Chapter 12 Raven
Raven
Being cradled in a huge shifter’s arms meant the icy rain barely touched me as he carried me along the deserted pathways. He generated so much body heat my clothes were almost dry by the time we reached his cabin.
I’d tried to persuade him to let me go back to my dorm, but the male was stubborn as a, well, bear. He seemed determined to look after me, which, in his head, meant providing dry, clean clothes and feeding me a hot meal.
Honestly, I kind of liked it. I’d grown used to taking care of myself, and having someone embrace that role gave me all the feels. Plus, my magic loved it. Being close to him calmed it down. It was almost as if it knew he was mine. Which was weird.
Maybe his talk of soul-bonds wasn’t completely off the wall. I mean, I believed he believed it, but until I researched it more, I’d reserve judgment.
No witches I’d met over the years had soul-bonded mates or even mentioned it as a thing. Yes, I knew shifters had mates, but shifters were different to witches and mages.
Maverick opened his cabin and stepped inside. A fire burned in the grate, kicking out plenty of delicious heat. I sighed in delight as he placed me on a sofa a few feet away from the fireplace. Stars, I could get used to this.
My dorm room resembled a prison cell compared to Maverick’s cozy cabin in the forest. Sure, his cabin lacked personal items, and the kitchen was basic, but I loved the cute rustic vibe.
A sensible, risk-averse witch would probably have refused to come here, but that wasn’t me. Nothing about the bear shifter scared me. He’d been protective from the second he barreled into my life, and I had no reason to think he meant me harm.
“Here, go warm up in the shower,” he said, handing me a thick, fluffy towel. “I’ve put a plaid shirt and some shorts on the bed for you. They’ll be much too big, but it will give your clothes time to dry.”
“Um, I think my tee is almost dry now,” I replied. Both of us looked down at my boobs, and I blushed when I saw the heat flare in his eyes. Fur rippled down his arms before he growled.
Then he coughed and spun away into the kitchen area. “I’ll make you some food while you shower.” Okay then. Me showering and changing into his clothes was apparently important. I rolled my eyes and padded into the small but clean bathroom.
The walk-in shower looked like it would be a tight squeeze for a huge bear shifter, but it was plenty large enough for me. The water ran hot within a few seconds, filling the bathroom with steam.
If this was a human horror movie, some dude with an axe would burst in through the door, but instead of climbing out the window and running as fast as my legs could carry me, I shucked off my damp PT clothes and stepped under the stream of hot water.
Maverick would protect me. Heck, he’d probably eat a dumb serial killer for breakfast.
My magic hummed with pleasure at the bear’s proximity. I had no clue why his being nearby both riled me up while calming me down at the same time. At a guess, it had to be something to do with how soul-bonds worked.
I needed to research soul-bonds for non-shifters. There had to be books on the topic in the library.
Twenty minutes later, after using liberal quantities of Maverick’s pine-scented soap and then changing into a plaid shirt and stupidly big shorts so long I had to fold them ten times around my dinky waist, I headed back into the kitchen.
Maverick stood at the stove, cooking eggs and sausages. My mouth watered. Stars, his food smelled even better than the meals served in the dining hall. Maybe I needed to order a plus-size uniform. Just in case.
“Sit down, Raven,” my bear ordered. I almost choked. Was he my bear? Yes, preened my magic. I focused on his aura, fascinated by the ribbons of violet swirling within the deep green. That was new. I didn’t remember seeing violet in his aura when we met.
“Good girl,” my bear said when I dropped into a chair. My core fluttered, and my magic pulsed. Maverick inhaled sharply, then turned to stir the eggs with way more vigor than they needed.
Did I smell bad? Surely not, given I’d showered.
“I’m sorry. Was I not supposed to use your shower products?” I asked, wondering if maybe that’s why he seemed tense. Perhaps his shower gel was some super-expensive luxury brand from human stores. I knew some of them cost a small fortune.
“No, you smell… delicious,” he croaked, refusing to look at me.
Okay, a bit odd, but I’d heard that shifters had very sensitive noses. Maybe I hadn’t washed my feet properly or something. My eyes drifted down and admired his butt. Stars, that man had a fine ass. And shoulders. Oh, and sexy legs.
There was literally nothing I hated about the bear. What a pity he was now my PT coach. Sure, he reckoned it wasn’t a problem, but with my luck, he’d lose his job and I’d end up expelled.
I should leave.
Only I didn’t move a muscle. Instead, I let my mind drift off into a fantasy where my bear turned around and, in a sexy, husky voice, said how much he wanted me, just like in the sexy human fantasy series I’d watched with Willow one night.
What had the mage character in the last episode said to the pretty witch? Oh yes. “Who hurt you, princess? Give me a name and I’ll bring you their severed head!” Then they’d had mad sex in a crypt.
Hmm, maybe that one was a bad example. A slightly extreme example. Maverick might have no qualms about killing his enemies, but I definitely didn’t need a mate who thought it was acceptable to bring me severed heads. Eww. Gross. But the sex scene had been hot…
I rubbed my thighs together as a slow, deep ache hit me right in the core. Maverick groaned and dropped his spoon.
“Damn, Raven,” he groaned. “You’re killing me!”
His words knocked me out of the fantasy where he clawed my clothes from my trembling body and back into cursed reality. “I am?”
Smoke rose from the skillet, and he muttered a few creative swear words. “Dammit!”
“It’s fine, I can get food at the dining hall,” I told him with a sigh, sad the sausages were now charcoal sticks. “I expect Glynda will send out a search party if I don’t show up soon.” Which would be super awkward.
“No, just…stop thinking about… stuff.”
“Stuff?” This was all too confusing. I’d lived a sheltered life until I came here. Talking to males was new to me. It was clear I needed advice. Hopefully Glynda had more experience and could guide me on how to talk to sexy males without pissing them off.
Maverick scraped the burned eggs and sausages into the trash. Before I could blink, he crossed the room and sank to his knees at my feet, his chocolate-brown eyes focused on my face.
“This isn’t your fault, Raven,” he said in a gruff voice. “My bear is fighting me hard right now. He can smell your… interest in me, which is making him act feral.”
“Feral?” I squeaked. “Isn’t that bad?” Visions of dismembered limbs flooded my brain.
“Not feral as in dangerous. Feral as in, he’s ready to claim you and doesn’t understand it’s too soon and you might not be, ahem, ready.”
“Oh.” I had no clue what claiming entailed, but it sounded exciting, and I was here for it.
“Does he want to bite me?” I asked innocently.
Maverick’s eyes darkened and his shoulders bulged as he gripped the sides of my chair.
The wood creaked under the strain. Stars, he was strong.
An image of him shirtless and chopping wood, like a sexy lumberjack I’d once seen on the cover of a human romance novel, popped into my head.
Maverick groaned and closed his eyes. He looked like he might burst out of his clothes and shift into his bear. I realized he didn’t want that, so I sucked in a deep breath and said, “I should go. It looks like I’m making things hard for you.”
“Hard as fucking steel,” he muttered before forcing a smile. “My bear won’t claim you until you are ready. Claiming is permanent. Once we seal the bond, you’re mine. Forever.”
Well… okay, forever was a long time, but honestly, being bonded to this delicious male for the rest of my life would hardly be a chore. I mean, he could cook, for starters. And I loved food. So, yay, win-win for me!
Stars, Raven, focus!
“Um, I asked this before, but you didn’t tell me. What does claiming mean, exactly?”
Maverick’s throat bobbed as he shifted closer. I shivered when his lips ghosted across the soft skin just below my ear.
“Claiming is when I sink my cock into your tight little pussy and my bear sinks his teeth into your neck. It’s how bears bond with their mates.”
My heart stopped. Literally stalled in my chest. That sounded…
“I’ve not done that before,” I admitted, slightly concerned I might spontaneously combust and destroy Maverick’s cabin. I was pretty sure my body was fireproof, but was his? It was for the best if we didn’t test that hypothesis yet.
Maverick’s brow furrowed in surprise. “You’re a virgin?”
I lowered my gaze and nodded. Shameful, but true.
There hadn’t exactly been a glut of attractive males around our compound, as Adam had only ever accepted female witches into his found family.
The few males I’d spent any time with were old, grizzled farmers with toothless gums and body odor issues.
Hardly the sort of guys I wanted to gift my purity to.
“Yes.” I focused on the floor as a wave of embarrassment slid through my veins, hot and bitter. Most witches my age had been sexually active since their magic manifested.
Magic and lust went together like ham and eggs. Witches and mages loved sex. Mostly with each other, but some weren’t fussy and hooked up with shifters, despite it being frowned upon.
When I’d turned fifteen, Willow had fallen for a wolf shifter she met at a market where we sold potions once a month. Her hot fling lasted a few weeks until the shifter moved on. Poor Willow had pined about him for months.
Yet another reason why I wasn’t a normal witch. Not only was my magic defective, but I hadn’t had sex yet. Stars above, Maverick would soon figure out fate had made a mistake.
Only, when I dared to look up, he seemed… delighted?
I frowned in confusion. Surely a male like him wanted an experienced female?
He was older than me. Males of his caliber would expect their females to be lusty and enthusiastic, like the ones in a human movie I’d seen. Magic Mike? Willow had sold it to me by saying it was about magic. She’d lied.
“Are you saying I’ll be the first male to touch you, little witch?”
“Um, yeah?”
“The first male to taste your pretty pussy?”
I shivered as my core clenched at the thought of him spreading my legs and dipping his tongue into my…
“Yes.”
His huge, calloused hands slid along my thighs, the heat of his touch burning my skin. He inhaled deeply and groaned as if he were in pain. I could relate. I’d never been this horny in my life. Not even after watching the scandalous vampire series that Willow had us binge-watching last Samhain.
“As much as I love you in my clothes, little witch, I need you out of them more.” His fingernails lengthened into vicious claws and sliced through my borrowed shorts.
Since I wore no underwear, the minute he ripped the ruined garment from my body, I ended up naked and shaking with need, my legs spread and my pussy exposed to his burning gaze.
“Mine,” he growled.