Chapter 14 Raven
Raven
Zane had teleported us as far as he could, but once we reached the farthest point he’d visited previously, we had no choice but to switch to a more conventional means of transport.
From the dark circles beneath the incubus’ eyes, teleporting all five of us plus Kenji after the previous spellcasting excursion this morning had taken its toll on him.
“I feel like a dead battery,” he grumbled as we landed outside a quaint inn on the edge of a small town. The place looked homey, and from the runes carved into the gate, it welcomed magicals.
Not all inns and hotels did. Human-run ones were leery of magical guests, especially shifters with their love of parties and orgies. There had been more than a few headlines about wolf shifters wrecking vacation rentals.
If I owned a property, I probably wouldn’t want to rent it to a bunch of wolves either. Mostly because I disliked how obnoxious they often were. At least in my experience.
Maverick caught me smiling as I stared at the cute decorations hanging from the decorative trim around the porch.
While humans loved to make a big deal about this time of year, we magicals didn’t celebrate the winter solstice in the same way, but families typically gathered and shared food and small gifts.
Whoever owned this place must love the holidays, which I found relatable.
Willow and I had always given each other a gift and stuffed our faces with chocolate and other treats over the holiday.
My smile faded at the thought of missing out this year, but I refused to feel sad. I’d made my choice.
“Raven and I will share a room,” Maverick announced. “You three can sort yourselves out.”
“Err, hello? There better be a bed for me,” Kenji muttered crossly. “I’m not sleeping in a fucking kennel.”
Alaric nodded, apparently happy with that plan, but Zane scowled.
“Not happening, care bear. I need to power up, and watching the vanilla popsicle jack off won’t cut it I’m afraid.”
“You’re not fucking watching me do anything!” Alaric spluttered indignantly.
The incubus folded his arms across his chest and smirked. “I can’t help how my magic works. Are you seriously kink-shaming me?” He tutted while I flushed bright red, as did the merman. Was Zane suggesting he share a room with me, my bear, and Kenji?
I’d been too tired to care about him sharing the bed with me and Maverick last night, but from his talk of needing a magic recharge, I had a feeling Zane didn’t plan on watching me sleep this time.
“I’m sure you can figure something out,” my bear huffed as snow floated down from the sky in thick, wet flakes. Kenji shook himself and puffed out his fur as protection against the chill. “My mate’s cold and hungry.” He scooped me up with one arm and picked up our bags with his other hand.
The inn’s reception area smelled of freshly baked cookies and mulled wine. My stomach grumbled, reminding me I’d eaten nothing since a hurried sandwich before we left. While that wasn’t too long ago, meals had been an afterthought lately.
Mostly because I’d had too much on my mind.
An unhappy rumble vibrated through my bear. He didn’t like it when I failed to eat properly. “I’m not looking after my mate like a good bear should,” he growled to himself.
I kissed his cheek. “You’re the best mate a witch could have.” And I meant it.
I ignored the gagging sounds from my familiar. He didn’t have a romantic bone in his body.
“Newly mated?” The tiny gray-haired witch behind the reception smiled at us.
“Yes.”
“I remember the early days of being with a soul-bond mate.” She chuckled before checking her computer. “You’re in luck. We had a cancelation yesterday because of an incoming storm, so the honeymoon suite is available.”
“We’ll take it,” my bear said without asking how much.
I cringed, belatedly remembering I had no money.
“Stop worrying, little mate,” Maverick scolded as he tapped his phone on the payment terminal.
“I told you, I can take care of you in every way. You don’t need to worry about money.
” Kenji hopped up onto the counter and started grooming his fur.
“Oh my, what a cute little fox!” the witch cooed, not at all bothered about hair flying everywhere. Kenji preened and fluttered his eyes at the witch. How come he acted like a grump with me but was nice to other witches?
Zane and the other two appeared behind us, shaking snow from their heads and shoulders.
“Are you traveling together?” the witch asked while passing Kenji a biscuit. He fluttered his eyelashes some more and crammed the entire biscuit into his mouth.
“Yes, I’m sharing with them.” Zane pointed to me and Maverick. The old witch nodded. I guess she assumed we were all shifters.
“What about you two?” she asked Kai and Alaric. I tensed, expecting some sarcastic retort from Alaric about needing his own luxurious room, but none came.
“We’ll take a twin room if you have one, thanks.”
Maverick asked about food while the witch assigned our rooms and cooed at Kenji, who was busy pretending to be a cute little arctic fox instead of a snarky kitsune.
It turned out the inn didn’t offer food apart from breakfast, but she recommended a bar at the other end of the main street that served ribs and other simple dishes. I wasn’t a huge fan of ribs, but I’d happily eat a bowl of cheesy fries if they had any. Pizza too. Oh, and ice cream.
“I’d kill a dragon for some ribs,” Kenji informed me. “Your mate better feed me.”
Maverick took our key, thanked the witch, and then we followed a narrow staircase lined with a plush carpet up to our room.
I gasped when the door opened and I saw the huge four-poster bed covered in soft pink blankets and pillows in various shades of plum and green.
A tall window overlooked the forest to the north, and the attached bathroom had a shower large enough for Maverick, plus a lovely tub, which I planned to use before we checked out in the morning.
Pretty paintings hung on the walls, while in the corner I spotted a bookcase stuffed full of paperback novels. Someone had stacked the fireplace with kindling and logs. When he felt me shiver, Maverick rushed over and struck a match. The kindling caught instantly, and soon, flames warmed the room.
Zane kicked his boots off and threw himself on the bed with a grin. “Come join me, pet,” he purred in his most seductive voice while patting the spot next to him.
“My mate needs to eat, incubus. Behave!”
“I am hungry,” I admitted as my stomach let out an awful, pained growl.
The incubus pouted in disappointment. “I guess I can wait an hour. In a small town like this, there’s bound to be a few angry polar bear shifters. Not a fan of rage, but I can recharge from it.”
“Stay out of fucking trouble, incubus. We can’t afford to attract attention.”
“Care bear,” Zane gasped in mock shock. “I always stay out of trouble!”
Maverick rolled his eyes. “If you end up eaten by a polar bear shifter, don’t expect me to come to your rescue.”
“Don’t worry, my cute little care bear. I am more than capable of taking care of my own sexy butt.”
Kenji trotted over to the fireplace and fluffed up his fur in the heat. His coat had darkened since the night of the demon attack. I still wasn’t sure what he’d meant by ‘leveling up,’ but assumed he’d gained additional powers from magic-sharing with me.
At least I hoped so. Given I didn’t know what challenges lay ahead, I’d take any advantage I could get.
I yawned as I stood in the bathroom brushing my teeth. My belly was full after eating a surprisingly good meal at the nearby bar. The place had been busy, but we found a table near the back and ordered food without attracting too much attention.
Most of the other patrons looked human. At least I saw no obvious signs of magical heritage, such as extra-large stature or unusual skin colors.
The server asked a few polite questions about where we’d come from, brought us our food and drinks, and then left us alone.
I’d shoveled my food down while passing Kenji a plate of ribs, which he’d demolished in record time before demanding beer.
Since I had no clue how old he was (he refused to tell me), I put my foot down about the beer, which he was still bitching about.
I could hear Maverick and Zane talking in low voices in the bedroom but didn’t bother listening. That they weren’t arguing was a plus. Alaric had disappeared to his and Kai’s room when we came back here, while Kai went to find some water to swim in.
I’d expressed concern that he might freeze to death, but Zane reassured me merpeople were immune to cold water temperatures.
My reflection stared back at me as I finished braiding my hair. The amulet hung heavy between my breasts. Each time I moved, the hairline crack in the gem caught my eye.
I’d meant to ask Alaric if he knew of anyone with earth magic who could fix it, but he’d avoided being near me since we set off. In the bar, he chose the seat farthest away from me and made no effort to join in the conversation.
Not that there was much conversation. Maverick was too busy eating his bodyweight in ribs while Zane disappeared after eating a steak. I assumed he’d gone to top up his magic but didn’t ask. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know if he spent his time inciting lewd behavior in the bathrooms.
While I’d read up on how incubi fed, I didn’t need a practical demonstration.
“Hurry, pet. It’s getting late.” Zane’s voice filtered through the bathroom door, and I sighed. I’d delayed the inevitable long enough. It surprised me that Maverick had agreed to let Zane share our room, but because the incubus had shared our bed last night, he could hardly say no.
I breathed in and out to quell my nerves and then stepped back into the bedroom.
Maverick was already in bed, the covers pooled around his waist, while Zane lounged on the small sofa underneath the window wearing nothing but a pair of cotton pants.
I tried not to look at him, but inevitably, my gaze slid in his direction.
My mouth dried up as my pulse jumped. I scanned the room searching for Kenji, but saw no sign of him.
“Where are you?”
“Kitchen. Still hungry.”
“You ate two portions of ribs in the bar.”
“I’m a growing kitsune. Deal.”
“I need you back here.”
“The incubus made me a deal. I have shit to do later, but when I get back, I’ll stay with the mage and fish boy tonight.”
“Stuff to do? Like what?” He ignored me. “KENJI!”
I huffed crossly and, avoiding Zane’s heated gaze, climbed into bed next to Maverick.
“Little mate,” he rumbled, pulling me into his arms with a happy sigh. The fire still burned in the grate, but even if it went out, I wouldn’t be cold with my bear sleeping next to me. He generated more heat than a volcano. Which was handy, given how cold it was in this part of the world.
Once I’d settled in his arms, he reached out and switched off the lamp next to the bed. Moonlight filtered in through the thick drapes. Zane’s eyes glowed as he stared at me, making me squirm.
“You better not be pushing sex magic at me,” I murmured against Maverick’s chest.
The incubus laughed as I closed my eyes and pretended I didn’t want him.