"Or talk about chopping people's heads off during dinner," Cora added.

Echo rolled his eyes. "Okay. What should we discuss? Supernatural?"

"Now that's a series worth discussing," Cora said.

Torin and Echo groaned. Cora and I just laughed.

"Stop hating," Cora said. "I would not have known how to disperse souls with iron if it weren't for the Winchester Boys."

"So that's where you got that crazy idea," Echo murmured.

"Brilliant idea," Cora whispered and kissed him.

"Have you guys set a date yet?" I asked.

Cora exchanged a look with Echo. "Don't say it," she warned.

The smile he gave her was downright sinful. "I asked her to elope with me when she turned eighteen, but she wants to go to college first." He shuddered. "I hate college as much as I hate high school."

"Nobody asked you go," Cora said. "Just plan on being there between my classes and in the evenings or I'll hook up with my RA."

Echo scowled. "What in Hel's Mist is RA?"

"Older college guys who prey on freshmen," Torin said and smirked.

Echo didn't look too happy. He glared at Torin. "Why are you so happy? Raine is going to college too, isn't she?"

The smile disappeared from Torin's face. I held my breath and waited for him to say something. Anything. We hadn't discussed college and now wasn't the time.

Echo chuckled. "Let me guess. You two are going to the same college."

"None of your business," Torin said. "I plan to be her RA and TA. Then we'll start working on the basketball team."

"Basketball team?" Cora asked.

Torin gave me a slow grin. I knew that smile too well. He was about to say something naughty. "The number of children I want," he said.

I choked on my drink. Where the heck did that come from? He had the nerve to pat my back and whisper, "You okay, luv?"

I wanted to neuter him. We hadn't even talked about college, let alone marriage and kids. I assumed he planned to propose and wait for my response before I started popping out those babies. Babies. With Torin. The thought was mind boggling.

"Don't worry, we'll have a couple of centuries to practice and fulfill all my other fantasies before we start," he added.

My face, I was sure, was as red as the jewelry I'd borrowed from Mom's box. I couldn't come up with a response, so I stared at the flickering candle light and plotted his slow demise. Would he haunt me if I decapitated him? Probably.

He reached for my hand and interlocked our fingers. He tugged, forcing me to look at him. Glared was more like it. He was always pushing my buttons. Deliberately keeping me off balance.

"I hate you," I mouthed.

"You adore me," he whispered back. He brought my hand to his lips. My heart trembled, heat racing under my skin from where his lips touched. He didn't play fair.

My "Not this moment, pal," sounded forced.

"But I made this," he waved his hand to indicate the restaurant, "happen."

He could be such a baby. "It was nice."

He rolled his eyes and glanced at Cora. "Was dinner nice or awesome, Cora?"

"Awesome."

Torin slid me a grin. "Dinner was awesome, ergo, your man delivered."

"I chose the restaurant and rented the limo," Echo said.

Pissing contest before dessert. Great! I hated to be around when the bill arrived. Cora showered Echo with praises then silence followed as the servers cleared the table. One came with the dessert cart. She rattled off the treats and lingered, her eyes volleying between Echo and Torin. Cora and I might as well be invisible.

Andris chose that moment to swagger into the room. The hostess tried to detain him, but he waved toward us, "I'm with them, sweetheart."

Torin was already on his feet by the time Andris reached us. "What is it?"

"We're back," Andris said.

"Are you kidding?"

"Would I?" Andris glanced at me. "Thank you."

I tried to understand their conversation and failed miserably. "Back from where? Why are you thanking me?"

"Someone caused the Norns to remove the death block and only one person can do that. You. We need go."

Torin glanced at me.

I shrugged. "I didn't do anything." Or had I? I could tell he wanted to leave. "Go. I'll be fine"

"No. Let's finish here."

Andris rolled his eyes. "Seriously? The Seeresses will not wait and most of them are not in our sector. We need to go and question them before they die." The hovering servers gasped. He smirked at them.

"She's coming with us." Torin reached for my hand.

I practically leaped from the chair. He chuckled and shot Echo a glance. "The bill is taken care of so we're good."

"You paid my half?" Echo asked, sounding insulted.

"Tip them, Echo. It's no big deal. Oh, and rune everyone. We were never here." He headed for the restrooms and mirrors.

One of the servers was leaving the restroom and gave us a strange look. I could just imagine his thoughts. A girl entering the men's room with a guy. Two guys since Andris led the way. My face warmed.

Torin gave the man a folded note and touched his lips. "We don't want to be interrupted."

He was horrible. I couldn't think up something snarky. Then I saw the way the guy checked them out. He shot me an envious look and a wink. I laughed.

"What?" Torin asked.

"Thanks for turning me into a freak."

He kissed me. "As long as you are my freak."

I groaned. "That's twisted."

"I know. Listen, this is your first time to go reaping with us, so watch and learn. Engage your invisibility runes and follow Andris. I'll take the rear. We'll start with the furthest Seeress. Brisbane."

The portal opened into a bathroom several floors up. It was eerily quiet and that weird sterile scent hospitals had drifted in the air. Kind of reminded me of the week I'd spent in the hospital after my surgery.

"Raine?"

I closed my eyes and felt the magic. It was faint, but we were on the right floor. I pointed. "That way."

We walked past the nurses' station. They didn't even look up, but a chill spread across my skin. "Are there souls here?" I asked.

"A few," Torin said. "You still can't see them?"

I shook my head, hating that I still couldn't. How the heck was I going to reap what I couldn't see? Damn the Norns. Seeress or not, I was going to be a Valkyrie.

Andris stopped outside a door and pulled out his artavus. I shivered. A telltale chill crawled its way up my spine. This time, it was stronger and familiar. I caught Andris' hand before he could create a portal.

"She's not alone," I whispered.

Torin scowled. "How do you know?"

Andris already created a portal through the door and peered inside. He stepped back. "There are three nurses with her."

Torin pulled me away from the door. "How did you know she wasn't alone, Raine?"

"Those are Norns with her."

He grimaced. "That's our sign to scat. Let's go to the next one and come back once they heal her."

"No. I don't think they're here to heal her."

Torin and Andris gawked. I saw the question in their eyes.

I shrugged. "I can't explain it. They're too happy. I want to talk to them."

"No, Raine. The last people-"

"I must, Torin. My own Norns deserted me after I refused to listen to them. The ones in there are not in charge of my destiny. We need answers."

"Raine-"

"I need to do this, Torin."

"Then we're going in with you," he said. He crossed his arms and tried to intimidate me into submission. Was he serious? I wasn't the girl he'd met last year.

I lifted my chin and glared right back at him. "No, you're not," I snapped.

"You piss off Norns every time you open your mouth," he said.

Meanie. "And you piss them off by just being in the same room."

He smirked. "It's a gift."

"It's not funny. You remind them you are the reason I'll never be one of them." The smile disappeared. Blue flames leaped in the depth of his eyes. Oh, so that was the problem. "I'm going to talk to them, Torin. Not join them. Eavesdrop on our conversation if you want, but I'm going in."

"I don't like it," he said.

"Just go," Andris snapped. "I swear you two are like a toothache."

I moved closer to Torin, propped myself against his arm, and leaned in to kiss his chin. "Well, I happen to love this particular toothache."

He growled, cupped my face again, and kissed me. He pressed his forehead against mine. "You drive me crazy."

I grinned, turned, and walked to the door. Andris and Torin stared at me with worried expressions. I gave them thumbs up and pushed open the door.

Three nurses looked up. One ginger-haired with freckles, another exotic Hawaiian and the third had pitch-black hair and porcelain skin. Nice disguises, but they were Norns all right. Just not my Norns.

"What are you doing here, Lorraine Cooper?" the ginger-haired one asked.

How did she know my name? "Checking on the Seeress. How is she doing?" I stayed by the door and peered at the woman on the bed. She was so still.

"She will be okay," Ginger said again. She must be the spokesperson of the trio. "Should you be here considering what's going on?"

Of course they knew what was happening to me. Probably chuckled over it during dinner at the Norns' Hall. "Who's after me?"

"You know we can't tell you that," Ginger said again.

"Maybe I should let them take me."

They stared at me in shock and I knew they didn't want this to happen.

I grinned. "Why don't you stop them?"

"You chose to follow a path we hadn't set for you, Lorraine. Dealing with him is the consequence of that choice. If you let him win, you'll lose everything." Ginger glanced at the other two. Silent communication followed, but I didn't bother to listen to it. "Leave now, Lorraine. We've said more than enough. All the Seeresses will be fine. We made sure of that."

I frowned as things clicked into place. "You knew this man was going to come after me and you stopped Valkyries from reaping to save them."