I’d planned to have fun with the witch, see where things went before committing. But entering her dream last night had thrown my plans out the window. The mate bond was too hard to ignore.
I’d given in to temptation and paid the price.
The second the bond clicked into place, reality hit me hard.
Bonding with the witch would shine a light on her. Bring attention she didn’t need. There were too many questions surrounding her abilities, and I had a feeling we’d only scraped the surface of what she could do, magically speaking.
Raven was no ordinary witch. That much was obvious, even if she didn’t see it herself.
“Why have you dragged me away?” The witch yanked her hand away and looked around the clearing. Snow fell in thick, wet flakes. Our exhales condensed into steam in the frigid air, but I needed to talk to her away from the others.
Care bear had completely lost his shit last night when the human shot Raven. If the vanilla popsicle hadn’t zapped thestupid bitch, the bear would have gutted her. It was just as well I’d got there in time to blink the witch and the mage away.
I’d left him healing the witch while I dealt with the human and her friend. I considered it a two-for-one deal. Two corpses were just as easy to dispose of as one. Luckily for me, with it being a cutesy small town, there were no CCTV cameras. Even better, the two idiots who fucked with my witch were tourists passing through, not locals.
It wasn’t a stretch to fake a horrible accident in the middle of a lightning storm.
Tourist tragically hit by lightning. Boyfriend drops dead from shock.
I may have shed a tear.
Raven tapped her foot, waiting for me to reply.
“It’s a small cabin, and I wanted some privacy.”
“Privacy?” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I’m not having sex out here in the snow.”
A chuckle escaped. “I like the way you think, pet, but no sex. Not right now anyway.”
“Then what? It’s cold, Zane. And you’ve acted weird ever since we shared a sex dream. I’m not sure what to think about that. Are you regretting our dream tryst?”
She shuffled on the spot while her teeth chattered. Shit. I really sucked at caring for my toys. It was just as well she had care bear looking after her needs.
I scrubbed my jaw while trying to think of how best to explain my concerns. The last thing I wanted to do was scare my pet, but she needed to be aware of the risks involved in being my mate.
“Do you know what happened to my father?”
Her eyes softened as she nodded. “Yes. Glynda told me.”
“Because of what my father did, the Supernatural Council keeps a close eye on me. They’re afraid I might lose my mind like he did, and with my powers, it would be disastrous.”
Raven’s nose scrunched in confusion. “Your mom dying affected your father, so why would the same thing happen to you? That’s ridiculous.”
“Mom and Dad were soul-bonded. When a soul-bonded partner dies, it can cause the one left behind to suffer a mental breakdown. Not always, but the closer the bond, the harder the loss is to bear. My parents were very close. From the moment they met, my father never fed on another living person again. She was his everything, and he hers.”
I watched Raven’s face as my words sank in.
Was it any wonder my dad couldn’t cope? It might not have been so bad if Mom had died of old age. But to lose her in a senseless accident had been too much for him. He started unraveling the minute he got the news she’d died, and I was there to witness it all.
“Zane…I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t need your sympathy, pet. That’s not why I’m telling you my sad story.”
“Then why? I don’t understand.”
“I’m telling you because once the council learns you’re my soul-bonded mate, they will watch you and me like hawks. Tiberius Vane does not want a repeat of what happened with my father. He’s already warned me that my life is forfeit if I show any signs of mental instability.”Fucking idiot. I’d love to see him try to take me out.
“But that’s…insane!”
