31
Maverick
“You’re alive, then,” Boon said when he picked up.
I ignored the dig about not calling him the moment the rescue operation ended. Boon and I were no longer colleagues, although I still counted him as a trusted friend.
“Has Vane reappeared?”
“Which one?”
“Senior, of course.” Alaric didn’t much concern me. Not after the way he’d handed over my mate to his father. The rational side of me understood it wasn’t his fault, but my bear hadn’t forgiven the bastard. And probably never would.
“He showed up last night at a press conference in Chicago. The humans are becoming increasingly twitchy about all the demon attacks, so he’s announced a task force is being assembled to close the portal and eliminate any remaining demons.”
I snorted. As if he could close the fucking portal. It had taken a magical far more powerful than him to seal it.
“Did anyone believe that bullshit?”
“Difficult to say. His speech appears to have appeased the humans, at least, but the resistance movement is growing faster than he anticipated, I think. Lesser magicals are unhappy about all the restrictions and even more so about the continued disappearances.”
“Are we still wanted felons?”
A snicker of amusement told me yes, we were. “I’m doing my best to disrupt the investigation at my end, but you’d be safer if you stayed put.” There was a pause. “Wherever you ended up.” I hadn’t told him about Olaf Firewing. Not because I didn’t trust him, but because he was better off remaining ignorant.
Boon flew under the radar in his intelligence role at the MIB, but we both knew he could be arrested at any time. All it took was one mistake.
“I’m not going anywhere for now,” I confirmed. My little mate needed rest and recovery time.
“Keep in touch, Mav.”
I pushed my phone into my pocket before checking in to see where my mate was.
“She’s asleep,” Zane said in my head. “I made her come three times first,”he added smugly.
“Okay, good. I’m going to talk to Olaf.”
I knew he’d want to join me, but I hoped he would choose to stay with our mate. Even though this castle was the safest place in the realm, leaving her alone made me deeply uncomfortable.
“Fish boy will watch our mate. I’ll be there.”
I felt the merman’s irritation along the bond a second later. Knowing Zane, he’d teleported him away from the underground pool without warning. That was the kind of shit the incubus did for fun. He was such an asshole.
By the time I reached Olaf’s private quarters, the incubus and the vampire were waiting for me, along with Kenji and the other three kitsunes. Seeing four kitsunes together was weird as hell. Worse still, they all had the same disgusting habits.
I eyed the plate piled high with bacon and hamburgers and regretted missing my evening meal. Kenji’s beady little eyes watched me before he used his claws to pull the plate closer to him and his cousins.
A growl escaped as my bear took umbrage to the kitsune’s challenge to our alpha status, but I shoved him down.
“Maverick,” Olaf grunted before expelling a huff of smoke. “Help yourself to elkwine.”
I poured a large glass of the amber liquid because something told me I’d need the alcohol tonight.
“Have you seen the news?”
Everyone turned to stare at me, which I took to mean they were unaware of Vane’s latest move.
“I am aware, yes,” Olaf replied. “Vane underestimated how disruptive the demon attacks have become. His seer told him there was a hybrid witch, but he didn’t expect the seal on the demon portal to fail and allow her father’s followers to enter our realm in search of her.”
