“How far is it?” I yelled into the frigid wind, grateful for Maverick’s body acting like a space heater in front of me.
“A few hours at least, maybe a day. Kai isn’t too sure, as he’s not been to this island in years.”
The place on the map where the spell left a mark was to the north. Thick forest lay ahead, but from what I could gather from listening to Maverick and Kai, there were hunting trails crisscrossing the island, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to make our way to the valley at the foot of the tallest mountain.
Maverick seemed to think we’d find my vampire in a cabin in the valley, but I was unconvinced. All my dreams of Rasmus showed him in an underground room carved from stone, with no windows. I was no expert, but to me that looked like somewhere within the mountain, not a cellar beneath a cabin.
It would be easier if he were in a cellar below a cabin or similar, but I doubted fate would make my quest so easy. Not after she’d tried to murder me several times already.
I shivered at the memory of being dragged underwater, then shivered again for an entirely different reason at the memory ofbeing with Kai and how it felt when he held me close. Maverick patted my hand, sensing my chaotic emotions.
As the mountain grew closer, more snow fell from a leaden sky, until soon we could barely see a few feet ahead. Eventually, even the snowmobiles struggled with the terrain.
The few hours of daylight had long since faded, but we continued on, moving far slower than we had at the start of our trip. The trees gradually thinned as the trail narrowed, and just as I was about to ask my bear for the millionth time whether we were nearly there, the trail ended and we stopped.
Since I couldn’t see the way ahead, I jumped off the back of the snowmobile to check.
I heard Maverick yell, but the howling wind swallowed his voice as I took a few steps forward. The ground beneath my feet fell away sharply, and I almost slipped as the sound of roaring water floated up through swirling snowflakes.
I realized then why we’d stopped. The only way forward was on foot, and it involved crossing a rickety rope-and-timber bridge over a steep gorge.
My heart dropped at the thought of doing it in this weather. It reminded me of a human book I’d read last year, about a girl who had to navigate a parapet to join the Rider’s Quadrant at some fantasy war college with dragons and sexy dragon riders.
I’d spent an entire week wishing dragons were real before reminding myself I’d literally pee my pants if I met one.
There were no dragons here, but I had a nasty feeling there might be a pissed-off serpent monster looking for revenge.
32
Maverick
“Raven!” She didn’t respond, unable to hear me above the howling wind. Fucking mage. This storm was him throwing a tantrum. I’d stake my year’s salary on it. The asshole needed to grow the fuck up.
“Stay away from the edge!” When she still didn’t respond, I tried screaming at her via our mental link. It didn’t always work, but to my relief, she stopped and spun around. The kitsune poked his head out of the backpack and yawned before shaking the snow off his furry head.
I sighed with relief when my mate trotted back over to me just as the other two arrived. Zane jumped off his snowmobile, abandoning it at a jaunty angle just to irritate me, while the merman waited at a distance.
He stood motionless, as if he heard or saw something invisible to me. I watched him once Raven was back in my arms. She snuggled into my chest, pressing her slim frame closer. My bearrumbled with satisfaction. He’d like nothing more than to have her in our arms 24/7. Sadly, that wasn’t practical.
The incubus tried to pull her away from me, but I growled a warning. I wasn’t in the mood to share. He tutted.
“Sharing is caring, bear.”
“No.” He rolled his eyes but didn’t force the issue for once. No doubt he’d end up sleeping with her later once we’d found a safe spot to make camp. I didn’t mind that so much. I’d rather he stayed with her while she slept and I kept watch. But first, we had a gorge to cross.
“Is it safe?” The merman nodded, back to his usual monosyllabic self.
“Then let’s cross the bridge and find shelter so we can make camp and eat.”
Raven peered out across the gorge and bit her lip. The kitsune climbed out of the backpack and shook vigorously. The cold didn’t seem to affect him. Like my bear, he had a dense coat.
“I’ll go first,” Zane said before stepping onto the bridge. It swayed as he moved forward, but I heard no cracking or creaking. We all watched with bated breath as the incubus disappeared into the blizzard blowing down from the mountain.
“Will he be okay?” Raven’s violet eyes stared up at me. Snowflakes dusted her cheeks before she brushed them away.
“He’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “If he falls, he can teleport himself back here.”
“That’s hardly comforting,” she muttered.
