Chapter 53 Raven
Raven
The ache inside my skull lingered. It had been several days since Montgomery’s invasive magic test, and no matter how many soothing herbal concoctions I consumed, I couldn’t stop the stupid headache.
And that was after Alaric had used his healing magic on me, so the goddess only knew how bad it would have been without his help.
I’d not seen him since he dove out of a window like a ninja. I hoped he was alright and not stuck upside down in a bush with a broken neck.
Perhaps I should have checked…
Fig lay on his back in front of the fire, his stumpy little legs twitching as he napped. Every so often he snuffled and snorted, which was proving distracting.
The text in front of me grew blurry the more I stared at it. Eventually, I slammed the stupid book shut and huffed loudly. A cool hand curved around my neck, and the scent of snow and copper pennies washed over me.
“You need to relax, my queen,” Rasmus said. He lifted me up and placed me on his lap. He was right. It was Friday, so I had no more classes until Monday. My essay on the origins of the Mage Council wasn’t due until Monday, and I’d written the outline already.
“I am relaxed,” I lied.
“I’ve seen more relaxed stiffs in the mortuary,” Kenji muttered from his spot on the sofa. He glared at Fig and muttered something about fat pork sausages and crispy bacon rind.
“Have you visited a mortuary?” Part of me didn’t want to know, but curiosity compelled me to ask.
“Corpses often die while wearing expensive watches and jewelry. It would be a shame for such accessories to go to waste.”
“Oh my goddess, Kenji! Please tell me you don’t rob corpses!”
“I don’t rob corpses?”
I felt ill. What awful things had I done in a previous life to deserve such a morally bankrupt familiar? Did he have any boundaries?
“None whatsoever.”
Rasmus’s fingers massaged my neck as I pictured Kenji pulling rings from stiff fingers. Had he crawled into my bed after touching…dead people?
“Once or twice. You’re still alive.”
My familiar stood, stretched, and then vanished before I could express my utter horror at his antics. Tomorrow I’d file a complaint with Kitsune HR, if it even existed. Surely someone would listen to my long list of issues with Kenji. He and I were clearly incompatible.
I’d settle for a raccoon or a crow for a familiar. Heck, even a boring cat would do. Cats were independent but also affectionate.
My gaze slid down to Fig. Why couldn’t Fig be my familiar? Yes, he dug severed hands out of compost heaps, but at least he didn’t sass me all the time, rob dead bodies, or commit felonies on the regular!
Cool lips brushed my neck as I spiraled into madness.
“I can hear your heart pounding in your chest, my queen.” Rasmus’s hand slid down from my neck, brushing over the hidden ruby necklace before dipping into my cleavage. I shivered, and not because it was cold.
“Kenji stresses me out,” I grumbled.
“Why don’t we go upstairs, and I’ll help you relax?”
“That sounds…”
“As much as it pains me to say this, no naughty stuff, pet.” Rasmus growled, unhappy at Zane’s interruption. “I have plans for you.”
“What plans?” Maverick appeared with a dishcloth in his hand. My bear was a true domestic goddess. He’d turned our shitty dorm into a clean and functional accommodation.
Glynda had expressed more than once how jealous she was. I reminded her I had to put up with Zane’s antics, so there were some downsides to the arrangement.
“A night out so my sexy little pet can let her hair down and forget about school for a few hours.”
Maverick rolled his eyes. “Have you forgotten the campus is in lockdown and there is a curfew?”
“Nothing I can’t resolve, care bear.” Zane snatched me from my vampire, and before I could protest, he’d blinked me to my room. My eyes widened when I spotted a beautiful lilac dress draped over the bed, along with a pair of matching shoes.
“I don’t want to get into trouble!” The thought of Montgomery using his awful magic on me again sent me into a tailspin.
“I like it when you’re a bad girl,” Zane purred. “But fear not, we’re using a fae portal to escape, so nobody will know.”
“What? How?” Did that mean Farris the Fucking Fae was in town again? I wondered how Glynda would feel about that. She’d seemed awfully interested in all things fae lately.
“Farris has business in Thornville, so he agreed to give us a lift there.”
“You’d better not have made a terrible fae bargain, Zane!”
He grinned. “No, pet. I have more sense than to make a bargain with a fae.”
I folded my arms across my chest and scowled at him. “Are you saying I’m stupid?”
His eyes widened in alarm when he realized what he’d said. I almost smiled before deciding he deserved to feel bad because, yes, he had pretty much implied I was too stupid to live.
“Finally someone understands what I’m dealing with daily,” Kenji snarked in my head.
“My beloved little pet, you are the most precious thing in my world.” Zane cupped my cheeks. “Now make yourself pretty while I organize your other mates for a fun night out.”