Chapter 28
Raven
Ahowling wind buffeting the window woke me. I opened my eyes, vision bleary, confused about where I’d fallen asleep. This wasn’t the hideously uncomfortable cot where I’d spent the last few nights.
I lifted my head, provoking a disgruntled grumble from the mattress. Okay, so not a mattress.
“Does a mattress have nipples?” Zane rumbled sleepily.
“No?”
“You don’t sound too sure about that,” he laughed.
Deciding it was best to put a pin in that conversation, I raised my head and surreptitiously wiped the drool away from my mouth. Maverick never complained when I sleep-drooled over him. Being a furry bear had its advantages.
“You can drool over me all you want,” my incubus purred. “Especially my cock.”
I huffed in annoyance. “Stop reading my thoughts!”
“Not like he can help it when you broadcast your inanity over the entire realm.”
“Kenji!”
“I’m busy eating. Go away.”
I smiled like a dope. Thank the goddess my sweet kitsune was back in my head. Boy, I’d missed him, although it didn’t sound like he’d missed me.
“He did miss you, pet,” Zane reassured me. “He’s just putting on a brave face.”
“Nope, I very much enjoyed the quiet time,” Kenji snarked. “It was like being on a meditation retreat for kitsunes with burnout. Ten out of ten, would recommend.”
“Where are we?” The bed was enormous. Easily big enough for five large males. The thick stone walls reminded me of the castles I’d seen in human movies, majestic structures where kings and queens lived.
“Olaf Firewing’s crib.”
“Olaf? Isn’t he a snowman from a kid’s movie?
OH MY GOD! Are there real-life snowmen? I had nightmares about snowmen when I was a kid!
” I clutched the covers to my chest while experiencing a mini panic attack.
The idea of being kidnapped by a murderous snowman that sang terrible songs was not appealing.
Sure, I had fire magic, but would it work against a murderous snowman?
Zane’s mouth gaped open. “Olaf’s a dragon shifter, not a snowman!”
“Wait…what? There are real-life dragons?! Like in the book where dragons bond with people at a war college?”
“Pet, I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about, but yes, there is a real-life dragon shifter. More than one actually.”
“Murderous snowmen? Really?” Kenji scoffed loudly in my head. “For the ten millionth time, I have regrets. Many regrets.”
“You will eat your words when a snowman tries to murder you!”
Then there was more loud scoffing, which I ignored. While I felt certain there was such a thing as a sentient snowman, I was more interested in hearing about the dragon.
A freaking dragon!
I allowed myself a moment of childlike excitement at the thought of a dragon before I sobered as the memories of what happened in the weird-ass laboratory began to filter back into my head. Goddess, what had I done?
“What’s wrong?” Zane pinned me down with his hard body. Under different circumstances, I’d have enjoyed the way he pressed me into the mattress, but all I could think about were the piles of dead bodies.
All those deaths were my fault.
How had I murdered so many people at once?
“I’m a serial killer!” I choked on my spit and then coughed up a lung. “Oh my goddess, I should be locked up in the penitentiary with all the other killers!”
“Calm down, pet. You saved us all with your creepy death magic. If you hadn’t taken out all the mage guards in one glorious blast, they would have had time to clear out the other prisoners.”
His words sank through the layers of guilt and self-recrimination. He was right. There was no way the guards would have surrendered. Tiberius has probably brainwashed them all.
“How many did I murder?”
Zane grinned. “Around thirty, I think? But don’t worry, Olaf took care of the bodies by setting the laboratory on fire.”
I exhaled slowly, somewhat relieved all evidence of my crimes against mages had been wiped away in an inferno.
“I suppose that’s okay then.”
“Relax, pet. I’ve killed way more people than you, and I’m still sane!”
He rocked his hips into me, successfully distracting me from visions of orange jumpsuits and scary prisoners with designs on my ass.
“You deserve a reward, my sexy little serial killer.” Zane nibbled my neck and then slid down my body, taking the sheet with him.
“I need a shower!” I protested, fairly certain I still bore the traces of my, um, sexy times back at the facility.
Ignoring my pleas, Zane pressed his nose between my thighs and inhaled deeply.
“You smell delicious, pet.” Then he pushed his tongue inside me and groaned. “Fuck, you taste delicious too.”
The door opened behind us, and before I could blink, my vampire appeared at the side of the bed. Red eyes gleamed down at me, and he licked his lips.
“Room for one more?” he purred. I half expected Zane to tell him to fuck off, but to my surprise, he just smirked.
“Best be quick, before grumpy bear loses his shit.”
“You have about three minutes,” Kenji said, popping into my head. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem for your mates.”
Zane must have caught that last bit. “Cheeky little bastard! But if three minutes is all we have, let’s make it work, Count Suckula!”
Before I could protest that maybe this was a bad idea because an angry Maverick was likely to break things, most notably Zane, Rasmus had whipped his clothes off and pulled me astride him.
I groaned at how amazing he felt inside me. It had been too long since I’d let my vampire pleasure me. “Much too long,” he agreed, grazing his fangs across my neck in anticipation of drinking my blood. “I crave you, my sweet. Like the finest wine from my family’s vineyards.”
Zane moved alongside us and cupped my chin. “Open wide, pet,” he instructed before pressing his thick length between my lips.
Hands caressed my breasts, squeezing and pinching, pushing me closer to a climax. The minute Rasmus sank his fangs into me, I fell over the edge with a scream. Vampire venom never failed to magnify my orgasm, and this time was no exception.
Rasmus and Zane soon followed me, proving Kenji’s prediction one hundred percent accurate. I couldn’t decide whether to be amused or impressed.
“Mates that last barely three minutes are hardly impressive,” my familiar sniffed derisively.
The bedroom door crashed against the stone wall as my bear stormed in.
“Raven needs rest and food, not you imbeciles pawing her!”
Zane stretched out on the bed and sighed happily. “You’re just jealous, grumpy bear. Chill the fuck out. Our mate is now happy and sated.”
Rasmus licked his lips. Heated eyes devoured me, and I shivered. Kenji was right. Three minutes were not enough. I needed way more naked time with my mates. All of them.
“Where’s Alaric?” I asked, belatedly remembering my other grumpy mate. I was kind of surprised he’d not muscled his way into my bed; all my other mates had suffered severe abandonment issues after sealing the bond, and I doubted Alaric would be the exception.
Maverick, Zane, and Rasmus exchanged wary looks. My skin prickled. Were they having a conversation without me?
“What?” I tried to reach Alaric via the bond but got nothing in return. He was there, but also not there. Had the asshole fucking blocked me?!
“He vanished while we were searching the laboratory.”
“Do you know where he went?” I asked Kenji.
“No. Although I’m sensing a pattern here. First Kai, and now the storm mage…”
Oh my goddess, Kenji’s delivery could use some work, but he made a good point. Maybe I was the problem?
“Perhaps Tiberius kidnapped him?” I scrambled across the bed in a panic. “He could be in danger!” The last time Alaric acted weird, his father had used dark magic on him.
“He left a note.” Maverick reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled yellow square. He handed it to me and then stepped back.
I had a serious case of déjà vu as I smoothed out the small sheet of paper.
Raven, it’s not safe to be around you while Dad is alive. Don’t try searching for me. I’ll return when my father is dead. Yours, Alaric.
My stupid, self-sacrificing storm mage. Why were males so dumb?
Zane huffed. “How rude. I am far from dumb!”
“We have to find him.” My stomach growled loudly. I peeked up through my tangled hair, checking whether my bear noticed. He scowled. Of course he had.
“You’re not going anywhere until you’ve eaten a decent meal and had a long soak in the tub, little mate.”
“There is much to discuss before we leave the sanctuary of Olaf’s castle,” Rasmus agreed.
“And we need to figure out what to do with the magicals we rescued.”
Goddess, what a selfish witch I was! Here I was, worrying about my stupid runaway storm mage when there were magicals in need of therapy after being held in captivity for goddess knew how long!
“Did you rescue a vampire?” I blurted at Rasmus. She’d known who he was!
He looked almost tearful for a moment. “Yes, we rescued my sister. All thanks to you, darling.” He pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my hair. “Thank you for finding her.”
“Um, I didn’t do anything other than end up imprisoned and experimented on.”
A volley of growls and curses filled the room as my mates registered what I’d just told them.
“What the fuck do you mean by experimented on?”