“Care bear, can you feed me and also run me a bath? I feel like being pampered after teleporting you all. My magic has run dry.” Zane pulled a pathetic expression before laughing when Maverick shoved him into a snowbank.
“Fuck off, incubus.”
“I see we have similar issues with our mate’s mate,” Thorrin grunted. I frowned, not knowing what he meant but too tired and horny to ask. Besides, the large male scared me a bit. Sure, he was Maverick’s cousin, but he made Maverick look normal-sized, so goddess knew what kind of shifter he was.
A yeti shifter? Was there such a thing?
I didn’t dare ask.
“Home sweet home,” Thorrin announced as we stepped onto a wide snow-dusted deck decorated with sprigs of evergreen ivy. Just as Maverick placed me back down, the door swung open and a tall male bounded out, grinning like a loon.
“More guests! What fun!”
More guests? Was this some kind of Airbnb for magicals?
I followed Maverick inside and stopped dead when a familiar figure rose from an armchair next to a blazing fire.
Maverick growled while Zane scoffed loudly. “What a shame. We hoped you’d drowned on your way back to the mainland.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Alaric said with a shit-eating smile. He slid a sideways glance at me, but I focused on the fire because looking at his stupidly pretty face made the magic tether in mychest ache. With Kai having abandoned me, I didn’t have the energy to deal with Alar-dick’s bullshit.
Rasmus moved out of Maverick’s shadow and stared at the mage. I watched his aura darken from a rich magenta to near black.Great.Looked like these two wouldn’t be best buddies either.
The male who’d greeted us bounced on his toes like an excited puppy before he caught sight of Kenji. His jaw dropped.
“Um, what’s that?”
Kenji growled and bared his teeth, which caused the male to growl back. I pulled away from Maverick’s grasp and scooped up my kitsune before he got hurt.
“I’m more than capable of protecting myself, witch,” Kenji huffed, puffing out his tails and swishing them angrily at the obnoxious male.
“What sort of magical is he?” I asked Kenji, figuring he’d know from the way they reacted to one another.
“Wolf shifter. A truly pathetic specimen.”
“Ugh.” My lip curled up briefly before I forced a polite smile. Perhaps the wolf wasn’t so bad. Judging him before I got to know him was impolite, especially when he and his mates had kindly offered us hospitality.
“Leave the fluffy fox creature alone, Rex. My cousin and his mates are cold and hungry, so go dish up some reindeer stew for them.”
With one last baleful glare at Kenji, the wolf bounced away.
“The wolf better not try eating Kenji,” I muttered to Maverick, who smiled.
“He’d regret it if he did, little witch.”
I put Kenji down while watching him closely to make sure he didn’t go pee on the furniture. The tree incident had scarred me for life. Once I was certain Kenji wouldn’t embarrass me, I removed my boots and coat and placed them neatly by the door.
The cabin was stunning, with dark timber cladding on the internal walls and a central chimney breast built from stone. There were cute little accessories everywhere, evidence of a female’s loving touch. Lots of plants and greenery too, which surprised me given the climate. I even spotted tubs of herbs, which made me miss the kitchen garden and hot houses back at campus; it had been ages since I’d spent time there, and I longed for a peaceful morning weeding the herb beds.
While my bear, incubus, and mage talked in low voices, I followed Kenji to the fireplace to defrost my extremities. The moment we reached the thick rug in front of the grate, Kenji made himself at home. I took a seat on a comfortable sofa and tucked my feet under my legs.
“You’re exhausted, little witch,” Rasmus said in a low voice as he sat down next to me. I blinked, not having seen him approach. Was that a vampire trait?
“I’ll be better after a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m sorry.” He took my hand in his much cooler grasp. “This wouldn’t have happened if Alexander hadn’t perished.”
“How did he die?”
