Eleri Stone - Witch Bound

He stopped when he saw her and waved the others ahead. Frowning, he stared as she approached. She stared back but no matter how hard she tried, he didn’t seem any different. He was still...Fen. She’d hoped that if he bonded to someone else, she’d feel it too. That their strange connection would be severed. She’d spent a lot of time last night contemplating that, waiting to feel the knife. But it was still there, strong as ever. She met his dark gaze and reached for a smile.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey yourself.” A pause and he glanced back at his men climbing the stairs to the porch. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m crossing with the hunt.”

His expression went black. “The hell you are.”

“No, not Hel technically. Asgard.” She started toward the house, knowing he would follow. He caught her by the elbow before she’d taken more than two steps. When she swung on him, he released her as if she burned. And that reflex—as if he couldn’t even stand to touch her—goaded her into demanding, “Did you do it?”

She had no right to ask and it didn’t matter. She needed to know. His lips thinned and he shook his head. “I couldn’t.”

“Thank the gods,” she whispered.

He laughed harshly. “If there were any gods left, we wouldn’t be in this position, would we?”

“I’m glad you didn’t bond yourself. Not like that.”

He looked at her in disgust. “You don’t understand. I said I couldn’t go through with it, not that I didn’t want to. Not that I didn’t try.”

She frowned as he walked away. What did he mean? She ran to catch up. “Fen. Wait.”

“I have to talk to Aiden before he starts the meeting.”

He jogged up the steps and reached for the door just as Christian opened it. Fen jerked his head her way. “You knew about this?”

Christian stepped onto the porch, let the door slap closed behind him. “It was Aiden’s call, not mine.”

Fen reached for the door. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Good luck,” Christian called as Fen disappeared inside the house. Turning back to Raquel, he shook his head. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

She scowled at the closed door. “Angry?”

“Yeah. He’s always been easygoing for a hound. Until you got under his skin. Like a splinter.”

She turned her scowl on Christian. “I want to help him with this, but he won’t talk to me.”

“He’ll work it out.” He smiled and in a drippingly sarcastic tone, said, “You have to give these things time, Raquel.”

She snorted. “I am sick to death of waiting.”

“He needs to make up his own mind.”

Christian drew her aside as another group arrived. He nodded at the pair of women. Raquel knew she’d met them before but wouldn’t have been able to name them if her life depended on it.

“I talked to Aiden about the possibility of changing the terms of the contract. He’s willing to release you from the marriage, if you decide that’s what you want.” He paused, blue eyes calm and clear. When she nodded, he blinked once and continued, “We’ll need to convince our parents to agree to that, but Aiden won’t release you from the terms of service.”

“You mean—”

“Either way, you’re the clan witch.”

She swallowed and stared at the closed door. “So Aiden knows.”

“Not about Fen. That part is between you and him. By the time I reached Carly’s last night, Fen was already gone.”

“He said...” She wondered if she should really be discussing this with Christian, but he didn’t seem heartbroken.

“That he’s not bound? That’s what Carly said too, but I don’t know that it changes anything for you. I want to...I’ll talk to him and tell him how I feel about it.”

“How do you feel about it?”

Christian’s eyes went a little unfocused as he considered his answer. One corner of his mouth turned up and he shook his head. “Like the wall I’ve been leaning against my entire life is gone. I don’t know how to feel about it.”

She touched his chest. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s past time I learned how to stand on my own feet.” His smile widened and he nudged her toward the door. “You figured it out. How hard can it be?”

“You’re really okay with this?”

“I have to be, don’t I?” He held open the door for her. “I wouldn’t gain anything by forcing you to marry me. But if there’s a chance this is just cold feet...”

“It’s not.”

He nodded and they went inside. She grabbed a folding chair from the stack against the wall and found an empty spot in the living room. Christian set up beside her and asked if she wanted anything to drink. She said no, but he still walked purposefully toward the kitchen. Even from out here, she could hear Fen’s angry voice and Aiden’s deeper one.

Really, with all the trouble she caused, she was surprised Aiden wanted to keep her.

Grace sat next to her and winced when a particularly inventive turn of phrase drifted down the hall. Conversation in the room paused briefly and resumed as if no one had heard a thing.

“I’m so very sorry,” Raquel said to Grace. “Fen’s angry with me and taking it out your husband.”

“They’ll figure it out.” Grace pushed a mug into her hands. “Here, take this. Aiden bought me an espresso machine for Christmas. It’s a latte, but it’s a double. You look like you need it more than I do.”

“That bad?”

“Just worn thin.” Grace turned her chair ever so slightly, placing her back to the huntswoman on her other side who’d seemed on the verge of asking questions. Grace, Raquel had noticed, was as subtle as Aiden was direct. Right now, she cast a warm and completely guileless smile in Raquel’s direction. “I imagine you didn’t get much sleep last night. Are you having second thoughts about the crossing? Aiden was surprised you offered.”

She regretted shaking her head in denial when Grace’s warm eyes narrowed. “Did Christian do something?”

“No,” Raquel rushed to reassure her, struck by a sudden certainty that if she didn’t convince her of that truth Grace would beat him into a whimpering puddle of apology. “Christian has been great. It’s not that.”

Grace opened her mouth, closed it and then tried again. “I won’t break a confidence, you know.”

“Not even to Aiden?”

“Not if it doesn’t concern him,” she said. “Though I trust Aiden completely. And he is the clan Odin. This...all of this weighs heavily on him, but he would move worlds to help any one of his people.”

Like Fen and Christian. Despite all the promises and contracts, Raquel wasn’t really a member of this clan yet. And she wouldn’t put Aiden in the position of having to choose between two of his men. “I know that.”

“It’s a shame that this is interfering with your plans for the wedding,” Grace said carefully, holding her gaze. Gently probing. Raquel knew that Grace was still a licensed private investigator. She imagined she was very good at her job and not just because she was Verthandi. “If there’s anything at all that I can do to help, just let me know.”

Raquel stared. Crap. “He told you.”

“Then Christian did speak to you first?”

“Of course he did. I’m the one who—”

“If you think...”

But Raquel missed the rest of whatever Grace said because Fen stormed in, expression thunderous. Without looking at her, he crossed to the far side of the room. He turned his hips and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. It hadn’t gone well then. Good. Someone touched her elbow to draw her attention, but she waited for Fen to look up. He scowled at the fireplace and, very pointedly, did not look at her.