Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
I’ll let Aric deal with her later.
For now, we need to get him hidden before he loses complete control.
He’s shaking, his grip hard like stone as we run down the stairs and out of the building. It was dark in the room, so there’s a chance she didn’t see the ice on his skin or his eyes. With the thunder and lightning of the surprise storm, maybe she’d even chalk it up to a trick of the light.
When we make it outside, a jagged line of ice cracks through the sidewalk, disappearing into the grass and nearby forest. I follow it. A few people from capture the flag are running, trying to escape the rain, so it doesn’t look strange for us to join in. Careful to get past the majority of the crowd, I tug Aric into the thicker part of the forest, away from the trails.
The wind howls as the sky splits with lightning.
He jerks his hand away from mine and starts punching the tree in front of us.
Over and over and over again.
Silver blood appears, only to re-heal as more ice forms on his knuckles.
His chest heaves, teeth clench like he’s trying so hard to hold everything in but break free at the same time. With a roar, he falls to his knees, lightning splintering from the sky and streaming directly into Aric, followed by another strike into the tree closest to me.
Holy shit. Is he okay?
But I don’t have the chance to move before his arms are around me. My back hits the ground, his hands moving to protect the back of my head in a gesture that I don’t fully understand but makes heat bloom inside me nonetheless.
We roll across the rocks and pine needles, away from the damaged tree. His clothes are ripped, singed by the lightning, and his body shields me while branches burn beside us.
His glowing eyes lock on my mouth before slowly fading back to their normal brown.
There’s no way he’s still sleeping.
I say nothing.
He’s breathing hard, his eyes wild, body rippling with the remnants of his power.
He’s beautiful.
I blink up at him and wince. “Thanks for the save.”
His chest heaves as he leans over me. “I didn’t want you to die without owing me,” he says in a gravelly voice.
“Wow, how thoughtful.” I lean up on my elbows until our faces are inches apart. “Hey. Are you okay? The lightning—”
“I’m fine,” he says. “That wasn’t what it looked like. It didn’t get me.”
That was exactly what it looked like, and we both know it. But I do owe him, so I let it drop, giving him a small, knowing smile and a nod.
His eyes drop to my mouth.
I smirk. “Sorry about the kiss.”
“I might have nightmares about that.” He says it jokingly, but it feels off, like his head is still back in that office. Still going over the horrible things Professor Higgins said.
He turns away and rakes a hand through his hair, giving me a clear view of his back through the shredded remains of his shirt.
My breath catches.
Runes.
And this time, there are most definitely two. In the caves, the second looked faded, or like it hadn’t taken shape yet, but they’re clear as day now, faintly glowing down his spine.
Raido and Dagaz in all their splendor.
They look angry.
They look new.
Chapter Forty-Two
Rey
The world goes completely still around me.
My hands shake as I think back on the note.
Raido first. Then Dagaz.
That leaves Hagalaz, Othala, and Thurisaz.
It’s time Aric and I had a chat. Laid our cards on the table.
And since we just bled, burned, kissed, and shielded each other in the wreckage of a tree, maybe—just maybe—now’s as good a time as any.
“C’mon,” he says. “Let’s get out of this rain.”
As we slowly start making our way back toward campus, I wonder: Does he know what the runes mean? Are these tattoos my path to Mjölnir? I mean, I’m not entirely sure how I activated them, but…
It can’t be that easy.
The lack of information from my father makes me think he doesn’t have all the answers, either. He probably never did. Doesn’t change anything, though—I need the hammer. Aric’s the key to finding it. And I have to trust that Laufey’s note will guide me.
I lengthen my stride to try and keep pace with the Giant. Aside from the scent of woodsmoke in the air and that faint smell of ozone that comes after a storm, the woods are calm.
The noise increases as we draw closer to campus, though, and I make out whistles and bullhorns, hollers and… Is that music? By the time we make it out to the field, it’s like we never left. Students are still screaming and cheering, their wet hair and clothes the only indication they got caught in the same storm as we did.
Reeve’s team is celebrating in the middle of the field. Guess they managed to capture the flag. They stop when they see us approach. “Was there another battle we weren’t aware of?” he asks.