RUNES (A Runes Book 1)

Chapter 7

7.  MAKING CONNECTION

“Do you need to see a counselor, Cooper?” Mr. Allred, my physics teacher, asked. He was the second teacher to ask me that very question since the assembly, and it was becoming annoying. My problems couldn’t be solved by talking to a school counselor.

“No, I’m fine.” Or I was going to be once I knew how and why my new neighbor had runed me. Marked me. Turned me. It didn’t matter how I said it. I was a freak. The only thing stopping me from a total meltdown was what he had said. “I won’t let you become like me.”

He’d better keep his word.

Cora didn’t mention the leather jacket or my tank top after school. Grief-stricken, she barely talked to me before taking off with Keith. Eirik was more observant. Even though I removed the jacket before entering his car, his eyes narrowed on it. He didn’t say anything until we pulled up outside my house.

“Is that Torin’s?”

I nodded, feeling guilty even though I had no reason to be. “I had a nose bleed and bloodied my shirt when I went outside during the assembly.” I pulled out the shirt and showed him. He made a face. “I know, disgusting. Torin loaned me his jacket to cover up my tank top. You know school rules. No tank tops.”

“That explains why you disappeared. I checked the hall, but didn’t see you.”

Weird. He should have been able to see me through the window. The others, according to Ingrid, were invisible to everyone but me. Yeah, lucky me. “Are you coming in?”

“No.” He glanced at his watch. “I have my physical in thirty minutes.”

“For the swim team?”

“Yep. Want to come and hold my hand?” he teased.

I grinned, forgetting my problems. “You poor baby. Sorry, I can’t. Mom hasn’t made my appointment yet, and you know how it is. If she’s not there, the nurses won’t let me past the waiting room.” I stepped down from the Jeep and closed the door.

He rolled down the window. “Listen, Raine. Be careful around Torin.”

I frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“I know my parents know his family, but I get weird vibes from him. Just be careful.”

Vibes didn’t begin to cover it. “Okay.”

I watched him drive away, then removed my cell phone. I called Mom and reminded her about my physical. After she promised to make an appointment with the doctor, I grabbed a bag of spicy Doritos, soda, a notebook, and a pen, and headed back outside.

Homework would just have to wait. I needed answers, and since I couldn’t summon the runes to appear on my skin without hurting myself first, that left the ones on the car.

I sat on the curb and copied the garish writings. The roar of Torin’s Harley filled the air after a while, and my heart leaped. I pretended not to hear it and didn’t glance over when it stopped. I continued to focus on the runes. There appeared to be six of them in a repeated pattern of threes, but the middle one was the same in all of them.

“What are you doing, Freckles?”

My stomach did that annoying flip-flopping thing. I wanted to ignore him. I really did, but I just couldn’t. He slid next to me and peered at my book, bringing with him his warmth. It wrapped around me so deliciously I wanted to purr.

Don’t let him get to you. He was the rude and cocky Immortal with superhuman abilities who’d runed me. He smelled good, too. Okay, so there was something about him that called to me. I could either whine about it or just ignore it. I needed his help.