18. Emmy
“Iknew?—”
Inferno is no longer standing in front of me, but rather, he’s near the wall with his back to me.
“Uh, what happened?” I ask.
He spins around and groans. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“What do you mean? I was talking to you, and then you were in a different spot.”
“Fucking Odin,” he mutters.
“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned Odin. Who the hell is Odin?”
Inferno stares at me for a long moment like he’s debating what all he should tell me. It’s a little too late now for second thoughts so his hesitation only frustrates me.
He closes the distance between us and guides me to the couch. Pushing me down, he sits next to me.
“Have you ever heard of Valhalla?” he asks.
“You mean like the mythological warrior heaven?”
“Yeah. Only, it’s not so mythological.”
I rear back as if he struck me. “What do you mean, it’s not mythological? Of course it is. There’s no such thing as life after death.”
“Yeah, Emmy, there is. Like I told you before Odin interru—” He presses his lips together at my look of confusion. “Odin is my god. He rules Valhalla.”
“Riiiight.”
“He stopped time to give me shit about telling you the truth. That’s why I magically jumped from one spot to the other.”
My mind races with all the information assaulting it. As much as I want to argue with him, to shout at him how impossible it all is, I don’t.
Why?
“Anyway, it was me who saved you from that fire. And you’re right, I died that day. I’m the same…”
I tune him out as the sense of déjà vu washes over me. I know he just told me all of this, but if he’s telling the truth, time stopped. How much time is the question because the déjà vu is there, but I’m also struggling to recall the details of everything he said.
Or maybe he didn’t give me too many details.
Who the fuck knows?
“Emmy, are you listening to me?”
Inferno is waving his hand in front of my face to get my attention.
“Uh, yeah.” I rub my temples to ward off the headache I know will be coming. “But none of this makes sense.”
“I know. And I don’t know a better way to explain it other than to tell you to trust me.” He grabs my hands in his, and warmth spreads through me at his touch. “I was meant to save you then, and I’m meant to save you now.”
“Save me from what?”
He frowns. “Your stalker.”
Shit. I forgot about that for a hot minute.
A scary thought niggles at my brain, and I yank my hands out of his and jump to my feet.
“What’s wrong?” he demands.
“You could be my stalker,” I accuse. “You showed up at the same time, and now you’re telling me this unbelievable story. Maybe you’re the crazy person I need saving from.”
Inferno calmly stands, but he doesn’t move closer. “Emmy, I know how this all must look,” he capitulates. “But I swear, I’m no threat to you.”
I want to believe him, I really do. And if I’m being honest with myself, I sort of do. As impossible as it all is, and as nuts as it makes me, I believe every word he’s telling me.
But I’m not an idiot.
“Prove it,” I say. “Prove to me that I can trust you, that what you’re telling me is true.”
His face falls. “How?”
That is the million-dollar question.
“I don’t know,” I reply honestly. “But if it’s all true, then I have to believe there’s a bigger picture than what’s right in front of us. And if that’s the case, you’ll find a way to give me the proof I need.”
He looks so lost and forlorn at my statement that I almost take it back. Then his eyes light up and he dashes outside.
While I wait for him to return—he is returning, right?—I can’t help but think about how much of a field day Dr. Bolten would have with me if I told her all of this.
Less than a minute passes before Inferno strides through the door, kicking it closed behind him. He’s carrying the rose and extinguisher that was left next to his Harley at the skating rink, and he thrusts them at me.
“Here’s proof.”
I refuse to take the items from him. “Proof of what?”
“That I’m not your stalker,” he explains. “This was left by my bike while I was with you. There’s no way I could’ve put it there.”
I think back over the evening and realize he’s right. He never left my side, not even to use the bathroom.
But still…
Sensing I’m not convinced, he pulls an envelope from his pocket. “And there’s this,” he says, handing it to me.
“What’s that?” I ask, again, not taking what he’s offering.
“It was inside the box. I haven’t read it, but something tells me that your stalker and I don’t talk alike at all. Read whatever’s in there, and you’ll see.”
“I can’t,” I whisper, fear and unease tinging my words, and Inferno’s entire demeanor changes.
“Emmy, look at me,” he commands. When I don’t, he lifts my chin with his knuckles, forcing my eyes to his. “It’s just words and things. I promise you, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Yeah, love, I can.”
“How can you be so sure?”
And why am I so willing to forget about everything he’s told me and trust him?
“Because I was sent to you. A god sent me to protect you. That doesn’t happen for no reason.”
“And what’s the reason?”
One corner of his mouth lifts. “The word soulmates may have been mentioned.”
“Soulmates?”
He shrugs. “Whatever we are to each other, you can trust me.”
Inferno leans forward and presses his lips to mine. The kiss is feather-light, but it packs a powerful punch.
All of my misgivings and worries fade away into oblivion. I have no doubt they’ll come back out to play later, but right now, I don’t care.
Inferno makes me feel. He makes me forget. He makes me… crave.