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ChapterThirty-Two
ALEK
Iclimbed up the stairs to the second floor of the stacks in the Satori library, my mind wandering as I moved without hurry. I still had a few minutes before I needed to settle in. It was quiet up here, the bulk of the students choosing to remain downstairs closer to the well-lit study area and the more popular reference materials.
As for me, I enjoyed the hushed calm that only solitude and books could provide. The tightly packed shelves dampened the sound of the whispered conversations below while cocooning me in the warm scent of hundred-year-old leather and the sharp bite of ink.
My route was familiar, having come up here at least once a week since the semester began, and I was able to wind through the labyrinth of stacks without getting lost on my way to a small reading nook set just beneath a mosaic of the Satori sphinx. It was both familiar and ancient and reminded me of home, which is why I’d chosen it for these weekly meetings.
Glancing up at the enormous clock suspended in the air, magic keeping it visible to all from nearly any vantage point, I noted I had one minute left. Just enough time to make sure I was ready for her.
I pulled the pocket mirror from my, well... my pocket and smiled, thinking of the day my aunt Quinn gave it to me. My mother had laughed at the sight of the familiar trinket and then spelled it. She insisted I bring it with me before allowing my uncle Finley to open the portal that sent me to Ravenscroft.
Just as the clock announced the top of the hour, the small mirror in my hand began to glow with vibrant blue light, and tingles shot up my arm as it vibrated. I flicked the lid open, my mother’s smiling face greeting me as I held the mirror up.
“Right on time,” I said with a grin.
“You look pale. Are you eating?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Yes, mother. I’m eating. You look beautiful as always.”
“Your father would be so proud. His lines rubbed off on you. But I can see right through your charm, young man. What’s wrong?”
A cool trickle of unease ran down my spine. My mom was surrounded by too many seers for me to ignore her warnings, especially if she was sensing something I could not. “What do you mean? Why would anything be wrong?”
“Your eyes are haunted by something.”
“Is that all? Maybe I just need more sleep. And how’s Astrid?”
“Don’t try and change the subject by asking about your little sister. She’s fine, running your father ragged, as usual. Now back to you. Have you been partying too much?”
“That’s like asking if Vikings drink mead.”
She sighed and propped her chin on her free hand. “Maybe I was wrong to listen to Cora. Maybe Tor should’ve taken this spot at Ravenscroft instead of you. I don’t like seeing this look in your eyes.”
The mention of my twin taking my place had my hackles rising. Technically I’d stolen his, but that was neither here nor there. “Just because Tor hasn’t figured out how to remove the stick he shoved up his own arse doesn’t mean he’s the better candidate for this mission. I simply know how to enjoy myself while working hard at the same time.”
“I’m going to ignore your tone and pretend you didn’t just talk to me that way because if your father hears about it, he’ll have Fin send him there right now so he can haul you back by your ear to apologize.”
She wasn’t wrong. My father was an ‘act first, ask questions later’ kind of guy. His temper was notoriously short, as was the case for most berserkers. And being raised by one was no picnic. I was exhausted just thinking about the never-ending training sessions he’d subjected us to.
A warm glow built in my chest, calling my attention from where my mother’s face gazed at me through the mirror and to the shelves in the periphery.
Sunday.
My heart fluttered, erratic and wild, as her focus landed on mine, and she smiled sweetly, lifting one hand and giving me a slight wave.
“What are you doing hiding over here?” she asked, stepping into the prism of light cast by the window above. Her eyes flicked to the mirror in my palm, and her lips twitched with laughter. “Doing your makeup?”
I sat up straighter, tempted to close the mirror and end the call with my mother, but knowing if I did that, she’d make good on her promise to send my father after me. “No. Just a bit of magic. I come up here every week to check in back home.”
Her eyes widened, and she moved closer. “Are you talking to someone right now?” she asked, tipping her face down so that her lilac and honey scent washed over me. I could not get an erection right now with my mother staring at the two of us.
“My mother.”
She turned her face, bringing our mouths mere inches apart.Odin’s beard, she was trying to kill me.
“That is just the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever heard. Who knew big bad Novasgardians were mama’s boys?” Then she turned back to the mirror and gave my mother a cheerful wave. “Hi, I’m Sunday. And there’s no way you’re old enough to be anyone’s mom.”
