I folded it and slipped it under my pillow. “You need to work on your goddess while I gather the courage to meet her. Hayden said she is nice.” Aware that he was now staring at where I’d put the baby blanket, I shifted and blocked his line of vision. “What is it?”
He dragged his attention back to me. “You had a good conversation with Hayden?”
I had a feeling that was not what he was thinking about. “Yep. She wants you to stop by their store. Something about a couple of Idun-Grimnirs visiting them. She’s worried they want to reap them or something. You’re not listening to me.” I pulled out the blanket. “What is it about this that has you scowling so hard?”
“Can I borrow it for a few days?”
“No,” I said it quickly and frowned. The thought of giving it away filled me with a fear I couldn’t explain. Maybe it was the figure I’d seen stealing it or something else. I couldn’t explain it.
Echo stood, his eyes not leaving me. “I promise to bring it back.”
“I can’t.”
“Sweetheart, I know it’s the only thing you have that connects you with them, but—”
“That’s not it. I told you I’m not ready to meet them, whoever they are. If you took it, you’d find them like that”—I snapped my fingers—“and come back with some sob story about how destitute they were and how they were forced to give me up or watch me starve to death.”
His lips twitched.
“Or how devastated they were after searching for me all these years and couldn’t find me. I’ll only feel bad and forgive them when they don’t deserve my forgiveness. So the answer is no. You can’t have it or try to find them until I’m ready.”
He smiled. “Okay. I won’t say anything until you’re ready to hear it.”
Which meant he planned to find out who my parents were anyway. If my parents were in Helheim, he would have an excuse to make me go with him. I wasn’t ready to face them. Maybe I’d never be ready to face them.
“Come on. We gotta go,” Raine said, entering my bedroom. “They are discussing Mystic Academy, and I don’t want to miss a thing.”
“Nice to see you, too.” I pulled on a swimsuit skirt and fixed the waist.
Raine grinned, watching me.
“What?”
“I love the outfit. I still can’t decide whether I hate you or love you. You can make any two piece look classy, despite the boobs.”
“They are the bane of my existence, so love me.”
“You know I do.” She sighed. “You know how evil Norns are behind natural disasters? I stopped a plane from crashing and pissed them off yesterday during the soccer game, so be careful around souls. I’m afraid the hags might send them after us again. They pulled that move a week ago and sent evil souls to possess bears. Ingrid and I were sprinting through the forest when the bears attacked us. All because the hags want my dagger.”
“Damn. We just got rid of the last horde.”
“I know. Be careful. Tell Dev to be on alert, too.”
I studied her. She didn’t seem worried. “A bear attack? Why is it I always hear things after they’ve happened?”
“Because I don’t plan them.” She plopped on my bed and kicked off her flip-flops. She was wearing a sexy one-piece swimsuit with large openings on the sides. The Raine of before would have worn a cover. It was nice to see Torin’s influence on her wardrobe. “But if you feel left out, I’ll open a portal in the middle of an attack and pull you in the foray.”
Raine was all talk. She would jump in front of a bear and kick ass to protect me. She was a powerful Witch with elemental powers, while I had no fighting ability. On the other hand, I had speed and strength runes now, so I could wrestle a bear.
“Do that next time. Friends should laugh and fight together. Why do the evil Norns want your dagger?”
“I have no idea. All I know is they are scared of it, the good and the evil Norns. And since they want it, I’m keeping it.” She sat up. “I need to talk to Eirik about that. He told Onyx to hide it in case they got inside my head and learned where I hid it.”
“When did you last see him?”
“Hmm, during my wedding. Stop glaring at me. I feel guilty about that already.”
I dismissed it with a wave. “Did you know Eirik has a girlfriend? Celestia.”
Raine sat up. “Really? No, I didn’t. How do you know?”
“Ha! I know something you don’t.”
She made a face. “Hardy har har. Have you met her?”
“No, but I met her best friend, Hayden Ferrand. Golden-brown skin, blond highlights, drop-dead gorgeous. Ring a bell?”
Raine frowned. “No.”
“Hmm, she looks familiar. Even her name is familiar. Her perfume. I know we’ve met. Just don’t know where. Okay, I’m ready.”
“Why were you meeting with her?” Raine asked as the mirror responded to her runes and turned into a portal.
“Echo wanted me to.” I felt bad lying to her, but I couldn’t explain Hayden without mentioning my parents being Immortals. “I guess he’s been working with Eirik.”
“Yeah, Eirik’s been busy. He’s been working with Witches around the world. Some from New Orleans helped me stop the plane from crashing in the stadium yesterday.”
I grabbed my phone, half listening to her. Could Hayden’s mother have gone to help Raine? I needed to be in the loop on what was going on. I started to follow her when she stopped suddenly.
“Your parents.” Raine glanced at the door and then me. “Do they—?”
“Know that I’m heading to the mansion to hang out or that I can open portals and run like The Flash without becoming a human torch because runes protect me? Yes. Let’s talk later.”
She frowned. “Do you want me to talk to them? Or Mom could. She’s at the mansion.”
“Not yet.” I followed her to the foyer at the mansion, using one of the hallway mirror portals. We followed laughter to the pool room where the women—Svana, Raine’s mother, and her best friend, Femi, along with Ingrid and Lavania—lounged on chairs and sipped on cocktails while Dev entertained them from Lavania’s phone.
“Come here, Cora,” Svana said. I wondered whether she’d always known about me. I hugged her and bit my tongue. “I’m so sorry, hun, but I’m happy you finally know everything now.”
And there was my answer. I had questions. Lots of them. Like how many more knew? My eyes met Femi’s. She blew me a kiss.
“Hey, doll,” Femi said. She called everyone doll. Just how many Immortals were in town?
For the next several hours, I listened to the discussion about Mystic Academy and who would teach what. Lavania was already sending out invitations. They still refused to tell us the location. I drifted away, hearing them without listening.
“What is it?” Raine asked, bumping me on the shoulder.
“I’ll race you. We’ll start with backstroke.”
She laughed. “That’s your best stroke.”
“I know. I need to feel good, and winning does that.” I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I left the hot tub and dove into the pool. I won backstroke, but she trounced me at breaststroke. When we pulled out, the others were standing in a group and Dev was out of Lavania’s phone. The expression on his face was one I’d never seen before. Pure terror. I engaged my speed runes and was beside them in a beat.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Mom?” Raine asked at the same time. She’d raced with me.
“Idun-Grimnirs are outside the house,” Svana said and shivered.
“What do they want?”
“Idun-Grimnirs don’t just train future Grimnirs,” Svana explained. “Goddess Hel often sends them to find souls where her reapers fail. They could be after Dev.”
He should have been reaped centuries ago. “They can’t have him.”
Dev nodded.
I engaged my medium runes. “Blend with me now.”
No one spoke as he floated and meshed with my body. The cold and the suffocating feeling didn’t last long.
“I’ll see what they want,” Svana said. “Lie down and keep him trapped.”
I moved to the nearest lounge while Svana and Lavania hurried out of the room. Raine pulled on a robe and dragged a chair closer to me. Her eyes didn’t leave my face.
“Quit worrying,” I told her. “I’m fine. After the initial icky feeling, it’s not so bad.” I shivered, the cold coming from within. She grabbed an extra robe and covered me.