, leaving the steel gas pipe open.

“Ah, you found the first leak?”

I turned and studied Marguerite. She stood in the living room, a triumphant grin on her face. I hated this woman. I moved toward her, imagining wrapping my hands around her neck and squeezing it until it snapped. Too bad I couldn’t. Celestia must get her closure first. But before the day was through, I was going to make sure Marguerite was locked up with my grandmother. I entered the living room, and she raised her hand. She had a lighter, her thumb on the ignition.

“One more step and I blow up the place,” she threatened and I wondered where Celestia was. It was time she heard why her mother was after her.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

Marguerite’s eyes grew chilly. “Because you took Goddess Angrboda, tied her up in chains, and threw her with the evil souls,” she snarled. “We want her set free. We’ll keep coming at Celestia, until you release our goddess.”

“But I thought you wanted to have a relationship with Celestia. She was looking forward to getting to know you better,” I fibbed.

Marguerite laughed. “What a fool. I have daughters already, beautiful, gifted daughters, who’d do anything for me. Not an evil one who made me do despicable acts and turned everyone against me.”

I didn’t think this woman could sink any lower on my list of loathsome beings. “Are you blaming Celestia for the things you did to her?”

“Of course, I do. I don’t have an evil bone in my body. Look at my girls.” She indicated the hallway and Miriam stepped into the living room, smirking. She wore Celestia’s boots. The new ones I’d bought for her. Even the shirt she wore was Celestia’s. “They adore me.”

“Yes, we do,” Miriam said. “Ever since my adopted parents made Marguerite Immortal and had her watch over me, she’s been like my second mother. When they decided to put me in Serenity House, she offered to go with me. She’s the best. Then she introduced us to Goddess Angrboda.”

“They look up to me for guidance,” Marguerite continued. “But I knew there was something dark when I carried Celestia. The premonitions started then. Ghastly images, but I ignored them because I was determined to be happy. They got worse as my pregnancy progressed. After she was born, everyone changed. They called her a miracle baby, ignored my gifts, and focused on her and hers. My own father believed she was the only good thing I’d ever do, and my talentless, backstabbing sister wanted to take her from me. They loved her, but I knew better.”

“Your explanations are confusing, Marguerite. Did you try to kill her out of jealousy or because Angrboda told you to?”

The look Marguerite shot me was venomous.

“You are the one getting confused,” Miriam yelled. “She saw the evil in Celestia before Angrboda came into our lives. The goddess just confirmed it. In her premonitions, Marguerite even saw her raise the dead. We vowed to stop her. So while she got close to her and found her weaknesses, my girls and I used them against her. When she used her abilities to bring back the crow we threw at her car, Marguerite knew she’d heal anyone if she felt it was her fault. So we attacked Mrs. Mouton and told her it was because she asked questions about me. And today at school, we commanded those souls to find bodies. Once the school board knows about her healing powers, which can be used to raise the dead, they’ll believe she raised the monsters that attacked the students.”

“No one will believe such nonsense,” I shot back.

“Oh they will,” Miriam retorted, while Marguerite grinned. “Mrs. Mouton will confirm she healed her. We’ll make sure—”

Miriam’s head jerked to the side and her neck twisted. Marguerite caught her before her body hit the floor.
Way to go, Stjärna mín.

“How did you do that?” Marguerite screamed. She cradled Miriam and touched her neck. “It’s broken.”

I grinned. “That’s too bad. Now she can stop talking.”

“Girls!” She screamed and the other two arrived. They each carried a bag, probably filled with Celestia’s things. They dropped the bags, one kneeling beside Marguerite. The third girl didn’t make it. Celestia got to her.