Chapter 44 Raven
Raven
Ilanded in the living room of our dorm and swallowed hard to avoid hurling all over the plush pink rug I’d bought on Maverick’s dime. Although, given that Zane was now on my shitlist for blinking me away from Alaric, I planned to steal his credit card for all future purchases.
I’d seen a special edition hardback with sprayed edges from my favorite monster romance author that would look amazing on the bookshelf in my bedroom.
“Stars…” I bent over, heaving from the jarring sensation of being sucked away from the library without warning. “You picked the worst time to take me from Alaric!” Zane blinked innocently.
“I thought you’d want to see care bear.”
That got my attention. My lip wobbled perilously as tears pricked my eyes. I’d resorted to sending pathetic messages to my bear, but he hadn’t read them. I knew he hadn’t died, but being alive and being well were two very different things.
“He’s back?”
“I’m back, little mate.” My bear’s rumbly voice sliced me open to the bone, triggering a flood of angry tears. Before he could say another word, I rushed over and unleashed five days of fury on him.
Maverick stood stoic and silent as my fists punched him. Once I’d run out of steam, he wrapped me in his massive arms and nuzzled my hair with his nose.
“I’m sorry, little mate. If you give me a chance, I will explain.”
My tears and snot soaked through his cotton shirt. I wanted more than an explanation; I wanted a stars-damned apology!
“You left me on read,” I sniffed. Being left on read was the ultimate insult. I’d heard Glynda bitching about some guy leaving her on read the other day, although she refused to say who.
“I didn’t have my phone on me, little mate. Come, let me explain.” He picked me up like I weighed no more than a twig and deposited me on his lap by the fire. Kenji raised his head from where he lay on a pile of blankets and then resumed snoring.
Fig the pig trotted in and froze at the sight of my bear. Maverick’s eyes widened when he saw him, but aside from some throat clearing, he didn’t comment.
“I’ll take Fig to the garden for some outside time,” Kai said, scooping Fig up.
“Please leave it there,” Kenji grumbled.
My pig squealed and kicked his stumpy little legs, but I knew he enjoyed being carried around. And besides, Kai loved him as much as I did. At least I liked to think so.
Rasmus and Zane melted away, leaving me alone with my bear.
“I didn’t want to leave you, little mate, but my dad called to say my mother was showing the symptoms of feral shifter disease.”
I stiffened in horror. “Is she…okay?” Shifters sometimes survived, right?
“No. She passed away two days ago.” My bear tightened his arms around me, and for several long moments, we sat in silence. I wanted to comfort him, but what could I say that would make this any better?
I reached up and cupped his cheeks. His beard had grown long and unkempt, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I would have loved to meet her.” Now my cubs would never meet their grandma bear. That hit me harder than I had expected. My mates were my family, and knowing my future children would have no mentally stable grandparents stung like a razor wasp.
It wasn’t as if Tiberius Vane or Zane’s psycho shifter family could welcome our children with open arms. And don’t get me started on the mer queen. That bitch would probably try to drown our babies.
“Mom would have adored you. I’m so sorry I never took you to meet her.”
We fell quiet. What was there to say? Besides, I was far too crippled with guilt over the mean thoughts I’d had about my bear. While I’d been blaming him for triggering my abandonment issues, he’d been grieving the loss of his poor mother.
“Did Zane know?” Surely, if he knew, he could have told me what was going on, right?
“Yes, but I told him not to say anything in case I went feral too.” My heart seized in my chest. Was Maverick at risk? Goddess save us all, if my bear turned feral, I’d cross the freaking veil to bring him back. Fuck fate. She could go choke on a bag of dicks.
“But you’re okay?” Even if he wasn’t okay, I was here for him. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health.
“I’m fine, my precious mate.” I had a feeling there was a but at the end of that statement.
“And your dad?”
Maverick sighed. “Bears mate for life, so when they lose their mate, they don’t always survive.
It’s even worse when that mate was soul-bonded.
Dad shifted into his bear after we burned Mom’s body, and we haven’t seen him since.
I searched for him, but after two days, I gave up.
I’d already been away from you for far too long. ”
Fresh tears pricked my eyes. I didn’t dare picture how I’d feel if I lost my bear. He was my rock. My everything.
“I was fine,” I reassured him. “The others have been making sure I eat and stuff. Oh, and Alaric murdered Demelza for me, so that’s a positive.”
Maverick sat back in shock. “What? Why?!”
“Um, so Professor Lightfoot took over from you and…” I explained what happened during the stupid flag exercise. From Maverick’s angry rumbles, he was not amused.
“But the upside is I now have an emotional-support pig!” I smiled brightly. “He and Kenji don’t get on, but it’s early days. Kenji just needs to learn how to be more inclusive.”
“Stupid witch, I am fully inclusive,” Kenji said. “I put up with you, don’t I?”
“That fucking shifter! I swear to the goddess, I will kill Lightfoot,” Maverick growled. “Fucking tear him limb from limb and toss his fucking remains into Montgomery’s office.”
“Um, so that’s very creative, but no need. He no longer works here.”
My bear’s rumbles settled down.
“A mountain lion shifter took yesterday’s PT class. He seemed alright. He even gave the wolves shit for being assholes to me.”
Cue more angry rumbles once my bear realized I was still being targeted by the magical supremacist contingent of the student body. Yeah, the bullshit comments and gross behavior had not gone away.
My bear nuzzled my neck and then sniffed hard. I stiffened in his arms.
“Why do you smell of the mage?”
“She’s been naughty in the library,” Zane said from the doorway. He winked at me before sauntering in.
“With the mage?” I buried my face in Maverick’s chest to hide my blush. My bear was grieving the loss of his beloved mother, and here I was, getting sexed up by a grumpy storm mage. It was hardly the behavior of a loving, loyal mate.
“Yes, with the mage. Your lust was chef’s kiss, pet. It’ll keep me powered all night long, which is handy as I have some hunting to do.”
Maverick’s head snapped up, temporarily distracted from talk of the mage. Thank the goddess for my incubus. He had my back.
“Have there been more demon sightings in the forest?”
“No demons.”
“Then what are you hunting?” I stared at the incubus in confusion.
“Furry things.”
“Oh my stars, you better not be hunting poor little forest creatures!” I had no issues with him killing nasty demons, but bunnies and foxes? Hard pass.
“No, pet. Only big furry creatures. The kind with crunchy bones.” His remarks about wolf shifters came back to me. Ugh. Gross. But also… much deserved.
“No problem,” I chirped, keen to move on from talk of crunchy bones and Alaric sexing me up in the library.
“So…” I cupped my bear’s face in my hands.
“How can I help?” Losing a parent was traumatic.
My poor bear needed love and compassion.
Potentially even therapy. Whatever he needed, I was there for him.
“First, I need to fuck you, little mate, then I want to hear exactly what you and the storm mage got up to in the library.”