ability to see inside an injured person to the cause of the problem—that really set them apart. People who chose to become witches instead usually had more raw power and tended to rely on runes and ritual to control and direct it. By the way Peter kept sneaking curious looks at her as she served tea and coffee, she wondered what exactly he saw when he looked at her.
“Okay,” Kathy said, setting a black leather-bound book on the coffee table and opening it to a bookmarked page. “Here’s the rune Sheldon suggested we add to the amulet to fix your little problem.”
“I’m sorry,” Peter interrupted before she really got going, which told Raquel that he knew Kathy pretty well. She steamrolled when she’d made up her mind, and her tone of voice said she’d already done just that. Peter set his mug on the table. “How big of a problem is it? The link you’ve formed is solid enough considering the power discrepancy, but any changes we make at this point could damage it beyond repair.”
“Then we form another,” Kathy said. “I can place it this time.”
Kamis’s posture changed subtly. Peter spoke before the Vanir could raise an objection, “That might not be as easy as you think. Raquel barely has the power to anchor him and—” he looked at her again with those wide blue eyes, “—I imagine he was far more willing to
They all looked to Kamis, who nodded. “I would suggest that you make no changes to the amulet itself, for the girl’s sake if not my own. There’s as much danger to removing such things as placing them.”
Kathy threw her hands up. “Then what do we do? You can’t have a Vanir witch eavesdropping on clan business. Aiden won’t stand for that.”
Raquel, who’d been far more consumed by the invasion to her personal privacy, hadn’t even considered that.
“A Svalinn focus,” Kamis suggested.
Svalinn was the sun shield of Norse myth. Raquel was vaguely familiar with the concept but didn’t understand how that type of shield would block Kamis.
Peter nodded thoughtfully. “That might work.”
Kathy looked between the men. “How?”
Peter cocked his head to one side. “The link’s not really open in a way that will allow him access to her power or her thoughts. She is the one who is in a position of power here. If she blocks her thoughts, they are blocked. If she sends them, he receives. A Svalinn focus is a training device that we can key to help her control what she’s sending.”
“Then he couldn’t eavesdrop on me?”
Peter gave her an apologetic smile. “Technically, that’s not what he’s doing now. You’re sending your thoughts
Her eyes narrowed. “What’s to prevent him from pushing through the link to search my mind?”
Peter shook his head. “That’s not how the link works.”
“And even if the link allowed it,” Kamis said. “I would not do such a thing.”
Raquel looked from Kathy to Peter. “Make me the focus.”
Cleaning up after a wedding wasn’t the most fun in the world. Cleaning up after a wedding that never even happened was particularly miserable. With Raquel learning how to deal with Kamis, the brunt of the task had fallen to Audrey and her mom. When Raquel walked into the hall, Audrey gave her a quick hug and pointed her toward the kitchen.
“How is she?”
Audrey shrugged. “Not good. But you’re lucky, Fen told her all about the crossing in terms that made it clear exactly how dangerous it was. Right now, she’s just happy you’re alive. You should run with that.”
“Fen was here?”
“He still is. Downstairs with Christian and Grace sorting through the boxes Mom had shipped to figure out what can be returned.”
They should be home recovering from the crossing. Raquel blinked back tears as she stepped into the main room. The chairs were stacked on wheeled metal carts and a radio was on in the kitchen. It sounded tinny out here in the big echoey space. “They all came to help?”
“Even Lois stopped by for a bit. Settled the bill with Mom, made a few snide remarks about you being impulsive. Mom looked like she was going to take a swing at her, but Aiden stepped in before it actually turned into a fight. Good times.”
Raquel pulled her sister into another hug. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Audrey patted her on the shoulder. “You are endlessly entertaining, but I do have school. Those of us without such high callings need to make a living too. I’ll be back this summer...provided the town’s still standing and all.”
Raquel laughed. “Okay. What still needs to be done?”
“Have you worked out your problem with the link?”
“Yes, thank God.” She held up the silver necklace Kathy had made with Peter’s help. “This blocks my thoughts from passing until I figure out how to do it myself. So as long as I’m wearing it, I’m golden.”
“Good,” Audrey said. “That would be pretty creepy otherwise. He’s creepy.”
“Kamis?”
“Yeah, with the mindspeak thing and the way he looks at you with those cold, dead eyes.”
Raquel shook her head but didn’t know how to explain that there was more to him than that. He’d been through a lot. He had secrets she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear. But...Raquel remembered the look on his face as he faced death. The sacrifice he was willing to make for their sake. There was something...human inside the ancient witch. Only time would tell whether he was human enough to make it here in Midgard.
Audrey gave her a curious look. “So you and Fen...”
Raquel raised her brows. “Yeah?”
She elbowed Raquel in the side. “You know what I mean. What’s going on? He seemed distracted and he asked about you, several times. I think he was disappointed that you weren’t here. Or relieved, it was hard to tell.”
Raquel looked toward the door to the basement. “He asked me out.”
“A date?” Audrey rolled her eyes. “I thought for sure he was going to tell me you’d bonded but was giving you the chance to get to me first.”
“A date is a big step for him.”
“If you say so. Before you go and chase him down, come talk to mom. At least let her see that you’re alive and okay.”
Audrey led her into the kitchen where their mother was standing on a stool trying to shove a box of napkins into a full cabinet. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled.
“Raquel, you’re here. Should you be out of bed?” She climbed down and crossed the room, wrapping her arms around Raquel’s shoulders and then pulling back to take a look at her.
“I’m fine. Really.”
Her mother stole another hug and then gestured at the room. “You don’t need to stay. We’re only tidying up.”
There were five big rolls of tulle stacked on the island. Her mom had ordered them online to decorate the hall. She’d always considered the big communal space the clan used for their gatherings to be dated and far too plain for the grand ceremony she envisioned—late-1980s Knights of Columbus when her mother had wanted elegance.
Raquel ran her hand over the satin-covered guest book sitting beside it. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“We’re saving it.”
“What?”
