“Nope. We are really good,” she bragged then glanced at Hayden. “Ask Echo or Eirik. We kicked ass in Nidavellir.”
“Of course you did,” Baldur said, entering the room through a portal. Litr followed him. He must have left to get him. “My girls eating breakfast without me?” He dropped a kiss on my temple. “Morning, Daughter.”
“Morning.” I’d just started thinking of him as a father, and he had to go and screw that up with his betrayal. That was how I saw it. Echo could die or worse—lose a challenge to some faceless, all-powerful giant. I glared at Baldur as he moved to Trudy and leaned down to study her face.
“Morning, child. I hope you’re not up to mischief.”
“Me? Never.” She gave him a wide-eyed look, and he laughed.
“You’ve worn that innocent look often enough while doing something unconscionable, so you’re not fooling me. Behave.” He kissed her temple and moved to Jessica. “Morning, Daughter Number Two.” She turned red. He placed a finger on her chin and tilted her to study her face. “What’s this? Tears?”
“No, Father,” Jessica whispered.
“You are a precious child, but Baldur sees all.” He kissed her temple and moved to Hayden. He squeezed her shoulder. “Always nice to have you around, Hayden Ferrand. I still say you are related to an Asgardian. It will come to me.”
“Hopefully never,” she mumbled.
“Don’t say that.” He sat on the chair Litr had pulled out. He was between Hayden and me. “Family is important and must be cherished.” He tucked a napkin under his chin and picked up his utensils. “So, girls, what is this about retrieving Einmyria’s memories?”
“They suppressed my memories weeks ago,” I said.
“Is that so?” Litr placed a plate piled with food in front of Baldur, who dug in, the honey on the pancakes dripping down his chin.
“It was for a good reason. You have some honey on your beard,” I said. He tried to lick it with his tongue, and laughter erupted around the table. I even found his antics funny despite being angry with him. He was such a goofball. I wiped it off with my napkin. “There. It’s gone.”
He patted my hand. “Thanks, dyrr mín. Now about these memories, what can I do?”
I explained about Raine’s wedding. “I just want those back. Celestia said Trudy and Hayden could retrieve them.”
He studied Trudy and Hayden. “You can do this without harming her in any way? We just found her and don’t want her forgetting about us.”
He would wish he didn’t know me if Echo got hurt.
Trudy nodded, her direct gaze not wavering.
“Okay. Give me your hand, dyrr mín.” I did and watched him close his eyes. When he opened them, he smiled. “Nothing bad will happen.”
I shot him a dubious look. “How do you know?”
“I am one of the best seers in the universe, Daughter.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “At least I was. I even saw my own death. Since I knew it was my destiny, I didn’t try to stop it. Your grandmother tried. Okay, look at me. Everything will be okay.”
Yeah, try telling that to Echo. “Will it, Father? I know what you are doing, and I do not approve.”
He caught on fast. “It’s my job as your father to make sure he’s worthy of you.”
“What if something happens to him?”
He frowned. Bet he hadn’t thought of that. If anything happened to Echo, I would never forgive him.
“Do you believe in him?” Baldur asked.
“Yes.”
“Then he will prevail. Remember, he won’t just be proving himself to me and your mother but to the people in this hall.”
Damn. I should have known this was bigger than a father trying to make his future son-in-law sweat. I sighed. If he had to fight members of each group before some pompous son of a god or a king, I was getting him back-up. I needed Raine here.
“Fine,” I said.
“Good. Trudy and Hayden, go ahead.” His eyes didn’t waver from mine, and he continued to grip my hand. I had a feeling it was his way of reassuring himself I was okay. I gripped his larger hand and waited.
Trudy and Hayden leaned forward to look at me. At first, I didn’t feel anything. Then I felt a slight pressure in my head, and I tensed. I brought my other hand and placed it on top of Baldur’s, happy he was here.
He smiled. “You are doing great.”
How did he know? The thought barely flashed in my head when new memories drifted into my mind. There was one of me walking along the hallway toward the attendance office. Seeing three girls, a short one with a cloak. One in a semiformal dress that hugged her body, gorgeous red hair perfectly styled. And a third who downplayed her looks in a simple outfit. I smiled at my initial reaction to them. The scenes moved faster. The walk to the upstairs bathroom, arriving at the castle in England, and watching Raine come down the stairs.
“She was such a beautiful bride,” I said, laughing.
More memories of Celestia and me talking rushed through my head. Asking Dev to help Mr. Cooper. Taking pictures with them. And finally, walking with Raine and her father to join Torin. Their vows were beautiful. The pressure eased, and Baldur dabbed my cheeks with a napkin.
“Are you okay, dyrr?” he asked.
A loud knock on the door stopped me from answering. Litr went to answer it, and a familiar voice reached me.
“Is Einmyria okay?”
“She is fine, Echo.” Litr sounded like he was ready to slam the door on Echo’s face. “The family is having a private moment.”
“I need to see her,” Echo insisted.
I stood, grinning.
“Let him in, Litr,” Baldur bellowed. “Sit down, Einmyria.” It was an order, and I found myself obeying. “Girls, go help Maera distribute food to the visitors.”
Trudy and the others took their time standing up. Echo entered the room, and his eyes flew to me.
“You’ve been crying,” he said in a gruff voice.
I nodded, grinning.
He scowled and stepped closer. I had a feeling he wasn’t aware of anything or anyone in the room, except me.
“You’re now smiling,” he added, sounding confused.
“And crying. I just got back the memories of Raine’s wedding. Trudy and Hayden retrieved them.” I indicated the girls with a wave of my hand. Trudy had already opened a portal, but instead of leaving, they were deliberately taking their time. Echo’s focus shifted to the others in the room. He went a little pale when he saw Baldur. Yep, he definitely hadn’t noticed their presence.
He stepped aside and smiled sheepishly at the girls as they went through the portal. “Thank you for getting them back.”
The girls grinned. Something in Trudy and Hayden’s expressions when their eyes volleyed between Echo and me said they’d seen a lot more in my head than the wedding. I didn’t care.
“Girls, close that portal now,” Baldur ordered and waited until they did before waving to a chair. “Take a seat, Echo.”
Wariness entered Echo’s eyes, but he walked confidently forward and sat. He must have been in the gym because he wore a tank top and sweatpants, his perfectly sculpted arms glistening with sweat. He smelled so good, and I wanted to lean closer and inhale him. Kiss him. It had been almost five days since we kissed, and I missed the taste of him.
He kicked my leg under the table, and my eyes flew to his face, but he wasn’t looking at me. His focus was on Baldur, and I realized I’d been staring at him. I was probably drooling. I sat up straighter. Baldur was studying Echo with narrowed eyes.
“Have you eaten breakfast, young man?”
“No, Golden One. I just got back and went straight to the gym when I felt… I was in the gym.”
He was nervous. A first since we’d met. He swallowed and glanced at me. When he nudged my leg, I realized I was staring at him again. My face warmed, and I forced myself to look away.
“Litr, prepare a plate for our guest,” Baldur said. He lifted his tumbler and chugged apple juice while still staring at Echo. For the first time, I saw how intimidating he could be. He had a presence that was easy to ignore when around my mother because she tended to dominate everyone whenever she entered a room. But without her, he became the center of attention.