Page 27 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
“But I’m wand-wed. I have seidr,” Kari said, holding her fingers in the air, her nails skyward, as if she were performing a spell. Those beautiful fingers of hers did nothing but wiggle, and I did everything to contain my laughter, to show nothing on my face but indifference. The truth was, her power was nothing.
But I wasn’t going to make her feel bad about it.Well, maybe just a little.
“And how old are you? How powerful is this seidr of yours?”
“Twenty-seven, and I’ll have you know, my seidr is… Well, I can… It’s?—”
“Got it. You’re a mighty, powerful being,” I said. “Let’s just stick to the plan of using the gates, shall we?”
Kari crossed her arms and stared at me, telling me with her eyes that she thought I was the least hilarious person she’d ever met, but I’d have to disagree.
I’m funny as Hel.
Áma set a cup of tea down for us each, breaking the tension in the air. I swore, the Asgardian woman hadn’t had a glass of regular, refreshing water in the past two thousand years. She lived off warm herbal blends, so whenever I came to visit, I didtoo. It didn’t seem like Kari minded, and I guess I didn’t hate the flavor. But between this, the food in my belly, and the fire, I felt too warm inside, and it was making me sleepy.
I need an ice-cold glass of mead and a shock to my system.
I grabbed the tea and flicked my gaze back to Kari’s. Her blue eyes bore into me, hard and unwelcome, and that was exactly the jolt I needed. My heartbeat picked up a few more beats per minute, and I leaned forward, setting my elbows on the table.
Who needs mead when you have a fiery woman?
“You seem to have a little porridge on your face,” I said, motioning to my own cheek and reminding her of her pathetic meal from earlier, courtesy of me. The intoxicating Aegean blue of her eyes flared, and I had to hold back a satisfied smirk.
“Here?” Kari said, rubbing her cheek, her skin bouncing as she did.
“Still there.”
Kari took a cloth from the table and brushed it over her cheek, probably harder than she needed to. Her poor, beautiful freckles.
“Did I get it?” she asked, looking up at me hopefully.
“Nope…”
“Is it gone yet?” she asked with a frustrated huff, her skin now pink and splotchy.
I shook my head, and that simple gesture resulted in the woman looking as if something in her may very well snap.
She pushed out her chair, but I grabbed her wrist. “Let me.”
Kari paused, her auburn brows scrunching. Flickers of hesitation danced through her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she’d pull away from me, but then she leaned forward ever so slightly. I took that opportunity to release her wrist, and my hand migrated to her face.
I swiped my thumb over her cheek, and when my finger made contact with her skin, I forgot all about the fatigue that had been trying to claim me a moment earlier.
“Got it,” I whispered, my thumb lingering a little longer than it needed to.
Kari sat back and cleared her throat, her hand flexing in her lap. “Thank you.”
“You know, seeress,” I said, sucking the porridge off my thumb, “I can be quite courteous when given a reason to be.”
“And what reason have I given?” she said, not taking her attention from my thumb.
“None. Therein lies the problem,” I said, crossing one of my leather boots over the other. “We have a long journey ahead of us, and unless you want fights and plain porridge every day, I suggest you find it in that little mortal heart of yours to forgive me.”
“Forgive you? For stealing my life?” She raised her voice, the sweet and deadly sound reverberating off the stone walls. She may have kept me awake, kept me guessing, but she was also getting on my last damned nerve.
“I fucking saved it!” My hand came down hard on the table between us, my cool façade splitting. I was her superior, Odin’s favorite. Never in her life had she met a power equal to mine, yet the disrespect she fed me constantly was worse than plain barley, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. “And until you see that, we’re going to have a problem.”
“There was no porridge on my face, was there?” Kari scowled.
