Chapter 56 Zane
Zane
The mage was lucky I had my hands full with our mate tonight. Otherwise, I’d have made sure he spent the next few hours locked in a nightmare bad enough to inflict permanent damage on his fucked-up psyche.
The sour scent of Raven’s misery washed over me. Her shoulders drooped as I led her around the edge of the dance floor, which meant she missed seeing the pretty decorations and enchantments.
She was also oblivious to the many envious stares and lustful gazes from the males who made the mistake of ogling my pet.
I’d deal with the worst offenders later.
If the headmaster thought he had a PR nightmare after the two wolves died screaming in their beds, I couldn’t wait to see how he handled a full pack massacre.
Naturally, I’d make sure a demon got the blame. There were plenty of them lurking around these parts. More than ever, which concerned me. But I refused to worry about demons tonight.
“Let me get you a drink, pet,” I said when we reached the ice bar. For the first time, Raven noticed the impressive theme the witches and mages had pulled off with the aid of high-level elemental magic.
“Wow, how come the ice doesn’t melt everywhere?” Her eyes bulged in astonishment.
“Magic, pet. Now pick a cocktail.” I shoved the menu at her, impatient to get on the dance floor. Incubi were always the life and soul of a party, and I loved to dance.
“Um, you choose.” She passed me the menu and stared out across the room, reeking of sadness all over again. Fucking mage.
I ordered two fruity cocktails and handed her the glowing blue one.
“It’s made with enchanted sour berries and elderwine. Sip it slowly, pet.” This was one of the least lethal options, but still powerful enough to fell a human in a minute.
Raven’s brow wrinkled as the sour flavor hit her tastebuds, followed by a look of wonder at the burst of sweetness from the elderwine.
“Good?”
“Wow, it’s amazing!” I chuckled as she guzzled a few more mouthfuls before my warning sank in. “Oh, it’s really strong!”
“Yes, so take it easy or I’ll have to carry you back to care bear’s cabin later.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as her arousal spiked. I didn’t need a crystal ball to tell exactly what she was thinking.
I leaned in and licked her neck, making her shiver. “Don’t worry, I’ll make all your dreams come true later. You, me, and the bear, pet.”
“Oh, I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort!” I snorted at her woeful attempt to lie to me. Did she not know I could sense her emotions? Right now, lust was dominant, which pleased me. I much preferred lust to misery.
“I’d stop thinking those thoughts if I were you,” I said, spotting an angry bear heading my way. “Maverick will know if you’re turned on, and he’s already pissed off about the dress.”
She smacked my chest while stamping her foot in annoyance. “You promised me you hadn’t bought the dress to piss off Maverick!”
The bear arrived before I could answer, saving me the hassle of lying to my mate. And yes, she was my mate. I’d accepted it. For better or worse.
Likely worse, given the fury on the bear’s face.
He was beyond pissed. He knew damn well our mate had no money or means of acquiring any, which meant he’d figured out who gifted her the designer dress.
Other students were already gossiping about how much attention I paid the little witch, but I didn’t care. They could talk all they liked. None of them mattered to me. Not anymore.
The bear’s expression softened when he looked down at our mate. I pulled her closer and grinned. “Tell her how beautiful she looks, care bear. The mage upset her earlier.”
“He did?” From the freshly minted rage in Maverick’s eyes, the mage was in for a beating, which he deserved.
“He said lilac doesn’t suit me.” Raven’s small, sad voice tugged at my nonexistent heartstrings.
“Little mate. As much as it annoys me you accepted a lovely designer dress from the asshole of an incubus when you refused to let me buy you one…” He glared at me again before smiling softly at our mate.
“I will say the incubus has good taste.” The bear cupped her cheeks, his eyes full of admiration and love.
Such sappy behavior made me want to vomit, but I ignored my nausea for the witch’s sake.
“Baby, you are the most beautiful witch in this room tonight. Hell, in the realm!”
Okay, so perhaps he had better lines than I’d thought. Our little mate flushed and giggled. Her scent changed from anxious and annoyed to happy and aroused once again.
I slid my hand around her waist, loving the way her breathing hitched as the bear pressed closer, sandwiching her between us.
“He’s right.”
A small witch in a midnight blue dress shoved past two hulking mages and skidded to a halt in front of us.
“Raven!” Glynda huffed. “I suspected the incubus had kidnapped you when you failed to appear in the common room!” Her eyes widened when she saw the dress my pet wore. “Wow! You look freaking amazing! It suits you way more than the black dress.”
Raven chewed her lip and frowned.
“Are you sure?” I almost rolled my eyes while Maverick smiled. Did our witch not see what we saw?
Glynda nodded enthusiastically. “Wait…is that a YSL new season dress?”
I threw Maverick a smug look. “It is. Straight from the catwalk.”
Raven blanched. “Oh my goddess, you didn’t steal it from a supermodel, did you?”
“No, of course not. I’m not a thieving kitsune.” I said the last bit under my breath, but Raven still heard me. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t comment.
“Okay, good. I would hate to wear a stolen dress.”
“Who cares where he got the dress from, Raven! It looks fabulous on you.”
“I love your dress too,” Raven grinned while admiring Glynda’s outfit. The witches cooed and giggled for a moment before they hugged, and then Glynda moved away to order a drink.
I rolled my shoulders and grinned.
“Come on, pet, it’s time for some murder on the dance floor before the parade and speeches.”