“Get into bed while I put more logs on the fire,” I ordered. The last thing my mate needed was to catch a chill. She chuckled at my firm tone.
“It’s not like you to be bossy,” she teased.
My cheeks flushed yet again. “I’m not good at being assertive,” I admitted; it was another bone of contention between my mother and me.
Raven crawled under her mountain of covers and grinned. “I like it when you’re assertive.” The sweet scent of her arousal bloomed in the smoky air, and I groaned. Damn it, if I didn’t leave now, I’d fall into a mating rut and then she’d hate me.
“Are you okay?” I gritted my teeth and threw a hefty log into the grate. The bear must have chopped these; some of them were ridiculously thick. Sparks burst up the chimney while I considered how best to explain what a mating rut was and then concluded it was better not to say anything at all.
“No, but I can control myself.” My muscles bunched and my cock thickened, but there wasn’t much light in the room, so I reassured myself that she might not notice. If I left now, I could control it.
The bedcovers rustled behind me. Before I could escape, my mate’s arms slid around my waist, and her soft breasts pressed against my back. A desperate groan crawled up my throat as the desire to rut grew more difficult to ignore.
If I lost myself to the mating rut, I might hurt my sweet mate, and thanks to my mother’s schemes, she’d already suffered enough. The bear had told me how the sea witch’s curse affected her via the bond. I’d never forgive my mother for trying to kill me, but knowing she’d hurt my mate in the process was way worse.
“Maybe I don’t want you to control yourself. Maybe I want my sweet merman unleashed and feral for me.”
Her words sank into my flesh, latching onto every self-doubt I had, obliterating them all.
My mate needed me, and I no longer had the strength to deny her or myself.
32
Raven
Kai’s abs rippled and flexed under my hands. He wore nothing but a pair of loose pants, apparently immune to the cold. I silently wished I had the shifter ability to withstand low temperatures. Even with a blazing fire in here, my room was still chillier than I’d like.
Still, being in the vampire dorm was infinitely better than living in the witch dorm, where every witch apart from Glynda hated me. But my life as a sad social outcast didn’t matter.
The tension in Kai, the dark circles under his eyes, and the muted tone of his normally vibrant skin told me he was struggling. His anxiety and pain radiated through the bond, and from the way he’d kept his distance all week, I knew he felt guilty for everything that happened after he left us on the island.
Kai wasn’t an alpha like Maverick or bossy like Zane. And he lacked the quiet confidence of Rasmus. But he was still my mate, and I loved his quiet nature and gentle demeanor.
Still, I couldn’t deny assertive Kai turned me on. When Kai and I had sealed the mate bond, he’d transformed into a feral beast.
The minute I told him I wanted to see his feral side again, his body tensed. Every muscle locked tight as his usually cool flesh pulsed with heat.
I could have sworn he’d grown larger, taller. But that was impossible, right?
“Raven, tell me you want this before I lose control,” he growled in a deep, sexy voice. A voice designed to turn a needy witch like me into a puddle.
“Um, I want this, but fair warning, it’s my, um, time of the month.” My face burned with embarrassment, and I was grateful for the terrible lighting in this bedroom. What if having sex with me during my period was a massive turnoff? My other mates didn’t seem to care, but Kai might.
Kai huffed out a shaky breath before turning to face me.
“I know,” he said. “I smelled your blood when I arrived back.”
Knowing he’dsmelled memade me want to crawl into a large hole. No witch wanted to hear she smelled. Ever.
“Your scent drives me crazy, Raven. In the best possible way.” He inhaled and then groaned. “I don’t care if you’re bleeding. It means you’re fertile, which makes me even more feral.”
Oh.“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.” He picked me up and dropped me on the bed, tearing my PJs off. Burning heat radiated from his bulging body as he pressed me into the mattress. Nimble fingers slid between my thighs, pushing inside me. I’d inserted a tampon after my shower, which he removed and tossed into the fire without ceremony.
Sharp teeth grazed the mating mark above my breast, sending a shiver of pleasure through me. I knew Zane was nearby—I could sensehis presence through the bond—but for once in his life he didn’t burst into my room. Thank the goddess for that, as I wasn’t sure how Kai would respond if my incubus tried to join us.
“Raven, I can’t hold back.” Kai shuddered, fighting against his base instincts. But I didn’t want him to hold back. I needed him to take me, erase all the bad things that had happened when he left me back on the island.
