by Eleri Stone
That didn’t dull the sparkle in her eyes. Not one bit. “When we were in school, they told us only demons can survive the atmosphere.”
Fen tipped back his head and looked at the spill of stars that formed the Milky Way, remembering that cold, dark place. Slick black ice and the crumbled stone of ancient buildings. Pools of eerily still water and the twisted stumps of old trees. Caverns pitted the rocky surface of Asgard, providing the perfect hiding place for the waiting demons. The closest thing to hell he ever hoped to see, and he very much hoped that they wouldn’t have to cross again.
“That’s near enough the truth. It’s...a forsaken place. Dead and barren. Even knowing that Hallie’s safe inside—” he tipped his head toward the building, “—stealing another piece of cake right now, it makes me sick to think about her being over there. We almost lost her.”
“How did she survive? My clan would have given up on her as soon as the portal closed.”
Shame curled in his belly. “We did give up on her, everyone except Aiden. Whenever he could force his way through, he crossed. Even then, I think he’d lost hope until Grace came along. And the truth is, Hallie wouldn’t have made it on her own. An exiled Vanir helped her hide from the demons.”
Her delicate brows lifted. “I would have thought a Vanir would stand aside and watch them tear apart an Æsir, even a child. They’re the ones who did that to our world.”
“The demons did it.”
She pursed her lips and gave him a reproving look. “But the Vanir were behind it. They summoned Surtr and even now, they haven’t bothered to call him off.”
Fen shrugged, allowing the point though he’d never seen any definitive proof of that. It was something to speculate on, like the existence of the gods and the nature of the universe. Ancient history. But he’d managed to capture her attention with the story. And it was something she needed to know about since she was about to join their clan. “Grace says he saved Hallie because he’s alone there with the demons. That he’s lonely, desperate and not as evil as we’ve perhaps been led to believe.”
“She is a Norn.” Raquel tipped her head to the side. “You don’t believe her though, do you?”
He shrugged. He believed that was the way Grace saw it. “Grace has a soft heart. She’s Verthandi, so she was able to track Hallie. When we crossed into Asgard, she rode with us and was trapped there for a time. She’s the only one apart from Hallie who’s had direct contact with the Vanir.”
“So the crows...they think these rogue surges are related to the Vanir or your crossing?”
Smart girl to piece it together so quickly. He looked at her again. This is what should frighten her—rogue surges and vengeful demons—not Christian, but her expression was rapt.
“Yeah. They think it’s related. Grace killed a higher-level demon when she was trapped in Asgard, one of Surtr’s harem. It’s possible he’s looking for revenge. It’s possible that our presence in Asgard whet the host’s appetite.”
“Demons have no inherent magic and wouldn’t be able to draw from Asgard’s even if they did. They shouldn’t be able to affect the surges.”
“There is that. Which is probably the same argument Aiden is making now. Also, our wards are old and while our founding witch was very knowledgeable, she wasn’t particularly powerful. Lois wants to replace the wards with your help...after the wedding, of course. Aiden wants to wait until then before deciding whether it’s necessary to send anyone into Asgard.”
She paled alarmingly—which was saying something considering how fair she was to begin with. Damn, he’d scared her after all.
“So your portal’s unstable?” she asked in a small voice.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re counting on me to stabilize it. Right after the wedding?”
“You’ll have help,” he reassured her. “I’m sorry. It’s a lot to take in, but you should know before committing yourself. Aiden would have insisted on telling you before the ceremony anyway.”
She shook her head. “I can’t back out. There’s the contract, the prophecy.”
“So what?” Her eyes widened as though he’d blasphemed. “You didn’t make those promises, somebody made them for you. If it’s not going to work out between you and Christian, it’s better if you say so now.”
Her gaze drifted toward the building, and her expression became guarded. “I’ve only known him a few hours. My mother says these things have a way of working themselves out, that it takes time.”
Or not, he thought. Sometimes not. He remembered the expression on her face when she first stepped through the portal to meet Christian. She’d been glowing. And now...
“You were expecting love.”
Her blush went all the way to her hairline. “I don’t know what I expected.”
A lie. She’d expected the fairy tale. Her parents had probably raised her to believe in it. He’d seen it before with Aiden and his first wife, Bea. The parents more invested than the kids, filling their heads with rosy images. Bea had been starry-eyed and Aiden, being Aiden, had done his damndest to live up to her expectations. Christian wasn’t like that. There was a hardness to him and an honesty that wouldn’t let him break to someone else’s mold.
And maybe that’s what had put the wary look in Raquel’s eyes. Maybe clever little Rocky had already figured that part out on her own. And Fen shouldn’t be warning her off Christian, who was his friend and a good man, but something about the way she looked now—with her wounded eyes and her red-tipped nose—compelled him to do it.
“Figure it out before the ceremony. I’ve seen too many people trapped together. I don’t want to see it happen to Christian...or you. It’s no fun for anyone, especially not the people watching from the sidelines.”
Comprehension dawned in her eyes. “You’re a hound,” she said and then looked as if she wanted to stuff the words back into her mouth. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you. I shouldn’t have—”
“I’m not conflicted about what I am.”
She winced. “Are you—”
“Bonded? No.”
“Then you’re a...”
Virgin. “Yep.”
He was going to wring Christian’s neck. Fen hated these conversations, but she’d find out eventually. She was joining his clan and she might as well hear it from him.
“I’m sorry.”
People generally felt worse for him than he did for himself. Hormones and magic—hounds bonded to the first woman they had sex with and that was it. Mated for life. The only problem was that there were no female hounds. Hounds only produced male offspring from the woman they bonded to and the bond only worked one way. The woman was always free to walk away. In his opinion, it might as well be a leash.
He shrugged. “Sex has consequences for everyone. The stakes are higher for me.”
He rapped his knuckles on the side of the Dumpster and stood. “What say we head back inside before Christian comes out here to find me alone with his fiancée?”
He held out his hand and she took it. She was a little thing, young and innocent and hurting. He’d drop her off with her family and then he’d track down Christian. He had a few choice words he’d like to impart to his friend.
* * *
“Who was that?”
Raquel pinched Audrey when Fen glanced back. A human man would have been too far away to hear the whisper. But there was no hiding anything from a hound. Audrey waved and then looked at her curiously.
“He’s Christian’s best man.” Fen was likely a nickname. All the hound surnames were some derivation of Fenrisúlfr, Hróðvitnir or Vánagandr. She’d like to know his true name. He seemed nice and not as caught up in the excitement of the wedding as everyone else. Calm and levelheaded which, now that she thought about it, were strange traits to find in a hound.
“Oh.” Audrey went back to watching Fen wend his way through the room. Once past the tables, he made a beeline for Christian. Of course he did. “He’s not very tall. I won’t be able t
o wear anything with a heel.”
“You can wear heels. Wear whatever you want.”
Audrey shook her head, lips pursed. “Two inches tops. He does have an awfully nice ass though. Maybe I could follow him down the aisle.”
“I didn’t notice.” Raquel had spent a lot of time staring at his face. It was an unusual face. He was on the skinny side, and it made his bones prominent, sharpened his jawline and made his nose seem overbold. When he smiled, it took over his whole face. He’d only smiled once, quickly, when she suggested they ditch the party and head out to the local bar instead. And then his hand had tightened on hers and he led her back inside. Like a retriever. Maybe Christian had sent him to find her after all.
Fen tapped Christian on the shoulder and lifted his chin toward the back room. Christian spoke briefly with Aiden and then followed Fen out.
Audrey laughed. “Yeah, looks like you didn’t notice him at all. Where’s he going with Christian?”
“Probably to tell him he found me hiding behind the Dumpster.” She wondered what Christian would do with the information. If he’d think it was his duty to soothe her hurt feelings. Or if saying “I do” was as far as he was willing to go to fulfill his end of the contract.
“What?” Audrey pulled away from the table and shot her an incredulous look. “Why on earth were you hiding behind a Dumpster?”
Raquel waved her hand. “I needed some air. Didn’t want anyone to see me and wonder why I was outside alone.”
“Yeah, good choice hiding behind the Dumpster then. Because that’s not weird at all.”
“Shut up. Where and when I choose to break down is not your business.”
“Tell me next time and I’ll come with you. That way, if Christian sends another hound after you, I can distract him.”
She didn’t like the way Audrey’s eyes brightened at the idea. “Stop. It wasn’t like that. He was nice.”
“Even better.”
“Don’t mess with him. He’s not bonded.” Audrey’s eyes dimmed a bit. She knew as well as Raquel did that flirting with an unbounded hound was like playing with a live wire. Very few hound matings were successful in modern society because hounds generally didn’t make good partners. More inhuman than other castes, their affection was usually tied to the pack alone. The pack was for companionship. Mates, once claimed, were for sex. “He said the clan plans to replace their wards this year. I have to talk to Mom.”
“Shit. She still hasn’t told them, has she?”
“Nope.” Raquel fiddled with a section of the plastic tablecloth that had come untaped. “I think she’s planning on leaving it up to me to explain why I haven’t passed the initiation yet, after the ceremony. She’s afraid they’ll renege on the contract.”
Audrey was silent for a moment. “I don’t think they will.”
“Me neither.”
“Mom thinks you’re doing it on purpose, you know—choking whenever you test.” Audrey leaned back, crossing her legs. “She thinks it’s your way of getting out of all this if you decide you don’t want it. I think she hopes it’s just you hedging your bets but is afraid to ask.”
Raquel didn’t answer.
“Do you want out?”
She dropped her gaze to her hands and resecured the tablecloth before she tore it to shreds. “I don’t know.”
Audrey sighed and seemed to struggle with herself before asking, “Did something happen between you and Christian?”
Raquel hadn’t told Audrey about the conversation she’d overheard. It was embarrassing. She’d been so dreamy-eyed and stupid. And she had trouble faulting Christian when he was only being practical. They’d only just met. All that bound them was a contract signed by their parents and their own loyalties to family and clan. It had been foolish to expect more. He was the down-to-earth one who saw their relationship for what it was. More than that, he must have noticed the stars in her eyes but had done nothing to suggest that he scorned her for it. Instead, he’d been tolerant, even overly gentle of her feelings.
And if this wasn’t about love, it was still the best thing for her clan. There were severe repercussions to backing out. She could be exiled. Some of her family would probably stay and some would follow her, but either way it would tear them down the middle. And the healer Christian’s clan had exchanged in this bargain was already three years married, happily, with a child on the way. There was no easy way out and it would be incredibly selfish to run.
“He could come to love me, right?”
Audrey’s eyes softened but before she could speak, the nearest door was thrown open. A blast of cold air flooded the room.
One of the counselor crows entered at a dead run, clothed in nothing but feathers and darkness. Passing within a few feet of their table, she went directly to the Odin, who met her near the center of the room.
“My God—” Audrey whispered. “She’s not even fully changed. She must have just hit the ground.”
As a hush fell over the room, Grace pulled a long wool coat from the rack and came up behind the girl, wrapping it around her shoulders. The crow barely noticed. She was a slender woman who appeared to be in her late teens, though age was tricky with crows. Eighteen or eight hundred years old, it was impossible to tell. She had jet-black hair with the tips dyed a deep purple color. The fine down that covered her skin gradually disappeared as they watched. Raquel could see the magic of her transformation contract until it lay like a sheen of sweat on her skin.
The crow spoke urgently to Aiden, but Audrey and Raquel weren’t close enough to hear what she said. Fen and Christian hurried over to the group. The two men formed a protective wall behind the crow, blocking her from view.
After a moment, Aiden’s face lifted and he searched the crowd. His gaze locked on Raquel and she stood, thinking it was a summons. But he dismissed her with a glance and turned to speak with Christian. Christian nodded and separated from the group. Fen placed his arm around the crow’s narrow shoulders and led her to the door.
Expression grim, Christian came to a stop before Raquel. “I have to go. There’s been a surge.”
“A surge? Now?” Audrey asked, shocked.
Christian kept his gaze fixed on Raquel. “It’s a small one. You can stay here and meet the rest of the town, enjoy your time with your family. I’ll see you in the morning.” He paused. “We’ll talk then.”
She caught the look in his eye, cautious but determined. Damn it, Fen had ratted her out. Somehow...somehow she’d thought he wouldn’t. Of course, his loyalty would be with Christian. She nodded. “Be safe.”
He smiled and it was like sunshine through the clouds. Beautiful, beautiful man. “Always.”
She watched him leave, turning to track his progress through the room. People pulled their chairs out of his way so he could pass. When he reached the metal door, he pushed through it without a backward glance and was gone. The other huntsmen filed out behind him. A gust of cold touched her even from across the room. She was still staring at the door when Lois and Grace approached, her mother only a step behind.
“How can there be a surge now?” her mother demanded. Loudly.
Grace looked unhappy about being left behind to explain, but it was Lois who answered first. “The portal is unstable.” Lois shot Grace a dirty look. “Maybe now your husband will let me have my apprentice before the ceremony.”
“The wedding is in three weeks,” Grace said, turning so that her body was between Raquel and Lois in a protective stance. Raquel had only spoken to Lois once, briefly, and she was beginning to suspect that was an intentional strategy on the part of clan Ragnarok. The way Fen had said Lois’s name suggested he didn’t care for her much. “Let them have this time.”
“It’s too soon for there to be another surge,” Raquel’s mother said, voice turning shrill. “Grace? If there’s something wrong here, then we deserve to know about it. Aiden never hinted that there was a problem. I won’t have my daughter placed at unnecessary risk.”
“Unnec
essary risk?” Lois scoffed. “She’s the clan witch. Risk comes with the territory.”
“She’s not a member of your clan yet.”
Raquel could feel Lois gather power. Not much—it might have been an instinctive defensive reaction—but she didn’t know Lois well enough to be sure. She was also excruciatingly aware that everyone’s attention had turned toward them. A crowd of stranger’s faces—hostile, amused, sympathetic, all of them unfamiliar.
“Mom,” Raquel said quietly, touching her arm to get her attention. Her mother had a short temper during the best of times. The stress of the wedding hadn’t improved that trait and this... “Calm down, please. This isn’t Lois’s fault, not the problem or them keeping it a secret. I knew about it.”
“What?”
“I knew about the portal. It’s one of the reasons why they were so anxious to complete the ceremony now rather than wait for spring like we’d originally planned.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
Raquel held up her hand. “Don’t look at me like that, I just learned of it myself. But this isn’t the time or place to discuss it. Maybe tomorrow we can all sit down and put our cards on the table before anyone starts making accusations about who should know what.”
Her mother’s pursed lips spoke volumes about how much she enjoyed having that cast in her face. She’d been the one to insist that Raquel not tell Christian about her little problem until after the ceremony. While Raquel had planned to tell him anyway, this...complicated things.
“The coven is meeting in my shop tomorrow at noon,” Lois said. “It would be good if you could take a few minutes away from your busy schedule to help us figure out a way to save the clan.”
Grace winced as Lois stomped toward the kitchen. She shook her head and then smiled at Raquel apologetically. “Lois might be difficult for a time until she adjusts to the idea of a more powerful witch in her territory. I’ll speak with her.”
Raquel couldn’t see how that would possibly help, but she nodded anyway. This fight would be between Lois and her. It had to be. Preferably, they’d be able to settle it without bloodshed.
