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

  “Is it that obvious?” Reeve asked. The pinkness drained from her face, making her appear as pale as a ghost. She looked at her tiny protruding belly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you two. I wasn’t ready.”

  “Oh, we suspected a month ago when we all went out to that Italian restaurant and you were the only one not indulging in wine,” Maxie said. “Do you know what it is?”

  “No. It’ll be a surprise.” Reeve beamed. “I’m so nervous about it, though.”

  “It’ll be a gorgeous child.” Evie eyed me and then focused on Reeve. “With your two genes, you might as well groom it for modeling.”

  “Oh, uh...” Reeve bit her lip.

  “It sure will,” I said. I wrapped my arm around Reeve. “It’s going to be a magnificent looking child.” I felt compelled to lie for Reeve. I couldn’t help it. I’d never done such a thing before.

  We finished our meals and talked about an upcoming tournament.

  Ashley and her friends took a table across from us and stared.

  “Why do they continue to look at you all the time?” Reeve asked. “Every girl is ogling you.”

  “They are all jealous, Reeve. You’re sitting with the most handsome man on campus,” Maxie said.

  Reeve grinned.

  Did I detect a hint of annoyance by Reeve?

  Chapter 11

  Was it wrong to want Reeve to be jealous of the other women who gawked at me?

  Evie winked at me. “So, the last tournament is on Saturday, right?”

  “Yes,” I said. “It’ll be a busy day.”

  “Yeah, we have our last final in the morning. The professor canceled our literature exam that was supposed to be this afternoon and rescheduled it for Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Then I’ll go straight to work while Vali practices, but I’ll make his last tournament.”

  “What are your plans for the summer? Are you taking more classes?” Maxie asked.

  “There are only two classes offered that count toward my degree. All the rest are offered in fall and spring. I’ll probably take them and continue working. The library remains open all the time, so they said I can stay on in the summer. Mom probably won’t even notice when I don’t return for the summer.” Reeve’s smile disappeared when talking about her mother. She hadn’t told her yet.

  “We were going to take a summer cruise to the Caribbean but decided against it.” Maxie sighed and frowned. “Evie would rather take classes instead.”

  Evie rolled her eyes. “We can cruise next year. You’re so dramatic.”

  “Whatever.” Maxie scrunched up her nose. “Are you two down to go to Multnomah Falls tomorrow? I heard they are really beautiful and not too far away.”

  “Sure. I’ve wanted to see them. Supposed to be the tallest waterfalls in the state,” Reeve said.

  “I’ll drive.” I smiled.

  “Wonderful. We’ll get there in record time then.” Reeve smiled. “Make sure to bring your helmets.”

  The girls laughed.

  “I’m a great driver. The speed limits are too slow.” Since I’d learned to drive, we’ve driven everywhere. The only time we walked now was to and from school. It excited me to race through the windy empty streets outside of town. My superior vision allotted me extra time to slow if needed, but I didn’t go nearly as fast as I did when Reeve wasn’t with me. She allowed me to use her car to pick up groceries when she was working. If something happened to me, I’d heal.

  “I don’t think Lady can take much more of your abuse,” Reeve said. She’d named her car Lady. “It desperately needs a tune-up.”

  “That will be rectified this afternoon,” I said. “I’ll take her to get a tune-up.”

  “See, that’s true friendship.” She snickered and moved to throw away our trash.

  “Friends?” Maxie raised her eyebrow.

  “That’s what she needs now,” I said. An ache formed in my chest thinking about her and wondering if she’d ever want more than friendship with me.

  When Reeve reached the trash, Tate and Mack entered the cafeteria. Tate’s eyes widened when he noticed her. He looked at her stomach and turned paler.

  “Looks like you dodged a bullet with that one.” Mack slapped his back and laughed.

  “Yeah.” Tate faked a smile.

  “Guess you won again this semester. How was the Spring Conquest? Better than the Fall?” Mack smirked.

  “Easy, Vali. You’ll break the table in half if you squeeze any harder,” Maxie said.

  Reeve’s smiled disappeared, and I wondered if she’d heard a part of their conversation.

  Evie touched my arm. “They aren’t worth it. Don’t give them the satisfaction.”

  Liam, Ashley, and her entourage joined Mack and Tate.

  “Can you believe it?” Ashley asked. “Having a kid before she even finishes school.”

  “I’d have his baby anytime,” one of her friends said.

  “No doubt,” the other friend said.

  “That’s why you keep it wrapped at all times,” Liam said.

  “I need to get out of here. See you tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at eight in the morning.” I met Reeve halfway and led her out of the cafeteria. “Time to take Lady to the doctor.”

  “Okay.” Reeve didn’t smile, and that upset me.

  ***

  “What’s that?” Reeve covered her gaping mouth.

  “It’s Jaguar’s new luxury SUV in your favorite color.” The slick shiny red paint shined in the afternoon sun. “I had to travel out of town to pick it up, otherwise I’d have been home sooner.”

  “What happened to Lady?” She didn’t remove her gaze from the new vehicle parked in front of our house.

  “Lady got upgraded.” I held out one of the sets of keys to the new vehicle.

  She hesitated but allowed me to drop them on her palm. “I can’t... You can’t...”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know what to name it, though,” I said. “I’m not good with car names.”

  “You can’t buy me a car.” Reeve shook her head. “It’s too much. The insurance and the gas. There’s no way I could ever afford to pay for this.”

  “Reeve, this is a safe vehicle, and you’d never break down, as we have with Lady only last week.” I entwined my fingers with hers. She’d probably freak if she’d noticed the protective runes I’d etched on the brand new paint job, but her safety meant more to me than anything.

  Tears welled in her eyes. “Vali, you can’t do this. You’ve already done too much. We practically live...” She waved toward the house, not finishing her train of thought. “Are you trying to buy my affection?”

  “Will that work?” I smiled.

  “No.” She gazed at me.

  “Then, I’m not trying to buy it,” I said.

  “Vali, you already had my affection.” The green in her brown eyes sparkled. She stepped onto the first stair of the stoop, grabbed my shirt, and pulled me to her. She bit her bottom lip. “It’s not about what you buy for me. It’s what you do with me. You go to every baby appointment with me even though it’s not your baby. You walk me home each night in the dark after I leave the library. You watch stupid, sappy movies with me even though I know you don’t like them. You eat my wild, healthy concoctions when I know you’d prefer greasy slop each night. You smile when I smile.”

  I leaned in and kissed her. The strawberry sweet scent of her lip gloss excited my senses. When her arms folded around my neck, I deepened our embrace and supported her back. Our mouths parted. I scooped her up and carried her into the house.

  I set her down and closed the door. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her as she rested against the wall. A tingling sensation ripped through my body, and nothing in this world, or any other realm, mattered more to me than Reeve.

  Her hands moved inside my shirt and caressed my chest. She pushed my shirt up further until we needed to break apart for her to remove it over my head. She tore her shirt away, revealing her lacy, pink bra. I trailed kisses down her neck to her brea
sts. She moaned.

  “Are you sure?” I whispered into her ear.

  “Have you...? I mean, this isn’t your first time, is it?” she asked.

  Flames felt like they leaped to my face. She’d shared many firsts with me during the last few months, but this wouldn’t be one of them. “It’s not.”

  I moved her hair behind her ear and met her gaze. She searched my blue eyes for answers. Her features softened, and she kissed me.

  We moved through the house, onto the stairs, leaving articles of our clothing trailing behind us. This was the first time in months she hadn’t slept across the hall from me. Her bed went untouched that night and the next. If I had it my way, that would be the case every night for the rest of our lives.

  Chapter 12

  “Do you think Maxie and Evie will be angry we didn’t go to Multnomah Falls with them yesterday?” Reeve dug into her scrambled eggs.

  “I think they’ll understand,” I said. “We will make up for it next week. I’ll pay for dinner for all of us at La Nonne. They seemed to enjoy that restaurant.”

  “Oh, Italian sounds so good right now.” Reeve licked her lips.

  I laughed. “Everything sounds good to you right now.”

  She smiled. “That’s not nice.”

  “I’m glad we have a few weeks off before summer classes start for you.” I swept her hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck. “Gives us more time to get to know each other.”

  “If you don’t stop, we are going to miss our final that starts in thirty minutes.” She hitched her shoulders so I couldn’t continue to kiss her neck. “It’s bad enough we skipped studying the last couple of days. Eat your eggs before I do.”

  We finished breakfast and strolled to school hand in hand. Even though we sat in a room full of fifty students, she was the only one who existed to me. I’d always felt protective of Reeve, but now it seemed more absolute. I needed to tell her the truth about me. She had to know who I truly was with no more lies by omission.

  “How did you do?” Reeve asked as we exited the room. “I think I did pretty well, considering we hadn’t studied the last two days.”

  “I’m sure I passed,” I said.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

  “I have to talk to you about my past.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “And my family. I don’t come from a traditional household.”

  “I kind of figured that out already,” Reeve said. “But, you don’t need to worry. I don’t care what they are like. I’m with you.”

  “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but—”

  She held a finger to my lips. “You’ll never be crazy to me. Let’s talk later. I have to get to the library, and you need to get to practice. You have a big tournament today, and I expect to see perfection again from you.”

  “Luckiest girl alive,” one girl said as she passed us.

  Reeve smirked. “I agree.”

  I kissed her and grinned. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”

  ***

  “Are you ready, Vali?” Brody asked. “We are going to finish the year off with a perfect winning streak, right?”

  The tournament was being set up outdoors to accommodate the unusually large crowd we’d been gathering this season. We had the advantage of practicing nearby.

  “I’m as ready as ever,” I said.

  “Bro, we should celebrate tonight.” Lucas smiled. “Let’s all go out and have some fun. Finals are over, and it’s the last tournament.”

  “I’m in,” Jace said.

  “I’ll have to ask Reeve if she’s up for it. She’s working and may be too tired to go out,” I said.

  “Working sucks!” Lucas said. “I dread graduating and being stuck in the same job day in and day out. My pop is absolutely miserable every night.”

  “Hope you both can join us,” Brody said. “It’ll be a blast.”

  “And this is where the losers hang.” Mack hung his arms over the fence with Tate, Liam, and a new guy by his side. The new member of their group wasn’t an ordinary student. He was a Valkyrie, and his eyes widened when he saw me.

  “Losers, my ass,” Lucas said. “We’re undefeated.”

  The Valkyrie’s name evaded me, but I’m sure I’d seen him in Odin’s great hall before. His surprise meant he’d recognized me, too. His presence told me one thing—someone on that team would die soon.

  “You shoot targets. A real sport requires skill, muscle, and ass kicking.” Mack snickered. They sauntered off toward the football field and started scrimmaging with several other guys.

  “What a douche bag,” Brody said. “He’s the reason I’ll never see one of their games.”

  Anger invaded my senses. I nocked an arrow, aimed, and fired it toward their field, shooting their ball in midair. It landed a few feet from Tate.

  The Valkyrie covered his mouth to hide his grin.

  Lucas, Brody, and Jace laughed.

  Mack and his friends fumed. Tate glared at me. If daggers shot out of his eyes, they’d penetrate my skull.

  Coach Klein lectured me on unsportsmanlike behavior for a good five minutes, but I knew he was secretly impressed since he’d voiced his admiration to the assistant coach off to the side.

  The other archery teams showed up a half hour before the tournament started. Maxie and Evie took a top seat view on the bleachers, saving a seat for Reeve. They waved.

  The time to start the tournament approached, and Reeve still hadn’t arrived. Hoping she’d come soon, I concentrated on the tournament and helped my team to its last victory. The crowd roared with applause. I searched the stands for Reeve but found only Evie and Maxie, worried expressions on their faces. They looked away from the field and toward the pathway leading to the front of the school.

  I followed their gaze, and my chest burned at the sight of Kyra, the Grimnir.

  Chapter 13

  I sped through the crowd so quickly, leaving the celebration behind, not caring that Mortals noticed my quick movements or the fact I disappeared into thin air. “Where’s Reeve?”

  Kyra’s solemn face drooped.

  “Where’s Reeve?” I grabbed her arms.

  Maxie and Evie joined us.

  “She’s at the hospital.” Kyra opened a portal. “Itzel is with her.”

  We all entered into a hall in Kayville Medical Center. Itzel spotted us and waved us over.

  Evie and Maxie stayed outside while the two Grimnirs and I went into the surgery room.

  Reeve lay facedown as the surgeons worked on something at the base of her spine. Bruises covered her side. Bloodied cloths littered a steel basin next to her.

  Another metal container next to it contained something far more heart wrenching—the lifeless form of a small fetus. It was a boy.

  “Close her up. We can do no more.” The doctor moved away, placing his surgical tools on the tray.

  “I was too late.”

  “Reeve lives.” Kyra touched my shoulder.

  Reeve’s heart monitor bounced at regular intervals.

  “Prognosis?” One of the nurses followed the doctor out of the room as some others continued stitching Reeve.

  “Paraplegic. Loss of fetus. Four broken lower ribs. Bruised lungs. Outer bruises on the right side of the body and face...” The doctor rattled on as he marched down the hall.

  “You haven’t come for Reeve, have you?” I asked.

  Kyra shook her head.

  Reeve’s heart would break when she woke, and I wasn’t going to allow her to wake in pain. I took out my artavus and etched healing and pain runes on her. Her wounds started to heal before the nurse was able to complete the stitches.

  “What?” She backed away and watched as Reeve’s bruises started to disappear, too. The few people left in the room gasped.

  Itzel and Kyra sped around the room, runing the others. I carefully pulled the needles from Reeve’s arms and wrapped her into my arms. Maxie and Evie entered and helped the Grimnirs
usher the medical personnel out of the room.

  Maxie opened a portal to my house, and they allowed me to go through it first with Reeve cradled in my arms. I walked up the stairs and laid her in our bed—the one we’d shared the previous two nights.

  “What happened?” My gaze didn’t move from Reeve’s slightly healed bruised face.

  “She was struck and pushed down a flight of stairs,” Kyra said. “When she landed at the bottom, the man repeatedly kicked her in the stomach. He intended to kill her, but she’s strong.”

  Every rune on my body engaged at the same time, with my personal vengeance rune shining brightly on my forehead.

  Evie and Maxie gawked.

  “Who was it?” Heat boiled inside every cell of my body.

  “If I see him again, I’ll be able to identify him,” Kyra said.

  Itzel shook his head at her. “We can’t get involved with this. He’s Mortal.”

  “You can’t do this, Vali.” Maxie frowned.

  I ignored their protests as I thought about my three top suspects and opened a portal. “Is it one of them?”

  The Valkyrie spotted the portal right away.

  Kyra watched them play at the park and then nodded. “It’s the one in the gray hooded shirt.” She pointed to Tate.

  “Come with me.” My anger soared to new levels as I raced through the portal and showed myself to the murderer.

  Mack and the other players fumbled backward with my sudden appearance.

  Tate’s eyes bulged when he saw me storming toward him. Scratches marked up his face, and it gave me a little pleasure to know she’d fought back.

  “What are you doing man?” Tate held up his hands.

  I shoved him so hard he flew through the air. The Valkyrie joined my Grimnir and Immortal friends. “You beat up a merciless woman and murdered her child!”

  Tate rose to his feet. “I didn’t,” he lied.

  My fist connected with his jaw. It snapped and threw him several feet away. I ordered Slagô free from my arm, nocked a feathered arrow, and aimed at Tate’s heart. “A life for a life.”