“Who’s that?” I whispered.
“Lavania something-or-other. A long foreign name,” Cora explained. “She’s gorgeous, funny, and guys bend over backwards to please her. Makes you want to hate her, but you can’t. No one can.” Cora sighed.
“Why not?”
“She’s super nice and sweet.”
So that was my trainer? What was her relationship with Torin? I hated her already. Hated the way she leaned against Torin’s arm. Hated that she could touch him while I couldn’t. It hurt to see him with someone else.
As though he felt my eyes on him, Torin turned his head, looked over his shoulder, and met my gaze. I held my breath. Waited to see what he’d do. He cocked his brow.
My face warm, I focused on Cora. If she’d noticed the look we shared, she didn’t say anything. Thank goodness her memories of the Valkyries were wiped too or she’d remember how Torin often stared at me.
“So, who’s your secret crush, Cora Jemison?”
“Uh, there’s a reason it’s called a secret, nosey. Back to Lavania. She’s invites us to their house every time our paths cross, but Eirik always says we have plans. I have a feeling he doesn’t like her.”
From Cora’s voice, she loved it. I wondered if she and Eirik had hooked up while I was gone. I hoped so. They would be great together. We stopped by the door of my math classroom. Torin still watched us. Lavania followed his gaze, smiled, and waved. Cora waved back. Eirik’s back was to us, but he, too, turned to see what the others were looking at.
He grinned. I frowned when the girl, Lavania, did something strange. She tilted her head toward Eirik. In a different setting, I’d say she’d just bowed. Or maybe it was my imagination.
“Do you want to meet her?” Cora asked.
Heck no! “No, thanks.”
“She’s really nice. The superhot guy with black hair is the new QB. His name is Torin St. James.”
Torin’s presence on the team meant some football player was about to get a one-way ticket to Valhalla. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to care. I had my own demons to deal with. “What happened to Blaine Chapman?”
“His family suddenly moved. Totally weird.” Cora shrugged, her focus shifting to the Torin’s group. “The silver-haired guy is Andris. I think he’s gay or something because even the hottest cheerleaders don’t interest him. The blonde is a cheerleader. Her name is Ingrid.”
Andris gay? Very unlikely. He was probably pining for his ex-girlfriend, Maliina, who’d gone rogue and joined evil Norns after she nearly killed me. Good riddance. I didn’t hear the rest of Cora’s words, my focus shifting to Eirik.
He strolled toward us, intelligent amber eyes twinkling. He looked different, his face more chiseled. It was as though he’d undergone some kind of transformation while I was gone. His usually long dirty blond locks were gone. Shorter hair surprisingly suited him.
Eirik and I went way back to when we were kids and played in our joining backyards. He was my best friend and knew me better than anyone.
“I love your new cut,” I said in greeting, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.
“I love your tan, stranger,” he quipped. We hugged. “We thought you’d only be gone for a week.”
“Blame my mother.” I’d forgotten how comforting his hugs were. Suddenly, I was back to the place I’d been during summer, needing him. Eirik had always been there for me. When my dad’s airplane went down and we thought he’d died, Eirik was the first one I’d told. When I started learning about Valkyries and my connection to them, I’d leaned on him to keep sane. Even when Torin disappeared and I thought I’d never seen him again, I’d turned to Eirik for comfort, even though he hadn’t known about my feelings for Torin.
“Hey, you’re crushing my ribs,” he teased.
“I missed you guys.” I stepped back and grinned sheepishly.
“Oh, that explains the endless phone calls and texts,” he teased. “Don’t they have reception on those boats?”
Cora laughed. “I asked her the same thing. Gotta go. See you two later.” She hugged me again then briefly squeezed Eirik’s hand, their fingers lingering. Eirik noticed my gaze on their hands and flushed, but Cora was already racing back toward the stairs. Maybe I didn’t have to play Cupid after all.
“We need to talk,” Eirik said, drawing my attention back to him.
“Yes, we do.” We never officially ended our attempt at being boyfriend and girlfriend. It was time for me to bow out. He and Cora would be great together. “After school?”
“I’ll stop by tonight.” He threw me another grin.
I waved, turned and looked toward the end of the hallway where I’d last seen Torin and Lavania, but they were gone. In fact, the hallway was empty. I entered my classroom.
“It’s nice to have you back, Ms. Cooper,” Mrs. Bates, my math teacher said, eying me with narrowed eyes from above the rim of her glasses. “I’m sure you haven’t forgotten I can’t stand tardiness in my class.”
“I didn’t forget, Mrs. Bates,” I said.
“Good. We have two new students, so use any empty desk.”
Lavania smiled at me from my old position at the front of the class. I gave her a tiny smile. An empty desk was by Torin’s. Our eyes met. He studied me as though I was a new species he couldn’t figure out.
“Don’t keep the class waiting, Ms. Cooper. Please, take your seat.”
Exhaling, I made my way to the back of the class. Students turned and stared. The ones near my desk leaned away as though to put as much distance between them and me as humanly possible. My face red, I slid behind my desk and pulled out my textbook. I had no idea how much I had missed, but I was sure it was a lot.
“Oh, see me after class, Ms. Cooper. I have a folder with missed assignments and a breakdown of the concepts we covered while you were gone. If you need help, I’ll be available in my office this week after school. When you’re ready, I have several quizzes you missed.”
No Saturday classes? Yes! I glanced at Torin from the corner of my eye and found him still watching me. How could he not remember being in this class with me?
He pointed at his eyes with two fingers then at the teacher. Face warming up again, I stared ahead.
At the end of the class, I was collecting my things when a soft scent of lavender reached my nose, and I looked up. Lavania stood beside my desk. She was even more beautiful up close, her porcelain skin flawless, her lips lush, and her gray eyes wide like a doe’s. How could any guy resist her?
“I’m Lavania Celestina Ravilla, but you can call me Lavania,” she said, her voice soft and melodic, her smile genuine and sweet. But I wasn’t fooled. She was a Valkyrie, which meant she could move like the wind and flatten a car with a punch.
“Lorraine Cooper, but everyone calls me Raine.” I glanced at Torin to see his reaction. His expression was unreadable.
Lavania grinned. “So you are the Mortal everyone is talking about here and there.”
“There?” I asked.
“Rain with an E,” Torin murmured.
My head whipped toward him, and I, momentarily, forgot about my conversation with Lavania. “You remembered.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Remember what?”
“The day we met.”
He gave me a look that said he thought I had a few loose screws. “Of course. You ran out of your house when I pulled up and k—”
“Never mind.”
“Of course, you two already met,” Lavania said and chuckled. “And we’re neighbors.” She said it as though it explained something.
Torin’s face grew red, which was intriguing. He wasn’t the blushing type. Still, I hated that they shared a secret, even if it had something to do with my house. “Ah, excuse me. My next class is in the south wing and—”
“So is ours. We’ll walk with you.” Lavania slipped her arm through mine, effectively stopping me from leaving. Until I knew the nature of her relationship with Torin, she would stay on my hate-lis
t. “Since you’re my protégé, we should be friends,” she continued. “Stop by the house for a chat this evening. We can get to know each other.”
I wasn’t ready to be chummy yet. “Maybe some other time. I’m going to be busy catching up on homework this week.”
“But I insist.” She pouted, as though not used to being refused, and touched Torin’s arm. “Tell her how we’d love to have her over. You can help her with her homework.” She grinned. “Torin aces everything. Or he would if he paid more attention in class. He’s been distracted since we got here though. Do get her packet from the teacher, sweetheart,” she added.
I didn’t realize she had called Torin sweetheart until he took the folder with my homework from Mrs. Bates. Images of the two of them together flashed through my head, and an ache started in my chest. They were more than friends. I just knew it.
“I have to go.” I firmly removed Lavania’s arm from mine and took the math packet from Torin. “Thanks.”
“Come by later this evening, Raine,” Lavania called out.
Needing space between us, I didn’t answer her. I shouldn’t have bothered running because they were in my next class. Torin carried her books, and they even sat side by side. I told myself I would not look at them, but my eyes kept straying. Each time their eyes would be on me. I understood Torin’s fascination. He loved me. He might have forgotten me, but the feelings were there. They had to be. Please, let him remember our time together before Lavania completely turns his head. Most of the guys in class couldn’t seem to take their eyes off her.
How old was she anyway? Did Valkyries even age? Torin was turned over eight hundred years ago. He’d been nineteen at the time. Looking at him now, he still looked like any teenager. Lavania did too, although she was more confident and sophisticated than any girl around my age.