Something flickered behind Christian’s gaze. “I’d forgotten. You wanted me to come along on that visit.”
“I wanted to know what I was getting myself into. Weren’t you nervous about today?” She searched his face. “Aren’t you still?”
He didn’t look nervous. He looked cool and elegant, as if nothing ever ruffled his feathers.
“Don’t you think it was better that we were free to live our own lives before the binding?” When she raised her brows, he shrugged. “I’ve seen couples trapped in limbo until the contract is up and they can finally be together. Your whole life on pause until the date of the ceremony rolls around. I didn’t want that for me...or for you.”
“And now?”
“Now we start a new life, together.” Something caught his attention from across the room and he winced. “Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to speak to Aiden while I can catch him alone.”
“Of course.”
He rose from his chair and touched her shoulder as he passed behind her. “I’ll be right back.”
The feel of that brief touch lingered as she watched him cross the room, skirting the edge of the buffet. He was a very fine-looking man. The body of a swimmer. The face of a model. If she’d met him at home, she would have considered him out of her league.
He didn’t seem particularly proud though, or disappointed in her appearance. She’d seen him looking at her once or twice with a speculative look that had kicked up her pulse. But he was respectful, too, of the fact they’d just met. He seemed content to let that develop slowly. Why not? They had a lifetime to explore the attraction.
Tossing her napkin onto the table, she rose. She was sitting at the head table alone now and didn’t like the feeling of being on display. She’d use the restroom and then track down Audrey, maybe start to get to know the people of her new clan. She felt a little buzzed though she hadn’t had more than a few sips of wine. Relief was a heady thing.
Oh, there were still obstacles to overcome, but for tonight, she would just be happy that the first hurdle was out of the way.
Smiling at her mother as she passed, she walked down the corridor to the ladies’ room. It was quiet down here—the hum of conversation muffled and distant. The exit light above the fire door flickered once, then steadied. She heard the murmur of masculine voices coming from the men’s room a few feet away.
The ladies’ room was empty. Raquel latched the door to the last stall and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Christian’s voice. Slightly muffled with a tinny quality to it, but definitely Christian. She froze for a second in indecision before shrugging and going about her business.
She wasn’t doing anything wrong. It wasn’t her fault that she could hear Christian’s and then Aiden’s voice even more clearly through the vents in here. Doing her best to block out the sound, she froze with her hand on the latch when she heard her name. Until then, they’d been speaking about Lois, their clan witch, and something to do with checking the wards.
But what rooted her feet to the tile was when Aiden asked, “Why aren’t you with your bride?”
“She’s fine. She’s at the table, eating.”
“Alone?” Even muffled, she could hear the disapproval in the Odin’s tone. He was definitely the Odin now, rebuking one of the members of his hunt. She half wanted to stand on the toilet and rap her knuckles against the vent to defend Christian.
At least, she did until Christian said, “Back off, Aiden. You know how I feel about this.”
“I know you wanted out of the contract, but—”
“But you need your witch,” Christian finished for him. “Regardless of my feelings about the contract, I will honor it. I’ve told you that.”
“Honor it how?”
“By binding myself to a girl I met less than three hours ago.”
“I saw the way she looked at you when she came through the portal. She’s half in love with you already.”
“She’s in love with an idea and a face. She doesn’t know me.”
Raquel winced and stared at the brown-and-tan pattern on the tile as Aiden continued. “She had as little choice in this as you, remember that. It’s up to both of you to make this work.”
“I know my duty,” Christian said. There was a twist to the last word that made her heart ache. “You sure as hell don’t need to remind me of that.”
There was a pause and Raquel could hear water pass through the pipes behind the wall that separated them. Aiden’s voice dropped low enough that she couldn’t hear his next words, but Christian’s response was crystal clear.
“Look, the clan needs a witch and I’m giving you a witch. I won’t hurt her feelings if I can help it. Raquel, her family, the rest of the town can dress this up in satin and roses, but when it comes down to it, it’s about a contract I never signed. It’s about duty. Let’s not pretend any differently.”
Feeling light-headed, Raquel was aware she was holding her breath but couldn’t seem to force her lungs to draw air. The door opened and swung closed. She listened to Christian’s footsteps pass down the corridor and then Aiden’s.
“Damn,” she whispered, dropping her fist to the cool metal door and resting her forehead against it. “Damn.”
Christian’s bride was a little mouse. Dark blond hair with a hint of red. Pale blue eyes. Fair, freckled skin. A hunted look to her. He wondered what had put that expression on her face. Not Christian, that was for damn sure. Everyone else, Christian hunted. This one he was treating as if she was made of porcelain—hovering at her side at the receiving line, which Fen had avoided, then placing her on that raised dais at the main table. She was younger than he’d expected. Oh, the contract demanded she be twenty-five at the time of the joining but she
“Christian will eat her alive,” he said to Grace, hooking the chair beside her with his foot and nudging it aside so he could set his plate down.
Grace barely glanced his way. “She seemed so happy earlier. I want to know what happened.”
“Are your Spidey senses tingling?”
This time she glared at him. That was a Norn for you, couldn’t take a joke. “Aiden sees it too.”
“Oh, well if Aiden sees it, then it must be so. As sensitive as the head of a hammer, our Odin.”
Her eyes softened. “He has his moments.”
Fen shifted his attention to his meal. Personally, he much preferred arranged marriages to the love matches. He didn’t know if he could handle another pair like the Odin and his new wife. As much as he liked Aiden and Grace as individuals, it was...painful to be around them when they were together.
Grace sighed and sipped at her coffee. “It’s probably nothing. I can’t imagine what it must be like to not meet the man you’re promised to marry until only a few weeks before the wedding. I’d be a wreck too.” She shot him a sharp look. “I can’t believe you people still arrange marriages.”
He held up his fork. “Us people? You’re one of us now, lady, and this was not my idea. I was three years old when this deal was done.”
She didn’t argue. Arranged marriages were sometimes a necessity for the ?sir. Trust in clan, magic and the gods. But...there was a lot of distance between the gods’ will and the reality of Midgard. Their clan only had one living witch powerful enough to deserve the title, Lois. Usually the clan magic would provide them with the appropriate replacement to keep the clan functioning but every once in a while, they were short. Who knew why? Maybe their intended witch had turned runner or died young. Whatever the reason, if it was an important role, the clan needed to look elsewhere to fill it.
Colorado already had a young witch but needed a healer. The Norns were consulted. They identified a
