Chapter 19 Alaric
Alaric
Raven’s presence did nothing to improve my mood. She now had two soul-bonded mates, although the incubus seemed unhappy about it, which puzzled me. Had the witch accidentally fallen onto his dick?
Unlikely, which meant completing the bond had been an intentional act.
The witch’s pretty violet eyes scanned the menu. Until she’d sat down opposite me, I’d been hungry, but the sight of her in her figure-hugging jeans and cute, fluffy, white sweater killed my appetite stone-dead.
How could I eat delicious pizza when the only thing I wanted to eat was sitting across a small table from me?
She smelled divine. A combination of vanilla and coconut with a subtle hint of something dark and smoky. I inhaled deeply, letting her scent wash over me while the menu distracted her.
“What’s a calzone?” When I glanced up, she pointed to the menu. “I’ve only had the pizza they serve at school.”
Pushing down my surprise that she hadn’t eaten pizza a million times like the rest of us, I said, “Calzone is when they fold the pizza dough in half with the filling in the middle.”
“Is it nice?”
I nodded before the buzzing in my pocket distracted me.
Another message from my father. He’d also tried calling dozens of times.
The only reason he’d not sent his team after me was because I’d cast a highly illegal obscuration spell before I left.
It would wear off in a few days, but we should be back by then.
In the meantime, he could go fuck himself.
It wasn’t as if I needed to be present at his stupid dinner parties or even at Kinara’s funeral.
Dad was busy trying to spin the many unauthorized online stories about the demon attack, so Kinara’s funeral would be a low-key affair for family only.
No press allowed. My being there would make no difference.
I didn’t care enough to want to pay my respects.
Like I’d told Raven, Kinara had not been a nice person.
Irritated by my father’s continual attempts to make contact, I turned my phone off. He’d likely lose his shit when I finally got back, but if what Raven believed was true and the vampire prince lived, then my father was living on borrowed time.
Our pizzas arrived, along with a glass of orange juice for Raven. Thanks to some good food and several glasses of tequila in my stomach, I slowly relaxed, and with Raven sitting so close, the pain in my chest eased. To my surprise, her company wasn’t too objectionable.
She took her last bite of pizza and groaned.
“Oh my stars, that was amazing! Like, the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” She sat back and rubbed her belly with a rueful grin.
Her boundless enthusiasm for a simple pizza brought a smile to my lips. After living in the lap of luxury for my entire life, very little impressed me these days. Certainly not a pizza.
“Here, you missed a bit.” Without thinking, I leaned across the table and wiped a smudge of tomato sauce from the corner of her mouth. Her tongue flicked out and caught my thumb before I could remove it.
Our eyes locked. The noise of the pizzeria faded until there was only her. Flames flickered between us; she had me ensnared in a spell. The shriveled tether in my chest tightened, reminding me who she was and why I needed to keep my distance.
At least for now.
Knowing my father might soon live to regret his actions over the last twenty years had given me hope. Hope that this intensely annoying witch sitting across from me could be mine.
“Would you guys like to see the dessert menu?” A chirpy voice shattered the spell. I jumped back while Raven coughed and shook her head, dazed.
“I believe my friend wants ice cream, so yes.” Raven tore her gaze away from me and looked up at the server with interest.
“Ooh, yes! What flavors do you have?”
The human recited a long list of flavors, some of which sounded disgusting—pistachio??—before the witch chose a chocolate and mint combo. I shook my head when the guy asked what I wanted. Ice cream was for kids.
And Raven, who acted like a little kid sometimes.
“Don’t you like ice cream?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I had it as a small child sometimes.” Not very often, as my dear beloved stepmother instructed the household staff not to spoil me. Or even acknowledge my presence most days.
“Okay, so what desserts do you like?” She smiled happily when her ice cream arrived. I watched her scoop some chocolate and shovel it into her mouth while pondering her question. Then her face scrunched up in pain, and I burst out laughing.
“Brain freeze.”
With some discomfort, she swallowed her ice cream and grimaced at me.
“Please tell me that isn’t a literal thing.”
I chuckled. “No, it’s because the ice cream is cold. Don’t gorge on it and you’ll be fine.” She seemed unconvinced but spooned a much smaller amount this time. “In answer to your question, I’m not really a dessert person, but I do like sun-berries with cream.”
I sipped my tequila while she worked through the two enormous scoops of ice cream.
The alcohol warmed my gullet and soothed all my anxiety.
If the vampire prince returned and ousted my father, I’d force Brianna to remove the collar from my mother’s neck and free her.
Maybe her creature would return once the magic had gone.
Then she could live out her remaining days in freedom.
It was a forlorn hope, but I clung to it anyway.
Once her dish was empty, Raven rubbed her belly. “I need to lie down now,” she groaned.
“We should head back to the hotel,” I agreed. “It doesn’t look like the others are coming.” Her shoulders drooped.
“Where is Zane?”
“Not sure. I haven’t seen him since we checked in.” I dropped some cash on the table to cover the check and stood. “Come on. Maybe your new mate will be there when we get back.”
Her cheeks flushed hot. “Mate?” she squeaked.
“Yes, mate.” The rage I’d experienced this morning when I realized the fucking incubus had sealed the mate bond returned with a vengeance.
Thunder rumbled outside the pizzeria, and a sharp gust of wind rattled the tall windows overlooking the street.
It had been snowing periodically all evening, but as I stared through the misty glass, more snow began to fall thick and fast.
Dammit, I needed to calm down or the entire town would end up buried in a fucking avalanche.
“Alaric?” Raven’s soft voice cut through my anger as her hand slid into mine. “I’m sorry you’re upset about...”
I snatched my hand away. Hurt flashed across her face, but I steeled myself. I couldn’t afford to let my feelings for the witch distract me from what lay ahead. Yes, I was here. Ostensibly to help her. But really, it was to put my case to the vampire. I needed to know whether he would help me.
If he even lived.
“I’m not sorry. I’m angry because I don’t want or need a mate,” I hissed in a low voice only she could hear. It felt surprisingly cathartic to admit for the first time she was my mate, even if I didn’t want her. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
She flinched when I yanked her jacket from the back of her chair and practically threw it at her.
“Put it on. I don’t need the bear blaming me because you froze to death.
” Tears shone in her pretty violet eyes, reinforcing what an asshole I was, but I locked my feelings down before storming across the pizzeria, much to the annoyance of the servers weaving in and out of the tables bearing plates of food.
Raven trailed after me like a kicked puppy. The minute we stepped outside, a wall of wind and snow hit us in the face. Fuck, it was cold enough to freeze polar bears.
“You should dial your magic back a bit,” she sniped while pulling her hood down low over her face. Thunder cracked the heavens apart above our heads, and a lightning bolt scorched a tree across the street.
Several humans in the vicinity ran away screaming in fear.
“You could kill someone,” she added.
“I wouldn’t mind killing the fucking incubus,” I muttered under my breath. How dare he put us all in danger! He’d lived through his father’s spiral into madness after losing his soul-bonded mate, so why the fuck would he risk the same happening?
Zane was more powerful than his father. If Raven died and he lost his marbles, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
Solstice lights twinkled brightly, illuminating every store window we passed. I noted how Raven lingered outside a store that sold books. She seemed to like books. I’d seen her reading romance novels in the library a few times.
If I were her mate, I’d buy her any book she wanted and read them with her.
The thought popped unbidden into my head, and I stumbled. Raven’s hand shot out and steadied me before I pushed her away.
Until I got rid of my father, I needed to keep her at arm’s length. Otherwise, he’d use her against me. Like he’d used my mother to keep me in line all these years.