Page 70 of The Heir
“Celeste…”
I craned my head and looked through the open door between the bedroom and the living room where the entrance door was located.
“Celeste, it’s me, Doreen.”
With a nudge at her shoulder, I woke up Celeste, who sat up disoriented. “What’s going on?”
“Doreen is at the door.” As I said the words, I was already out of bed and running barefoot to open it.
Outside stood Doreen with a colorful blanket in orange and green wrapped around her shoulders. “May I come in?”
“Sure.” I stepped aside. “Is everything all right?”
Celeste appeared from the bedroom just as Doreen explained, “I’m not sick or anything, but I was wondering if I could sleep on your couch tonight.”
“Of course, but why? Is your bed broken or did something happen to upset you?”
With sleep marks on the side of her face, Doreen headed for the sofa and sat down. “It’s Thor. He’s tossing and turning and keeping me awake. I offered to do a sleep meditation with him, but he said that he already meditated twice and it’s not helping.”
“Oh, I know what’s going on.” Celeste went to get some water.
I stared at her with my heart in my throat. “You do?”
“Yes, it’s the same old story with the Nmen. They are controlling, and now that Freya is staying here, he worries about her.” Celeste chugged down four balls of water. “I told Freya that it’s time she breaks free of the tight ropes they have her wrapped in. That woman deserves to be free to make her own decisions.”
“I know. I almost stood up to give her a standing ovation at that meeting when she told Thor that she was staying.” Doreen’s black hair was pointing in different directions as she picked up a pillow. “Do you mind if I use this? I brought a blanket.”
“Be my guest. Hey, Linea, where are you going?”
I turned by the door. “I’ll see if I can help Thor calm down. It sounds like he’s having a difficult time with Freya staying.”
“Ah, oui.” With a yawn Celeste pushed a hand through her short blond hair. “I’m going back to bed. Good night.”
“Good night,” I said and slipped out of the door. The floor was cold when I tiptoed down the hallway to the apartment Thor and Doreen shared. With a light tap, I knocked on the door.
It didn’t take long before Thor opened it. The haunted expression in his eyes and the way he reached out and pulled me into his arms took my breath away.
Wearing shorts and a t-shirt, he squeezed me tight with his arms around my neck and my left cheek pressed against his collarbone.
I heard the door close behind me, but he didn’t let go.
“Thor,” I muttered and tapped at his arms for him to release his hold on me.
“I’m losing my mind,” he said as he let me go. “I can’t stop thinking.”
“Are you concerned about Freya staying here?”
He scratched his stubble. “Yeah, of course, but she made up her mind and I have to respect that. What’s keeping me up is you.”
I moved further into the apartment, my gaze falling to the sofa where we had kissed a few days ago. “Do you want me to help you relax?”
Thor embraced me from behind, placing his chin on my shoulder. “How would you do that?”
“I can manipulate your energy to calm down. My mother used to do it on my father when he had nightmares.”
“That thing you said today…” Thor’s stubble scratched my cheek. “About the energy of France affecting us. Were you serious?”
“Yes. The French are highly sexual people. Whether we want to or not, we pick up on their energy. I even discussed it with the Motlanders, who feel more need to touch than usual. I’ve been to towns after natural disasters where the energy is heavy and full of grief and angst. The opposite is happening when I travel to festivals where the energy is fun and loving. I might be better at articulating what I feel, but you pick up the energy as well. Everyone does. Some are just unaware of what’s going on.”
