gaze and swore under her breath. Storm clouds roiled directly over their heads. Black and ominous, maybe they would have passed for normal during the summer. No way would that pass for normal in November.
Lightning sliced down and she could feel the impact below her feet. “Mom.”
“I’m going to call your father.” She stormed off toward the car.
“You’re lucky she didn’t hit you with that one.” Audrey smirked. “?sir or no, that would have stung.”
“She’s not going to let this go easily, is she?”
Audrey tipped her head to one side. “You sound surprised. She’s only been planning this wedding for the last twenty-five years.”
“I don’t care about the wedding.” Raquel sounded childish and bitter even to her own ears.
“But she does. Dad will talk her down. You should have called him first. He would be here within the hour if the full moon wasn’t tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s something.”
“This is about Fen, isn’t it?” The frown on Audrey’s face was more confusion than concern.
Raquel pushed away from the wall and brushed the sandy grit from her palms. “Yeah, it’s about Fen. Not his fault or anything. He just made me realize I couldn’t go through with marrying Christian.”
“You should have told her we were just swapping out the grooms,” Audrey said. “Sure, she’s a little in love with Christian herself but if she at least gets to have her wedding, she might not blow anything up.”
The black clouds were slowly dispersing, like ink dropped into clear water. Raquel wondered what the news would make of it. Iowa weather seemed...odd. Possibly the locals wouldn’t even blink.
“Fen doesn’t want me.”
Audrey made a dismissive sound. “You’re wrong about that. He’s one great big furry ball of wanting you.”
“And you know this how?”
“I’ve spent time with the two of you. I figured you didn’t want to deal with the complications of bonding a hound or that you liked Christian more
Raquel rolled her eyes. “I’m letting him make up his mind.”
Audrey was silent for several moments. A bald eagle dropped from its high perch in the tree across the river and dove toward the water, bringing up a struggling fish. The enormous bird beat its wings to gain altitude and then drifted in a gentle arc toward the tree line again.
“What does Fen say about all this?”
“That he never wanted a mate.”
“Some hounds don’t. You’re asking a lot from him. You’re asking him for everything.”
Raquel shoved her hands in her pockets. “He says he doesn’t want to get between me and Christian, but I think you’re right. He’s scared.”
“Well, you did almost destroy his town.”
“Shut up.” She grinned. “He doesn’t like change.”
“No hound ever does.”
“He doesn’t want to have kids. And...” Audrey waited, patient, attentive, concerned. Raquel sighed. “And he hasn’t said this, but I think he’s worried I’ll decide in a few years that I picked the wrong man.”
Her sister’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve only known each other a few weeks. Is it a possibility?”
“No,” Raquel said softly. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
They gathered at Aiden’s house at four on the night of the full moon. The diner had sent over a few trays of lasagna, garlic bread and salad along with every sort of pie they made. When the riders went to prepare the horses, Raquel offered to help Grace clean up the mess because she couldn’t sit still and do nothing but worry.
“You don’t have to help with this. I can take care of it after...” Grace frowned at the bubbles in the sink. “I hate that he’s going without me.”
Raquel dropped a handful of forks into the soapy water. “You
“No one in their right mind wants to go. But if he has to cross into Asgard, I’d like to be there too. I haven’t been training for very long with the sword.” She shrugged. “The gun has always been my weapon of choice.”
Guns were like engines, unreliable during a surge. And nonnative metals often didn’t come out the other side of a portal in the same shape they entered.
Grace gripped the edge of the counter, head bowed. “I’m sorry. I hate this. I wish...”
For one alarming moment, Raquel thought she was going to start crying. Raquel liked Grace well enough— what she knew of her—but she barely had the strength to keep her own nerves in check right now, let alone try to soothe someone else’s. But Grace didn’t cry. Her hands balled into fists and she scowled at the dishes. There was a slight tremor in her shoulders. This was worse, watching her try to swallow all her emotions.
Hesitantly, Raquel put her hand on Grace’s back. When Grace took a squeaky breath, Raquel took a step closer. Aiden walked into the kitchen just as she was wrapping her arms around his wife. He paused in the doorway before stepping forward.
“Your husband looks jealous,” she whispered into Grace’s hair. “He’s not going to drag me outside for this, is he?”
“I’ll protect you if he does.”
“Maybe between the two of us we can take him.”
Aiden grunted. “I might risk it, but I’m pretty sure both Christian and Fen would take your side.” He drew Grace into his arms and nodded at Raquel. For once, there was a touch of real warmth in his eyes. “I’ve got this. Thank you.”
Raquel dropped her hand towel onto the counter and left them alone. The twins were playing UNO with Hallie on the living room floor. A dog sprawled beside them, head on his paws, watching the fall of the cards with interest. For a split second, Raquel wondered where the hell the dog had come from until she realized it was one of the hounds, already changed.
Not Fen. This one was smaller and dark brown rather than midnight black. She waved when Rane looked up and then fled upstairs to the only bathroom in the house. If she’d actually managed to eat anything at dinner, she’d probably throw it up now. She didn’t really have to use the bathroom. She just needed a minute to herself. Her hands shook as she closed the door and leaned against it.
She hadn’t been in there long—she didn’t think she’d been in there long—before there was a knock on the door. Opening her eyes, she breathed a curse.
“Just a minute,” Raquel called out as she washed her hands to cover up the fact that she was in there hiding like a coward.
She flung open the door and froze when she saw who it was. Fen. One hand resting on the doorframe, dark head bent.
He looked up when she sucked in a mouthful of air. “Can I come in?”
Stepping back, she sat on the closed toilet seat as he shut the door.
“Are you okay?”
“Great.” She might die tonight. She’d destroyed every plan she had for her future. The man she’d fallen hopelessly, desperately in love with had rejected her. Twice. “I’ll be fine.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall opposite her. “You know, for two people who just met, we spend a lot of time in the bathroom together.”
Despite everything, he still had the power to make her smile. “This one wasn’t my doing. I was innocently using the bathroom when you came along.”
“You were hiding,” he said. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
