“It didn’t help. The only time I like the smell of pig is when it’s fried or roasted.”
I threw a bread roll at him in disgust, but it missed. Fig woke up and snorted with excitement when he spotted the roll on the floor. Before anyone could stop him, he’d gobbled it down.
“It has no manners whatsoever.” Kenji shuddered in disgust.
“Where did you find Fig anyway?” I asked Zane. He’d revealed nothing so far, and I’d let it slide for too long. If some poor kid was crying themselves to sleep over Fig’s disappearance, I needed to know.
“The pig was destined for the slaughterhouse, pet. I swooped in and saved his piggy butt.”
“But how did you know to find him at such short notice?” Fig showed up less than a minute after Zane vanished with the mage charm.
“I spotted the pig when I hunted a demon around a farm on the other side of the forest. The mountain lion shifter farmer had the pig stuck in a crate and was busy chopping vegetables.”
“You seriously believe that crock of shit?” Kenji scoffed. “It’s a wild pig and should be returned to the forest immediately!”
“Poor little Fig.” Ignoring Kenji’s shameless attempt to discredit my pig, I jumped up from my chair and flung my arms around Zane. “You’re my hero.”
Zane grinned. “In that case, I look forward to my reward later, pet.”
47
Raven
The sun hadn’t risen over the trees beyond the playing field, but here I was, staring at the indoor swimming pool with a generous dose of trepidation swirling through my veins.
Maverick had wanted to come with Kai and me, but I’d made him stay back. I needed some time alone with my shy merman, and Maverick could be almost as overbearing as Zane.
Kai dropped his shorts and dove into the pool, his muscular legs shifting into a tail before he’d even hit the water. He vanished below the surface for a few seconds and then popped up, shaking his hair.
“When you’re ready, walk around to the steps at the far end.”
I nodded but didn’t move. The only time I felt comfortable in the water was when Kai gave me his magic so I could breathe underwater, and since he wanted me to learn to swim without a magic aid, I was going to have to pull on my big witch pants today.
Fig snuffled and trotted after me when I eventually found the courage to walk down to the end of the cavernous room.
I’d invited Kenji to join us as a bonding exercise, but he was still sulking. He hated Fig and nothing I said or did helped.
Knowing my familiar was unhappy made me sad, but I wasn’t about to abandon poor Fig to a sticky fate in the forest. Kenji would have to get over himself.
“Or I could put in for a transfer to a different witch on mental health grounds,” he snarked. “You’ll be sorry when I leave you.”
“Oh stop it. Fig is a pig. He’s no threat to you, so quit being so dramatic.”
When Kenji remained silent on the topic, I focused on the steps and sucked in a long, steadying breath. Kai waited for me with an encouraging smile.
“Relax, Raven. The water is your friend.”
“Wanting to drown me isn’t friendly,” I muttered. But I squared my shoulders and practiced some positive affirmations from my favorite witchfluencers.
“Fear is empowering,” I muttered under my breath, and then I took my first step into the pool.
Warm water cushioned me as I floated on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I squinted at the black mold creeping along the edges where the ceiling joined the walls. No lie, it was gross, but I was determined to maintain a positive mindset.
“Good girl,” Kai said with a smile as I kicked my legs. It had taken an hour of coaxing, but I finally felt confident enough to float without gripping Kai’s arm for dear life. He was right: once I stopped panicking, my body floated easily.
The next step was putting my face in the water without drowning, but I wasn’t ready for that.
Fig rooted around under the benches on the poolside. I’d brought a bag of vegetable peelings with us, but he’d eaten them all in the first five minutes.
