Mirror of the Gods, page 13
Rolling his eyes at himself he stood and backed away. She needed sleep, not him waking her for selfish reasons.
Even if it would be worth her while, he mused as he snuck from the room and closed the door silently behind him.
It didn’t surprise him that he was the first one up. Even as a boy, he’d only been able to sleep until the sun rose, and then he was awake. No matter what time, no matter how little sleep he’d gotten, that was always how it was.
Before she’d died, his mother had called him her little sun. Her bright spot. She always said that he got his strength and energy from the sun, soaking it in any chance he got.
Padding softly into the kitchen, he started the coffee and leaned back against the counter, closing his eyes as the heavenly scent of the liquid ambrosia filled his senses.
Surprisingly, Lucy shuffled in not long after the coffee had finished. Ridder silently filled a mug for her, pushing it across the counter to where she stood, half awake and blinking blearily, then one for himself. She took the mug, holding it in both hands, cradling it as she looked at him.
Realizing she was hesitating, he lifted his mug to his lips and held out his free arm. Immediately she smiled sleepily, stepping into his embrace and leaning against him with a soft hum. They were silent for a few moments, enjoying the quiet and the taste of their coffee before Lucy pulled back.
“Ridder?” Her face scrunched in confusion and worry.
“Hm?”
“The dreams ... The dreams I have when I sleep. Is that because of the bracelets?”
Frowning, he captured her chin with his thumb and forefinger, his eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. “What dreams, Lucy?”
Inhaling deeply, she shifted on her feet, shuffling back and forth on the tile floor.
“Ever since I put them on, I’ve been having these dreams. But they feel like memories. They feel like, I don’t know, something trying to warn me. Something or someone is trying to get my attention the second I close my eyes. And I’m missing it, reaching out and trying to grab it, only to have it disperse like smoke.”
Completely and utterly stumped, Ridder shook his head. “It sounds like it’s something different. Not the bracelets. You’ve only seen things because of them when you’re awake, yes? When you have a strong reaction to something?”
Lucy nodded, looking away from him.
“Come with me,” he demanded, turning on his heels and making his way out of the kitchen to step out into the garden.
The grass was damp, dew drops clinging to each blade. The sun hadn’t yet risen very high, so the yard was still shrouded in the soft blue and gray hues of pre-dawn.
Lucy followed him dutifully, a frown twisting her lips. “What’re we doing out here?”
Turning to her, Ridder pushed his hair back, holding out a hand for her to take. She hesitated for only a split second before taking it, stepping closer to him.
“We’re going to meditate, and I’m going to see if I can navigate through your signature to see what’s causing these dreams.”
She frowned. “Signature? You mean, like, my aura?”
Ridder huffed out a laugh and nodded, moving her to stand directly in front of him.
“Yes, if you want to call it that. Personally, it makes me feel a bit too much like a crystal-obsessed festival girl. But to each their own.”
Lucy let out a startled laugh, beaming at him. He stole a quick kiss before leaning back, face turning serious.
“Now, give me your other hand, and close your eyes.”
Chapter Sixteen
“I said focus, Lucy.”
“I am focusing!”
“If you’re giving me an attitude, you’re not focusing.”
Lucy groaned loudly, squeezing her eyes even more tightly closed, her brow furrowed, and her button nose crinkled. Inhaling deeply, he stroked his thumbs over the back of her hands, and her face relaxed, her shoulders slumping.
“Breathe. Empty your mind, no matter how difficult it may be. Focus on your surroundings. The birds are waking up. They’re singing. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the bees buzzing around the flowers just behind you. Feel the earth warming beneath your feet with the rising sun. Feel the essence and the abundance of the life around you.”
She inhaled deeply and exhaled. Over and over, just like that, inhaling as deeply as she could, and exhaling until she had no more breath in her lungs. Listening to him, she did as he told her to, and focused. She didn’t know how long it took, repeating the process of breathing in and breathing out until she could feel what he meant.
The earth thrummed beneath her bare feet; grounding her in the spot where she stood, as if she’d grown roots and planted herself there. She followed that feeling, pushing it farther and farther until she could almost taste something electric in the air.
Power, a little voice in her mind whispered.
She could feel—could taste the raw power.
What did it belong to?
Who did it belong to?
“You. That power belongs to you, Lucy. It’s what’s been calling to you from the edges of your dreams.” Ridder’s hands held hers firmly. Another anchor, keeping her tethered to something tangible.
“Now, reach out and take it.”
It was visceral.
It was heat.
It was ice.
It was lightning in her palm.
It was everything and nothing all at the same time.
It was as if she had reached out and touched that mirror the gods had allowed her to peer into.
And the world exploded around her.
***
Ridder’s knees buckled under the weight of the power that erupted from Lucy.
Letting go of her hands, he skittered backward across the grass, trying to get out of the suffocating blanket of what she was, what poured from her like water from a broken dam.
Her eyes were closed, her face serene, but she glowed as if the sun itself was inside her.
Then the glowing ceased, but the power continued to pulse around her, through her, through the ground, and the air.
“Ridder!” Dira’s voice called out to him from the edge of the garden. Her eyes were wide as she stared between him and Lucy. “What the hell is happening?”
On shaking legs, he made his way over to his older sister, his gaze never leaving Lucy’s form.
“She’s... Shit. Honestly, I don’t know what she is. I knew she was special, but I didn’t know she had this in her!”
Dira gave a sigh, crossing her arms as she watched.
So far nothing tangible had happened, but Ridder could feel the weight of power, slowly and steadily pressing down on them like a boulder.
Kreager stepped out of the kitchen, frowning. “What’s happening?”
Jay was there a moment later, having woken from a deep sleep, being pulled and called to Lucy, like a beacon.
A lighthouse in a storm.
“What is she?” she asked, stepping onto the grass to join her siblings who all stood, shoulder to shoulder, and just watched.
“I don’t know.” Unable to stand any longer, feeling as if he’d taken a physical blow, Ridder sank to his knees, breathing deeply as he tried to steady the wild beating of his heart.
“Blessed,” Dira murmured. “She’s blessed by the gods.”
Lucy’s hands turned, palms now facing the sky above.
The grass around her crept up, slowly, as if following a silent command to just grow.
Flowers, wild, and all different vibrant colors, created a ring around Lucy, blooming and spreading like rippling water across the yard.
“She needs to control it. Rein it in—whatever it is—before something goes wrong,” Dira said.
Kreager nodded, but Ridder stopped them, a protective and possessive instinct rearing up inside him. Raising his hand, he slowly got to his feet, wobbling a bit, feeling drunk and heavy.
“I’ll do it. I don’t want to surprise her. She’s in a meditative state that I helped her into. I don’t want anything to shock her into losing control.”
Both his older siblings nodded.
Making his way forward, Ridder grunted with the effort of each step. It was like wading through mud, an unforeseen force slowing his approach.
The bracelets on her arms glowed, covered in runes he didn’t recognize. There’d only been two symbols before. Now, they were covered in deep etchings that glowed a brilliant white instead of the earlier pale blue.
It was like Lucy had unlocked a secret the bracelets held, that they’d had no clue even existed.
“Lucy, querida, I need you to come back. Reel in the power you feel, pull it inside yourself, tuck it close in your chest, and keep it there.”
She frowned, but immediately he could feel the thickness in the air begin to dissipate.
“That’s it. Come back to me.”
Slowly, the power that had thrummed, buzzing in his ears, in his bones, and his blood, dimmed. It took a few moments, slowly easing up.
Then, nothing at all.
***
Blinking open her gray eyes, Lucy stared at him in surprise.
“What was that?” she asked, then looked down.
A startled gasp escaped her at the blanket of wildflowers at her feet, and the markings now completely covering the bracelets. Their light had died, but this time the symbols and runes had stayed.
“That was what was inside of you, Lucy. A power that, if I’m not mistaken, has always lain dormant. I think when you put them on, they drew out whatever it is that’s inside you, and have been trying to let it out since.”
She swallowed thickly then looked down at the cuffs on her arms.
“I... After I put them on, it felt like I was on the wrong side of stable,” she murmured. “Slowly unraveling. Now I feel steady. Calmer. In control.”
Kreager, Dira, and Jay made their way over slowly, each still reeling from the power they’d felt, the call of sorts that had woken them from deep slumber and pulled them to the yard.
Lucy looked up, an embarrassed flush crawling across the tops of her cheeks.
“Uh, morning?”
Dira raised a brow, but the corners of her lips quirked up in amusement, and she crossed her arms across her chest.
“You know this means you’re going to have to work on this, add this into your training,” she said. “Until we can find any answers as to what the bracelets really do, you’re going to have to train with Ridder. He’s the one who deals mostly with things that aren’t a hundred percent in the realm of normality.”
Nodding, Lucy shuffled her feet, toeing a rather happy-looking little poppy, its vibrant red face stretching toward the sky. “I can do that.”
“Good. Now, let’s go inside and you can explain to me just exactly what you were trying to accomplish here.” Dira commanded. Kreager patted Lucy’s head, Jay gave her a small grin, and Ridder reached out, smoothing a hand over the back of her hair as they walked side by side toward the house. Happiness bloomed in her chest as she turned to glance at him. Such a simple gesture, yet it spoke volumes.
“Life with you is going to be interesting isn’t it?” he asked her softly as he steered her into the kitchen.
Lucy grimaced, then nodded, with a resigned shrug. “Seems like it.”
Ridder gave a low chuckle that had her skin flushing with warmth.
All in all, it wasn’t the worst way to start off her morning.
***
They trained hard over the next few days.
Lucy ate, slept, drank, and breathed training. If it wasn’t working on controlling whatever it was inside her, channeling it somewhere, it was self-defense, hand-to-hand combat, cardio—which she really was not a fan of—and her personal favorite, how to use a knife effectively.
“You’re surprisingly good at that,” Jay said, grinning with excitement. Of all the weapons the Vanir used, she seemed to like knives the most.
“Am I?” Lucy said. She gripped the hilt of the knife, feeling the weight of it, the solidness of it in her hands. There was something primal about it. She looked the huntress in the eyes, and understood with an inane sort of comradery that it was the same for her.
They’d started her out with a typical knife, not too long, not too short, easily concealable. She’d gotten the hang of moving fluidly with it in her hands, gotten comfortable with it that first night. To move and simply exist as if the knife was just an extension of her, part of her.
Then Jay decided to up the ante a bit and give her a pair of karambits.
The short knives had intimidated Lucy until Jay showed her how to use them most effectively. They were deadly, wickedly curved almost like a talon. When Lucy had grown comfortable enough to twirl them around her thumbs before fighting with them a few days later, Jay had beamed and told her they were hers now.
Lucy always wiped them off before sliding them into the holster that strapped to her lower back, determined to keep them clean and in perfect condition. Not only were they meant to help her, possibly save her in a bad situation, but they were a gift, one that meant so much to her. One that made her feel just a bit more capable.
On the third day of training, Dira beckoned her inside to choose a dress for the patrons’ dinner the next night.
Lucy had never seen so much luxury in her entire life. She was thankful that Jay was able to take over for her, leaving her standing stunned in one of the guest rooms, surrounded by thousands of dollars’ worth of fabric.
That alone scared her more than any of her training, or the looming shadow that was the Order, and the uncertainty of when they’d next come for her.
Clint had apologized for his outburst the other night and his behavior toward her in general, under the watchful eyes of both Kreager and Ridder, of course. With tentative peace restored, Lucy felt herself begin to grow confident in her abilities, as well as finding her place among such extraordinary people.
She was beginning to see herself as pretty extraordinary as well.
Chapter Seventeen
The night of the patrons’ dinner was finally upon them, their task looming over each member of their motley crew like a storm cloud on the horizon. Lucy was terrified she’d lose control, while Clint didn’t know how to act should he come across his mentor and friend, who Dira was convinced worked for the Order.
Jeger was the only one who seemed excited, and that was only because of the free champagne and open bar.
Kreager was more resigned than Lucy had seen him, but he told her not to worry, that he was just focused. But she knew—could see—something was gnawing at him.
Ridder wasn’t on edge, so to speak, but he wasn’t relaxed in the least bit. They were putting Lucy in danger, he’d said. Exposing her so openly while she tried to tame her fledgling powers and wore bracelets whose secrets they hadn’t yet even scratched the surface of discovering.
Dira just wanted the entire night to be ever and done with. Jeger helped her and Lucy get ready, and when the sun finally set, they’d piled into the large SUV, tensions high.
Against Dira’s judgment, Jay had chosen a dress for Lucy that complemented the bracelets rather than cover them.
The silver silk draped over Lucy like a waterfall, rippling and bunching in all the right places, thin straps sliding up and over her shoulders before crossing, leaving her whole back bare.
She felt beautiful and elegant.
The only true downside to it all was the shoes. They were gorgeous nude platforms with little straps around her ankles and bright red soles. But they were uncomfortable, and they made her unsteady on her feet. As Ridder helped Lucy from the SUV, her small hand planted firmly in his, she tried her best to keep her ankles from buckling.
“You look stunning,” he murmured to her.
She glanced up at him in surprise. “You like it?” she asked, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
He took her hand, still firmly held in his own, and brushed his lips across her knuckles.
“I do, though I wish Jay had left your hair down.” Playing with her hair seemed to be one of his favorite things to do now. Like a cat with a ball of yarn, toying with the strands absently.
Lucy brushed her free hand carefully over the loose updo his sister had created by twisting and pinning strands of curls in a haphazard sort of bun that looked as easy and nonchalant as it did elegant.
“Me too, actually,” she told him, earning a smile.
Lucy was more than a little pleased as his hand released hers and slid across the exposed small of her back, reassuring, warm, safe. He looked breathtakingly handsome in his all-black suit, silver glinting at his cuffs and in the form of a tie bar. It took her a moment to realize he’d matched her in a simple and undetectable way. She smiled softly, warmth pooling in her stomach.
Maybe Jeger should look into a career as a stylist, on top of making sure humanity didn’t lose complete control of itself. Lucy cast an eye over the rest of the group.
Dira wore a shimmering gold dress that covered her arms, dipping in a modest V in the front. Kreager was in a charcoal-gray suit with a black tie, his long hair in a sleek braid. He looked powerful and imposing, but not unapproachable. Clint wore a navy blue suit with a maroon tie and pocket square.
He looked vaguely uncomfortable, and Lucy found a small hint of satisfaction in that. At least it wasn’t just her.
Last, Jeger herself was wearing a sleek black velvet suit with trim-cut pants. She wore no shirt beneath her suit coat, and her braids flowed loose past her waist, the gold clasps in her hair matching the solid gold choker, with a roaring lion on its front, around her neck.
“Alright. We’ve gone over the plan enough that I don’t think I need to explain it again, but I will say this one more time.” Dira waited until everyone was watching her intently.
Her gaze flickered to Lucy. “If you run into anyone suspicious, find one of us immediately. While you and Clint mingle, the four of us will split up to find Dr. Kraus.”
Lucy nodded, shifting on her feet. They were already aching. Joy.
“The sooner we make contact, the sooner we can go home,” Dira said, looking utterly bored and very unhappy to be in a dress.
