Thorrin’s expression turned murderous. “The mages come and hunt our kind. They use magic and steal away any rare females they find. We don’t know why. They’ve plundered the mineral mines too. Most likely for spellcasting ingredients.”
Shock paralyzed me. I’d always known my father was evil, but what the bear described went beyond anything I’d believed he was capable of.
“We fight back, but there are too few of us, and without the merpeople, we’re at a serious disadvantage against powerful mages.”
“Why won’t they help?”
“Because they say the fight with the mages doesn’t concern them, which is true to an extent. The Emerald City is inaccessible to most species. So as long as they remain safe, they refuse to get involved.”
“Does Kai know?” I blurted. The merprince never had a lot to say, but he didn’t strike me as a male who’d stand by while my father’s mages hurt other magicals. I’d seen him fight when the demons attacked. He held his own.
“The merprince?”
“Yeah. He’s here on the island.”
The bear shifter tilted his head to one side, his eyes distant for a moment. Then he focused on me once again.
“Tell me who else you came with. My bear thinks they’re important to us.”
Did this shifter have some sort of mental magic?
“A bear shifter, an incubus, and a witch.”
My chest ached when I thought about the witch. I could sense her, but the link was too faint to know whether she’d stumbled into danger again. The only thing reassuring me was the tether hadn’t been severed, which meant she was still alive.
“Bear?”
“Yes, a Kodiak bear. Maverick.”
The polar bear shifter exhaled sharply while gripping the arms of his chair. His wolf raised its head and grumbled.
“Interesting.”
“Interesting?” Nothing made sense. It was like a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
“Time to leave, Thorrin,” the bartender called. “I’m going to bed.”
“Come, mage. It’s not safe for you to stay here. There are others in this town who might attack once I’ve gone.”
I scoffed loudly. “Please, I can protect myself just fine.”
“I’m sure you can, mage, but my bear insists you come with us. My home is safer for you.” He half smiled. “And besides, my cousin would never forgive me if I let anything happen to his bond-mate.” Thorrin chuckled at my shocked expression.
“Maverick is not my bond-mate!” I scowled. It was better for the witch if she stayed well away from me.
The shifter slapped my shoulder and stood. But because he was like a fucking mountain, his light slap nearly knocked me into the fireplace. I stumbled, catching myself at the last minute.
“Let’s go share a bottle of elkwine,” the shifter grinned. “You can tell me more about my cousin and his soul-bonded mate.”
38
Raven
The tunnel snaked and turned. The further I got from the cavern where I’d left my mates, the more my anxiety spiked. I’d done a lot of dumb things in my life, but this was potentially in the top ten. Possibly even in the top five.
If a monster attacked me now, well, it was game over. My magic only seemed to work when it felt like it, although it did seem more powerful since Kai and I had sealed our soul-bond.
“Where are you?” Kenji’s voice startled me so badly I stubbed my toe on a rock and cursed.
