After folding the note, I placed it inside Raven’s bag. She would find it when she packed her things. And by then, I’d be long gone.
There was a tunnel at the bottom of the pool that led out to sea. None of the others could swim as deep as I, so there was zero chance of them following me.
The sound of distant voices echoed from the far tunnel. Aware that my window for escaping without an argument was about toclose, I hooked my spelled bag over my shoulders and dove into the pool, disappearing down into its inky depths.
41
Raven
Snow swirled down from a leaden sky as we popped back into the small square facing the harbor. Much to my great relief, Zane had been able to teleport us all back here, which meant we’d avoided the long, arduous trek.
Maverick’s body sheltered me from the worst of the weather as Zane scanned the area for threats. I avoided looking at the churning gray ocean. It reminded me too much of my merman mate.
I still couldn’t believe he’d left me. I’d read the note he left me at least fifty times and still didn’t understand why he couldn’t have waited until we came back to the cavern to say goodbye.
A tear slid down my cheek. I hurriedly wiped it away before it froze. If Maverick caught me crying, he’d get even madder at the merman. Mad enough to bite his head off.
A threat he’d made several times already.
Rasmus stood close by, wrapped in a thick fur, his red eyes fixed on me.
“I need to feed,” he purred. The thought of him sinking his fangs into my neck made me shiver, distracting me from my miserable Kai-related thoughts.
Rasmus feeding from me was orgasmic, but it sapped my energy, and I needed time to recover.
Maverick had warned him he’d have to feed responsibly. Until I figured out how to use magic to boost my blood, it wasn’t safe to let him take too much. I already felt weak as a kitten after feeding him at the cave, and I was desperate for food and a long sleep in a comfortable bed.
But first, we needed to get off the island.
“Is the boat here yet?” I asked Maverick, deciding it was better to pretend I hadn’t heard my vampire. He could wait.
“No, so I better go find the—” Maverick broke off as a mountain of a male wearing a thick fur coat appeared out of the gloom.
The male shot forward and wrapped his arms around Maverick before any of us could react. Zane swiped a blade out of thin air, but Maverick waved him back.
“How do you do that?” I asked Zane. It had to be magic.
“Pocket realm,” Kenji replied.
“What’s one of those?”
“Not now.” I glared at him, but he ignored me.
“I’ll explain another time, pet.” Zane winked at me as his blade disappeared into thin air.
“Thorrin?”
The new male grinned. “Cousin. It’s good to see you.”
To my surprise, Maverick punched the male in the face, sending him stumbling backward. But instead of reacting angrily, the male just rubbed his jaw and laughed.
“You fucking vanished without a word, Thorrin! We all thought you were dead!”
Thorrin’s amusement faded, and he shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Mav. I had a good reason. We have a lot of catching up to do. Come, let’s go back to my cabin and talk.”
Maverick shook his head. “I can’t. We have to get back to the mainland. Our boat should be here shortly.”
