Kathy’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and Raquel poured some coffee. If she could mainline caffeine right now she would do it. Sitting on a stool across from Kathy, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about Jamie? What happened to her daughter?”
“Lois was infertile, which is why they drew up the contract with your parents in the first place. Jamie was born to a runner smart enough to recognize the power in the baby but not selfless enough to rejoin a clan if she didn’t have to. She gave the witchling up for adoption and Lois took her in. Jamie ran five years ago when she was seventeen, and I haven’t heard from her since.” Kathy gave a slight shrug. “I didn’t know her very well, only met her at a few workshops. The one thing that struck me was how different she was from her mother. I always hoped she’d meet someone from one of the other clans so she could escape.”
“But it didn’t happen.”
“Oh, it happened.” Kathy scowled. “She bonded a hound from the Pennsylvania clan and when Lois wouldn’t release her, Jamie left.”
Raquel stared, horrified. “Left? You mean she left Ragnarok.”
Kathy shook her head sadly. “She left the clans. Her clan. Her mate. Everything. She’s a runner. No one knows where she went.”
“Why would she do that?” It was as good as a death sentence. Runners tended to have short life expectancies. True-blooded ?sir couldn’t live very far away from the faults. They needed the magic that seeped over from Asgard to survive. The more diluted with human blood your ancestry was, the farther from the fault you could get. Grace was the child of runners and she’d survived for years. But it was impossible to predict how much the distance would affect you. For a powerful witch to become a runner was unheard of.
“You know as well as I do that it happens. Neither Odin could convince Lois to relinquish her claim. Hounds can’t leave the pack they’re born to, and Jamie wouldn’t have been able to live there without her mother’s approval.
Raquel stared at her cup, thinking of Fen. She’d heard that about hounds, that they couldn’t leave their pack. She’d always wondered if that was a hard-and-fast rule or just another tradition that had never been challenged. Before she could work up the nerve to question it, the front door opened again as Lois returned.
Grimly, Kathy set down her cup. “Time to get to work.”
Christian felt a sense of foreboding when he heard the car pull up the driveway. Whether some part of him recognized the motor, or if he’d been waiting for this moment for the last two days, he didn’t know.
He should have gone to her sooner. She was to be his wife. Instead, he’d let himself get caught up in the demands of preparing his riders for another crossing into Asgard. He’d been working with Aiden to make sure the horses and all of the equipment were ready. He’d just returned to Aiden’s house after driving into Decorah to pick up another Skimstrok blade and Sarah’s repaired armor.
He could have found the time to see Raquel. He
He liked her. He’d thought what she’d done the other night, breaking through her block, ripping her talent from fate’s hands, had taken guts. She had a shy sort of innocence that he generally avoided but found incredibly appealing. He liked Raquel a lot.
Fen loved her.
Sheathing his sword, Christian left the old barn the clan used as a training building and crossed the yard to greet her. She turned around, surprised, when he called her name.
“I didn’t see you there.”
“I was going to give Carston his weekly lesson, but he’s running late. Again.”
Her nod ended with her staring at the dirt. The light fringe of bangs she usually pushed to the side of her face fell to shield her eyes. “I’ve been working with Lois and Kathy. We think we have the wards stable. I’m going to wait to replace them until after you cross through. I want to tighten the portal if Aiden’s okay with that.”
“People won’t be able to access their magic as readily or go very far from town.”
“You don’t think he’ll go for it then?”
Christian shrugged. “He might. Especially if it’s temporary. You’d probably get hit up a lot more often for people wanting to hop around to visit the other clans. It gets claustrophobic otherwise.”
“I’d be fine with that.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and then, as if it took an enormous act of will, finally met his gaze. “I want to go with you when you cross.”
“To Asgard?”
She nodded.
“No,” he said far too sharply and gentled his voice. “It’s too dangerous and there’s no reason for you to be there. Rane can—”
“I know Rane can show you where he’s being held. You don’t need a Norn, but you do need a witch. I can break his bonds and get him across if he decides to come with us. You don’t know how the portal will react to that.”
“Aiden won’t allow it. He won’t allow anyone who hasn’t been properly trained to ride with the hunt, even on this side.”
“What about—”
“Grace was the exception he made when his daughter’s life was at stake. It was the hardest decision I’ve seen him make.
“It’s my decision.”
That statement had land mine written all over it, so he sidestepped. “It’s Aiden’s decision.”
And he’d do everything in his power to make sure Aiden said no. If it came down to a choice, he’d rather slit the Vanir witch’s throat than let Raquel take that kind of risk. This Kamis wasn’t worth it.
“Fine,” she said, gaze cool. “I’ll talk to Aiden then.”
“He won’t be back until later tonight. If you want, I’ll call Carston and cancel his lesson. We can grab something to eat and come back here in a few hours.”
She looked torn. He realized with a rising sense of panic that it was the date with him that made her hesitate. The silence sat between them, and then stretched. She was going to ask why he hadn’t checked on her after her injuries, about the wedding and the contract...his feelings. And he didn’t know what to tell her. He wanted to keep her. He thought, with time, that he could win her affection and possibly her love. She was his, and he didn’t want to give her up. He knew he was screwing this all up and didn’t want to fail.
He adjusted his body so he blocked some of the wind from her face. As much as he liked the wild way her hair danced in the breeze and the flush it brought to her face, he wanted to protect her too. A hound would be totally wrong for her, even Fen. “Is your leg okay? Your...chest?”
He let his gaze linger there as if he could determine that for himself through the layers of clothing she wore.
“I’ll have scars, on both. My leg is still sore. Alan couldn’t heal that one.”
“Can I see them?”
Her eyes dilated. “Christian...”
“Some other time? Maybe somewhere not quite so cold.”
“We need to talk.” His heart sunk. “Not at a restaurant though. Is there someplace else we could go?”
“You could come to my house.
She nodded and bit her lip.
He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “This will all be over soon.”
Another tight nod. Bending his head, he kissed her, fast enough that she couldn’t easily pull away, gently enough that if she wanted to say no she could. She stiffened but accepted the kiss. She wouldn’t do that if there wasn’t a chance, right? And if this was just cold feet, only a decision to be made, why shouldn’t it be him?
The prophecy, the contract, both of their clans depending on its fulfillment. She was his even as he was hers. Always had been. It was possible that he was a bastard, but he fought for what he wanted to possess. If Fen really wanted her, he would fight too. He wouldn’t skulk around in the shadows avoiding them both. Fen wasn’t
