Chapter 32 Maverick
Maverick
“Raven!” She didn’t respond, unable to hear me above the howling wind. Fucking mage. This storm was him throwing a tantrum. I’d stake my year’s salary on it. The asshole needed to grow the fuck up.
“Stay away from the edge!” When she still didn’t respond, I tried screaming at her via our mental link. It didn’t always work, but to my relief, she stopped and spun around. The kitsune poked his head out of the backpack and yawned before shaking the snow off his furry head.
I sighed with relief when my mate trotted back over to me just as the other two arrived. Zane jumped off his snowmobile, abandoning it at a jaunty angle just to irritate me, while the merman waited at a distance.
He stood motionless, as if he heard or saw something invisible to me. I watched him once Raven was back in my arms. She snuggled into my chest, pressing her slim frame closer. My bear rumbled with satisfaction. He’d like nothing more than to have her in our arms 24/7. Sadly, that wasn’t practical.
The incubus tried to pull her away from me, but I growled a warning. I wasn’t in the mood to share. He tutted.
“Sharing is caring, bear.”
“No.” He rolled his eyes but didn’t force the issue for once. No doubt he’d end up sleeping with her later once we’d found a safe spot to make camp. I didn’t mind that so much. I’d rather he stayed with her while she slept and I kept watch. But first, we had a gorge to cross.
“Is it safe?” The merman nodded, back to his usual monosyllabic self.
“Then let’s cross the bridge and find shelter so we can make camp and eat.”
Raven peered out across the gorge and bit her lip. The kitsune climbed out of the backpack and shook vigorously. The cold didn’t seem to affect him. Like my bear, he had a dense coat.
“I’ll go first,” Zane said before stepping onto the bridge. It swayed as he moved forward, but I heard no cracking or creaking. We all watched with bated breath as the incubus disappeared into the blizzard blowing down from the mountain.
“Will he be okay?” Raven’s violet eyes stared up at me. Snowflakes dusted her cheeks before she brushed them away.
“He’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “If he falls, he can teleport himself back here.”
“That’s hardly comforting,” she muttered.
The kitsune blinked out of sight and then reappeared a few seconds later. He looked at Raven, and she exhaled in relief.
“Zane’s across safely.”
I took her hand in mine and led her to the start of the bridge. “Whatever happens, don’t let go of me.” The kitsune jumped into the backpack and rested his head on her shoulder.
Raven nodded before I took my first steps onto the bridge. The timber slats felt solid underfoot, if somewhat slippery thanks to the freezing temperatures. But I pressed on, keeping one hand on the rope rail to one side and the other wrapped around my mate’s small fist.
The merman followed us. He acted calm, which gave me confidence. I focused on what I could hear and smell but detected nothing amiss.
The frigid wind whipped around us, blinding me with snow, digging its claws deep into my skin. Far below, water roared, angry and vengeful. My mate’s teeth rattled so loudly I could hear her above the howling wind.
By the time we reached the middle of the bridge, the snow had thickened and I couldn’t see a fucking thing—front, back, or below. I swore under my breath and promised myself I’d tear that mage a new asshole once we got back to the harbor. Assuming he hadn’t fucked off in our absence.
Part of me hoped he had so he wouldn’t hurt my mate again, but then leaving would also hurt her. Ugh.
I took another step forward, eager to reach the other side as quickly as possible. The bridge swayed alarmingly, creaking underfoot. Raven gripped my hand tighter. Her anxiety bled into my mind, the scent of her fear leaving an acrid taste in my mouth.
If the vampire had passed through the veil when we finally found him, I silently vowed to kill him all over again for putting my mate through this bullshit. We should be back on campus with my mate tucked up in bed, sated and happy, not traversing a fucking rope bridge in a fucking snowstorm.
The snow thinned, and when I looked down, my enhanced shifter sight spotted something moving below.
I couldn’t see it clearly, but I felt the air ripple. The merman shouted a warning just as a dark shape leaped up from the abyss. The bridge swayed alarmingly as a huge serpent creature struck the rope ahead of us.
Raven screamed in terror, and I almost lost my grip on the rope. Only my claws saved us. My bear roared in my head as fur rippled down my spine and the shift overtook me. The timbers below my paws creaked under the weight of my bear but didn’t break.
I scooped Raven up with one paw and launched forward, eager to get off the bridge before whatever lurked below had time to launch another attack.
Just as I reached the final few feet, the monster reappeared through the snow, its gaping maw heading straight for us. Sharp teeth sank into my shoulder, tearing a strip of fur and flesh from me.
My bear howled in agony but refused to let our mate go.
Her terrified screams ripped me apart more viciously than the predator.
The kitsune scrambled free and vanished in the blink of an eye before reappearing with the incubus.
He pulled a blade from the ether and braced himself against the rope, waiting for the serpent to appear.
A second later, it lunged out of the curtain of snow. Zane and the merman struck simultaneously, leaving me caught in the middle with our mate shielded beneath my body.
Her small hands gripped my fur as I reached out to her through our mental link.
“My bear won’t let it take you, little mate.”
She didn’t reply, but her heart rate slowed from a gallop to a canter.
If it tried to snatch her, I’d follow her down and gut the creature. Not even a giant serpent could survive being eviscerated by a bear’s claws.
The sound of a wet screech made me look up just in time to see a head hit the bridge and bounce away. Hot blood arced across all of us as the serpent’s body dropped into the void. I heard a distant splash and then silence prevailed.
“That was fucking ugly,” Zane remarked, wiping his blade on his pants. With a twist of his fingers, it vanished. The merman’s head hung in shame.
“I should have killed it the first time.”
My bear grunted and shoved forward, pushing the incubus toward the bank. I didn’t want to spend a second longer on the bridge.
The kitsune sat patiently waiting. He ignored us and went straight to the witch, licking her hand in a rare display of affection. Once we were in the shelter of some trees, I shifted back.
Blood dripped down my arm from where the creature had taken a bite. I wasn’t concerned, although it hurt like a bitch. Thanks to my shifter healing powers, the wound had already begun to knit together.
My biggest concern was that I’d ruined my clothes in the shift.
“Damn, care bear,” the incubus smirked. “Cold weather isn’t a problem for you, eh?”
He stared down at my cock with way more interest than was appropriate, which made Raven giggle before she winced at all the blood.
“I’m so sorry; I don’t know any healing magic,” she apologized before staring at her feet.
“Don’t worry, little mate. I’ll be fine in an hour. Let me dig some more clothes out, and then we can find somewhere to camp.”
“I need to replenish my magic. It took a lot to teleport across that gorge and kill a monster.” The incubus winked at me, but I turned my back on him in favor of finding some pants before my dick got frostbite.
“When you say replenish your magic, you mean we…” Raven’s voice died and from the awkward silence that was followed by a faint laugh, I knew she’d figured out what the damn incubus meant.
“It’s too fucking cold for that,” I snapped.
The cold didn’t bother me too much, or the merman, but my witch was not immune.
It was impossible to tell how much further we had to go in this storm.
If the incubus thought he was getting his dick wet in the middle of a raging snowstorm, he was delusional.
“If we push on, we should reach the valley tonight,” the merman said while refusing to make eye contact with any of us. His trident had disappeared, much like Zane’s blade. I guessed they could summon their weapons with magic or perhaps stored them in a pocket realm.
I dragged a plaid shirt and padded jacket over my chest, wincing as my shoulder twinged.
“Okay, if you think it’s worth pushing on, let’s go.”
My witch rallied and straightened her spine. “I’d rather sleep somewhere more sheltered,” she admitted. “Will there be a cave or something?”
“With a bit of luck, we’ll find the vamp’s house,” Zane replied. “Maybe he lives in some boujie log cabin with solar panels and hot water?”
Raven snorted. “That wasn’t the vibe I got when I saw him in my dreams.” Her smile vanished, and the sad look I hated returned.
She sniffed as I squeezed her hand.
“We’ll find the bloodsucker, pet,” Zane promised. I nodded in agreement even though I was aware he could have turned into a withered husk by now. But I’d worry about that later.