Chapter 43 Raven
Raven
Could I trust the storm mage not to tear my heart from my chest?
He’d hurt me so many times. Acted like I meant nothing to him and treated me like shit.
I had boundaries. Letting red-flag mages stomp all over my heart was not in my nature. Adam and his coven had raised me to be a confident witch. A witch who knew her worth. Besides, I had four other mates who adored me; I didn’t need a grumpy storm mage who threw tantrums every five minutes.
But my magic cared little about any of that. It exploded from my chest, swirling around the mage, practically purring with satisfaction as his hard body pressed me against the bookshelf.
Sparks floated around us, making me fearful I might inadvertently set fire to the library. A lust-induced firestorm would be hard to explain away, and I strongly suspected the headmaster would toss me out of the academy if I destroyed his collection of rare and expensive encyclopedias.
But the minute Alaric’s fingers slid up my thigh, common sense deserted me.
Alaric Vane was my soul-bonded mate. Yes, he’d done his best to pretend otherwise, but now I understood why. For better or worse, the mage had been trying to protect me. Shield me from his father’s toxic gaze.
I hadn’t fully forgiven him for all the mean things he’d said and done, but it wasn’t in me to hold a grudge.
“Can I make you mine?” He sounded unsure, the usual arrogance in his haughty tone missing. Did he think I’d say no?
The amulet burned between my breasts, and I reached up to touch it.
“Your necklace is glowing,” Alaric said. “Does it always do that?”
“It reacts to my magic. I think it’s linked somehow.”
He brushed his finger over it before yelping. “Damn, how can you stand the heat?” I shrugged.
“It’s part of me. My mother gave it to me as a baby. I can’t remove it.” Alaric frowned before dragging his gaze away from my cleavage.
“So can I?” he repeated, his body molded to mine. I could feel every inch of him. Hard muscle against my soft curves. He wasn’t as tall or as broad as my bear—or as hairy—and he lacked Kai’s sinewy grace. But damn it, the mage was beautiful.
No wonder every witch in this school wanted him. And most of the shifters. Males too.
“That depends. I heard one of Demelza’s coven saying the other day that your father is trying to marry you off to another high-ranking witch.” I’d nearly choked on my sandwich when I overheard that conversation.
Alaric’s hand stilled on my thigh. I took comfort in the fact he hadn’t removed it despite our difficult conversation.
“What my father wants is not what I want,” he said, his tone neutral. “I am trying very hard to figure some shit out, so for now, I have to toe the line.” I shivered when his fingers grazed across my panties but forced myself to focus on what he was telling me.
His father wanted to form an alliance with a powerful witch family. From what Adam had told me, alliances were common among the covens. Power bred power. The children born of strong mages and witches were invariably powerful in their own right.
Alaric’s mother had powerful fire magic. I remembered Willow telling me how Brianna Vane had allegedly burned a servant alive after the poor girl had done something wrong.
“Okay, I trust you not to hurt me again.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. He closed his eyes for a second, exhaling slowly before staring down at me. The gold flecks in his vivid green irises captured my attention, distracting me from what he was saying, but I forced myself to focus on his words, not his pretty eyes.
“I know I’ve made mistakes, said awful things, and worse. But I promise I never wanted to hurt you.” He rested his forehead against mine as driving rain turned to snow beyond the tall windows. “I was trying to protect you. Keep you away from my father.”
“And when you abandoned me on the island?” That still stung. We could have died crossing the gorge. I could have died.
Alaric’s shoulders slumped as he sucked in a shaky breath. “I let my father get inside my head. I’m sorry.”
Ugh. Who’d have thought the mage apologizing would be so sexy? Not me.
“No more tantrums, Alaric. I’m not some pathetic little doormat you can treat badly.”
He chuckled. “No, you’re nothing like I thought you were, little witch. Even if you still have shit control over your magic.” A burning ember floated down and sizzled on the stone floor.
“Ugh. Not my fault,” I huffed, somewhat embarrassed that he was, indeed, correct: my control of my magic sucked ass.
“And how does your magic react when you come?” A blush stained my cheeks as his filthy words lit a fire inside me.
“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Who was this temptress? I didn’t flirt! Mostly I fumbled my way through sexy encounters with zero finesse and a lot of embarrassment.
Alaric smirked. “Maybe I will.”
I tried to think of a sexy riposte, but my brain seized when his lips found mine, silencing my doubts.
Our kiss deepened until I whimpered with need, desperate for more. He slid his hand back between my thighs and into my panties. Yes, I was wet. Which was fortunate because the risk of my spontaneously combusting remained dangerously high.
“Damn it, Raven,” the mage groaned when he pushed a finger inside me. “You feel so fucking good.”
I couldn’t reply. My brain had gone offline. Was this how it ended? Me dying from a fatal brain aneurysm before sealing the bond with my last mate?
“Dramatic, much?” Kenji’s voice floated into my head, which prompted me to slam my mental shields down. By the stars, I hoped my other mates weren’t listening to me unravel.
“We should stop—” I gasped as he added a second finger and pressed his thumb against my clit.
“No.”
“Oh…” I clutched his shirt, holding on for dear life. The mage had skills, but I tried not to think about how he’d learned such skills. “Please…”
“Come for me, little witch,” he rasped in my ear as he rubbed my clit harder and faster.
Unable to hold on for a second longer, I fell apart in his arms. My magic exploded out in a storm of fire and shadow, cocooning us. Alaric’s expression turned from smug to alarmed in a heartbeat.
“Raven, rein in your magic before we burn the fucking place down!”
Zane blinked into view, took one look at me and Alaric, and grinned.
“Oh, pet, are you being a bad girl without me?”