Gods

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  TRADEMARK LIST

  GLOSSARY

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1. MILLENNIUM OF ANGER

  CHAPTER 2. POWERFUL MIDGARD WITCH

  CHAPTER 3. RESURGENCE

  CHAPTER 4. SOME ANSWERS

  CHAPTER 5 GRIEVING

  CHAPTER 6 A VISION

  CHAPTER 7 UNEXPECTED ALLIES

  CHAPTER 8 SHOPPING SPREE

  CHAPTER 9 FORGIVENESS

  CHAPTER 10 ROGUES

  CHAPTER 11 PLOTTING MOTHERS

  CHAPTER 12 A LIFE OWED

  CHAPTER 13 QUESTIONS

  CHAPTER 14 SNAKES AND ONE SICK JÖTUN

  CHAPTER 15 AN UNDERSTANDING

  CHAPTER 16 DARK SOUL TO THE RESCUE

  CHAPTER 17 JESSICA

  CHAPTER 18 ERGOKINESIS

  CHAPTER 19 BLACK RUNES

  CHAPTER 20 THE TRUTH COMES OUT

  CHAPTER 21 UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS

  CHAPTER 22 THE REAL EINMYRIA

  CHAPTER 23 A YOUNG GODDESS

  EPILOGUE

  THE RUNES SERIES READING ORDER

  DISCOVER THE NEXT IN THE SERIES

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  EIRIK

  Celestia was awake. Finally. She was sitting up and smiling. I closed the gap between us and hauled her into my arms. I wanted to wrap her in damn bubble wrap and never, ever let her out of my sight.

  “I’m fine, Eirik,” she said, laughing and squeezing me. The sound of her voice was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. I was never complaining about her tendency to talk incessantly again. Never. “You brought me back. I heard your voice and I couldn’t…” Her voice broke. “I couldn’t stay away.”

  I leaned back and cupped her face, my throat thick with emotions. “Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry, Dimples, because I’ll look for someone to blame and rip them apart. Unfortunately, that person will be me.”

  She laughed. “I shouldn’t have stayed away. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t say you are sorry either. You are back and that’s all that matters.” I looked into her eyes and desperately needed to connect with her in the most basic level. She must have felt the same way because we moved at the same time, reaching for each other.

  The taste of her after weeks of worrying about her, begging her to come back, and scolding her when she hadn’t, went straight to my head. I tried to be gentle, but I was like someone who’d been deprived of all his senses and got them back all at once. She became the focus of my existence. Her touch, her taste, and her scent heightened my feelings so much that it hurt to breathe. I wanted to devour her.

  Celestia whimpered and I froze, sanity returning. I’d gone into a partial shift and my scaly hands were gripping her too tight, leaving welts on her cheek and her stomach.

  Damn! Three of weeks of learning to control the shift had gone out of the window. Kissing Celestia was usually like diving off a cliff into unchartered waters—thrilling, and at the same time, scary. Her touch filled me with an all-consuming need, but accompanying it was the partial shift. I could hurt her quite easily in that state. Not just with my scales and claws, but with my fire. I almost singed her clothes a few weeks ago in the forest in Kayville. That was the day I’d learned I could breathe fire while in a partial shift. She wasn’t ready for all that, and the last thing I wanted to do was send her running again. I had to protect her from me, no matter how difficult she made it for me to hold back.

  Cursing, I tried to pull back, but she wouldn’t let me. She lurched onto me and rained kisses all over my face.

  “Dimples—”

  “You pull away from me again, and I will hurt you, Eirik Baldurson.” She was smiling, so I knew it was an empty threat. “It’s been three weeks. Show me why you wanted me back.” Then she grabbed my hair and pulled my face to hers. The kiss she laid on me was an invitation I couldn’t refuse, but I set the pace and reeled in my dragon side, my scales and claws receding.

  I slid a hand under her pajama top, intending to ease it over her head, but she impatiently pushed my hands away and yanked it off. My stomach hollowed at the welts I’d left on her skin. They weren’t healing fast enough. I lowered my head to kiss the red marks and soothed them with my tongue. Celestia hissed as though I’d scalded her. Loving her response, I got bolder. I moved slowly up, trailing kisses to the half-moon scar on her chest, and up her neck. She tilted her head, but I wanted her lips, her beautiful, sexy lips. I moved to claim them.

  “That’s enough!”

  I wasn’t sure who spoke, but the annoyance and sharpness of the voice penetrated the fog in my head. I glanced up and caught the dreamy grin on Celestia’s face. She couldn’t have been the one who wanted us to stop.

  “Stjärna mín,” I whispered, stroking her cheek. The marks were still there. Damn it. How could I be with her when I kept hurting her? “You are mine. Always.”

  “Always,” she whispered.

  “I said enough,” the grating voice said again, sounding closer. “You have five minutes, then I want you out of her room, young man.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Genevieve, Zack’s mother. The woman had made it clear she didn’t like me the few times our paths had crossed. Finding me all over Celestia was only going to reinforce her belief that I was bad for her.

  “I’m leaving the door open, so both of you can cool down. Shameless,” she muttered, stomping away. “Right under my nose.”

  Celestia tried to suppress laughter, but I felt its effect in every cell of my body. How I’d missed that twinkle in her eyes and the sound of her laughter.

  “Your aunt hates me.”

  “She’ll love you as soon as she learns what you mean to me.” She reached up and caressed my cheek. “I’m so sorry for staying away for so long.”

  Guilt ate at me. She’d left to escape the pain caused by my family and my negligence. I moved to lie beside her and rested my hand on her stomach. I hated seeing those scratches on her skin, yet I didn’t want to use my artavus on her again. It might mess up her transformation. She needed her own blades, forged specifically for her.

  “I’m the one who should be sorry for not protecting you. I should have been there to face my grandmother. I should have known she’d follow your energy. So, I don’t blame you for getting angry or running away.”

  “But I didn’t run away, and I was never angry with you.” She sat up and reached for her shirt. “I did something stupid and now I have to deal with the consequences.”

  “You tried to save my sister, Dimples. There’s nothing stupid about that. Still, I swore to protect you and failed. Again. That’s something I must learn to live with.”

  She gripped my head and peered at me, not masking her annoyance. “Don’t ever say you failed me. You couldn’t be in two places at the same time and you brought me back. Your words reached me, Eirik. Knowing you needed me pulled me back.”

  Had she heard my declaration of love too? Maybe I’d spoken too soon. “I should have opened a portal and kept an eye on you while destroying her camp.”

  Celestia grinned. “Your tail at Niorun’s and your head at your grandmother’s camp? You’d be tailless, and I happen to love your dragon whole, thank you very much.”

  “My horn is chipped,” I reminded her, knowing that she was letting me off too easy, and loving her for it.

  “I love the imperfection of you.” She sighed. “Please, let’s not focus on the past.”

  “But, I want to know what happened between you and my sister. Trudy won’t talk to her even though Einmyria explained what happened, and how our grandmother controlled her.” Celestia winced. “Wrong topic?”

  “Yep. Just hold me.”

  I did and she nestled in my arms, but I knew
we’d have to discuss my sister. The tension between her and Trudy was getting to my mother, and I wanted everything to be perfect so I could focus on my number one priority—Celestia.

  EIRIK

  The snowflakes on top of Hel’s Hall glistened like diamonds in the afternoon light. For three weeks, the weather had been colder than usual; then the sun had burst from behind the clouds yesterday just as Celestia had come out of her trance. I didn’t call her my star for nothing.

  I came in sharply without worrying about sliding or spraying snow when I landed. My clothes shrunk and adjusted with the shift from dragon to human, my boots snapping into place before I stepped on the snow. I hated it when I shifted too late and ended up with snow inside my boots.

  “I wish I was a shifter like you.”

  I hadn’t noticed Einmyria standing by the small door near my old changing room. Her white pants and coat blended with the snow. “Why?”

  “So I can leave the hall whenever I want. There’s nothing to do here.” She pouted. I ruffled her hair, and she swatted my hand away. “Don’t do that! I’m not a child.”

  “Then stop whining like one.” She might have just turned seventeen, but she acted like a brat. I continued toward my quarters. I didn’t need the changing room anymore. Maera had recreated pants and shirts similar to the warrior suit my grandfather had sent me before I rescued Einmyria. They were all black and gold, and very versatile. “Go hang out with Trudy.”

  “She doesn’t like me. Every time I try to talk to her, she looks right through me. I tried to tell Dad about her, but he said Trudy is the goddess’ handmaiden. What’s so important about that? Her father ferries evil souls to their torture chambers, and her mother is just a maid.”

  “Trudy is a powerful Seeress, and one of the three who will announce the exact moment of Ragnarok.”

  Einmyria rolled her eyes. “So?”

  “So that’s important to everyone, including Mom.” She clammed up. “And what did Mom say?” I asked, opening a portal to the rotunda.

  “I didn’t ask,” she whispered, glancing at the guards.

  I’ve noticed she avoided being alone with Mother. “You can’t still be afraid of her, Einmyria.”

  “Anne Marie,” she corrected.

  “It’s been three weeks. Sit down and talk to her.” She was lucky Mother hadn’t tried to throw her in the dungeon to toughen her up. “Get to know her.”

  “She just stares at me as though waiting for me to say or do something stupid. Can I come with you when you go to see Celestia?”

  I stopped outside my door. “No. Mother said you should stay put. Go to the gym.”

  “The reapers stare. Please, can’t I come with you? This place is like a prison.”

  I sighed. “I’ll talk to Mother, but I can’t promise anything.”

  “Thank you.” She reached up and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Ask her at breakfast.” She skipped away while I stared after her. She needed to find something to do. The whining was driving me crazy. Father had mentioned getting her a tutor. She knew nothing about other realms or the gods.

  I disappeared inside the room and peeled off the vest and shirt from my clammy skin and pulled off my boots. I might like the convenience of the clothes, but they were basically sweat clothes when indoors, unlike my original suit that adjusted with the temperature. But I kept it for special occasions. I looked at my watch. I was running late.

  I hit the showers.

  There was a brief knock on my bathroom door a few minutes later. The door opened a fraction and Einmyria yelled, “Aren’t you done yet?”

  “No! Shut the damn door.” What in Hel’s Mist was wrong with her? The shower had no covering and she could have seen me naked.

  “Hurry up. Do you want me to pick out your clothes?”

  “No. I can pick my own damn clothes. Get out!” She had never entered my quarters before, except to visit Celestia. This new habit of waltzing into my quarters uninvited started after I took Celestia home. Now I had to lock my damn door in my own home.

  When I left the bathroom, Einmyria was gone. I changed and headed to my parents’ dining room. It was now the family room where we ate and had annoying little meetings. The others were already seated.

  “Morning.” I planted a kiss on Mother’s cheek and received a pat in return. “Looking lovely this morning, Mom.”

  “Thanks, dýrr.”

  I lowered my head to whisper to Einmyria, “You enter my quarters again without my permission, and I’ll lock you in the dungeons.”

  “What’s the problem?” Mother asked.

  “Nothing,” I said, squeezing Father’s shoulder before taking my seat.

  “He hates me,” Einmyria said. “He just threatened to lock me in the dungeons.” Mother didn’t comment, her expression unreadable. Father chuckled.

  “He would never do that.” Father reached out and gripped her hand. The two had clicked from the first day and were inseparable. “And he doesn’t hate you. Eirik worked very hard to find you and bring you home. You and I will go over the plans for the pool after this. We should have everything ready by the end of the week.”

  “Thanks, Litr.” The Dwarf had placed a plate piled high with waffles, eggs, and bacon in front of me. “What pool?”

  “Dad is building me a swimming pool.”

  I frowned. “Where?”

  “In the east wing guest quarters,” Father said. “We are modifying the furthest rooms.”

  “That’s nice. Celestia is scared of water. I could teach her how to swim whenever she’s here. Help her get over her fear.”

  “See? I told you it was a wonderful idea and you shot it down.” Was she talking to me? This was the first time I was hearing about the pool. “Excuse me, Dwarf,” she called and smiled at Litr. “May I have more eggs and bacon, please?” Litr went to serve her.

  “His name is Litr,” I corrected her. “L. I. T. R.”

  “You see how mean he is?” Einmyria said.

  I ignored her and finished my breakfast. She and Father discussed what else to add around the pool, while Mother ate and listened without participating. I couldn’t tell whether she approved or not. She’d been quiet and withdrawn the last couple of weeks, sitting by Celestia whenever she could.

  I got up. “Are you coming with me, Anne Marie?”

  “It’s Einmyria, silly. And no, I’m not going anywhere. There’s so much to do today. I’m shadowing Dad.”

  Half the time she didn’t make sense. She was so weird, saying one thing, and then pretending she hadn’t.

  “Walk with me, Eirik.” Mom got up and took my arm. Her eyes met Father’s. “I’ll see you later, elskr mín. Einmyria, find me when you are done with your pool plans.” She didn’t speak until we were in the rotunda. “How is she doing?”

  I knew she meant Celestia. “Well. She woke up like she hadn’t been in a coma for weeks. Maera’s nasty green herbal concoction actually worked.”

  She slapped my arm. “Don’t make fun of Maera’s herbs. It was the only thing that calmed my stomach when I was pregnant with you. Bring her home for a visit. I have gotten used to talking to her.”

  “Why? Because she didn’t talk back?”

  She chuckled. “Possibly.”

  Her chuckles had become so rare lately it was nice to hear it. “I’ll tell her you miss her.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. I just want to talk.”

  “You have Einmyria if you want someone to talk to.”

  “I do, don’t I? Why can’t she be more like you? You have fire. Stamina. You have the best of your father and me in you. She is…” Mother sighed. “Now, back to business. When are you meeting with the Norns? You keep changing your mind and they are not happy.”

  “There was no way I was meeting with them while Celestia was lost in the astral plane. Now, I want a week or two to teach her about runes. Tell them we’ll have two meetings. The first one here and the second one in Nornsgard.”

  Mother’s eyes na
rrowed, the runes on her face whipping fast. I’ve come to associate that with agitation. “Nornsgard? Why?”

  “They are powerful because everything about them is shrouded in mystery. No one knows anything about them except the fact that they control destinies and recycle babies’ souls. What if they are like the Wizard of Oz.”

  “Who is this wizard?”

  I grinned. “Fictional character and a fraud. I need to learn about them, Mother, and knowing the location of their hall is a good place to start. The Witches in Midgard know about them and what they do, so they are exposed and vulnerable over there, but that’s not enough. How do they control destinies? I want to know everything.” I kissed her temple. “Stop worrying. I got this.”

  She shook her head, a smile tugging the corners of her lips. “Your cockiness will be the death of me.”

  “Yeah, right. You know you love me just the way I am.” I hugged her. She lifted one of her hands hesitantly and patted my back. It was the closest thing to a hug she’d ever given me, so that was progress. “I hope you are giving Einmyria a chance to know you.”

  “She is weak and whiny,” Mother snapped.

  I leaned back and peered at her. “She’s in a strange land, and just discovered a family she never knew she had. Go easy on her.”

  “What are you saying? I can’t throw her in the dungeon?” she asked with a poker face. I laughed.

  “Good one.” She frowned. “That was a joke, right?”

  “No, I’m serious. It might stop her whining. Just because she doesn’t do it in my presence doesn’t mean I don’t know about it.”

  “Be nice. And no dungeons while I’m gone.”

  “Bring Celestia home, Eirik. She and I need to talk.”

  Warning bells went off in my head. “About?”

  “What do you think? I’m concerned about her and want to know how she’s doing. She’s an interesting girl, very entertaining. Do you know she stuck her tongue out at me once? And she and Trudy have the funniest arguments. I eavesdrop on them sometimes.”

  “You spy on them?”

  “Call it whatever you like. I would not have allowed her to stay here if I hadn’t done that. Bring her home to visit. Now what?” Her focus had shifted to something behind me. “I knew they’d stop ignoring each other one of these days and talk about the past, but not with their fists. Idiots.”