Chapter 12 Raven
Raven
“Of course I’m coming with you!” Maverick looked hurt that I’d thought otherwise, but I hadn’t wanted to make assumptions.
Yes we were mates, but the mate bond had settled, and I knew he had responsibilities.
It wasn’t fair to drag him halfway around the world if he didn’t want to go.
“Little mate, where you go, I go. No ifs or buts.”
My heart melted. What a sweet bear he was.
“Cute,” came Zane’s droll response. “For the record, it’s yes to butts for me.”
Maverick skewered the incubus with a glare so vicious I winced.
“The more the merrier, care bear!”
My bear shifter mate ground his teeth, but we both knew I needed Zane on this quest as well.
With his powerful teleportation magic, we could reach the northernmost islands far more quickly.
It made traveling so much easier. And besides, I’d grown rather fond of the irritating incubus with zero boundaries.
“I wish I could come too.” Glynda looked glum, so I gave her a big hug. When in doubt, hug one’s bestie was my motto.
“I wish you could join the fun crew too. I could do with your help in keeping the peace.” Glynda snorted at my name for our band of misfits before we both glanced at the bear and the incubus.
Maverick was busy drilling holes into Zane’s head with his bear-glowing eyes, while Zane fiddled with Maverick’s expensive coffee machine.
“Oops.” Steam burst out and a metal spout fell off.
“You break it, you pay for it.” Maverick slammed his hands down on the counter and caused a mug to tumble onto the floor, sending shards of pottery flying. Then he sighed and ground his teeth some more while quickly sweeping up the mess.
“And what happens if I break you?” I almost giggled at Zane’s innocent smile as he leaned against the sink, but I thought better of it. We were already on thin ice, and one more bust-up would blow this tentative dream team slash fun crew to smithereens.
“This isn’t going to work, is it?” I pulled a face at Glynda.
“You’ll be fine,” she chuckled. “Lots of sex is the solution to most problems where aggressive alpha males are concerned.”
“Sex?” I squeaked. “But…”
She booped my nose. “It’s only a matter of time before you cave in to the incubus’ charms. But feel free to give me a full review once you do. I’ve heard…rumors.”
“Rumors?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what other magicals had been saying about Zane. He might be an ass, but he was still a person. Ugh. Witches were such gossips.
“Yeah, Demelza said that—”
“Believe nothing that bitch of a witch says, pet,” Zane interjected, all traces of amusement gone. “I wouldn’t touch her cunt if she were the last female on the continent. I’d rather power up on care bear’s jack-off sessions than stick my cock into her poisoned well.”
“That’s not what she said.” Glynda’s voice trailed off before she grinned at me. “But everyone knows she lies like a demon when it suits her.”
“That ho loves wolf shifters.” Zane pulled a face as if remembering a particularly disturbing incident. “Two or three at a time. She has a degradation kink.”
Glynda’s jaw dropped to hear such salacious gossip. “Really?”
Oh my stars. I did not want to hear about Demelza’s kinks. I was having trouble enough figuring out my own.
Zane laughed. “I suggest not attending a pack orgy when she’s there. Your eyes will bleed, witch, but it’s good for my power reserves. Those shifters can go all night long with a bit of a magical boost from me.”
“I don’t need a magic boost,” Maverick muttered. I could confirm he was indeed correct, but I kept my mouth shut. While blushing.
From Zane’s sly grin, he knew where my mind had gone and approved. He shamelessly adjusted himself, and I immediately looked away, choosing to focus on the broken coffee machine instead. Was it beyond repair? If so, I might cry.
Stars-damned incubus. I’d been looking forward to a coffee before we left. Now I’d have to make do with herbal tea.
“Don’t cry, little mate. I already made you a coffee.” Maverick picked up a travel mug from the counter and handed it to me. “I even added a shot of vanilla for you.”
My eyes welled up with happy tears. I must have done something amazing in a previous life to be blessed with such a thoughtful and caring mate.
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Glynda gushed. “I hope I find my soul-bonded mate one day.” She sounded so sad I felt compelled to give her another quick bestie hug.
“I’m certain you will. And that person will be truly goddess-blessed to have you as their mate.” She smiled and we hugged some more. There was no such thing as too many hugs in my world. Hugs fixed most things.
After extracting a promise from me to let her know when we returned, Glynda grabbed her coat and dashed out the door. Her parents had insisted on taking her home with them this afternoon, and she still needed to pack.
I sat down with my coffee and sipped the delicious brew while thinking so hard my brain hurt. We needed to leave, but did I even have any cold-weather clothing? Goddess help me, I would freeze!
A loud knock on the door startled me out of my meltdown.
“It’s the merman,” Maverick said with a frown. “Why’s he here?”
“Um, we could ask him.” Without bothering to wait for either of my two males to reply, I scampered over to the door and flung it open, eager to see Kai.
I’d glimpsed him when we all assembled in the hall after the demon attack, but he disappeared the minute the headmaster gave us permission to leave.
“You’re okay!” I beamed at him and received a shy smile in return.
“Yes, I am well, Raven.” My gaze snagged on the bag slung over his broad shoulders. He shuffled his feet and said nothing, which made me nervous. Then Maverick appeared behind me, his bulk filling the doorway.
“Can we help you?” I shivered at Maverick’s frosty words. The merman looked up and straightened his spine.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Ooh, what fun!” Zane laughed from somewhere in the background. Maverick gently edged me to one side and glared at the merman.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll need me,” came the merman’s succinct reply.
“Um, how do you know where we’re going and why?” The merman had avoided me for weeks. I folded my arms across my chest, inadvertently pushing my boobs up and out. Kai’s gaze dipped lower before he blushed and his cheeks turned an adorable shade of lilac.
He raked his fingers through his braids.
A few moments passed while he considered his next words.
Maverick shifted in annoyance behind me, eager for this non-conversation to end, but I kept my feet firmly planted on the deck.
The merman had come for a reason. He’d overcome his shyness to be here and have a conversation with me—us.
If nothing else, he deserved a few minutes of my time.
And besides, he was sooo pretty.
Not that I was looking.
No. No. No.
Zane chuckled from somewhere in the cabin, and I knew he’d picked up on my interest. Stars. I needed to be careful. As a shifter with a horribly keen nose, Maverick would also detect my interest, and that was bad news for all of us.
I didn’t want my bear shifter to tear Kai apart in a fit of jealousy.
“He knows.” Kenji’s snarky voice broke through my mental shield, probably because my concentration had slipped. “Even a blind glow worm could see you’re hot for the fish boy. Have some self-respect, witch. Drooling is unseemly.”
My hand shot up to my mouth before I frowned. “I’m not drooling!”
Kenji snorted. “You may as well be.”
“One of my gifts is future sight.” I jumped at Kai’s words, too busy panicking about drooling all over my sweater.
“And?” Maverick didn’t sound impressed. No surprise there. It took a lot to impress my sexy bear mate.
He slid a brawny arm around my waist and tugged me against his chest. It was the bear equivalent of scent marking his mate. Because yes, he’d definitely picked up on my interest in the merman.
Goddess kill me now; I was a terrible mate.
“Relax, little mate. I’m not mad at you,” he murmured in my ear. “But we do need to talk about the merman.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “And the mage.” Oh.
Kai waited for us to finish whispering before he spoke. “I had a vision where I saw something happen to Raven that I can prevent if I’m there.”
My stomach lurched as a million different, horrible fates flooded my brain. Oh my goddess, was I going to get eaten by a kraken? Torn apart by a shark shifter? Stung to death by a venomous jellyfish?
“We need more detail,” Zane said, pushing Maverick aside. “Her fear is so thick it’s giving me heartburn.”
“Speak up, merman!” Maverick growled while squeezing me so tightly I feared my ribs might crack.
“It hurts!” I squeaked.
“Fuck, sorry, little mate!” Maverick relaxed his grip, allowing me to draw in a shaky breath. Then he turned to the merman. “Tell us everything.”
Kai looked around Maverick’s cabin, taking in the fireplace and the small but functional kitchen. I had a feeling his own accommodations were not this nice. From what Glynda had said, the less prestigious magicals lived in an older dorm the school hadn’t updated in decades.
Hardly surprising. The way our world treated anyone it deemed less than made me ashamed. Nobody was better or worse than anyone else. Yes, some of us were more powerful than others, but surely that meant we should help those less powerful, right?
But I brushed those thoughts aside. Now was not the time to think about such things. The clock was ticking, and we needed to leave ASAP.
Adam and Willow hadn’t left yet. I knew Adam wouldn’t leave campus without trying one last time to get me to go with him.
The headmaster and his security mages had strengthened the wards around campus to keep any potential threats lurking beyond the forest out, but some families had stayed overnight in the guest accommodations, so there was still a chance for Adam to kidnap me.
The mages had said families could leave today, along with any first-years too traumatized by the attacks to stay.
No doubt Adam would use it as an excuse to make me leave too.
Well, the joke was on him. I wasn’t going anywhere. At least not with him or Willow.
I still had no clue what was eating Willow. Instead of seeming happy to see me last night before the demons attacked, she’d acted off. Not at all like her usual self. Almost jealous, which made no sense.
She’d not once said she longed for a soul-bonded mate, so why would she care that I’d found mine?
Ugh. Maybe once things settled down, I’d talk with her. She didn’t use social media or email, but I’d figure something out.
“We’re waiting,” my bear snapped when I finally tuned back in. Kai stood next to the fireplace, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze. Something in me ached as his shoulders slumped. Why was he so unsure of himself? I couldn’t figure it out.
Most powerful magicals were arrogant and super confident, Alar-dick being a great example of an entitled asshole.
Kai was nothing like that. The anxiety emanating from him in waves made me want to wrap him up in a hug so tight he couldn’t breathe. The sort of hug I craved when the cafeteria ran out of chocolate muffins.
My feet took me in his direction before I could second-guess my actions. His eyes widened in panic at the sight of me approaching with my arms held wide, and he stumbled back. The realization I was about to cross a boundary he might not be comfortable with seared my cheeks in embarrassment.
Zane chuckled while Maverick threw me an exasperated look.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. You looked sad, and I wanted to…” I broke off before I made the whole situation ten times worse.
“Make fish boy feel better?” Amusement danced in Zane’s eyes. I glared at him. How dare he make fun of me!
“Yes,” I snapped. “Kai clearly feels uncomfortable, which is hardly surprising with you two acting like grumpy donkeys.”
“Grumpy donkeys?” Zane burst out laughing while Maverick’s lips twitched. “I’m pretty sure if you lay your hands on him, he’ll feel better, pet.”
“Enough!” Maverick’s powerful voice rattled all the plates in the cupboard. Okay, I guess he’d reached his bullshit limit for one day. Good to know where that limit lay. For future reference.
“Kai, tell us what you saw. If my mate is in danger, I need to know every last fucking detail so we can keep her safe.”
“Finally,” Kenji muttered. He huffed and stretched.
“I’m off to pick up snacks. Let me know when you’re ready to ditch this place.
” He blinked away before I could ask if he’d packed.
Not that I had any clue what a kitsune needed for a journey into the far north.
Presumably not a fur coat, as he had one of those.
Kai stood up straighter and focused on Maverick rather than me. Seeing how uncomfortable he was around me stung, but I took the hint and moved across the room to sit down on the sofa.
Fine, so the merman didn’t like me. Whatever. I could deal. At least he liked me enough to want to prevent some hideous fate from befalling me.
“I saw her crossing a wooden bridge over a gorge. A cetus pulled her down into the water.”
My brow scrunched in confusion. “What’s a cetus?”
“A serpent-like predator.”
“So how do they kill their prey exactly?” I cursed myself for my morbid curiosity. Maybe drowning in ice-cold water wouldn’t be so bad. I’d shiver and choke for a few seconds, then fall unconscious. There were worse ways to go.
“They swallow their prey whole and digest it slowly over several weeks.”
“That sounds…nasty,” I admitted, instantly deciding I wasn’t keen on the idea of being some giant serpent’s dinner. Especially if it planned to marinate me in stomach acid first.
“My mother thought she’d killed the last cetus a decade ago, but one must have escaped.”
“And you can protect Raven from this creature? My bear can swim, but he’s not as agile as a merman.”
Kai nodded firmly, confident in his ability to protect me. Good to know he’d put himself in danger on my behalf, even though he didn’t much like me.
“Good. Then you are officially a member of the fun crew.” Zane reached out and slapped Kai on the back. The poor merman looked unhappy at the idea of being a member of my harem, but if he saved me from being eaten alive, I was all out of fucks to give.