I sighed. "Fine. I'll leave my backpack and oboe in my car." I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm. I winced as her nails dug into my skin.
"We have enough space in the SUV, Raine," she said. "Now be a dear and enter the car."
What was her problem? "Then let me collect my wallet. I left it in my car."
"The drinks will be my treat." She tugged my arm.
A bad feeling washed over me. She didn't want me to go to my car. Why? I glanced over at where I had parked. Eirik and Torin appeared to be doing something to my car. Somehow I hadn't realized that the crowd I'd seen earlier had been near my car.
Lavania's grip tightened. "Okay, some students trashed your car, and Torin is taking care of it," she said, her voice gentler.
I yanked my arm from her hand and ran across the nearly empty parking lot, my heart pounding. Torin and Eirik knelt by the back tire. Torin was sketching runes on the tire, which had a huge tear and was deflated. More runes covered the windows of my car.
"What did they write on the windows?"
"It doesn't matter," Torin said. He glanced at Eirik. "Get her out of here."
I raised a finger when Eirik stood. "No, I'm not going anywhere. What did they write on my car, Eirik?"
"Die, Witch, d-"
"Shut up, Seville." Torin's eyes narrowed on my face. "We'll find whoever did this, Freckles, and make them pay."
CHAPTER 4. MISUNDERSTOOD.
"You called me Freckles," I whispered, staring at Torin.
A bewildered expression crossed his face. "What?"
"Freckles, my nickname." I touched my nose. He looked more confused, which told me he must be remembering things on a subliminal level without understanding what they meant. I sighed. I was in for a very long and very painful recovery phase. I should've been happy his subconscious was spitting out information, right? It meant his memories were there, just suppressed. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to celebrate yet. "Never mind."
I caught Eirik's eyes. He was staring at us and scowling. His gaze shifted to someone behind me and I turned. Lavania and Ingrid had followed me. Andris hadn't left the SUV.
"You were supposed to keep her away," Torin snapped.
Lavania's eyes narrowed. She obviously didn't like his tone. She glanced at me. "You have a week." Then she whipped around and nodded at Ingrid. "Let's go."
I watched her leave, hating her attitude, wishing I could tell her I didn't want to train period, even though it wasn't true. I wanted to, but at the same time, it seemed like a huge step to take. So permanent. When I'd thought I'd be with Torin, it had seemed like the right thing to do. Now, not so much. Then there was Eirik's situation to consider.
When I turned around, Torin was working on the next tire. He didn't seem to care that someone might see him. Eirik offered him cover, but it still wasn't safe even though the parking lot had only a few cars left. The staff parking lot had more cars, but it was on the west side of the school compound and too far for them to notice anything. I opened the front passenger door and put my backpack and the oboe inside the car before joining Torin and Eirik.
I studied the runes Torin had just sketched. Air filled the deflated tire, then the slashes sealed. I tried to catch his eyes, but he moved to the last tire. I followed, loving the fact that I could be this close to him. I wanted more. To touch him. Kiss him. Force him to look at me again. Really look.
I cleared my throat. "What runes are you using? Air-flow-into-the-tire runes or fix-a-flat runes?"
The corners of his lips lifted into a half-smile. "More like they'd-bloody-well-stay-inflated-forever-or-else runes."
I laughed. His British accent became stronger when he was pissed. "Do I need to take the car to the shop after this?" I asked.
"Nah. This will hold until the treads wear thin and need changing. The next person who tries to slice your tires is in for a surprise."
I frowned. "Do you think that's a good idea?"
"Oh yeah." He still didn't glance at me.
Short of grabbing his head and yanking it toward me, I had to wait. I hated the way he was acting. The old Torin had openly sought me out and got a kick out of shocking me. "They've already labeled me a Witch. A tire that can't deflate will only confirm it."
"I don't care what they think," he snarled. "Your safety is more important."
At least his instinct to protect me was still there. "I can't afford to think like that, Torin. I want all this-" I indicated the car with a brief wave "- to go away."
"It will. Mortals don't mess with what they fear. They'll leave you alone for a while, which is not bad."
"Spoken like a loner."
He grinned. "True. You should also charge more for your psychic readings for those brave enough to ask. A thousand bucks perhaps?"
"Oh, you sneaky... You eavesdropped on me?"
"I couldn't help it. You had them believing everything you said and..." His voice trailed off as our eyes finally met. The moment stretched. The grin disappeared from his lips, and blue flames leapt in the depth of his sapphire eyes. We were so close I could count his eyelashes.
How could he forget moments like this when we'd looked at each other and gotten lost in our little world? His eyes shifted to my lips, and I stopped breathing. It was as though he'd reached out and touched them. My lips tingled, then parted slightly in an invitation. All we had to do was move a few inches toward each other and we'd kiss.
He must have thought it, too, because he inched closer, his eyes burning.
A sound came from above me, and my head whipped up. Eirik. I'd completely forgotten his presence. From his annoyed expression, he knew it, too, and didn't like it. My cheeks warmed.
"I've swim practice, so see ya," Eirik said through clenched teeth, and took off.
Torin ignored Eirik and continued to study me with a conflicted expression as though he wasn't sure whether to grab me and kiss me, or run. I wanted more time with him, but it wasn't going to be now.
Sighing, I jumped up.
"Eirik, wait up." He kept walking. I didn't catch up with him until he stopped by his Jeep. "Eirik-"
"Freckles? How close did you and Torin get before the Norns scrambled his memories?" He practically snarled.
This wasn't how I'd wanted him to find out about Torin and me. "We talked a bit."
"A bit? He has a nickname for you, Raine. One you hated when we were kids. Were you seeing him behind my back?"
Heat seared my face. "Not really. We were neighbors, Eirik, so we talked, and he gave me a ride to school once."
His eyes narrowed, and I wondered if he was remembering the few times Torin came to my rescue when he wasn't around. "Did you kiss him?"
"Eirik," I said and sighed.
"I guess that means yes." His glance shot past me to Torin. "Bastard."
"Don't. You don't understand."
He yanked open the door of the Jeep and paused before getting inside. He studied me and smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Actually, I understand perfectly. He took advantage of you. You're seventeen while he's older and more experienced. He healed you when he wasn't supposed to, and I bet he told you he was a Valkyrie. They are not supposed to tell Mortals such things."
"He didn't take advantage of me," I insisted. I glanced over my shoulder to find Torin watching us from my car. I hoped he couldn't hear our conversation. "He didn't tell me he was a Valkyrie. Andris did. On the night of Homecoming Dance. By then Torin had already disappeared."
Eirik frowned as though mentally taking a step back. "So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying things are a lot more complicated than they seem." I wish I could just tell him the truth about Torin and me, all of it. I hated keeping secrets from him. Until I knew what the Norns meant by he needed my help more than Torin did, I had to play it safe. Unlike Eirik, I didn't doubt the Norns. There had to be a reason why he was raised on Earth. "We'll talk tonight. I'll explain everything."
His eyes moved back and forth between Torin and me. For a second, I thought he'd say no. I sighed with relief when he nodded curtly. "Okay. Tonight."
Eirik was changing, and I hated it. Hearing him use the word "Mortals" several times as though he and I hadn't grown up as neighbors, fought over stupid things like sand shovels and buckets in our backyards, shared everything including the same bedroom during naptime and sleepovers, bugged me. I wanted the old Eirik back. He'd been sweeter, cocky but lovable.
I waited until he drove away before walking back to my car. Torin watched me with an unreadable expression, fingers shoved into his front pants pocket except for the thumbs.
"What's his problem?" he asked.
You, I wanted to say. "He's worried about me. That's all. Thanks for fixing my car."
"No problem. Is he your boyfriend?"
I stared at Torin. Maybe the stress finally got to me, but the question hurt. You are my boyfriend! I wanted to yell, even though I knew it wasn't his fault he couldn't remember. Needing distance between us, I shook my head, turned without answering him, and pulled open the car door with more force than necessary. He gripped the door before I could slam it shut.
"Raine," he whispered softly.
"Don't. I'm trying really hard to be understanding, but it's hard." Tears welled in my eyes. No, I'm not going to cry. No, no, no! I was better than this. Crying over a guy was something I'd never done until I met Torin. I looked away from him and blinked hard to stop the tears from falling.
"Look at me."
"No, go away." I pushed the key into the ignition.
"Please." He took my chin, lifted it, and turned my face toward him. A spasm crossed his face as though seeing the misery in my eyes-there for the entire world to see-was too much for him. He caressed my cheek. "I'm sorry I always make you cry or angry."
"I'm not crying," I ground out and blinked harder. "And I'm not angry."
He pressed his thumb on my lips to stop me from talking, and the effect on me was instant. My lips tingled, his touch searing. A storm of longing burst deep in my soul, and I shuddered. I was completely helpless against the effect he had on me.
He pulled his hand back as though scalded and scowled, blue eyes dimming. For a moment, we stared at each other. He looked shocked by his response. I wasn't.
"I am," he said, frowning.
"You're what?"
"Angry, but I don't know why. It's obvious that Lavania and Andris didn't tell you about me, yet you know details about my personal life only the two of them know."
"That's because-"
"Please, let me finish. I was here when Andris and a bunch of Valkyries came to collect the souls of your swim team members."
"You were one of them," I cut in. "You lived here then left just before the meet."
"You must be mistaken." He sighed. "I don't remember living here, but it's familiar, so I must have visited them. I was in Washington to reap some college kids while the others were here. We hadn't yet decided to make Kayville our base."
I shook my head. "The Norns gave you false memories, Torin. We were neighbors."
"Norns don't mess with the memories of Valkyries. There's no reason to."
"But-"
"Look, I don't want to argue with you. You tell me things you insist I did and said, yet I have no memories of ever saying or doing them. I thought Ingrid or Maliina might have told you, but Andris swore he never told them anything about my past. Maybe Maliina overheard stuff and shared them with you before she went rogue. I don't know. All I know is I never met you until two weeks ago when you kissed me. I've spent the last two weeks thinking about you, and I think I now know what might have happened."
His voice came to me as though from afar, hope slowly dying with each word from his mouth, until a giant gaping hole remained. I wanted to say something, but my tongue stayed glued to my mouth, which had gone dry. So I waited, heart pounding.
"Our paths must have crossed and you misunderstood," he said gently.
"Misunderstood?" I whispered.
"The nature of our relationship." He let go of the car door and shoved his hands in his front pants pockets again. "I make a point of not getting emotionally involved with Mortals. It is counterproductive. So if I did something to mislead you in any way, I'm sorry. It was not my intention."
He paused, his jaw tense, his gaze steady. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't, the finality of his previous words echoing in my head like my worst nightmare.
"I'll not always be a Mortal," I whispered. "I plan to start training as soon as possible."
His eyebrows shot up. "Why?"
My mind went blank. Then jumbled thoughts slammed into my psyche. Just because he couldn't remember didn't give him the right to write us off. Anger slowly crept in and mingled with the pain. Misunderstood the nature of our relationship? Emotional involvement with me was counterproductive? He wasn't willing to find out the truth or give me the benefit of the doubt. He just assumed he couldn't have gotten involved with me, a Mortal.
"Why? What kind of question is that?" I asked through clenched teeth.
His brow shot up. "One you should be asking yourself."
Hating that I had to look up at him, I stood. He didn't even have the decency to step back. The heat from his body leaped and wrapped around me, messing with my head. Usually, I welcomed my response to him. Now, it just pissed me off.
"I've asked it a gazillion times, and I keep coming back to me, my mother, my entire existence. My mother is a Valkyrie. Norns marked me when I was a child for their diabolical reason, so Valkyrie and Norn magic flows in my veins."
He smirked. "So? That doesn't mean you have to become one."
"The Norns are after me, Torin. Just because you don't remember things doesn't mean I don't. Dealing with them was horrible. I have to be prepared this time."
He cocked his eyebrows. "I heard you stood up to them and accomplished something. Do it again. Show them you are one Mortal they can't bully. Being a Valkyrie is a lonely, crappy existence. Being a Norn is even worse."
His attitude stank, even though I knew about his loneliness. I was meant to take it away, complete him. The thought fueled my anger. Before I realized my intention, I poked him in the chest. "It's only crappy because you are too pigheaded to change. You choose to be alone when you don't have to be. You had a chance to make me immortal, and you took the moral high ground."