Renegade Valkyrie (Valhalla's Curse Book 1) Page 13

  “So, you believe me?”

  I nod but keep my gaze averted. “I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

  “If you drank Eveline’s essence, she probably wanted you to distrust me.”

  My breath hitches. “But she’d have to be here for me to do that.”

  “Are you sure? This entire place exists because of a spell she placed. Her essence is probably all over it.”

  “If that’s the case, she may have let me see her entrap Calla as nothing more than a distraction.”

  “Can she do that?”

  “Essence shouldn’t be able to deceive, but anything is possible when witches are concerned. I looked outside and saw no attic.”

  “Look at me, Soleil.”

  Sighing, I force myself to meet his gaze.

  His eyes are kind. “I don’t hold anything against you, not even you wanting to kill me.”

  Dread runs through me and my eyes widen. He knew?

  “Your anger was so strong, I could feel it.”

  “Let’s get out of this place. It makes everything weird.”

  He nods. “We’ll come back once we have the vampire blood. I have no doubt Calla’s trapped here somewhere. It’s just not in an attic.”

  “How do you feel about teleporting?”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  My phone rings.

  Terror grips me. Is it Eveline calling to say something, proving she has the upper hand? That we fell into her trap and are never getting out of this little spell-land of hers?

  Twenty-Four

  I grab my phone and check the screen. Relief floods me. It isn’t Eveline. It’s Ziamara. Maybe she has news about getting Alrekur’s blood.

  I accept the call. “Zia?”

  “Soleil, my father is back home in the castle. I’m trying to put in a good word, but so far I can’t get through to him.”

  “That’s great news, Zia. Thank you.”

  “I’ll keep trying. I’m sure he’ll be willing to help you out.”

  We say our goodbyes, then before I have time to fill Fox in on the conversation, my phone rings again.

  It’s Gessilyn.

  Fear courses through me. What if she has bad news about Titan? Did Eveline’s spell kill him?

  “Answer it!” Fox jumps up from the bed.

  Pulse pounding, I accept the call. “Gessilyn?”

  “Are you all right?” she asks. “You sound out of breath.”

  “Long story. How’s Titan?”

  “That’s why I’m calling.”

  My knees give out, and I nearly drop the phone.

  Fox leaps over and wraps his arms around me, keeping me from falling to the ground.

  “Are you there?” Gessilyn asks.

  “I’m here. Tell me about Titan.”

  “He’s starting to wake up, but he’s confused and angry. Not that I can blame him. He doesn’t know any of us and has no reason to believe anything we say.”

  “I’ll be right there. You still in the same house?”

  “Yeah. I’m at the guest house with Titan.”

  “Thanks, Gess.” I end the call and turn to Fox, who is still holding me up. “Are you ready to teleport? We’re going to the coven of the high witch.”

  “Is your roommate okay?”

  “He’s upset. Sounds like he’ll be fine.”

  “Good.” Fox lets go of me and steps back.

  “Are you ready to teleport?”

  “As ready as I’m going to be, I suppose.”

  A thought strikes me. “Grab something of Calla’s.”

  He gives me a double-take. “Why?”

  “One of them might be able to run a locator spell on her. Clear up the mystery of where she is.”

  “What should I bring?”

  “The more personal the better. Jewelry, a brush with her hair, or some favorite item.”

  Fox leaps over to the nightstand and rifles through a drawer. “I knew she’d have it.”

  “What is it?” I crane my neck to see.

  He holds up a small yellow teddy bear no bigger than his hand. It has Calla embroidered across the chest. “She’s had it since she was a child.”

  “Perfect. Let’s go.” I spring toward him, grab onto his arm, and close my eyes, holding onto the image of Gessilyn’s guest house.

  A slight breeze picks up and sweeps my hair around. Everything spins around until the air smells like a mixture of cinnamon, chamomile, eucalyptus, and clove.

  I open my eyes. I still feel a little sick from all the essence, but it’s noticeably better.

  We’re in Gessilyn’s parlor, although it looks different from the last time I was here. The walls are a sparkly periwinkle, and all the furniture is white.

  Neither she nor Titan are anywhere in sight.

  Fox sneezes. “Is this the witch’s house?”

  “Guest house.”

  “Soleil, is that you?” Gessilyn’s voice comes from down the hall.

  “It’s me! I brought my friend.”

  “Come on down here.”

  Fox throws me a questioning glance.

  I nod and head down the hall. Light is coming from one of the many open doors, so I head toward it and peek inside.

  Gessilyn is poring over a book and Titan is sitting in a bed, eyeing her.

  “Titan!” I run over and throw my arms around him. It feels so good to have him back. Or maybe it’s that combined with being pressed against him like this. No matter what it is, I’ve never been happier to see him. I bury my face into his neck and shoulder and take in his rugged scent.

  He doesn’t return my embrace right away, but when he does, he squeezes tightly. “Soleil. What’s going on?”

  “You’re healthy. Safe. That’s all that matters.”

  “Where are we? What happened?”

  I force myself to pull away, but I don’t budge from his side. I just take in his sight. He’s slightly pale and definitely confused, but my heart swells seeing him in front of me. A warmth radiates out and spreads throughout my body, making me ridiculously happy in this dim room heavily scented with eucalyptus.

  “Soleil?” Titan wrinkles his brow and holds my gaze, his expression intense.

  It’s a good thing I’m already sitting, because I’m pretty sure my insides just turned to mush. I throw myself against him and squeeze him tightly one more time. “It’s so good to have you back.”

  “Did I die?”

  “Thankfully, no. It was close, though.” I shudder at the thought.

  “Would you tell me what happened?”

  I pull back again. “Sorry. It’s just—” I stop before telling him how hard it is to think around him. “It was Eveline. She took down the club. Several humans were killed. I flew you home before she could kill either of us.”

  Titan rubs his temples. “Eveline… That name sounds familiar.”

  “You don’t remember her?”

  “I think I do.” He rubs harder. “Is she a supernatural?”

  I turn to Gessilyn. “He has amnesia?”

  She glances up from her book. “No, he remembers you. He just can’t remember what happened. That’s normal—if he hit his head.”

  I try to remember if he did. It’s kind of a blur. “He might’ve. But he was spelled, remember? He’s here so you could undo that.”

  She nods. “I know. That’s why he’s awake.”

  “But he can’t remember Eveline! Did she do that too?”

  “Maybe, but it could just be a normal case of amnesia after a traumatic event.”

  I stare into Titan’s eyes, take his hands in mine, and try not to think of how nice that feels. “You don’t remember Eveline at all? She’s a witch who tried to kill me at the club, so we went back to stand up to her. We tried to take her down, but it didn’t work out so well.”

  “That’s not ringing any bells.”

  Disappointment washes through me. “You don’t remember any of it?”

  “I remember eating ice cream with you an
d going to the club, but nothing about Eveline. I’m trying.”

  I turn back to Gessilyn. “It has to be a spell! He remembers everything else.”

  She looks deep in thought. “Is there anything significant about him remembering the ice cream?”

  I glance back at Titan and lock my gaze with his.

  His expression is intense and he rubs his chin, then finally gives a little nod. He clears his throat and takes my hand in his. “Yeah. The unicorn horn flakes, remember?”

  My skin feels on fire. “Um, yeah. It brought out the flavor.”

  Titan rubs my palm with his thumb, then swallows. “That it did.”

  Gessilyn rises. “I’m going to ask Killian something. I’ll be a few doors down if you need me.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Fox follows her out the door.

  My face flames. They can feel it too—the tension between Titan and me.

  Titan rubs my palm again. It sends a shiver down my spine.

  “What’s going on?” he whispers.

  I can’t find my voice, so I just stare at him like a lovesick puppy. He has to feel this too. He’s rubbing my palm like that.

  “Who’s the djinn?”

  “Fox. He’s been helping me find Eveline.”

  Now Titan’s tracing my wrist. I’m going to melt right onto the floor if he keeps this up.

  How is it we were roommates so long and I never felt a thing like this before? At least not until recently.

  I swallow. “So, you really don’t remember anything about Eveline?”

  Titan continues to hold my gaze and he moves his thumb up and traces the inside of my arm.

  My breath hitches. Does he realize what he’s doing to me? I may have been alive for thousands of years, but I swear I’ve never felt anything like this.

  “I don’t remember the witch.” He continues tracing my arm, moving nearly up to my elbow. “But I do remember wanting to protect you, even though you’re tough and can handle yourself.”

  “She must’ve made you forget her.”

  “Or I just couldn’t forget you.”

  My heart jumps into my throat making it impossible for me to speak. I need to say something. Nothing comes to mind other than his gorgeous face.

  I’m starting to forget about everything else myself. My brain is becoming mush the more he traces the length between my elbow and wrist. Trying to think, I bite my lower lip.

  He stops tracing. “Don’t do that.”

  “What?” It barely comes out louder than a whisper. I chew on my lower lip again.

  “That. Don’t you know what it does to a guy?”

  I shake my head.

  “Maybe it’s just me, then. But if you keep doing that, I’m going to have to…”

  “What?” Without meaning to, I suck in my lip.

  “This.” He leans toward me.

  Closer.

  Even closer.

  Only a few inches of air stand between our mouths.

  Two inches.

  One.

  “I found something!” Gessilyn appears in the doorway.

  Titan and I both pull away. My heart thunders so loudly I can’t hear anything Gessilyn is saying.

  Twenty-Five

  I clear my throat. “Can you repeat that last part?”

  “Yeah.” Titan sits up straighter. “I didn’t catch any of what you just said.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Killian and I ran a locator spell on Calla. She’s right where Fox says she’s supposed to be, but you guys didn’t see her.”

  “That’s what we thought. I was certain I’d drunk some of her essence, and she had to be there for that to happen. What do we need to do now?”

  “It’s going to take a drop of Alre’s blood. She’s hidden well—the locator spell almost didn’t work. But with Killian and I combining our power, we managed. Barely.”

  “What does this mean for us?” Titan asks.

  “We’re going to have to break Calla’s spell to draw out Eveline.”

  “Why not let her stay in hiding?”

  Gessilyn frowns. “She’s vowed to killed Soleil.”

  “She what?” Titan throws off the covers and jumps to the floor and turns to me. “Is that why we went to the club? Because she wants you dead?”

  “That’s essentially it.”

  He looks around. “Where’s my gun?”

  I rise. “Back home. It won’t do any good against a witch.”

  “Don’t be so quick to doubt me. I have empty bullets that can be filled with anything. What’s it going to take to kill her?”

  “My sword will do the job.”

  His brows come together. “The one that will alert Valhalla to your whereabouts?”

  “That’d be the one.”

  Titan shakes his head. “There has to be another way.” He turns to Gessilyn. “Right? You’re a witch. You can figure something out.”

  She nods. “Everyone has something that can kill them.”

  “What’s Eveline’s weakness?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question.” Gessilyn steps out into the hallway. “We’re working on it now. I suggest you two find the vampire king.” She hurries down the hall.

  Titan turns to me. “What in hades did I forget?”

  “An evil entity that must be taken out.”

  His nostrils flare. “Seriously, where’s my gun?”

  “At home.”

  “Then let’s go there and get it.”

  “We don’t know where Eveline is. I have to get a drop of Alrekur’s blood.”

  “To draw the witch out?”

  “Right.”

  “Then we need to get my gun first. We can fill the bullets with whatever witch-poison Gessilyn can cook up.”

  “We’re fairly close to the vampire castle. We should head there first.”

  “And you think this vampire king is going to hand over a drop of his blood?”

  “If he won’t, I’ll get my hands on it another way.”

  Titan tilts his head. “By drinking his essence?”

  I flash back to drinking the vampire essence back at the nest. “No. They often keep that stuff stocked at the castle—blood from the original vampires is rare and powerful. I’ll get my hands on it one way or another.”

  “Okay, then. We head over there, grab some blood, go get my gun, and then what? Back here? Over to that Calla person?”

  “I’m not entirely sure. Let’s see what Gessilyn thinks.”

  He cracks his knuckles. “Then we blow this Popsicle stand.”

  We race down the hall in the direction Gessilyn went. She, Killian, her sister Roska, and Fox are gathered around a table.

  Titan turns to me. “There are two Gessilyns? One with curly hair and one with straight?”

  “No, but you can tell they’re sisters, can’t you?” The others still haven’t noticed us, so I clear my throat. “Do you have any runes in the castle?”

  Titan gives me a double-take. “Runes?”

  “That’s how these witches travel. It’s a lot easier than teleporting, which I’ve already done far more of lately than I should have.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Roska glances up at me. “We have plenty over there. You’d be surprised how often they call me.”

  “Can’t be more than my pack does. They have their own witches.”

  Killian snorts. “Those vampire witches don’t hold a candle to my wife.”

  “It’s not just me.” Gessilyn moves something on the table. “Roska, can you take them?”

  “Sure. Should I use the rune in Alre’s game room?”

  Gessilyn shakes her head. “They’re not expecting us. Go to the one in my bedroom.”

  Titan turns to me. “She has her own room there?”

  “The queen and I go way back.” Gessilyn glances up. “Back to the days when neither of us had any clue about our true natures. I thought I was only a weak and unimportant witch and she thought she was just a—there’s not time to
get into that right now. We have a deadly witch to kill, and we don’t know if she has a coven she’s working with.” She turns to her sister. “You stay with them at least until they meet with Alre.”

  “I’m on it.” She heads into the hallway and gestures for us to follow.

  “What about my memory loss?” Titan asks.

  “I haven’t forgotten about that,” Gessilyn replies. “I’m thinking you’ll remember Eveline once you see her. If not, I’ll work on a solution. Sound good?”

  He nods, not looking entirely convinced.

  I glance over at Fox. “Are you coming with us? This blood is to help find Calla.”

  He turns to Gessilyn. “Should I?”

  “It’s up to you, as long as you don’t mind leaving Calla’s bear. I’m going to keep working on the locator spell in case I find out more about her location. There has to be a way around Eveline’s spell.”

  Fox looks back and forth between the bear and Gessilyn. “Okay. Yeah, I’ll go.”

  Titan mutters something I can’t make out.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, great.” Titan marches into the hallway.

  Fox lifts a brow. “I can stay here if it’s a problem.”

  “No. The vampires can sometimes get edgy. We’re better off in bigger numbers.”

  “Okay.”

  We find Roska and Titan in the living room standing in front of a mirror. She touches the glass, then a little swirly diamond shape lights up in the middle. “Let’s hurry. I heard the king is in a bad mood over some issue in Iceland.”

  I groan. “Is he ever not in a bad mood?”

  She snickers. “Plenty of times, but that vampire does have one of the worst tempers I’ve ever seen.”

  “How do we do this?” Titan asks.

  Roska glances at the lit-up rune. “You guys are going to have to put your hands on me while I speak the spell.”

  Titan keeps his gaze on the mirror as we all put our hands on Roska.

  “You might want to close your eyes.”

  Both Titan and Fox do, but I study Titan. He seems to be in a bad mood now. Even with his eyes shut, his expression is tense and his nostrils are flaring.

  Light shines from the rune and I finally close my eyes just before the rush of air moves around us.

  “You can look now,” Roska says.