“Can you at least look into what’s happening?” Maverick asked while Zane made suggestions for how I could kill my father without anyone realizing I was behind it.
Some of his ideas were surprisingly creative. I particularly liked the basilisk venom one.
“Dad has summoned me back to the family estate before the spring semester begins, so I’ll see what I can find out.” He’d threatened to send Rink after me if I wasn’t back in two days.
I fucking hated Rink. The mage was skilled in dark magic and had found workarounds to avoid necrosis. I hadn’t worked out how, but I suspected it had something to do with the unusually high numbers of missing humans in a hundred-mile radius around our estate.
“Good. The sooner we can figure out what’s going on, the sooner we put an end to it.”
I scoffed, unable to keep my feelings to myself. “Do you honestly think you can go up against my father and win? He’s the Mage Council leader for a reason.”
“Power corrupts,” Maverick said. “If we, the most powerful beings of our species, don’t take a stand to protect those who can’t protect themselves, who will?”
45
Raven
The murmur of voices filtered up from downstairs, where the others had stayed to talk. I harbored some concerns that one of them might kill Alaric, but so far there had been no yelling.
Okay, so perhaps concern was a stretch.
The mage had not tried to talk to me since we arrived at the giant bear’s cabin, other than to berate me for my continued lack of control over my magic.
I guess it was dumb of me to expect he might have had a change of heart. Or even better, a personality transplant.
My legs trembled from exhaustion as I stared at my wan reflection in the bathroom mirror. I’d lost all my tan since moving up north. Back on our compound, where every day dawned bright and hot, my skin had always been golden brown.
Now it was the color of milk, with a faint tinge of green. My violet eyes were the only colorful thing about me these days.
Being a vampire’s food source was not great for my health, it seemed. I wondered whether there were supplements I should take. Foods that would help keep me healthy.
As I gripped the edge of the sink, the bathroom door opened to reveal Rasmus. He’d showered before me, and his wet hair hung in thick black waves over his shoulders. Someone must have lent him some pants. The thick fabric hung low on his hips, so low they were positively indecent.
I tried really hard not to stare at his slab of a chest or the sharp lines of his abs, but he lured me in like a siren. Was that a vampire trait? Or just a Rasmus trait?
“Little witch,” he crooned. “Come to bed.”
Before I could come up with an excuse for why sleeping with the vampire was a terrible idea, my feet stumbled toward him.
“Are you using vampire magic to compel me?” My eyes narrowed. Glynda had told me vampires could compel other magicals to do their bidding. It was partly why they’d been the most powerful species before the bloodborne virus wiped them out.
“No, little witch. It’s impossible to compel one’s mates.”
“Oh.” So this was all me. I guessed my libido was back in the driver’s seat. My gaze slid down Rasmus’s bare chest before I shook my head in disgust. What was wrong with me? Anyone would think I was a sex-mad wolf shifter!
A faint howl followed by a feminine giggle made me stop and listen. Was that the bear’s wolf shifter mate, or a wild wolf?
Neither option filled me with joy. I hoped Kenji was safe.
I looked up to find Rasmus towering over me. In the short time I’d zoned out, he’d crossed the bathroom.
“Bed.”
With a grumble, I dragged myself out of the bathroom and crawled under the covers. Wet snow slapped against the window, while the wind howled across the cabin’s roof. Eventhough it was still early, no light filtered in through the thick drapes. Every day was dark this far north.
I longed to see the warm sun again. Feel the heat against my skin.
A cool hand brushed my hair away from my cheek, and the mattress sank under the weight of a large male. Even though I knew I needed to sleep, I rolled toward him, unable to resist his magnetic allure.
