Chapter 30 Zane
Zane
Maverick tore off his clothes and leaped into the churning black ocean, shifting to his bear before he hit the water with an almighty splash. I knew bears were strong swimmers, but the ocean had turned into a fucking vortex as whatever took Raven dove back down out of sight.
“I can’t see a fucking thing,” I yelled as the mage stopped puking long enough to grip the metal bar and peer down into the abyss. The captain stuck his head out of the engine room.
“I’m heading back to shore before that monster returns.”
I moved so fast he didn’t have time to slam the door in my face. Which was a pity because I was spoiling for a fight.
“Maintain our position. If you turn the boat around, I will rip your fucking head off.”
Maverick would struggle to catch up if the captain sped off. He wasn’t fucking super-bear on steroids, and even a bear shifter couldn’t survive for long in this ocean. He didn’t have enough body fat to keep the cold out indefinitely.
“Fine!” the captain grumbled. “But I want double the pay when we arrive.”
I ignored him. Paying the asshole was not my concern. The captain slunk back into his cabin, and I returned to the mage, joining him in his vigil. The longer we saw no sign of Raven or the merman, the more fear dug its claws into my heart.
“We need lights so the bear can see.”
The mage nodded and cast a spell. Dozens of mage lights popped up around the boat, glowing like miniature stars, bathing the ocean in golden light. I caught sight of the bear before he dove back down.
Minutes ticked by while we stared at the water.
Nothing.
No sign of my pet.
A few more minutes passed, and the ocean calmed. The mage exhaled a sigh of relief before retching again.
The bear burst through the surface as I peered into the darkness, cursing how impotent I was out here on this stupid fucking boat. He roared in pain, telling me without words that he couldn’t find her.
I clung to hope. The bond hadn’t snapped. I could feel her glowing in my chest, but it was as if her mind had shut down. She must have lost consciousness. Knowing the merman was down there somewhere was the only thing stopping me from losing my shit completely.
He’d foreseen this. At least one version of it. If anyone of us could fight a sea monster, it was he. I’d seen him attack demons on the night of the Solstice Ball. Fish boy had decent enough combat skills. Not as good as mine, obviously, but better than average.
“You better not fucking die,” the mage muttered to himself before I turned on the bastard.
“You should have accepted her. If she dies, I will blame you.”
“How dare you blame me!” I heard a roar, and a second later, the merman dove up out of the ocean with Raven in his arms.
He shifted mid-air and landed on his feet. Our mate fell to the deck in a bedraggled heap with the merman’s arm still hooked around her waist. I scanned her, searching for any sign of injury, but found nothing. Next to me, the mage stepped toward her before freezing and then shaking his head.
If only the sea monster had taken him instead of my pet. Nobody would have missed the foul-tempered bastard.
The merman shook like a dog before he turned toward the cabin. “She’s freezing. Where’s the bear? He’s the best one to warm her up.”
The bear swung onto the deck with an anguished roar before shifting back into a man. He tore her from the merman’s arms and wrapped her in a bear hug.
“I thought I’d lost you, little mate.”
“She needs heat,” the merman repeated. “I didn’t have enough magic left to warm her.” He swayed on his feet before rallying.
Raven reached out and touched his arm before her eyes fluttered shut.
The captain peered out of his grubby window, and I threw him a warning glare, just in case he took matters into his own hands and changed course.
We’d lost enough time already without taking a diversion.
Once I satisfied myself he’d gotten the message, I followed the bear and merman inside. My pet needed us all.
All except the mage.
He could go fuck himself.