it wrong?”
“Then we destroy the town.”
He fell silent, meeting her gaze to see if she was serious. She was dead serious. When he saw that, his face paled a little and she continued, “It takes a lot of practice and you have to know what you’re doing. Lois was right to ask to check my work before we activate them. You always want at least one other person to double-check your work. Anybody can make mistakes, and mistakes can kill you.”
He was paying attention, all that young energy focused on the rune she drew on the first stone. She’d burn them later when she was satisfied that everything was right and activate them once they were positioned on site. That small magic she could do. It was the big stuff everyone had been expecting from her since she was a child, the kind of thing that would make her suitable as a clan witch, that eluded her. Julian looked at her, all wide eyes and held breath. “You know what you’re doing, right?”
She sure hoped so.
Chapter Five
Christian was an astonishingly good-looking man. Generally, Raquel was more comfortable with the jeans-and-T-shirt crowd, but even she could appreciate how well he wore a suit. Turning around in the middle of the hallway before he caught sight of her, she almost crashed into Audrey.
“Maybe you were right about the heels.”
Audrey held up her hand, the sexy shoes dangling from her fingers. “Of course I was right. I bought the dress to go with the shoes.”
“What? That’s so crazy backward I don’t even know—”
Audrey pointed at the bench beside the hall closet. “Sit and I’ll get rid of those things.” She waggled her fingers at Raquel’s perfectly acceptable, versatile and comfortable shoes. “I don’t know why you thought they’d look okay with that. I can’t believe you didn’t pack a dress.”
Raquel slipped her feet into the shoes and ignored how weird they felt as she bent to close the tiny buckles at the ankle. “I did pack a dress.”
“Your wedding gown doesn’t count.”
“Okay,” she said, standing and smoothing out the dress she’d borrowed from Audrey. It was a little too tight, too low cut, too everything, but Audrey’s grin told her she didn’t agree.
“Gorgeous.”
Raquel blew out a breath. Okay , here we go. It took her a few steps before she caught her balance and then got into it with a little bit of hip sway. When she grinned at her sister over her shoulder, Audrey shook her head and rolled her eyes heavenward.
Raquel stuck out her tongue. She felt sexier in heels, more the type of woman who could make a man like Christian look twice. She couldn’t back out of the betrothal, but she wanted Christian to look at her as something more than just duty. Maybe she’d been naive to look for love, but attraction—that was a possibility, wasn’t it? Esteem? And then eventually, there might be love. Three more weeks until they were bound... She blew out her held breath and wiped her palms on her thighs. She could do this.
Christian stood when she entered the room, a slow smile spreading across his features. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Warmth flushed her skin, not only at the compliment but at the look in his eyes. She could get used to that kind of appreciation. Oh, yes, she could.
Christian was a gentleman, helping her into her coat, thanking her mother for the coffee, making her mother blush and then Audrey too when he kissed them both on the cheek and promised to have Raquel back at a decent time. Then, a few moments later, there she was, standing on the porch alone with her husband to be. He was a stranger. But a kind, intent and attractive stranger. And that was something.
A cold front had moved in during the day, and Raquel waited until they were in the car before asking him where he was taking her. Even inside the car, her breath came out in white puffs. She cupped her fingers to her face as he turned up the heat and backed out of the drive. The leather seats were
“Then we destroy the town.”
He fell silent, meeting her gaze to see if she was serious. She was dead serious. When he saw that, his face paled a little and she continued, “It takes a lot of practice and you have to know what you’re doing. Lois was right to ask to check my work before we activate them. You always want at least one other person to double-check your work. Anybody can make mistakes, and mistakes can kill you.”
He was paying attention, all that young energy focused on the rune she drew on the first stone. She’d burn them later when she was satisfied that everything was right and activate them once they were positioned on site. That small magic she could do. It was the big stuff everyone had been expecting from her since she was a child, the kind of thing that would make her suitable as a clan witch, that eluded her. Julian looked at her, all wide eyes and held breath. “You know what you’re doing, right?”
She sure hoped so.
Chapter Five
Christian was an astonishingly good-looking man. Generally, Raquel was more comfortable with the jeans-and-T-shirt crowd, but even she could appreciate how well he wore a suit. Turning around in the middle of the hallway before he caught sight of her, she almost crashed into Audrey.
“Maybe you were right about the heels.”
Audrey held up her hand, the sexy shoes dangling from her fingers. “Of course I was right. I bought the dress to go with the shoes.”
“What? That’s so crazy backward I don’t even know—”
Audrey pointed at the bench beside the hall closet. “Sit and I’ll get rid of those things.” She waggled her fingers at Raquel’s perfectly acceptable, versatile and comfortable shoes. “I don’t know why you thought they’d look okay with that. I can’t believe you didn’t pack a dress.”
Raquel slipped her feet into the shoes and ignored how weird they felt as she bent to close the tiny buckles at the ankle. “I did pack a dress.”
“Your wedding gown doesn’t count.”
“Okay,” she said, standing and smoothing out the dress she’d borrowed from Audrey. It was a little too tight, too low cut, too everything, but Audrey’s grin told her she didn’t agree.
“Gorgeous.”
Raquel blew out a breath. Okay , here we go. It took her a few steps before she caught her balance and then got into it with a little bit of hip sway. When she grinned at her sister over her shoulder, Audrey shook her head and rolled her eyes heavenward.
Raquel stuck out her tongue. She felt sexier in heels, more the type of woman who could make a man like Christian look twice. She couldn’t back out of the betrothal, but she wanted Christian to look at her as something more than just duty. Maybe she’d been naive to look for love, but attraction—that was a possibility, wasn’t it? Esteem? And then eventually, there might be love. Three more weeks until they were bound... She blew out her held breath and wiped her palms on her thighs. She could do this.
Christian stood when she entered the room, a slow smile spreading across his features. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Warmth flushed her skin, not only at the compliment but at the look in his eyes. She could get used to that kind of appreciation. Oh, yes, she could.
Christian was a gentleman, helping her into her coat, thanking her mother for the coffee, making her mother blush and then Audrey too when he kissed them both on the cheek and promised to have Raquel back at a decent time. Then, a few moments later, there she was, standing on the porch alone with her husband to be. He was a stranger. But a kind, intent and attractive stranger. And that was something.
A cold front had moved in during the day, and Raquel waited until they were in the car before asking him where he was taking her. Even inside the car, her breath came out in white puffs. She cupped her fingers to her face as he turned up the heat and backed out of the drive. The leather seats were
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