Chapter 38 Raven
Raven
The tunnel snaked and turned. The further I got from the cavern where I’d left my mates, the more my anxiety spiked. I’d done a lot of dumb things in my life, but this was potentially in the top ten. Possibly even in the top five.
If a monster attacked me now, well, it was game over. My magic only seemed to work when it felt like it, although it did seem more powerful since Kai and I had sealed our soul-bond.
“Where are you?” Kenji’s voice startled me so badly I stubbed my toe on a rock and cursed.
“On an important mission.”
“That doesn’t sound at all worrying. Alone?”
“Why?” I huffed at his lack of confidence in my abilities. “I can take of myself.”
“History says otherwise, but whatever.”
I walked another ten steps before screaming when Kenji blinked into view directly in front of me.
“I nearly had a heart attack!”
“Except you’re still alive.” He rolled his eyes and stretched before cocking his head to one side, ears twitching.
“Is there a monster coming?” I tensed, preparing to cast defensive magic. Or something that might hurt a monster. Defensive magic was a second-year class, but I’d held my own against the demon that one time. I wasn’t completely useless.
“No, but your bear mate wants to kill something.”
“Little mate, where are you?” I huffed crossly. These guys were so co-dependent. It wasn’t a good look for any male.
“I’m on a mission,” I repeated with much eye rolling.
“That tells me nothing. Do not move from your current spot. I will find you.”
“Oh my stars,” I muttered under my breath. So much for going it alone. Since my bear was already tracking me, I kept going. He’d catch up.
I set off again with Kenji on my heels. Five minutes later, we reached a dead end.
What a waste of time. Had I really come all this way for nothing?
Feeling like a fool, I rested my hand on the smooth rock and muttered a few choice curses.
But before I could step back, the rock transformed into a door.
Glowing symbols lit up, and the ring on my finger, which I’d carried with me since we left campus, glowed brightly.
Something instinctive compelled me to press the ring against a small hollow in the middle of the door. I heard a metal grinding sound and then the door swung open.
Kenji trotted through the gap without waiting for me, so I rushed after him. Once inside, the door slammed shut behind me, leaving us both trapped in a room cloaked in shadow. I stared at the fireplace to my left, the grate cold, and also at the bearskin rug that covered the stone floor.
The chessboard on the table between two wing-backed chairs sat waiting for the players to return, a film of dust clinging to the ivory pieces. On my right, cobwebby books sat stacked on a bookshelf.
I recognized everything in the room, but the air smelled stale, like nobody had been here for months.
A faint whisper drew me across the room. My toe brushed against the edge of the rug, and I cringed. What a horrible thing. Thank the goddess Maverick wasn’t with me. I doubted he’d enjoy seeing one of his kin acting as a decorative accent piece.
The next door was closed, but when I pushed the latch, it swung open to reveal the same dark-timber four-poster bed I remembered from my dreams. The male I’d seen back then lay tangled in the sheets, his outstretched arm thin, the skin translucent.
“It was nice knowing you,” Kenji said, refusing to enter the room.
Was he seriously questioning my judgment in approaching a starved vampire?
I cocked one eyebrow at him, and he bared his teeth in return.
The vampire stirred. Two red eyes flashed open, and before I could say a word, he was on me.
For a vampire at the edge of death, he was surprisingly strong. He threw me sideways, and I hit the mattress with a bounce. The sound of yelling and fists hammering on the outer door caught my attention, but there was nothing I could do. My vampire prince had me pinned to the bed.
“Little mate!” Maverick’s panicked voice ricocheted around my mind, but I lay mute as Rasmus sank his fangs into my neck. Every cell in my body burned. I couldn’t move, but I also didn’t want to. The vampire had me in his thrall. He needed me.
No wonder people whispered about vampires feeding while fanning themselves.
I gasped as he took my precious blood, each pull on my vein weakening me further.
My heart rate slowed as my desire grew. Rasmus’ erection pressed against the apex of my thighs, and I whimpered as he withdrew from my neck and licked the wounds. When I dared look up, the male’s beauty nearly blinded me.
Thick, lustrous black hair hung over us like a curtain. Pale skin and red eyes glowed with renewed life.
As I watched in awe, his body filled out, muscles expanding with health and vitality. The thick cock resting against my clit pulsed and throbbed. He rocked gently against me, eliciting a moan.
“Little witch,” he purred. “My mate.”
“Hi,” I squeaked, unable to rip my gaze away from his dazzling features. Did him feeding from me make me a vampire’s blood slave? I was kind of hazy on how a vampire mate bond worked. Hopefully it was completely consensual because I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of being compelled to do things.
“You should get your shit together,” Kenji advised. “The bear is going feral out there.”
“I’m fine,” I told Maverick through the mind link. “Don’t worry.”
“If he drains you dry, I will tear his fucking head off!”
Rasmus rolled off me and lay back on the bed, using his arm to lock me into his side. I tried to ignore the prominent erection he still had going on and failed miserably.
“Little witch,” he rasped. “I need more blood, but my self-control isn’t what it once was.”
“My other mates are here. They will stop you if you lose control.” And probably murder you, I added in my head.
When Rasmus’s grip on my body relaxed, I scrambled off the bed and shot through to the magically locked outer door. The minute I opened it, my bear stormed in, closely followed by Zane and Kai. None of them looked happy with me.
I tried smiling to defuse the tension between us, but they all scowled. Oh well. I’d make it up to them later.
“More,” Rasmus growled, sitting up. I tried to move back to the bed but stumbled on the corner of the rug as a wave of dizziness struck me.
Maverick growled. “He’s taken enough!”
“No, he needs more blood!” As Rasmus’ mate, my blood was safe for him. He couldn’t feed from anyone but me. Not without potentially triggering the bloodborne virus, which, as far as we knew, was still dormant but active.
I climbed onto the bed and into my vampire’s arms. He pulled me close and nuzzled my neck. Maverick roared his displeasure, but my brain tuned him out. I couldn’t deal with his possessiveness right now.
Not when my vampire needed me.
“A few more mouthfuls and then you must sleep, little witch,” Rasmus murmured before biting me again.
A rush of euphoric pleasure quickly vanquished the sting of his teeth when he punctured my neck.
I whimpered as my body ignited, and a second later, my magic burst free in a storm of fire and swirling shadows.
The sound of a bear roaring barely registered as Rasmus took more of my blood. When he’d finally had enough, he sealed the wounds and tugged me back against his chest. I snuggled closer, enjoying his icy metallic scent.
Unlike my bear, Rasmus’ skin felt cool to the touch, which helped calm my volatile magic. The flames blazing above the bed died away, leaving nothing but a faint woodsy aroma in the small room.
“Let her sleep,” Rasmus told Maverick when he tried to snatch me away from the vampire.
When I opened my eyes again, a bear, an incubus, and a merman stood over me.
Kai said nothing, but the hurt look in his eyes hit me right in the gut. Maverick glared with his arms folded across his chest while Zane’s jaw ticked in annoyance.
“You’re in the doghouse,” Kenji commented from a table in the corner. He seemed more amused than anything.
“Doghouse?” My brow wrinkled in confusion. Was that a human saying?
“It means you’re going to get spanked later,” Maverick gritted out.
I huffed. “Stop reading my thoughts!”
“Then stop broadcasting them, pet!” Zane’s lips quirked, but Kai refused to look at me. Dammit, I’d hurt my merman by sneaking off so soon after we mated. He must hate me.
A tear slid down my cheek, and I quickly brushed it away before anyone noticed.
Maverick sighed. “Nobody hates you, Raven, but we’re all fucking angry that you willfully put yourself in danger yet again.”
“Fate made me do it!” I protested. Not quite the truth, but also not a lie. The bond had drawn me here, and that was fate’s doing, right?
“Fate my ass,” scoffed Zane. “Care bear’s right. You deserve a hard spanking.”
My thighs pressed together as a mental image of what that might feel like hit my brain. Honestly, it sounded good. Like, really good.
A hand shot out and slid around my throat, while a set of red eyes snapped open. All three of my other mates stiffened, ready to save me from a hungry vampire. Only I didn’t need saving.
“Ugh, fuck my life, I’m out of here before I need to scrub my eyes with bleach,” Kenji grumbled. “I’ll be taking a nap by the pool while you idiots sort your shit out. Come find me when the drama’s over.”
“Little witch,” the vampire rasped. “I’m still hungry.”