The human recited a long list of flavors, some of which sounded disgusting—pistachio??—before the witch chose a chocolate and mint combo. I shook my head when the guy asked what I wanted. Ice cream was for kids.
And Raven, who acted like a little kid sometimes.
“Don’t you like ice cream?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I had it as a small child sometimes.” Not very often, as my dear beloved stepmother instructed the household staff not to spoil me. Or even acknowledge my presence most days.
“Okay, so what desserts do you like?” She smiled happily when her ice cream arrived. I watched her scoop some chocolate and shovel it into her mouth while pondering her question. Then her face scrunched up in pain, and I burst out laughing.
“Brain freeze.”
With some discomfort, she swallowed her ice cream and grimaced at me.
“Please tell me that isn’t a literal thing.”
I chuckled. “No, it’s because the ice cream is cold. Don’t gorge on it and you’ll be fine.” She seemed unconvinced but spooned a much smaller amount this time. “In answer to your question, I’m not really a dessert person, but I do like sun-berries with cream.”
I sipped my tequila while she worked through the two enormous scoops of ice cream. The alcohol warmed my gullet and soothed all my anxiety. If the vampire prince returned and ousted my father, I’d force Brianna to remove the collar from my mother’s neck and free her. Maybe her creature would return once the magic had gone. Then she could live out her remaining days in freedom.
It was a forlorn hope, but I clung to it anyway.
Once her dish was empty, Raven rubbed her belly. “I need to lie down now,” she groaned.
“We should head back to the hotel,” I agreed. “It doesn’t look like the others are coming.” Her shoulders drooped.
“Where is Zane?”
“Not sure. I haven’t seen him since we checked in.” I dropped some cash on the table to cover the check and stood. “Come on. Maybe your new mate will be there when we get back.”
Her cheeks flushed hot. “Mate?” she squeaked.
“Yes,mate.” The rage I’d experienced this morning when I realized the fucking incubus had sealed the mate bond returned with a vengeance. Thunder rumbled outside the pizzeria, and a sharp gust of wind rattled the tall windows overlooking thestreet. It had been snowing periodically all evening, but as I stared through the misty glass, more snow began to fall thick and fast.
Dammit, I needed to calm down or the entire town would end up buried in a fucking avalanche.
“Alaric?” Raven’s soft voice cut through my anger as her hand slid into mine. “I’m sorry you’re upset about...”
I snatched my hand away. Hurt flashed across her face, but I steeled myself. I couldn’t afford to let my feelings for the witch distract me from what lay ahead. Yes, I was here. Ostensibly to help her. But really, it was to put my case to the vampire. I needed to know whether he would help me.
If he even lived.
“I’m not sorry. I’m angry because I don’t want or need a mate,” I hissed in a low voice only she could hear. It felt surprisingly cathartic to admit for the first time she was my mate, even if I didn’t want her. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
She flinched when I yanked her jacket from the back of her chair and practically threw it at her.
“Put it on. I don’t need the bear blaming me because you froze to death.” Tears shone in her pretty violet eyes, reinforcing what an asshole I was, but I locked my feelings down before storming across the pizzeria, much to the annoyance of the servers weaving in and out of the tables bearing plates of food.
Raven trailed after me like a kicked puppy. The minute we stepped outside, a wall of wind and snow hit us in the face. Fuck, it was cold enough to freeze polar bears.
“You should dial your magic back a bit,” she sniped while pulling her hood down low over her face. Thunder cracked the heavens apart above our heads, and a lightning bolt scorched a tree across the street.
Several humans in the vicinity ran away screaming in fear.
“You could kill someone,” she added.
“I wouldn’t mind killing the fucking incubus,” I muttered under my breath. How dare he put us all in danger! He’d lived through his father’s spiral into madness after losing his soul-bonded mate, so why the fuck would he risk the same happening?
Zane was more powerful than his father. If Raven died and he lost his marbles, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
