The Runes Universe: Imperfect Souls (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “I’ll take you home after you get some more rest. I’ll even bring you a change of clothes if you’d like,” I said.

  “How?” she asked.

  I took out my artavus and etched sleeping runes on her.

  Reeve slept for another four hours and woke when the nurse knocked on the door.

  “What…?” Reeve sat up. “What time is it?”

  “It’s 7:00 a.m., sweetie.” The nurse set a tray of eggs, bacon, and fruit on a sliding table and wheeled it over to Reeve. “Did you get enough rest?”

  “I’m fine.” Reeve watched me. “When can I leave?”

  “Oh, the doctor will be in soon, so I’m sure it won’t be long now.” The nurse made some notes on the chart after reading some numbers off of the machine. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

  “Thank you,” Reeve said.

  The nurse left.

  “This looks disgusting.” Reeve scrunched up her nose.

  “Do you want me to get you something better?” I asked.

  “No. I don’t think I want to eat anything.” Her eyes bored into mine. “Why are you still here?”

  “We started out on the wrong footing.” I leaned forward and clasped my hands. “I’d like to be your friend, if that’s acceptable to you.”

  “You want to be friends with me?” She pointed to herself. She sighed and closed her eyes. “What if I’m not very good with the entire friend thing?”

  “That would make two of us, and you would be my first,” I said.

  She opened her eyes and met my gaze. “You’re going to tell me that you, Mr. Everyone Stares at Me, have no friends? I find that hard to believe.”

  “I’ve met a few acquaintances since I’ve moved here, but I can’t say I’ve made a friend,” I said.

  “And I would be your first? Like ever?”

  “I’ve lived an extremely sheltered life,” I said. “One that’s kept me too busy to have time to make a true friend.”

  “Why me? Wouldn’t you be embarrassed to be seen with me? Especially after last night’s fiasco.” Her face flushed again, highlighting her perfectly shaped cheekbones.

  “Why not?” I asked. “I see nothing wrong with being your friend. We all make mistakes. I’ve made my share.”

  “I guess.” She took a sip of her orange juice. “What’s in the bag?”

  I pulled the bag from next to me and held it out to her. “You said you needed clothes, so I picked you up some sweats and a T-shirt. I didn’t know your exact size, so I stuck to the small.”

  “Really?” She took the bag and looked inside.

  “I didn’t know where you resided, so I was unable to pick something up of yours,” I said. “Is that okay?”

  “You went shopping in the middle of the night to get me something to wear?” Her eyes glossed over. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” My heart skipped a beat. “Maybe I’m not so bad at this friend thing after all.”

  She bit her lower lip, and the corner of her mouth lifted into a half smile. “Maybe you could give me some pointers, because I’m a bit rusty.”

  Seeing her smile made me smile. “Let’s figure it out together.”

  “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile,” she said. “You’re even cuter when you smile.”

  The doctor knocked on the open door, announcing his presence, and entered the room.

  “Great news, Reeve.” He read her name from the chart. “Everything looks perfect with you, and you’re baby is just fine.

  Chapter 7

  Reeve’s face turned a brighter shade of red, and her eyes widened. When the doctor left, she watched me. “Do you still want to be my friend?”

  I had saved more than her life last night. I had saved that of her child as well. The magic had healed them both. “This is what caused you to seek out Tate’s attention?”

  Her face changed. Worry creased her forehead with lines. “When I found out, he had already ended things with me, telling me he didn’t want to be tied down. He hadn’t felt anything for me.” She choked up. “I was devastated. I had…”

  I gave her a tissue.

  “I had never been with anyone before.”

  I took a deep breath.

  “After I took the first test, I didn’t want to believe it. I convinced myself it was wrong. Exams were approaching, and I stayed busy with working and studying.”

  I scooted closer and held her hand.

  She sat up, wrapping the sheet around her. “I started getting sick each morning, so I took a second test. It was positive. I panicked, and it started to affect my emotions. Every scenario played over and over in my head. I finally made the decision to tell him. It shouldn’t have only been my burden to bear. At least, that’s what I thought.”

  “It’s not,” I said.

  “I cornered him one morning and told him. He stood there, saying nothing, and walked away.” She closed her eyes for several seconds and then met my gaze. “I felt dejected and angry. The anger started to build and became unbearable. I approached him again later, being firm. His demeanor changed. He said if I was truly pregnant, I should take care of the situation and end it. And then he started insisting I was lying.” Her eyes searched mine.

  “Is that why you tried to take your life?”

  A tear fell down her cheek. She nodded. “So, do you still want to be my friend now?”

  “Women have babies all the time.” I wiped the tear away with a tissue. “Maybe I’ll make two friends for the price of one.”

  She slipped off the hospital bed and wrapped her arms around me. My muscles first tensed and then relaxed as I enfolded her in my arms. Her hair smelled like spring flowers on a sunny day. “Thank you.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Yes.” She grabbed the bag and retreated into the bathroom to change. When she emerged, her solemn demeanor returned. “I don’t have insurance. Can you go with me to talk to the hospital clerk? I have no means of paying a large bill now. Do you think they will do a payment plan for me?”

  “I’ll take care of finding out for you if you take care of calling for transportation,” I said.

  “You don’t have a car?” she asked. “I don’t think they will let you handle anything for me. Privacy issues and all.”

  “I can’t drive, so I don’t have a vehicle.” We walked down the hallway to the reception area. “Wait here. You’d be surprised how persuasive I can be.”

  She followed my instructions, watching me approach the lady behind the counter. The woman eagerly smiled. I inched around the desk, positioning myself in front of a column so Reeve couldn’t see. With the right runes, we came to an agreement. Reeve never was admitted, and there was no record of her at all.

  “Thank you very much,” I said to the dazed receptionist.

  “You’re welcome.” She smiled and shook her head.

  “What did she say?” Reeve asked when I walked back over to her.

  “We are set to go, and they will bill you later for it so you can make payments,” I lied. She’d never get a bill.

  “Just like that?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “They let you handle things for me?”

  “Like I said, I’m a persuasive guy.” I led her outside into the morning air. “Did you call for transportation?”

  “Uh, I don’t have my phone with me,” she said. “Do you have yours?”

  I pulled the phone I had yet to use out of my pocket and handed it to her. She clicked some buttons on the device and then gave it back to me.

  “You didn’t make a call,” I said.

  “I downloaded an app and ordered a car to pick us up. They’ll be here in two minutes.” She searched the parking lot.

  “Friends help each other out with things, right?” My voice sounded shaky.

  “Yesss.” Her word dragged on. “What do you need help with?”

  “Everything,” I said. “But, can you start by teaching me how to use this stupid contraption?”
r />   She smiled.

  ***

  After dropping Reeve off at her dorm, learning where she lived, I headed home to shower and prepare for the day. To save time, I opened a portal into a bathroom at the university when it emptied and made my Intro to Greek Mythology class on time.

  The day dragged on, and I kept contemplating all the information Reeve had shared with me. When I entered the cafeteria, Mack, Tate, and Liam animatedly carried on at a table with several girls.

  I joined Evie and Maxie at their table.

  “Hey, good lookin’.” Evie winked at me. “How’s your day going?”

  “Good, thank you.” I bit into my first chicken sandwich. “How are you fine ladies this afternoon?”

  “That’s what’s lacking today,” Maxie said. “Polite conversation and manners.”

  “Look, look! There she is,” a passing blonde said. The girl, Ashley, and several friends watched Reeve, who had taken her spot behind the coffee counter. “Can you believe she’s here?”

  “Yeah, she walked into the dorm as if nothing happened. Liam called me last night to tell me all about it,” Ashley said. “I think she faked it all for attention. If she had taken all those pills, she’d be dead.”

  Tate, Mack, and Liam followed the girls out of the cafeteria.

  Reeve ignored them and carried on with her usual duties, serving the few people in line for coffee.

  “Earth to Vali.” Maxie snapped her fingers in front of my face.

  “Excuse me,” I apologized.

  “What was all that about?” Evie trailed my gaze.

  “When I decided to come to this university, I expected a higher level of behavior from the students,” I said. “There are still those who seem utterly childish and mean.”

  “That’s human nature in general,” Maxie said. “Some of them never grow out of their obnoxious ways.”

  “Not only humans,” Evie said. “We’ve run across evil Immortals that do whatever it takes to get what they want. Over time, they forget why they were chosen.”

  “True.” Maxie shrugged.

  “Ladies, as always, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you for your company,” I said.

  “Manners.” Maxie grinned.

  “See you later, Vali.” Evie smiled.

  Reeve spotted me dumping my tray and gave me a half smile. When she finished with her last customer, I moved to her counter.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hi. How was your day?” I asked.

  “I’ve had better,” she replied.

  “I thought maybe you’d stay in today and get some rest.”

  “I’m physically well, so I didn’t see the point.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to miss any classes today. It’s the first week.”

  “Do you want to come by this afternoon to talk about English Literature after 1850? I could use a study partner,” I lied.

  “I have to work at the library after school, but I’m free at 9:00 p.m. It would be great to not go back to the dorm. My roommate is a complete bitch.” She released a long breath. “Can you text me your address? I put my number in your phone this morning. Do you remember how to text?”

  “I can do that… I think.” I pulled out my phone. “You work at the library, also?”

  “I have to. I’m here on a scholarship. My mother doesn’t have money to send me, so I have to work or I don’t eat.”

  Someone stepped up behind me.

  “See you this evening, then,” I said.

  “Bye.” She waved to me and smiled. “See you later.”

  Anticipation coursed through me at the thought I’d be hosting her tonight at my place. After class, I raced to the grocery store and stocked up on fresh fruits and juices. I didn’t know which she’d like, so I bought many different varieties.

  Once I returned home, I cleaned up as best I could and attempted to start laundry. The dials on the washer confused me, so I tried to look up the directions on my tiny phone. I went with the warm settings since I’d thrown all the colors and whites together. Why must they make things so difficult in this realm?

  Hours flew by as I kept busy. I finished placing fresh cut fruits on the island countertop when the doorbell rang.

  “Hi.” Reeve held her hands in the air. “I found it.”

  “Great.” I held the door open for her to come in, her backpack flung over her shoulder.

  “Thanks for letting me pop over. This is a beautiful place.” She perused the house. “Are your roommates home?”

  “I have none.” I led her into the kitchen so we could work on the large counter.

  She placed her book bag in a free spot and climbed on a stool. “You live in this big place by yourself? How many rooms are there?”

  “Four bedrooms.” I poured a glass of orange juice. “Do you want a glass? I put out some fruits for you, but I didn’t know what you’d like.”

  “Sure. This is amazing.” She popped a blackberry into her mouth. “You didn’t have to do this for me, but I’m starving and love berries of any kind.”

  We got to work on our assignments after discussing the books we needed to read for our mutual class. After an hour passed, I stretched.

  “Can you help me find out if I made the archery team?” I asked. “Coach Klein stated it would be posted tonight with a practice schedule.”

  “You tried out for the archery team?” Reeve bit her lip the way she did when thinking about something. Sometimes I wish I could read her mind.

  “Yes. It’s a hobby of mine.”

  “The team is supposed to be one of the best in the country.” She opened her laptop. “It’s an old computer, so it takes some time to pull things up. Do you have a Wi-Fi connection?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, but I do have one of those contraptions.” I pointed to her computer.

  “I’ll connect to my hotspot. It’s one thing that Mom was willing to pay for on my phone in case I needed to connect somewhere out of range.” She clicked on a few links and brought up the athletic page. She checked the archery section. “Look, you’re the only one who made it.”

  “They only had one spot available,” I said.

  “That’s amazing. Congratulations.” She beamed. “Your practice schedule is hectic, though.”

  I read the practice times and days, which consisted of almost every afternoon. “Thank you. It’ll give me something to do, I guess.”

  “You should be proud.” She closed the laptop and tucked it back into her bag.

  “I was also wondering if you’d help me out with something this weekend.” Nervousness edged inside me, a feeling I’d never experienced.

  “Sure, what do you need?” She looked up from her paper.

  The dryer dinged. I paused and went to receive a basket of my clothes.

  “Driving lessons?” I held up a pair of jeans with pink blotches on them. “And maybe teach me how to do the darn laundry.”

  Chapter 8

  Reeve covered her mouth and laughed. “Where have you been hiding all these years? Under a rock?”

  “Something like that,” I said. “Glad you find it amusing.”

  “I needed this.” She zipped her backpack. “It kept my mind off all the terrible things for a short time. Thanks for inviting me over and for all the fruit.”

  “Do you need to leave already? Would you like to watch a movie or something? I’m finding them quite entertaining,” I said.

  “Really? You don’t mind?” she asked.

  “Not at all,” I said.

  We watched most of an action movie in which car chases ensued. Reeve’s head tilted and landed on my shoulder. She fell asleep.

  Carefully repositioning myself, I placed my arm around her and allowed her to continue resting against my chest. The warmth from her body comforted me. When the movie concluded, I clicked the television off, and darkness filled the room. I didn’t have the heart to wake her, so I gently picked her up and carried her up to one of the spare rooms—the one directly across from mine.
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  I folded her within the sheets and covered her with a light blanket. Engaging my invisibility runes, I created a portal into her dorm room. Her roommate was missing, so I entered and retrieved some of Reeve’s things—a few tops, bottoms, undergarments, and toiletries. Steps echoed down the hall, so I swiftly returned to my home through the portal.

  After rearranging her things on the dresser in the spare room, I closed the door and went to sleep in my room.

  ***

  I awoke to the smell of bacon. The sizzling sound hit me as I descended the stairs.

  “You’re cooking?” I asked. Two plates sat on the countertop, both with a good helping of eggs already on them.

  Reeve scooped the bacon from the pan onto the plates. “That’s the least I could do since you allowed me to stay over last night. How did you carry me up the stairs without me waking? And when did you go and get my things?”

  “You fell asleep during the movie and I didn’t want to wake you, so I carried you to one of the spare rooms.” I bit into the bacon, and the juices slid down my throat. “This is good, but I didn’t have that in my cooler.”

  “Oh, I know. The only thing in your fridge is fruit, but your freezer is full of boxed crap.” She sat next to me and ate her eggs. “How did you know which room was mine? I can’t believe you went into my room and got some of my things. Was Ashley there?”

  “I asked around,” I lied. “Ashley wasn’t there, and it was easy to tell which side was yours. I didn’t think you were the unicorn, fluff, and incessant self-portraits side of the room.”

  She laughed. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for breakfast. This is so much better than what I would have had,” I said.

  “I’m guessing you don’t cook, either.” She poured us each a glass of orange juice. “Seeing as these pots and pans don’t appear as if they’ve ever been used.”

  “Good guess,” I said. “You probably think I’m fairly helpless, don’t you?”

  “I think you’re mysterious and, by far, the most interesting person I’ve ever met.” She smiled.