“So how do they kill their prey exactly?” I cursed myself for my morbid curiosity. Maybe drowning in ice-cold water wouldn’t be so bad. I’d shiver and choke for a few seconds, then fall unconscious. There were worse ways to go.
“They swallow their prey whole and digest it slowly over several weeks.”
“That sounds…nasty,” I admitted, instantly deciding I wasn’t keen on the idea of being some giant serpent’s dinner. Especially if it planned to marinate me in stomach acid first.
“My mother thought she’d killed the last cetus a decade ago, but one must have escaped.”
“And you can protect Raven from this creature? My bear can swim, but he’s not as agile as a merman.”
Kai nodded firmly, confident in his ability to protect me. Good to know he’d put himself in danger on my behalf, even though he didn’t much like me.
“Good. Then you are officially a member of the fun crew.” Zane reached out and slapped Kai on the back. The poor merman looked unhappy at the idea of being a member of my harem, but if he saved me from being eaten alive, I was all out of fucks to give.
13
Alaric
Silence sat heavy on my shoulders. Arron and Jamieson had left an hour ago. Both of them heading home to their families. Loving families who cared about them and their safety. Unlike mine.
Dad’s message sat on my lock screen, unopened. The first few words told me all I needed to know.
Dinner at 8 with the Lovecrafts. We expect…
The Lovecrafts’s daughter, Petronella, was two years older than me. She worked in an administration role at the Mage Council’s offices. We’d met a few times, and she seemed nice enough, if rather insipid. But personality didn’t matter to my father; it was her powerful bloodline he cared about.
Not as powerful as the Blake line, but close.
If he’d invited the Lovecrafts to dinner, he was pushing for a new engagement. I debated reminding him we hadn’t buried Kinara yet, but what was the point?
All he cared about was me siring an heir. A grandchild he could control and use to further his political ambitions.
Petronella Lovecraft was skilled in illusion magic, which was something my father could use to his advantage. If I went home this afternoon, I’d be married by Beltane, and likely a father by next winter solstice.
I shuddered at the thought.
The witch and her mate were still on campus. Her familiar had appeared on my window ledge ten minutes ago, chattered and swished his tails at me, and then vanished. I took it to mean he thought I needed to go to her.
Dammit, did I even have a choice? Letting the witch disappear on some foolish mission to find a long-lost vampire was dangerous as fuck. Yes, the bear shifter could hold his own against potential threats. As could the lunatic incubus. But what they probably hadn’t factored in was the unpredictable nature of the witch’s magic.
She had a habit of setting fire to things.
Without my guiding her, she might kill them all. And worse, land herself in the magical penitentiary, where my father would treat her like a lab rat.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Even if I wasn’t willing to accept the soul-bond, I refused to let her suffer the same fate as my mother.
With my mind made up, I grabbed my coat and overnight bag. The others might not want me joining them on this insane quest, but tough fucking shit.
“Your fourth mate is here, pet!” Zane yelled when he opened the door and saw me standing on the deck outside the bear’s cabin, my bag in hand.
“I’m not her fucking mate,” I hissed, glancing around to make sure nobody had heard him. I hated that fucking incubus. Not only was he a perverted douche, but he also gave no shits about running his mouth off. If my father’s spies overhead him calling me the witch’s mate, I’d be in big trouble.
“Sure thing, Fritz.”
I stared at him. What the fuck had he taken? “My name’s not Fritz.”
He shrugged. “You fry things with your lightning, which makes you Fritz.” He smirked. “If it makes you feel better, Maverick is care bear and fish boy is self-explanatory.”
