Chapter 30 Raven
Raven
After I’d shoved my mates out, locked the door, and taken the world’s fastest shower, mostly because I disliked the funky smell oozing up from the drains, I pulled some fresh clothes on and went searching for Kai.
The vampire dorms weren’t as big as the others.
There were four floors, but the open-plan top floor was currently uninhabitable thanks to the poor state of the roof and nesting birds.
Once Maverick’s uncle’s crew fixed it, I planned to turn it into a reading room because the roof windows were amazing.
The lower two floors contained bedrooms and bathrooms with no windows. We’d all picked rooms on the first floor. Or rather, I’d chosen a room and my mates grumbled and argued about who’d sleep with me. Apart from Kai, who had barely spoken a word all week.
Rasmus had his own space in the basement where he could sleep behind a locked door if he needed to rest away from the sunlight. He coped fine in daylight, but bright sun burned his pale skin if he didn’t cover up.
Although my vampire prince needed very little sleep, when he did rest, he slept like the dead. Literally. Which made him vulnerable.
Maverick’s uncle and his crew didn’t know about Rasmus. We’d decided it was safer not to tell anyone outside our circle. Glynda knew, obviously, and Farris too, but nobody else had a clue a vampire had survived the bloodborne virus.
I’ll admit I was worried Alaric might tell his father, but had decided that, despite everything, I trusted him not to betray us.
Kai had taken a room at the end of the corridor, the smallest one, with no fireplace, but he claimed it was fine. At least it didn’t smell as bad as the rooms on the ground floor.
Maverick had gone all out and cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms until they sparkled, but it turned out wolf piss was difficult to eradicate, and in the living room, the stink still lingered.
Kenji’s scent marking had not helped the smell situation. When I asked why he’d peed on chair legs, he’d insisted he needed to claim his territory, whatever that meant.
Thank fuck Maverick hadn’t done the same.
I’m not sure I could have coped with more gross pee smells.
There was only so much a handful of scented candles and odor-neutralizing herb bundles could do.
I knocked on Kai’s door and waited for him to answer.
“Raven.” His blue cheeks flushed lilac with embarrassment. “I’m sorry for walking in on you before,” he said, scrubbing at his jaw while refusing to meet my eyes.
“It’s fine!” I smiled like it wasn’t massively mortifying for my mate to catch me mid-orgasm with one of my other mates. This was a sex-positive dorm, and I was a modern witch with needs.
I now followed some witchfluencers on Witchtok—Zane had downloaded the app for me on the iPad Maverick had decided I must have so I could access my timetable.
Telling witches to feel their inner goddess and explore their Aphrodite side was the sort of aspirational content they posted, along with soft-focus shots of candles and melting ice cream.
“I’ll be more careful in the future.” Kai still hadn’t invited me in. Stars, had I upset him?
I’d meant to go swimming with him every morning since we first got back, but I was not a morning witch, and he always left at dawn. Goddess forgive me, Kai deserved a better mate than me. One who woke up bright and early and not in a bad mood.
I floundered for something to say, needing to breach the chasm between us.
“Is your troll friend back? I haven’t seen him around.” Kai and the troll—Hulder?—had been good friends before the break; they were always together between classes.
“No, he’s not coming back.” A wave of sorrow filtered through the bond.
“Why? What’s happened?” Quite a few students hadn’t returned this semester. Some because their parents didn’t believe the academy was safe, and others, well, I wasn’t sure. It seemed to be mostly the lesser magicals who had stayed away.
Unfortunately, Demelza wasn’t one of them. I silently wished she’d transferred to a different school; one on another continent.
“His older sister disappeared just after the winter solstice celebration. He’s searching for her.”
I pushed past him and sank down onto the narrow bed. Stars, it was cold in here. Maybe I’d order my merman some fluffy blankets from Magizon. Maverick wouldn’t mind. I hoped.
“Where might she have gone?”
“Mages are stealing females from the lesser magical communities and taking them goddess-knows where.”
“Why would they do that?” I squinted at him. It made no sense.
“I don’t know.” Our arms touched when he sat next to me on the hard bed. A sliver of warmth ran through my veins as my magic woke up, reveling in his closeness.
I’d missed my merman. One kiss in the cave at the bottom of the swimming pool was not enough. But now was a bad time to explore my desires.
Kai fell silent again, clearly uncomfortable with me in his room. Which sucked. I already had one mate who couldn’t stand the sight of me; having two who felt the same way strongly suggested I was the problem.
“Um, I’ll leave you.” I jumped up while pasting a smile on my face. “I have stuff to do for Dunton’s class.” Nothing that was urgent, but I didn’t want to feel like a burden to my merman.
Kai’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm. For the first time, he met my eyes.
“Raven, I’m sorry. I’m struggling with you being so close to me. The bond hasn’t settled yet.”
Oh…maybe he didn’t hate me? That made me feel marginally better, but I still needed to respect his boundaries. Boundaries were important. Unless you were a wolf shifter. Most of them had no idea what boundaries were.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come to your room. This is your private space.” I shivered as a cold draft blew through a crack in the wall. Stars, was this building even up to code?
“Raven, please don’t go.” Kai’s desperate plea stopped me in my tracks. I wanted to stay, really I did, but I was concerned I might develop hypothermia.
“Come to my room?” I suggested. “It’s warmer.” Maverick had lit a fire for me earlier, so it was toasty in there.
Goosebumps broke out across my flesh as another draft turned my exhales into white vapor. Kai noticed. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m a terrible mate.” He hung his head in shame.
“No you’re not.” Deciding he needed a firm hand, I tugged him out of the icebox of a room and led him down the corridor to my much warmer room.
“This is nice,” Kai commented with wide eyes when he spotted my fluffy blankets, thick throw, dozens of pillows, and collection of scented candles.
“Yeah. I may have gone overboard. Glynda kept adding things to my virtual basket and refused to tell me how to remove them.” My friend loved to shop, and spending Maverick’s money gave her way too much pleasure.
“It’s cozy. Nicer than my room.”
“That wouldn’t be difficult,” I chuckled before cringing in case he took offense.
Kai half smiled. “You’re right. I’m not used to creature comforts here. My old room was freezing cold and stunk of wolf shifters.”
“That’s horrible!” I rushed over without thinking and gave him a hug. It wasn’t until he went rigid in my arms that I realized I’d overstepped yet again. But when I tried to extricate myself, his arms tightened around me.
“Please don’t. I need you.”