Kai’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm. For the first time, he met my eyes.
“Raven, I’m sorry. I’m struggling with you being so close to me. The bond hasn’t settled yet.”
Oh…maybe he didn’t hate me?That made me feel marginally better, but I still needed to respect his boundaries. Boundaries were important. Unless you were a wolf shifter. Most of them had no idea what boundaries were.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come to your room. This is your private space.” I shivered as a cold draft blew through a crack in the wall. Stars, was this building even up to code?
“Raven, please don’t go.” Kai’s desperate plea stopped me in my tracks. I wanted to stay, really I did, but I was concerned I might develop hypothermia.
“Come to my room?” I suggested. “It’s warmer.” Maverick had lit a fire for me earlier, so it was toasty in there.
Goosebumps broke out across my flesh as another draft turned my exhales into white vapor. Kai noticed. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m a terrible mate.” He hung his head in shame.
“No you’re not.” Deciding he needed a firm hand, I tugged him out of the icebox of a room and led him down the corridor to my much warmer room.
“This is nice,” Kai commented with wide eyes when he spotted my fluffy blankets, thick throw, dozens of pillows, and collection of scented candles.
“Yeah. I may have gone overboard. Glynda kept adding things to my virtual basket and refused to tell me how to remove them.” My friend loved to shop, and spending Maverick’s money gave her way too much pleasure.
“It’s cozy. Nicer than my room.”
“That wouldn’t be difficult,” I chuckled before cringing in case he took offense.
Kai half smiled. “You’re right. I’m not used to creature comforts here. My old room was freezing cold and stunk of wolf shifters.”
“That’s horrible!” I rushed over without thinking and gave him a hug. It wasn’t until he went rigid in my arms that I realized I’d oversteppedyet again. But when I tried to extricate myself, his arms tightened around me.
“Please don’t. I need you.”
31
Kai
Leaving Raven so soon after we sealed the mate bond had been a catastrophic mistake.
My shifter side craved her touch. Seeing her, touching her, and inhaling the sweet scent of her skin had me spiraling into a mating rut.
Ruts were common for newly mated couples, a way for nature to maximize the chances of conception. Most mer couples spent at least a week locked away together in a heavily warded cave after mating.
But because I was so desperate to seek my mother’s approval, I’d done the exact opposite, and now I was paying the price for my foolishness.
I should have known my mother would never accept Raven as my mate. That she’d tried her best to sever the mate bond was evidence enough. It saddened me that I could never go back to the mer kingdom, but over the last week, I’d accepted that the place of my birth was no longer my home and the queen and her consorts were not my family.
“I shouldn’t have left you,” I told my witch. “I thought I was doing the right thing. My mother is a stickler for the rules, and I believed she would accept you as my mate if I followed protocol.” Raven pressed her warm cheek against my chest and sighed.
“Please forgive me for saying this, Kai, but your mother is a raging bitch.”
I choked on a laugh as she giggled. Her warm amusement helped heal the cracks in my heart, and I exhaled slowly, letting the tension seep away.
“You’re not wrong there,” I agreed. “She’s always been…difficult.” I thought back to the many times when she’d tried to mold me into something I could never be: a fierce warrior like her.
Sure, I could defend myself, but I was not and never would be a brave warrior prince. But Mother had never cared about what I wanted.
“Has she always been a narcissistic bitch?” Raven peeked up at me through her hair, which was more white than dark now. Was that a consequence of our mating? My gaze snagged on her amulet, noting for the first time the imperfections in its surface. Tiny hairline cracks marred the dark patina. I wasn’t sure what could have caused such damage.
“My mother is a queen first and a parent second.” In truth, she’d never been much of a parent. Daresh cared for me when I was small while Mother and Krillian were busy running their court and currying favor with the Fae.
Raven shivered despite the heat from the fire, so I nudged her toward the bed, where she’d be warmer under the covers. Outside, snow lashed the windows and a vicious wind whipped the building, rocking it on its foundations.
