Chapter 38
Alaric
The polar bear shifter, Thorrin, put a plate of eggs and toast in front of me.
My stomach rebelled, but I forked up some eggs in the hope food would settle the nausea.
I could have used my healing magic to soften the worst of the discomfort, but I didn’t want to risk it.
For all I knew, it would trigger a hidden kill-switch in my head.
By the time I’d cleared my plate and finished a third cup of coffee, I felt much better.
“Thanks,” I said. “For this and last night.”
“You’re Mav’s pack mate, which makes you part of the family now.”
I grunted something noncommittal and focused on the view from the window. Blue patches of sky peeked through fluffy white clouds, so it had to be late morning.
“How come you’re here?” I asked when Thorrin sat down on the window seat. “I thought you were hiding on Sitkavus?”
He lifted one massive shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “We needed supplies, so I took the boat here. This place belongs to a friend. He’s in the fae realm on business right now.”
“Just you here?” I hoped so because I was not in the mood to deal with the idiot wolf shifter mate of his.
“Yeah. Rex stayed with Skyla. It’s not safe for her here. Not with the continued disappearances.” He took another sip of steaming hot coffee. “And why are you here, Alaric Vane?”
To avoid answering, I watched the gulls wheel and cry high above the ocean. Breakers crashed against the harbor wall far below, sending flumes of spray soaring into the air. The silence thickened in the room, and eventually, Thorrin’s heavy sigh dragged my attention back.
“Avoiding my father, mostly.” A dry harrumph followed that revelation.
“And your mate?”
I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his disapproving stare.
“She’s better off without me.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Alaric.”
Irritation flared. “And how is this any of your business?” While I was grateful he’d rescued my ass from the bar, I didn’t need a lecture.
“You’re mated now. Leaving your female unprotected is shameful behavior.”
I couldn’t help but snort. “She has four other mates to wipe her ass. Pretty sure she doesn’t need me.”
“Oh, but she does. A divided pack is a weak pack.”
“I’m not a shifter,” I sneered. “And therefore, not in a pack.”
“The same principles apply. Now that you have sealed the bond, you are each joined to your central mate as well as each other. Think of your pack as a sturdy chair. Remove a leg and it’s weaker and more prone to collapsing.”
I scoffed. Loudly. “What a stupid analogy.”
He shrugged. “How will you know if your mate is in danger? And if she is, how will you go to her? The incubus can teleport, but you are reliant on conventional transportation.”
“Maybe she’s safer without me.” The minute the words left my mouth, I realized I’d said too much. Thorrin leaned forward, making the seat creak under his bulk.
“Why would your mate be safer without you?” He frowned and then sniffed the air. “Why can I detect a faint trace of dark magic on you?”
I scrubbed my jaw and eyed the bottle of elkwine sitting on top of a stuffed bookcase in the corner. What I wouldn’t give right now for a drink. Drowning my sorrows in booze made it easier to shove my problems aside.
“Because my father cast a dark magic enchantment on me that stole my free will. It was how he captured Raven. I can’t go back to her because I don’t know if any of the enchantment remains active.”
Thorrin’s thunderous expression softened. “I see.” He sat back, staring into the middle distance looking thoughtful.
My father would find me. It was only a matter of time. And when he did, he’d drag me home and use me as bait to lure my witch back into his grasp. Now that we’d sealed the bond, Raven’s magic was unstoppable.
She’d proved that by effortlessly sucking the life force out of dozens of armed mages. Like the previous necromancer hybrid witch, Raven could be a tool for great evil if wielded by the wrong person.
And I knew if my father had his way, that person would be him.
“I know a witch who can check for hidden enchantments lurking in your brain.” The polar bear shifter’s words jolted me from my nihilistic imaginings.
“You’d trust a witch?”
Thorrin smiled. “I trust Magenta.”
I squinted at him, not recognizing the name. “What coven’s she from?” I knew most of the high-ranking witches, as virtually all of them had worked with my father and Brianna at one time or another.
“Magenta is not affiliated with any coven. She’s what you might call an independent contractor.”
Hmm. If so, she was breaking at least two laws.
The Coven Laws of 1857 stated all witches must declare an allegiance to a coven once they graduated.
The covens usually head-hunted the more powerful witches, although many of the original family bloodlines remained affiliated with the same covens as their female forebears.
That ensured the magic remained within the family, passed down through the female line.
“I doubt she’d want to work with me. I’m hardly popular these days.”
“Magenta is a good judge of character, Alaric. As am I.” He pulled a sleek iPhone from his pocket and typed a message. It made me wish I’d picked up a burner phone so I could keep tabs on my father. Until I remembered I needed to be frugal.
Still, I could always pawn the jewelry I’d stolen from Brianna’s collection. That brought a smile. I knew she’d lose her shit when she discovered her most expensive gems missing.
It served the bitch right.
“Magenta will be here in an hour,” Thorrin said when his phone pinged a minute later.
For the first time since I left my witch, a small spark of hope ignited. If the witch found nothing amiss, then I would crawl back to Raven and beg for forgiveness.
I had never begged forgiveness from anyone in my life, but for her, I’d do it.
I would gladly prostrate myself on a bed of nails and suffer any indignity she leveled my way so I could bask in her sunshine once again.