Chapter 14 Raven
Raven
“Stop staring at the ceiling. There are no cracks.”
“But what happens if a crack appears?”
Kenji scoffed and turned his back on me. He’d shown no empathy whatsoever about my drowning phobia, but being stuck in this cave—sorry, guest suite—was doing bad things to my mental health.
Kai needed me.
Even though I could still feel him via the tether in my chest, the link remained weaker than my sense of self-control around my mates. And the merman’s vague declaration that the mer queen’s family issues would resolve in a few days was not at all comforting.
Farris stomped around the cavern, still pissed about Kenji peeing on his boots.
I had no clue why. Thanks to cleaning magic, they no longer stank; therefore, he had nothing to complain about.
Honestly, the fae was an asshole. I’d added him to my shit list, along with all wolf shifters, Demelza, and Alaric. Oh, and the fucking mer queen.
“I need to find Kai,” I repeated for the millionth time.
“We will as soon as we get permission to leave this cavern, little mate.” Maverick watched through slitted eyes as my vampire rubbed my back in response to my unhappiness.
I’d expected him to rush over and cuddle me, but he seemed tense. No doubt he was as worried as I was about being stuck here, at the mercy of a capricious and arrogant fae asshole.
But maybe he was just tired of dealing with my problems.
I sighed and pushed that thought from my head before any of my mates read my mind, as they were apt to do at the most inconvenient times.
The snooty merman who’d delivered Her Royal Highness, Queen Laryssa, the Esteemed and Most Beautiful Mer Queen’s insincere apology for being unavailable had said we could explore the city. But first, we needed a laminated pass. Or the mer people equivalent.
It was all bullshit.
Luckily, Farris already had high-level clearance, so he assured me it was a box-ticking exercise and not to worry. Except several hours had now passed, and we were still stuck in this cave.
Yes, it was pleasant enough, with a comfortable couch, plenty of refreshments, and several adjoining bedrooms and bathrooms, but I wasn’t in the mood to chill and eat my weight in snacks.
Unlike Kenji, who’d spent the last two hours working his way through all the non-fish food items.
“I’m bored,” Zane complained from the couch where he was juggling three small knives.
Maverick rolled his eyes. “You have the attention span of a fruit fly, so hardly a surprise.”
“Want to go for a nap, pet?” Zane’s smirk told me no sleep would be involved, but Farris’s presence was a major libido killer. That and the fact I might drown imminently. Oh, and also that my merman was in grave danger.
I opened my mouth, but before I could reply, the outside door swung open and a tall merman wearing a shiny gold robe strode in.
His long, braided gray hair shone with tiny jewels, and there were gold runes covering his exposed navy-blue skin.
I guessed he was someone important, but not having researched the mer people in great detail, he could be the cave cleaner for all I knew.
Farris tensed while the rest of us gazed at the new arrival with a mix of concern and curiosity.
The male scrutinized each of us before he focused on me for a few seconds longer than was polite.
“My queen would be delighted to host you and your entourage at tonight’s banquet,” he said in an imperious voice.
“We are most grateful for your kind hospitality, Sirius. We look forward to it.” The male dipped his chin.
“Royal guards will escort you to the palace in one hour. If there is anything you need in the meantime, please speak to the guards stationed outside.” The words were polite, but I caught the threat loud and clear.
It was a warning, but I decided not to worry.
Farris might be an asshole, but we’d made a second bargain.
One that meant he had to ensure our safe passage from the mer kingdom.
If he failed, the consequences would be dire.
For him as well as us.
Farris said something polite and then the male left.
“Banquet?” I looked down at my casual attire and immediately had a meltdown. None of us were suitably dressed for a royal banquet, aside from Farris, because from what I could tell, all fae dressed like characters in a Regency romance novel.
The mer queen might be a psychotic bitch, but I felt compelled to at least try to make a reasonable impression on my mother-in-law.
“Yes, the mer queen holds banquets for her court at least once a week. She’s big on entertaining. It’s an opportunity to show off her wealth.”
“I have nothing to wear!”
Rasmus plucked me from my chair and blinked me into one of the three bedrooms so fast my head spun.
“Little witch, it would be my honor to dress you for the banquet.”
“Um, how?” Did he mean literally dress me?
“Magic, mea amica.”
I reached up and touched the ruby necklace he’d gifted me, currently disguised as a plain gold chain thanks to a glamor spell. A bit like Rasmus himself, who looked like a high-born fae with long blue-black hair, topaz eyes, and pointy ears.
I could see the real Rasmus under the glamor, but nobody else outside our little group could.
“You mean a glamor spell so my current outfit gets a magical glow-up?”
He squinted in confusion. “I don’t know what a glow-up is, but no.
My magic will change your clothes in a physical sense.
” He clicked his fingers, and my functional pants and jacket disappeared, replaced by a slinky silk gown that barely covered anything.
If I ventured out wearing this, a nip-slip was in my immediate future.
“I can’t wear this!”
“Please wear that,” Zane purred from the doorway.
Rasmus clicked his fingers again, and my hair transformed from a tangled mess into a stylish up-do.
“Perfect, mea amica.”
“My mate is not going out dressed like that!” Maverick’s angry growl sent tremors through the room, and I cringed.
Goddess, did he not think I looked pretty?
“Little mate, I think you look good enough to eat, but so will every other male in this cursed place, and we don’t have time to kill them all. As much as my bear would love to unleash all his frustrations on the mer people for stealing his mate’s other mate.”
“You want to eat me?”
Zane chuckled. “Oh yes, pet. He wants to eat you, alright.” He moved closer and slid his arm around my waist. “We have time…”
Rasmus’s eyes glowed, and his fangs popped out. “I could do with a drink before we leave,” he agreed.
“Not with the fae in the next room!” My bear clenched his fists and glared at my other two mates.
“Don’t mind me,” Farris called from the living room. “Happy to watch!”
The bedroom door slammed shut. I assumed that was Rasmus, but it could have been Zane.
“Fucking fae,” Maverick grumbled.
“Don’t kink shame, care bear. It’s rude.”
My bear huffed crossly. “We don’t have time for this,” he pointed out, but from the way a prominent erection tented his pants, he was on board with where this was going.
“Maverick’s right.” I decided it was my duty to be the voice of reason here. “We need to be ready to leave.”
“We have time, pet,” Zane assured me. “Between me and the vamp, you’ll be more than satisfied.”
My bear growled, unhappy about being excluded.
“Raven’s my mate too.”
Rasmus blinked me away from them both, and I ended up on the bed, naked.
“What the…?”
“I’ll magic you up a new outfit before we leave, mea amica.” With a flick of his fingers, his clothes vanished, along with Zane’s and Maverick’s. All three of them crowded around the bed, gazing at me with heated, hungry gazes.
I didn’t know where to look. Not even the knowledge that a creepy fae asshole lurked in the next room was enough to quench the burning in my core. My thighs clenched with need before Zane pulled them apart, revealing exactly how wet and ready I was.
“Which vein do you want?” he asked Rasmus.
“You need to be careful; she’s still weak from the curse!” I loved that Maverick always put my needs first, no matter what. But he didn’t need to. Thanks to Adam, I’d made a full recovery.
“I won’t take much, my queen,” Rasmus assured me. “Just a small mouthful.”
I waited for him to slide up the bed and latch onto my neck, but instead, he moved between my thighs and a hot tongue licked a stripe down my center. My back arched as he lapped and sucked, pushing me close to the edge in seconds.
I gasped as sharp fangs grazed my inner thigh, and then a sharp pain followed by the most intense pleasure hit me hard. Soft cries fell from my lips, and my magic exploded out from my chest.
A hot mouth suckled at my breast, prolonging my orgasm as Rasmus took his fill from the pulsing vein at the top of my thigh.
“Such a good little pet for us,” Zane praised me when Rasmus pulled away and sealed his bite mark. “Now show your bear how well you can suck his cock.”
A hand tilted my head to the left, and Maverick pressed his swollen crown against my lips. I opened as wide as I could, and he slid in. Hot, salty flavor burst onto my tongue, and I moaned in delight.
A cock pressed inside me, this one cool and big enough to make me wince. No metal, though, so not Zane.
“Good girl,” Zane crooned. He caressed my breasts and purred encouragement as my two other mates fucked me.
My males switched places, having figured out the whole sharing issue. Another orgasm, more murmured words of praise and love.
Magical fire and shadows swirled overhead, but I didn’t care. If I burned the place down, I’d blame Farris the Fucking Fae.
The Autumn Court could pick up the tab. They’d have third-party liability insurance, right?
If not, it was Farris’s problem. It would serve him right for scamming me with a fae bargain.
Zane stuttered inside me as my bear groaned. They both climaxed as I detonated once again. I was dimly aware of Rasmus coming over my breasts before Maverick unleashed a volley of curses.
He shot across the room and sank into a chair. From the sudden awkward silence in place of affectionate pillow talk, I guessed my males were having a mental conversation that excluded me.
Had I done something wrong?
I sat up in a panic, all the happy hormones from my multiple orgasms obliterated. Goddess, were my mates disappointed in me? Had I not met their expectations?
“They’re panicking about the idea of bloodsucking bear cubs with psychotic tendencies, which might be a problem in a few months’ time.”
What on earth was Kenji on about?
“Are you dumb? And no, that’s not a rhetorical question.”
“We’re a thousand leagues under the ocean, so why would there be bear cubs down here? Especially murdering vampire bear cubs! This isn’t some low-budget human horror movie, Kenji!”
“Goddess save me…when a daddy bear does bad things to a mommy witch while the witch is ovulating, and a vampire and an incubus join in, well, you get the picture.” He huffed in my head. “Guess what: you just became the poster witch for poor decisions. Congrats.”
“OH MY GODDESS, I’M PREGNANT?!”