Chapter 54 Raven
Raven
The day of the Winter Solstice Ball had arrived, but I still hadn’t found an opportunity to cast the locator spell. The pegasus feather and Kai’s scale were in a locked box under the floorboard in Maverick’s cabin.
To my surprise, Alaric had come through with the promised feather. A big part of me expected him to make an excuse or ghost me. But he’d given it to Zane, who’d handed it to Maverick for safekeeping.
I fully expected Alaric to revert to asshole mode now that he’d done his bit, although I hoped not. The spell was difficult, and Glynda was adamant we’d need help to cast it without causing some sort of magical explosion, or worse, killing ourselves.
But spell casting would have to wait until after the ball. What with end of semester exams on burning topics like ‘Are Humans a Viable Threat?’ and ‘Fungi Potions 101’, I’d not had time to do much more than study.
While I was no longer behind in all subjects, I was behind in a lot of them.
Thankfully, Glynda had been kind enough to be my study buddy.
Even Kenji had made himself useful by bringing us snacks from the kitchen when we got the munchies.
Yes, most had teeth marks in them before they arrived, but it was the thought that counted.
“What do you think?” I held up the dress I’d borrowed from Glynda. Kenji rolled his eyes.
“Boring.”
I dropped the boring dress onto my bed and sighed. Yes, it wasn’t really my style, but Glynda liked dark colors. She said they matched her Gothic, witchy vibe, which they did.
Bright, fun colors suited me better. I loved pinks and greens, blues and reds. Pretty jewel colors that reminded me of flowers and nature.
Maverick had offered to buy me a dress, but I said no. He already did enough for me. Besides, Glynda had offered to lend me one, only now I’d tried it on, it didn’t fit my body shape.
But since I had no other option, I’d have to suck it up.
Tonight was for the families and students. There would be a bonfire and a barbecue outdoors, with music, food, and drink. Since this was the first time the first-year students had seen their families since the start of the semester, the campus buzzed with excitement.
I knew Adam and Willow were coming later. Possibly Nova too. The thought of seeing them again made my stomach churn with anxiety. I’d missed my family, but I wasn’t sure how they’d react to news of me finding a soul-bond with a bear shifter.
“You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry,” Kenji commented from his position on my pillow. I grimaced at the sight of white hair all over the spot where I lay my head. For a kitsune who claimed not to shed, he sure shed a lot.
I sighed before picking up the dress again. It would have to do. Besides, it didn’t matter what I wore. The only person whose opinion I cared about was Maverick’s, and I knew he’d think I looked gorgeous no matter what.
Yes, I might be a teeny bit invested in whether Alaric, Zane, or Kai thought I looked pretty, but realistically, none of them would tell me even if they did.
“Okay, here goes nothing,” I muttered before pulling on the black dress. It draped nicely over my hips but was too long and clung way too tight across my chest. Despite being short and petite, I had bigger boobs than Glynda.
“Congrats. You rock the slutty witch look.” Kenji gave me his version of a high-five, ignoring my glare.
“Great.” I guess I could look forward to an evening of hearing disgusting, misogynistic comments from all the wolf shifters at the ball. Hopefully, Maverick didn’t lose his temper and eviscerate any of them. As a member of the faculty, he was supposed to be on his best behavior.
Witch gossip in the common room also revealed Tiberius Vane was due to give a keynote speech, which meant we all needed to be on our best behavior.
I heard a knock at my door and rushed over, expecting to see Glynda, but to my surprise, I found Zane.
My heart stuttered in my chest. The incubus had styled his usually messy hair. Instead of faded jeans and a tee, he wore tailored black pants and a black shirt with silver cufflinks.
It was impossible not to swoon; Zane exuded sex appeal. My body wanted to climb him like a tree, but I swallowed hard and forced myself to take a giant step back. Being too close to the incubus would end in tears. My tears.
I couldn’t afford to get distracted this evening. Not with Adam and Willow here, ready to whisk me away, allegedly for my own safety.
Yeah, not happening.
As much as I loved and respected Adam, he needed to let me make my own decisions. I was tired of being a sheep with no autonomy.
“Why are you here?” Two witches twittered behind him, both dressed in pretty pink dresses with lots of feathers and sparkles. The sort of dress I usually loved. Only I was stuck wearing black.
I forced a bright smile, determined to look on the bright side.
He held up a large box stamped with a brand symbol I vaguely recognized.
“A gift for you.”
I stepped aside, unsure what to make of this unexpected event. Zane and gifts seemed an unlikely oxymoron. Mostly he gave me a headache.
“Oooh, Yves Saint Laurent,” Kenji said excitedly. “Thank the goddess. Now I won’t have to cringe with embarrassment when the official photographs appear in tomorrow’s Magical Times.”
I scowled at the nosy witches cooing at the incubus and slammed the door in their faces. They weren’t my friends. I’d read the shit they said about me on the dorm group chat. Bitches.
“There are photos?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Possibly. I heard some witches talking about the first-years having photographs taken.” He shrugged. “Ask your friend. What am I? Witchipedia?”
“No, you’re my magical support partner, the familiar who’s supposed to help me!”
“File a complaint with Kitsune HQ. Laters!” He grabbed the protein bar I’d been saving for a late-night study snack and vanished.
“Having relationship drama with your familiar?” Zane asked with a smirk before placing the large box on my messy bed.
“Yes, he’s a pain in my butt.” I huffed in irritation, cross that Kenji had left me alone with the incubus. He knew how weak my self-control was. If Zane tried anything, I wasn’t sure I would turn him down. And that would be a bad idea for many reasons.
Reasons I was having a hard time remembering as Zane smoldered by my door.
“Kitsunes can be willful creatures,” Zane said, oblivious to my mental meltdown. “But he’ll always be there for you when you need him.”
“Assuming he’s not locked up in the magical penitentiary,” I muttered.
“Never mind the kitsune. Open the box.” Zane seemed curiously excited. My eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he just grinned and bounced on the spot.
The lid came off with ease, revealing soft pink tissue paper. Beneath the tissue paper lay a beautiful lilac dress made from delicate silk and embroidered with tiny jewels. The workmanship was exquisite. When I held it up, it sparkled as if a million stars had burst into life.
“It’s beautiful!” And clearly stupidly expensive.
My heart fell. I couldn’t accept such a gift. Gifts from an incubus came with strings attached. “It’s too much, Zane.” I reluctantly placed the stunning dress back in the box, but Zane stopped me, no longer grinning.
“Care bear said you wouldn’t let him buy you a dress, which is ridiculous, by the way. So I got one for you. Wear it, pet. The world needs to see how well the bear treats his soul-bonded mate.”
“But it must have cost a fortune!”
Zane waved his hand dismissively. “My father left me a fortune. The council tried to confiscate his wealth, but they failed.” He smirked again while my jaw dropped in shock.
“Why would they do that?”
“They claimed it was proceeds of crime. But that’s not important. What matters is that you take that hideous black thing off and put this on so we can hit the party. I’m in the mood for some dancing.”
Fifteen minutes later, I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my brain unable to process the new me. The lilac dress fit my figure perfectly, like it had been made-to-measure. Who knew, maybe it had?
The bodice hugged my boobs, giving me extra cleavage, while the skirt swished around my legs. A split up the thigh allowed me to walk unhindered, and the shoes I’d found under the dress ensured my legs looked amazing. Sure, I couldn’t walk properly, but if I looked hot, did it really matter?
I felt bad about rejecting Glynda’s dress, but she’d understand. Her loaner dress was nothing compared to this one.
“Are you ready, witch?” Zane hollered. “We need to go.”
I applied one last coat of frosted lipstick and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
Would Maverick like the dress? I hoped he didn’t throw a jealous fit about my accepting Zane’s gift while refusing to take one from him. If he did, my evening was about to go up in smoke.
I dropped the lipstick into the small matching clutch bag and stepped out of the bathroom, my skin clammy with nerves.
Zane’s pale eyes darkened to a stormy gray blue as he scanned my body. The more he stared, the more my confidence wobbled. Did he hate the dress? Did it not suit me?
Was he disappointed and wishing he’d given it to another female?
“Stunning,” he said eventually. “Care bear will lose his shit.” That seemed to amuse the hell out of him, which had me frowning.
“If the only reason I’m wearing this dress is so you can one-up Maverick, I will take it off,” I warned him.
He chuckled. “Oh no, this is all for me, but if he hates the fact you accepted my gift, then I won’t lose any sleep over it.” He grabbed my hand before planting a heated kiss on my frosted lips. “And you taste divine too. Now come, pet, let’s go party like an incubus!”
Before I could protest that Glynda was meeting me downstairs, he’d blinked us both away.