“Un-freaking-believable,” Raine whispered, so I followed her eyes to where Torin was busy wielding a sword like a Samurai alongside the Druids. “I’d forgotten what an amazing fighter he is.” She laughed.
Raine could be bloodthirsty. While she cheered her man, I studied Echo. He moved like a dancer, parrying, jumping, and whipping around to block an attack. He laughed and attacked, blades moving so fast they blurred. He locked his opponent’s sword with both of his, swung it out of the way, and caught him in the gut with a sidekick. The man stumbled back. Echo stepped back to give him a moment, then beckoned the man to step forward. He was having fun.
“Aren’t you going to tell them to stop?” Trudy asked.
“Not yet. Raine?” When she didn’t respond, I glanced at her.
Her eyes glowed, and one of Torin’s attackers lost his footing, leaving him with two. She grinned with each punch and kick he landed on his opponents. When he went low and wrapped his legs around the knees of one of the men, and he came crashing down, she cheered.
“Raine!” I called again.
“My man is kicking ass,” she said. “Let me enjoy this.”
“Look at Niorun and her guards,” Trudy said. “They are fighting with the Grimnirs.”
“And so are the rest of the Druids,” Jess added.
The Dark Elf was armed with two swords, but she used her body, dropping low to sweep her leg under the Elven prince, who danced away, easily evading her. From her expression, she was getting angry.
“Ouch,” Raine said. “Echo just landed on his back. Do you want me to help him?”
Echo’s opponent was trying to hack him into tiny pieces. Come on, Echo. Get up! I cringed when the blade barely missed him and sank into the snow. He twisted his legs, spun on one shoulder, and used the momentum to lift himself to his feet.
“Holy shit,” one of the girls said. Yep, that was impressive.
The giant rushed him, but Echo was ready, attacking left and right, ducking and coming from below. He came from the left and kicked the man on the side of his knee. The giant’s knee buckled, and he went down. Echo unleashed a roundhouse kick and caught him on the side of the head.
The second the man went down, three of his men went after Echo. These were regular size, and they didn’t carry swords. I might love to see my man mow other men down, but I couldn’t let those bastards gang up on him.
“Guys, do something,” I said.
“I got it,” Raine said. One of the men tripped and landed on his back, but another swept the snow and plowed into the crowd.
“Whoa!”
“I didn’t do that.” Raine pointed at Celestia, who was peeking through her fingers.
“I hate fighting,” Celestia mumbled. “It’s stupid.”
“Not when your man is winning,” I said and high-fived Raine, as our men ducked and threw punches, dominating their opponents. More men started from the sideline, but fire shot from above and cut them off, forcing them to step back.
“No ganging up on one person,” Eirik bellowed from above.
I looked up at my brother, refereeing from above. Rhys and Nara joined Echo, and the three fought like parts of a well-oiled machine. I grinned, watching them. For a spiritual people, they sure knew how to fight.
Raine pinched me.
“Ouch. What’s that for?”
“It’s time to stop this. My man is bleeding and so is yours, and the giants keep shifting forms. Tell them to stop. You are the only one right now who can walk down there and make it happen. Instead, you are grinning like you get off watching your man kick ass.”
“I do. He’s kicking ass. I didn’t see the whole picture in my vision. I didn’t see Torin, his Druid brothers, or Niorun.”
“Torin is fighting a giant right now, and that won’t do. Walk down there and do your goddess thing, because if I go down there, roots will shoot through the snow and your mother won’t be happy with the mess I’ll leave behind on her landscape.” Her expression said she would do it.
“Party pooper,” I grumbled.
“Bloodthirsty bitch.”
“Goddess to you,” I corrected her.
“Still a bitch, Goddess.”
“And don’t forget it.” The others laughed. I opened a portal and could see Echo on the other side. There was something about a man in his element that was hot, and I loved a good sport. Despite the blood on his shirt, he didn’t have any cuts or wounds. I wondered what had brought on the fight.
I stepped onto the field and the fight stopped as though someone had thrown a switch. I got bows, some stiffer than others.
“Thank you for the entertainment, but it’s time this stopped.” I looked up at Eirik and waved him over. “Celestia needs you.”
Eirik whooshed down and landed, snow flying everywhere. The bands on his legs and neck shifted and became a suit, covering him from neck to toe—the same outfit I’d thought looked like a scuba diving suit. He ran to a doorway and disappeared into the glass hallway. Torin followed him.
The rest of the guests drifted away, leaving behind the Druids, including Dev. They were smirking and backslapping each other. I turned my focus on Echo.
“Had fun?”
“Oh, yes. They’ll never forget who I am. Can I have a hero’s kiss and a hug?”
“I don’t think so. You are bloody, and I’m wearing a one-of-a-kind gown.” He started to close the gap between us. “Echo, don’t you dare.”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, never dare a man on an adrenaline rush, especially when it’s about what he needs.” He reached me and gripped the back of my head. “And right now, I need to kiss you, Cora-mia.”
I forgot about his bloody clothes when our lips touched. His kiss was addictive. When he lifted his head, I was clinging to him.
“Want to see my quarters?”
I nodded. We were the last to leave the field using the same door Eirik had used. “Why don’t you just create a portal from out there?”
“Because of the magic in this realm, a portal outside the halls can shift to any place. That’s why we use the caves. Don’t ever create a portal to leave the hall or enter it.”
I kept the information for later. He created a portal to his quarters. His place was smaller than Eirik’s and consisted of a bedroom and living room. On the walls were murals of stone henges and another of an old man in a white robe and a flowing dress cinched around the waist with a sash. He held a staff in his hand. I didn’t need to be a genius to know he was a Druid. On the table and in display cases were more Druidic collectables. The bedroom had a giant bed and an enlarged photograph of me on his wall.
“Where did you get that?” I asked.
“I took it when you first bought me my cell phone, and I had it enlarged.” He pulled off his shirt and glanced at me. “I’ll be out as soon as I can. Unless you want to join me.”
“Really?”
He laughed. “Just kidding. Your parents know you are here.”
“No, they don’t.”
“Oh, yes, they do.”
He disappeared into the bathroom. While he showered, I studied his Druidic knick-knacks. When he returned to the living room, he had pulled on pants and a T-shirt. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck. I leaned against him and sighed.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
I turned to face him. “Then do something about it.”
He shuddered. “I would, but your father scares the crap out of me. Come on. I’ll walk you back to your quarters.” He linked our hands, and we left his place. Instead of using a portal, we walked.
Each door had a runic symbol instead of names. We passed Grimnirs heading to their quarters. Some stopped walking and bowed. I told them not to, but after the first hallway, I gave up and just smiled.
When we reached the rotunda, Echo stopped, completely ignored the guards, and cupped my face. The kiss he gave me was both sweet and hot.
“I’m going to wish you goodnight now, sweetheart. Can you have breakfast with me in the morning?”
“At your place or in the Grimnirs Hall?”
He chuckled. “In the hall. We’ll have all the time in the world to be together. For the next year, I’m courting you and winning your father’s approval.”
“You have Mother’s.”
“I know, but he counts, so I have to win his, too.”