Demons (Eirik Book 1) (22 page)

“Because I just calmed you down and I don’t want you panicking again.”

“Oh God. It’s bad.” I sat up, aiming to dash to the mirror in the corner of the room, but he pushed me against the pillow.

“Hey, don’t you trust me?” he asked.

Like no one else outside my father. He’d protected me twice against his mother even when he didn’t know me. I stared into his ridiculously handsome face and nodded.

“Good. Then trust that it’s not bad and I’ll take care of you.”

I nodded again and my panic melted away. I realized why. It wasn’t just the gentleness in his voice that did it. He was running his knuckles gently along my jawline. The feel of his skin against mine left a trail of warmth that snaked its way under my skin. Must be the runes, which were still blazing. They made his touch electrifying.

I felt bereft when he stopped and went to get one of the towels hanging around the bathtub. He detoured, grabbed the leather pouch Litr had brought, and lifted the mace like it weighed nothing.

“Magic, my ass,” I mumbled. “That can’t be the explanation for everything that’s wrong with this place.”

“Don’t you mean everything that’s
cool
about this place?” he asked and grinned at me. My breath caught. Eyes heavy-lidded, the lazy smile curling one corner of his lips more than the other made him look sexy. A smiling Eirik was lethal. I captured the image and mentally stored it. He walked back toward the bed and my heart started a crazy beat. This time, the panic had nothing to do with blood. The look in his eyes said…

No. I was attracted to Eirik, but it was one-sided. He couldn’t be attracted to me. He had a girlfriend. He sat on the edge of the bed and the mattress dipped. My traitorous body responded, loving the warmth he exuded. Despite my thoughts and the constant reminder that he had a girlfriend, my body kept betraying me in ways that were new and exciting, confusing and scary.

“You are lifting the mace and you are about as magical as a lump of coal,” I mumbled, trying to get the conversation back to the mundane. “As Cora.” His eyebrows shot up.

Why did I have to bring up his girlfriend’s name now? We were having a moment. That was probably why.

“Corrine Raquet, but her friends call her Cora,” I lied.
Lame, Celestia
. “She couldn’t make up a spell to save herself if her butt caught fire.” All members of Weak-Ass Coven were terrible Witches. I touched my chin gingerly and winced. “Damn, how sharp are the spikes on that mace?”

“Very.” Eirik rested his left elbow on the other side of me and leaned in to clean the wound. I closed my eyes. Bad idea on so many levels. My other senses kicked in and picked up on everything.

His abs pressed against my side and from the way my body reacted, we might as well not be wearing sweaters. His muscles shifted with every breath he took. His chest was so close to brushing against mine I held my breath with anticipation.

He groaned, and my eyes flew open and locked with his. His blazed with heat and something I’d never seen in a man’s eyes before. No man had ever looked at me like this.

“Sorry if that hurt,” he said in a voice gone husky.

“What?”

“I dabbed the spot and you moaned in pain.”

If I had moaned, it had absolutely nothing to do with pain. I had no idea he’d even started cleaning it. He used his thumb to tilt my head and probed the area with the edge of the towel.

“Ouch.”

“Can I kiss it better?”

My heart trembled. Now he was screwing with my head. I was imagining those gorgeous lips on my skin and liking the idea. Too much. He really shouldn’t suggest things like that.

I tried to break free from the magical spell swirling around us and drawing me toward him. His face was tight as though he was holding himself stiff, fighting it, yet his lips seemed relax and inviting, and so damn kissable it wasn’t fair.

Remember Cora
.

“That stopped working when I was two,” I said in a voice I didn’t recognize.

His eyes bored deep into mine. Then slowly, he closed the gap between our lips. “Svana was still kissing my boo-boos when I was five and I loved it,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes, breathing suspended. He pressed his lips on the edge of my freaking chin. My heart hurtled to my throat and a soft moan escaped me. His lips were warm and his breath mingled with mine. I swallowed, my heart pounding. Any second, I expected him to kiss me on the lips, too. Then he was gone.

“Do you have a spell to heal it?” he asked in a voice that was hard to describe. Low. Sexy. Strained.

I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t speak if I tried. I shook my head.

“Want me to take care of it?”

I nodded.

“You and I practice different types of magic, Dimples,” he explained. “You use spells and I use runes. So I’m just as magical as you. Probably more so because the blood of magical people flows through my veins.”

I knew he was trying to bring back normalcy between us, so I tried. The torture of having him this close yet so unattainable was too much.

“Mine too, from my mother and grandmother,” I said. “Astral projection doesn’t need spells. I was born with the ability.” I wasn’t bragging. I just wanted him to know how awesome I was. “I had premonitions by the time I was in kindergarten.”

He grinned. “Okay, you are special too, Celestia Devereaux.” He’d recovered and his voice was back to normal. “This won’t have a lasting effect, but it should work.” He opened the leather pouch Litr had brought with the mace and pulled out a dagger. It had a thin blade like an ice pick. The blade started to glow.

“What’s that?” I asked, curiosity yanking me back to normal.

“An artavus. We use them to etch runes. Remember I told you about them this morning?”

The runes stuff was intriguing, but… “I don’t know if this is a good idea, Eirik. How do we know if it will work? What if it hurts or burns, or makes it worse?”

He sat and studied me with a mocking smile. “Are you always such a scaredy-cat? You’re scared of blood. Pain. Icy caves.”

“Shut up.”

“There,” he said and let go of my face.

I frowned. The runes were back on his skin and they were glowing brightly. I could even see the ones under his shirt. “What do you mean
there
?”

He got up, rummaged through his bag, and came back with a mirror. “Take a look.”

Confused, I took the mirror and studied my chin. There were three pink patches of skin like a healed wound. Then the pinkness disappeared, leaving behind normal skin. No scars. Nothing. I glanced at Eirik. The runes on his face still glowed.

“You already used the blade on me?”

“Yes.” He took the mirror and studied his reflection, then touched a line of three runes. “These bind runes or string of runes are for speed. As you can see, they are repeated here”—he touched his temple—“here and here”—he touched his chin and neck—“and all over my body. I engage them and I move fast. That’s what I did. But I etched these ones on you.”

The first runes disappeared and a different kind appeared. At first they were black like tattoos. Then they started to glow.

“Those are for healing,” Eirik continued. “As you can see, I have a lot of them. I just etched them on you and they took care of your cuts. Do it a few more times and they’ll appear every time you hurt yourself. Continue to do it a few more times and they start repairing dying cells. And that, Dimples, is how Mortals become Immortals. That is runic magic.”

“I didn’t feel a thing,” I said.

“It hurts the first time, but I was fast and I distracted you. The second time, the pain is not so bad. By the third time, you have enough pain runes and can engage them first before etching more, so you don’t feel a thing.”

I touched my chin and imagined never having to worry about accidents or pain. Never having my stomach turn at the site of my wounds. That would be amazing. I just wasn’t too sure about the living forever part. I’d hate to watch everyone I knew grow old and die. I’d be alone.

“Which one is this?” I asked, touching the rune on Eirik’s forehead. A sizzle shot up my arm and I dropped my hand. He must have felt it because he blinked.

He didn’t look in the mirror before saying, “That’s Odin’s. He is my protector, so I always engage his rune first. Most of the time, it just appears before the other runes. Grimnirs have my mother’s rune because she is their protector, while half the Valkyries have Odin’s and the other half have Goddess Freya’s.”

“And the other gods and goddesses’ runes?”

“We have those, too. Thor’s rune combined with a few more offer us strength. Tyr, the God of War, has a blend of runes that makes anyone fearless in battle. The bind rune of healing includes Eir’s—the Goddess of Healing and Eostre’s—the Goddess of Spring and Renewal. Speed we get from mixing Njord’s rune with other runes. Njord is the God of Wind and the Sea. Invisibility comes from Nott, the Goddess of Night. She is gorgeous, her skin pitch black and flawless. The Elves call her Joy-Of-Sleep because when she touches you, you sink into a blissful sleep. Then there’s…”

I listened to him explain every possible ability and the major rune in each. I even forgot about the moment we’d had. He was even more fascinating than when we’d first met.

“What happens when you don’t engage Odin’s rune?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried it, but interesting idea.” He dropped the shaving mirror on top of the duffel bag, stood, his runes still shimmering, and walked to the full-length one in the corner of the room. The rune on his forehead dimmed and disappeared. He caught his breath, then all the runes on his body disappeared.

“You okay?” I asked, sitting up.

He scowled. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have listened to me. All your runes just disappeared.”

“They didn’t. I got rid of them. You can’t lift it, Dimples. Leave it before you hurt yourself again.”

I didn’t realize I was trying his mace again. It was as though the handle and the spiked ball were glued to the bed. He removed his sweater and the black tank top under it and I forgot about the mace. The man had a gorgeous body.

“Try the chain,” he said. He’d been aware I was ogling him. He could probably see my reflection.

I gripped the chain. It was just like lifting a chain imbedded in a cement floor. “I guess it’s like Thor’s hammer. No one could lift it, but him, and even then, he could only do it when he was worthy.”

I doubted Eirik heard me because he was busy studying his body while flexing his muscles. He just lost cool points. Yeah, he had a hot body, but did he have to admire it while I was around?

“Hollywood always gets it wrong, Dimples. Odin has no power to strip Thor of his abilities to control the hammer any more than my mother can with my mace. The Dwarves made both weapons and imbued them with magic and specific runes so they can only respond to us. Turn around.”

“Why?”

He undid the button on his jeans and hooked his thumbs under the waistband before I realized what he planned to do. I turned so fast my knee hit the handle of his mace.

Damn. Stupid mace.

“You okay?” he asked, but he didn’t come running this time even though I was sure I fractured a kneecap. Probably busy checking more muscles. Vain. I wanted to look, but I didn’t dare. He was likely to be in his underwear again. Or naked. Eirik didn’t have a modest bone in his body.

“Yeah, I’m good.” The skin wasn’t broken and my kneecap was intact. But the runes on the handle of the mace glowed briefly. Weird.

“Turn around and tell me what you see.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to be your mirror, Eirik. If you want to show off your body like a self-absorbed dimwit, find an audience elsewhere.” I scooted off the bed. “I’m going to find Maera or Litr or any Dwarf and ask them about caves.”

“Just look and tell me what you think.”

Something in his voice had me glancing over my shoulder. My objections disappeared when I saw his reflection. Pink spots dotted his spine. They looked like eczema, and they went down to his boxers. It was weird because they were the same size and shape.

“Where did those come from?” I asked, closing the gap between us.

The look on his face when our eyes met was hard to describe. He looked triumphant, yet worried.

“They’ve always been in me. I had them when I was a child. I used to scratch them, but my guardians used Odin’s rune to cover them. Now I know why. They’re ugly.”

They were. As I got closer, they shifted, changing shape and color. More appeared. “No, they are not. They are changing. They’re beautiful.”

EIRIK

No, they weren’t pretty. They were pink and ugly, and before long, they’d start itching and I’d be forced to scratch them. Celestia hated blood. She chewed on her lower lip and studied my back.

“May I?” she asked and extended her hand toward my back.

A few minutes ago, I would have given anything to let her touch me. I’d almost gone crazy from wanting to kiss her as she’d lain trustingly on my bed and let me take care of her wound. I wasn’t supposed to want her or crave her touch, yet I had. I wanted to say yes, but at the same time, I wanted to hide my ugliness from her.

“Eirik?”

The pain came from nowhere and shot up my spine, almost bringing me to my knees. I grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be Celestia.

“What is it?” she asked.

Before I could respond, another white flash of pain caught me off guard. This one felt like something was drilling through my bones. I engaged more runes, but it wasn’t enough. The pain spread as the marks crept to my neck and scalp. Why weren’t the pain runes helping?

I engaged Odin’s rune and the ugly blotches disappeared. But the pain remained, intensifying as though it had a life of its own and the only thing containing it was my skin.

“Eirik?”

“Go!” My voice was harsh, but I didn’t care. I had to do this alone. I never wanted her to see me powerless, helpless, and weak again. Once was enough.

“I’m not leaving you when it’s obvious you are in pain.”

“I don’t need you here, Celestia,” I snapped. “Go find Trudy or play with your spells.”

Her cheeks grew pink. “Play? If you think your rudeness is going to send me running from here in tears, then think again.”

“Run!”

She jumped, but she still didn’t move. “It’s obvious you are in pain, so—”

I engaged my speed runes, etched her with forgetful runes, and had her outside the door before she finished the sentence. “Find Trudy and stay away from this area. I’m going to be busy for the rest of the day.”

Her eyes went blank and became unfocused. “Okay. I’ll borrow a sketchbook from Trudy,” she mumbled and walked away, stumbling a little.

“Use a portal,” I added. She glanced back and frowned.

I hoped the forgetful runes worked because she’d give me hell if she learned I’d made her forget the marks on my back. I was still getting the hang of etching runes, though I’d had plenty of practice in Asgard. Young Asgardians loved to mess around with runes to test their limits.

She opened a portal and glanced back. I waved to her to go, waited until it closed, then entered my room. I should feel guilty, but this was the kind of thing you didn’t do around a girl like Celestia. She was too curious. She would want to know what I was feeling, cry because I was in pain, then turn around and scold me for not telling her how much it hurt. She was a contradiction that was slowly getting under my skin in ways I couldn’t explain.

Moving away from the door, my body shook with each step I took, the pain fever pitch. I started etching pain runes on my chest, my movements so fast my hand blurred. The pain receded to a dull ache in the background. Strength runes were next, then endurance last. I dropped the artavus, planted myself in front of the mirror and disengaged Odin’s rune. The spots appeared at an accelerated pace. They spread across my arms and legs, changing shape, color, and texture.

I touched the ones on my arm. They were smoother and flatter, like clam shells. More appeared. They looked like scales. Was I shifting into a snake like my uncle?

My nails hardened and extended. No, not a snake. Snakes didn’t have arms or talons. The ground retreated and my eyes grew blurry. It wasn’t the ground retreating. I was growing larger—into a giant. My grandmother was giant. My arm knocked the mirror off its stand and it shattered into pieces. I peered at the shards and tried to see my image, but my eyesight was still blurry. Bet my eyes were no longer amber or even human.

A part of my body I couldn’t see swept the partition covering the tub. I turned my head to look, but the top of my head had reached the ceiling and I was still shifting. I lost balance and came down hard, destroying everything along the way. A loud growl reverberated around the room. My head hit something hard, probably the stone bed at the other end of the room.

I blacked out.

When I came to, my body ached and I felt out of sorts. My eyes were still blurry, so I couldn’t see what I had become. A deep rumbling sound filled the room, but this time, I realized it came from me.

I closed my eyes and tried to use my other senses. I moved my fingers, and talons scratched the wood that was once my bed. I moved a leg and heard the sound of the tub, or maybe just a part of it, crack. My other foot was by the door. I knew because the talons scraped the heavy iron door.

I pressed against the ground with my legs and arms and tried to stand, but there was not enough space. Something swept behind me and hit the ceiling. I turned my head to look. Despite my blurry eyes, I recognized the two giant wings jutting from my back. I moved the muscles below it and slapped the wall. I had a tail.

I didn’t need a mirror to know what I was. A dragon. I was a freaking dragon. I could live with that. I mean, it was jacked up, but I hadn’t chosen the blood in my veins. I came from giants and shifters. A dragon was much cooler than other creatures out there.

Exhausted, I lowered myself to the ground. Shifting didn’t just suck. It was physically draining. Or maybe I was just new at it. Trudy had changed in this very room from a giant to a normal girl and she hadn’t broken a sweat. On the other hand, she’d only changed sizes. I was changing everything from bone to skin to eyes. I had wings. I needed to do this in some isolated place so I didn’t destroy my room or hurt someone.

Hurt Celestia.

I hoped she didn’t astral project into the room in an attempt to save me. The woman was a worrywart. Sweet. Adorable. Beautiful. I wasn’t sure what I felt for her. I just knew how I felt around her. It was different from anything I’d ever felt before. Different for what I felt for Cora.

Cora was sensual and sexy. A smile from her had the power to fill my head with lustful thoughts. Celestia brought out something primal in me I still didn’t understand. She’d probably be shocked if she knew how I felt. Today, I’d wanted to kiss her senseless, yet my next instinct had been to protect her from me. Deep down, I knew I’d hurt her, that I was no good for her.

How many times had she come to my rescue? Once too many. What had I done for her in return? I’d asked her to lie to my father about who she was. I even tried to keep her here by dangling her grandmother’s soul in front of her. I had no idea whether her grandmother was here or not. Had I even bothered to ask her about her life back at home? Nope. Today, I learned she came from Windfall, Louisiana, and that was it. I had no idea where she went to school, if she went to school, or what grade she was in. All I’d done since we met was take from her. Use her. She deserved a lot better than me. It was time I helped her get home.

I focused on Odin’s rune, hoping it would do the trick. I engaged it. The first one appeared on my forehead. I felt the glow and the surge of its energy. More appeared on my body, until it pulsed with them. My eyesight improved considerably. I could see the scales on my body, the longer protrusions along my spine.

Transforming back was faster and less painful. I was searching for pants when I heard the footsteps. I’d recognize my mother’s dainty steps any time and the guards’ heavier ones. Then it was just hers moving closer to the door.

My sometimes funny but often aggravating mother had known what I was and had even given me a clue when she’d brought that damn lamb into this room. I was supposed to barbecue it. Alive. How she could look so refined yet act so barbaric never failed to amaze me.

The footsteps stopped outside the door. I went and opened it, then stepped back. She stepped inside, studied the damage, and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“You knew?”

“Of course. I gave birth to you, didn’t I?”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Would you have believed me? And how would you have reacted if I’d told you the truth?
I’m happy you are finally home in human form, Eirik, but your true form is really a dragon.
You would have thought I was crazy.”

True form? “As opposed to locking-me-in-the-dungeon crazy?”

She chuckled. “No, dear. I happen to love the furniture in your bedroom and the décor and didn’t want you clawing them. Everything here is replaceable. Besides, I despise weakness and I had to know what I was dealing with.” She looked around again before focusing on me. “I’m happy with the way you’ve turned out. Life on Earth might not have been perfect, but it made you who you are today. If I had raised you, you’d either be scared of me or hate me by now. Instead, you are not afraid to challenge my authority. I might find it annoying and I might even punish you for it, but I’m sure you’ll rise to the occasion. So don’t lose that edge. You are going to need it to survive the Norns.” She exhaled. “You were right about what you said during lunch. You are a man now and should be treated as one. But I want you to remember one thing.”

I was still trying to wrap my brain around what she was saying. She was okay that I was raised on Earth, but she’s not sorry she starved me? “What?”

“You’re still my son and I expect you to be the best at everything you do. I want you fierce, strong, and driven. You will learn to crush those that stand in your way and throw aside the ones slowing you down. I’m not molding the ruler of this frigid realm.” She waved a hand to indicate Hel. “I’m preparing you for your future as the Alfadir of the gods. Hate me if you like, but you will be the most successful and powerful ruler realms has ever seen. Do you understand me?”

For once, she actually made perfect sense. “Yes, Mother.”

She stared at me with a weird expression, her eyes overly bright. Then she smiled. “Are you hungry?”

“Famished.”

“The food should be ready by now.” She lifted her scepter, pointed, and a portal opened into my father’s quarters, or their quarters.

Servants were already streaming into the room with platter after platter of meat, bread, soups, and vegetables. For some reason, I suddenly couldn’t stand the sight or smell of vegetables. I went for the spare ribs, rump roast, meat loaf…

I ate like I had been starved for weeks. My parents sat a few feet away and talked in low tones. I had a feeling they were keeping an eye on me. Was my father finally telling her about my sister or were they discussing how I could head to the lands in between the realms and find the Norns’ home? Rumor had it their homes were hard to find. Maybe I could see it better from the sky. For the first time since I’d arrived in Hel, I felt at home and they felt like my parents. My father and my mother. I might never call them Mom and Dad, but I knew they cared about me.

“Can I fly?” I asked.

Father chuckled and looked at Mother. They exchanged grins. “I have yet to meet a dragon that can’t fly,” he said.

“Or breathe fire,” she added.

“When can I start?”

They laughed. “You can’t do it all at once. Learn to change without bellowing and groaning and destroying my castle first,” she said, but I heard the teasing in her voice.

“It hurts and there was not enough space in that room.”

“The pain will stop once your body is conditioned to the shifting,” Mother said. “Next time, use the weapons room. There’s one not so far from your dungeon. It’s big and the door is wide enough for you to use since you don’t like portals. Then you have to learn to walk without tripping, fly, blow fire, and talk.”

“Talk? I can talk while…” Okay, so maybe being a dragon might not be such a terrible thing. “Can I start training now?”

Mother chuckled. “I thought you wanted to practice with my men under the bridge and spar with me.”

My cheeks grew warm. “Only an idiot fights his mother.”

Their laughter grew. “At least he didn’t say you are a woman and men don’t fight women,” Father said.

“I will teach you, personally, and you will learn to fight back or you’ll be carried out of the training field every time,” Mother said. “Then you’ll fight my men and the Grimnirs and the
Jötnar guards
. The dragons will come from
Jötun
heim to challenge your dragon.”

“Even those from the other realms will come,” Father added.

I studied their faces. Were they shitting me? “Why?”

“It’s the way of the dragons,” Father explained.

“If they are to pledge their loyalty to you,” Mother added, “you’ll have to prove yourself worthy. Show them you are their leader, because you are.”

Too much information too soon. I was exhausted, achy, and stuffed. I washed the food down with mead and sat back.

“So which one of you did I inherit this form from?” They looked at each other and became silent. “What?”

“The dragon strain is very rare in all the realms,” Mother said. “My mother is a dragon shifter. Your uncle got only a portion of the strain and became a serpent shifter. You got the full strain.”