Chapter 23 Kai
Kai
I’d lied when I told Raven I was fine. Every part of me ached, and the moment I closed my eyes, flashbacks flooded my mind.
Of the sea witch forcing me to swallow vile potions.
The unrelenting agony in my chest as my rib cage threatened to cleave apart.
The sensation of the tether tearing.
My mother’s sneering face as she stared down at my broken body.
One thing I hadn’t lied about was that I could never go home again. Even if I wanted to, I doubted my mother would let me pass through the city gates.
Not my mother, I reminded myself. The queen.
She’d never been my mother.
No mother would subject her flesh and blood to such torture.
The familiar scent of brine filled my nose as I pushed open the door to the indoor pool. I detected no signs of other magicals, which was a relief. If a bunch of wolf shifters chose now to attack me, they would win the fight.
I was weak as a kitten.
My mate trotted after me, the sour scent of nervousness clinging to her. That she’d traveled down to the mer kingdom, despite her instinctual fear of the water, meant everything to me.
What had I done to deserve such a brave, selfless mate? A mate who would burn the world down for me. Risk the wrath of my mother, a fearsome queen.
I didn’t deserve her.
Raven watched as I sat on the edge of the pool, letting the salty water soak into my skin. I half expected her to leave, but it seemed she had other ideas.
“Can I, um, come into the water with you?” She peered over the edge and shifted nervously. “If you use magic so I can breathe, it will be nice.” A wry smile ghosted her lips momentarily. “I still can’t swim.”
The nervous laugh that bubbled out reminded me I’d failed yet again, despite faithfully promising her I would teach her to swim.
Part of me wanted this time alone, as being underwater was a chance to process everything, but I couldn’t be selfish.
My mate needed me.
And I also needed her.
“You can if you’d like?” I phrased it as a question so she could change her mind if she wanted.
“I want to,” she said firmly. “I don’t have a swimsuit but I can swim in my underwear.”
She removed her coat and outer layers and then sat down next to me in a pair of pink panties and a plain white sports bra.
Goddess, I needed to dive in before I reacted in a way she’d notice. The need to reinforce the mate bond surged through me, causing my cock to thicken. Luckily, she was too busy peering into the deep water to notice.
“The magic will work, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
I hurriedly pulled my shorts off and slid into the water, breathing a sigh of relief when my legs shifted and my aching dick vanished inside my pouch.
Most of the residual pain left from the sea witch’s magic faded with the shift.
Like most shifters, switching to my shifted form sped up the healing process.
Raven squeaked when I grasped her around the waist and lifted her into the water, careful not to lose my grip on her slick skin. “Ready?”
She nodded.
Our lips touched. Instantly my magic surged into her, sending sparks of pleasure racing through my veins. Before she could overthink things, I pulled her down below the surface.
Her eyes widened in panic, but I held her as she opened her mouth and then smiled when she realized she could breathe freely.
“I love this!” Hearing Raven’s voice in my head made my heart skip with joy. The look of sheer delight on her face erased some of the pain of recent events and reminded me I wasn’t completely useless after all.
None of Raven’s other mates could magically help her to breathe underwater. While it wasn’t as useful as, say, the incubus’s teleporting or shapeshifting abilities, or the bear’s strength, or even the vampire’s speed, at least I could keep her safe in the water.
My mate swam alongside me, her small hand in mine as we sank into the dark depths of the pool. The opening to the underwater cave beckoned, and I swam in through the entrance, tugging Raven with me.
She excitedly explored the gloomy cave, touching rocks and cooing with delight at the fronds wafting in the warm currents.
Whoever designed the pool had attempted to give this part of it a tropical vibe.
The plants thrived, thanks to magic, but the cave was nowhere near as pretty as the actual coral reefs in the tropical oceans.
One day, I’d take my mate there. Show her the places where I’d spent time during my younger years, back when I thought my mother cared.
When Raven had had enough of swimming, she came and sat next to me on the stone shelf at the far end of the cave.
Mage lights glittered in the dark, casting a muted green light across her face. The moment we left the cave the lights would vanish, and I almost wished they’d fade away now, so she didn’t have to look at me.
I wasn’t worthy of a mate like Raven.
Soon enough, she’d see that for herself.