Eleri Stone - Witch Bound

Her father lifted her off the ground, squeezing the breath from her lungs in a bear hug before dropping her back to her feet. “Two weeks and I’ll be there. Call if you need me sooner.” His big hand on her back steadied her as he turned her to face the portal. “Good crossing, then.”

Right. Get this over and done with and on with the rest of her life. Her throat constricted, but she forced herself to take the first step and then another. The closer she got, the steadier the pressure against her mind.

Her mother and sister stood aside, allowing her to pass first. Raquel and Audrey looked a lot alike, though Audrey was two years younger and three inches taller. They both had the same blond hair and pointed chin, the same blue eyes. Wouldn’t do for the groom to mistake the bride, would it?

Refusing to look back, Raquel blew out an unsteady breath and stepped into the portal. As soon as she touched it, the magic enveloped her, coating her skin like an icy film before sinking into her pores. Even though this portal was only a pinprick compared to the huge rips in the fabric of space that allowed passage between worlds, it was still disorienting. Like falling out of a fifty-story window but instead of crashing to the pavement, you landed inside your own body.

A cold, swift drop and then she was pushing through to the other side...Ragnarok, Iowa. The sunlight was blinding compared to the gloom of Colorado, and she blinked rapidly as her eyes struggled to adjust. A house—large and white with green shutters and porches front and back. A red barn set beside a larger metal outbuilding. Winter fertilized fields stretching as far as the eye could see. The Ragnarok witch stood a few feet away, all of her attention focused on the portal.

The man standing beside the witch began to move toward Raquel and she froze, staring. The sun was behind him, his face in shadow, but it had to be him.

As she took a step in his direction, her heel caught on a stone and she stumbled. She’d have dropped at his feet if not for the firm hand that reached out to steady her. “Careful. Give yourself a moment.”

He had dark blond hair, wavy enough that it looked like he used some kind of gel to keep it in place. Sharp blue eyes and an easy smile. He was taller than she’d expected, broad through the shoulder and, wow, mind-shatteringly hot, wasn’t he? Christian Jager. Huntsman of the Ragnarok clan of Æsir refugees. The man she would marry in three weeks’ time.

A sharp twinge of uncertainty passed through her. The picture she’d taped to her bathroom mirror as a teenager was of a much younger man. Still attractive, but in an innocuously boyish way. The man holding her arm was very definitely a grown man—strong, confident and so handsome she couldn’t decide whether to weep with panic or gratitude. He wore business slacks and a black wool coat far finer than hers. She could see the sheen from his silk tie through the collar. Blue as his eyes. Polished.

She felt very unpolished, gaping at him while the wind tossed her hair into her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Heat rose to her cheeks. “I’m Raquel.”

Christian smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners and a dimple indenting his right cheek. “I know who you are. It’s good to finally meet you. Here.” He took her arm to draw her aside. “I think they’re about to come through.”

As soon as he said it, she felt the magic swell at the back of her mind and turned to watch as the fabric of space shifted, outlining her mother’s body for a moment before sliding back to a more natural state. Like water sluicing from skin. Audrey was barely a step behind—just suddenly there—blinking in the sunlight in this farmyard in Iowa.

As the witch shut down the portal, Raquel introduced Christian to her mother and sister. Aiden, the clan Odin, and his wife, Grace, crossed the yard to join them. Aiden was a quiet, stern man in his forties. Raquel had met him years ago at one of the gatherings. He’d intimidated her then as much as he did now. Grace seemed nice though, with a riot of curly hair and one of the warmest smiles Raquel had ever encountered. There were a few members of the hunt present—insurance in case the portal jump caused any problems with the fault—but they remained back on the porch.

Not all strangers.

She saw Hallie there, Aiden’s daughter, sitting on the steps. As sunny of a disposition as her father’s was dark. Hallie had been only been five or six when Raquel met her, but the girl seemed to remember her. She waved and Raquel waved back.

Hoping for another friendly face, Raquel glanced at the man next to Hallie and her smile faltered. Something in the way he stared at her so intently raised the hair along her arms. Black hair, leather jacket, glittering eyes. She frowned and even from twenty feet away, she could see the way the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he’d caught her reaction and was amused by it.

Hallie said something to him, and he turned his head. When he smiled down at the girl, it changed his face, softening the edges. He tugged at Hallie’s ponytail, and she laughed at whatever he said.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you right after the portal crossing,” Christian said, “but there’ll be a reception tonight in town to welcome you. I can introduce you to everyone there.”

“Okay.” Still sounded overwhelming to her, but okay.

Her mother was already heading toward the house, chatting amiably with the Odin. Audrey followed behind them, paired with Grace. And Raquel found herself suddenly alone with the man she would marry in a few short weeks. She felt a flash of uncertainty again. Christian of her dreams—bigger, more mature, more...everything than anything her mind had ever been able to concoct.

He held out his hand, and it seemed like a momentous thing. A first step, one of many, that would bind them together forever. There was a trace of challenge in his clear blue eyes as he spoke her name.

The challenge did it. The warmth in his eyes and the touch of uncertainty there, too. A smile tugged at her lips and she reached for his hand. He smiled back, and— gods —it made him even more gorgeous. As his strong fingers closed around hers, some of the butterflies in her stomach settled.

Trust in the gods, magic, family... This would work. It had to.

The reception was being held in the same building where the ceremony would take place. Modestly decorated, no glamour had been cast to disguise the fact that they were sitting in an old dance hall in need of renovation. But the food was good, laid out buffet-style on long folding tables near the kitchen. And the people were awfully friendly.

Her mother knew some of them from different gatherings over the years. As wife of the Odin, she often accompanied him when he visited the other clans. She’d dragged Audrey off to introduce her to friends, and Raquel sat next to Christian at the head table. It was their first moment alone since the crossing and she was nervous. Not because she thought he was the wrong man for her, but because she was beginning to think that he might be the right one. Already, her mother adored him and even Audrey seemed to approve. That was important. Raquel had always trusted Audrey’s opinion when it came to men.

“When will your mother arrive?”

His father was deceased, and his mother had remarried a man in the Ozark clan. He glanced over at her and set aside his fork. “The day before the wedding, along with my sister. They thought it best to give us as much space as possible to get to know each other. But if you’d rather meet them sooner, that can be arranged.”

She shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I only wondered when they’d get here. I’ve already met both of them.”