some of his face into shadow. But I could feel him looking at me. “Sorry for pulling you out of the bathroom so fast but I didn’t want my brother to figure out I was in there—I wanted to talk to you alone. They’re all nosy. So, do you feel better?”
I started to nod, but the lump on my head reminded me to stop. “Yeah,” I whispered back. “It was nice of your aunt to take care of me.”
“Did Hallur tell you she stayed? She’ll probably want to poke and prod you again in the morning.” He shook his hair back, revealing a grin. “Once, I fell out of a tree and broke my arm. She hung around for days. Then another time I fell out of the tree house—” He cleared his throat. “I liked trees when I was a kid.”
“I did, too! Until this one time when my ru —” I broke off. Crap . I’d ruined the mood.
His smile disappeared. “You were about to talk about that weird thing you did in the bathroom, weren’t you?” He looked away from me, sighed. “I was really pissed earlier, but I decided to talk to you first. What happened?”
I didn’t answer right away because I didn’t know how to. Lying completely would only trip me up in the long run, and besides, I couldn’t bring myself to outright lie to him more than I already had.
“Remember I said I have Norse ancestors?” My mind whizzed over how much to share. He deserved at least some of the truth. “It’s like what you do with your hands...wait, do you know what you’re doing?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
My cheeks warmed. “Yeah, of course you do. Most people don’t really know that magic exists—not unless they have it or know someone who does. You obviously do. So do your brothers and it’s obvious your aunt does. But what do you know about magic?”
“A lot, actually. But I want to hear what that was from you. And don’t give me some story—I’ll know.”
I crossed my arms. “So, what, you think I’m going to lie to you now?” Okay, in a way, I was. But not outright. It was an omission thing and that was a gray area still. I hoped.
He sighed and leaned against the wall next to the window. Moonlight streaked his hair, making it look silvery in the light. “I don’t know what to believe at this point. But your arrival here is kind of strange. Especially with all we have in common with our ancestors. My father was Choctaw and Irish. You look like you have something similar.”
“Arapaho.”
“Most people would be shocked to know about the Vikings who settled so much farther south than everyone thought.”
“My family is from the north. In Minnesota.”
“Really.” He was silent a few moments, frowning the whole time. “Minnesota would explain a few things,” he murmured more to himself. “So tell me about that thing. You really stopped time. How?”
Turning so my face was out of the light, I looked at the shadows on the floor. “My sisters and I have trance magic—seidr magic. We make predictions or in my case reveal useless crap that happened in the past. I say useless because it’s always too late to change anything.”
“I don’t know. Could be useful when you need answers. You and your sisters are like the sisters of fate.”
I nodded. “I know, it’s weird.”
His chuckle eased the tension. “Not so much.”
I thought of the wolves, of his aunt and her mix of medicine and magic...of the strange comfort that seeped through his touch. “I guess not.”
“So what do you think that meant earlier? ‘In violence conceived’?” he asked.
“I have no idea and I’m not sure I want to.”
He was silent a moment, then leaned closer. “Do you think it’s about you?”
“If it is, then it’s about me and my sisters. We’re triplets.”
His teeth sparkled white in the moonlight as he grinned. “You mean there are two more just like you running around out there?”
“Yeah. The only real difference is our hair.” I shrugged. “And our personalities. Coral, the middle sister, is pretty
I started to nod, but the lump on my head reminded me to stop. “Yeah,” I whispered back. “It was nice of your aunt to take care of me.”
“Did Hallur tell you she stayed? She’ll probably want to poke and prod you again in the morning.” He shook his hair back, revealing a grin. “Once, I fell out of a tree and broke my arm. She hung around for days. Then another time I fell out of the tree house—” He cleared his throat. “I liked trees when I was a kid.”
“I did, too! Until this one time when my ru —” I broke off. Crap . I’d ruined the mood.
His smile disappeared. “You were about to talk about that weird thing you did in the bathroom, weren’t you?” He looked away from me, sighed. “I was really pissed earlier, but I decided to talk to you first. What happened?”
I didn’t answer right away because I didn’t know how to. Lying completely would only trip me up in the long run, and besides, I couldn’t bring myself to outright lie to him more than I already had.
“Remember I said I have Norse ancestors?” My mind whizzed over how much to share. He deserved at least some of the truth. “It’s like what you do with your hands...wait, do you know what you’re doing?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
My cheeks warmed. “Yeah, of course you do. Most people don’t really know that magic exists—not unless they have it or know someone who does. You obviously do. So do your brothers and it’s obvious your aunt does. But what do you know about magic?”
“A lot, actually. But I want to hear what that was from you. And don’t give me some story—I’ll know.”
I crossed my arms. “So, what, you think I’m going to lie to you now?” Okay, in a way, I was. But not outright. It was an omission thing and that was a gray area still. I hoped.
He sighed and leaned against the wall next to the window. Moonlight streaked his hair, making it look silvery in the light. “I don’t know what to believe at this point. But your arrival here is kind of strange. Especially with all we have in common with our ancestors. My father was Choctaw and Irish. You look like you have something similar.”
“Arapaho.”
“Most people would be shocked to know about the Vikings who settled so much farther south than everyone thought.”
“My family is from the north. In Minnesota.”
“Really.” He was silent a few moments, frowning the whole time. “Minnesota would explain a few things,” he murmured more to himself. “So tell me about that thing. You really stopped time. How?”
Turning so my face was out of the light, I looked at the shadows on the floor. “My sisters and I have trance magic—seidr magic. We make predictions or in my case reveal useless crap that happened in the past. I say useless because it’s always too late to change anything.”
“I don’t know. Could be useful when you need answers. You and your sisters are like the sisters of fate.”
I nodded. “I know, it’s weird.”
His chuckle eased the tension. “Not so much.”
I thought of the wolves, of his aunt and her mix of medicine and magic...of the strange comfort that seeped through his touch. “I guess not.”
“So what do you think that meant earlier? ‘In violence conceived’?” he asked.
“I have no idea and I’m not sure I want to.”
He was silent a moment, then leaned closer. “Do you think it’s about you?”
“If it is, then it’s about me and my sisters. We’re triplets.”
His teeth sparkled white in the moonlight as he grinned. “You mean there are two more just like you running around out there?”
“Yeah. The only real difference is our hair.” I shrugged. “And our personalities. Coral, the middle sister, is pretty
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