I rolled my shoulders and grinned.
“Come on, pet, it’s time for some murder on the dance floor before the parade and speeches.”
57
Maverick
Bears didn’t dance. We were too big, too clumsy, and too socially awkward to feel comfortable hitting a crowded dance floor. Music and parties made my skin itch. I much preferred being outdoors, alone in the forest. Or with my little witch. Naked.
The sooner this stupid party ended, the happier I’d be. My shirt felt too tight, and I hated the constriction of a tux. The only thing that made me feel marginally better was seeing my little mate looking positively edible in her lilac dress.
I hated to admit it, but the incubus had chosen well. He had an eye for color and style. Whereas I would have happily given her my credit card and told her to ‘pick your own dress’,he’d taken the time to find a dress he knew she’d love.
The incubus irritated the crap out of me most days, but I’d let him have points for this. It was pretty fucking obvious Raven loved her dress. And she looked amazing in it. Unfortunately, every other male in the room thought the same.
I clocked several wolf shifters ogling her tits and ass each time she shimmied her hips to the music. The incubus caught my eye for a moment. I dipped my head toward a particularly handsy wolf shifter who’d made the mistake of touching our mate’s hip.
Zane grabbed the wolf’s hand. A pain-filled shriek hurt my ears as he snapped the idiot’s wrist before spinning Raven away and melting into the crowd. The wolf staggered off the dance floor cradling his broken wrist and muttering dark threats. What a pathetic specimen. Wolves healed fast. All he had to do was shift, and he’d be right as rain in an hour.
“Touch her again and you die,” I told him when he reached the bar.
“It was a fucking accident!” The rank scent of fear filled my nose. The wolf was weak, a sigma at best.
I shoved him against the edge of the bar while the mage serving drinks whistled and turned a blind eye. “No it wasn’t. Spread the word, wolf. Anyone who dares look at my mate wrong will regret it.”
He adopted a submissive stance while whimpering, his wolf accepting me as the alpha, even though we were different animals. As it should. My bear was more dominant than the current pack alpha on campus.
I growled a warning when he didn’t move away fast enough. “Get the fuck out of here. Your evening is over. If I see you back in this room again, I’ll put you down. Are we clear?”
The wolf nodded and ran the moment I stepped back. His two wolf friends, who’d been watching from a distance, immediately followed him. I doubted we’d see any of them again. And if we did, I’d happily carry out my threat.
“Was that really necessary?” Polly Windborne chuckled, her red hair sparkling with magical snowflakes. “Scaring poor wolf shifters isbeneath you, Maverick. And besides, the witch is more than capable of holding her own now that her magic has leveled up.”
I didn’t normally associate with witches, aside from Raven, but since I joined the faculty here, Miss Windborne had gone out of her way to make me feel included.
Like many senior witches, it was difficult to determine Polly Windborne’s age, but she was older than she looked. I remembered her teaching here when I was a student more than a decade ago.
“She still struggles with control,” I admitted, happily accepting a second glass of moonshine from the bartender. Polly waited for the mage to mix her drink and then turned to me.
“She’ll get there. Her soul-bond with you will help release her magic, and once she seals the bond with the incubus, she’ll grow stronger.”
I cocked an eyebrow at Polly. “The incubus?”
She patted my shoulder sympathetically. “It’s clear as day to those who bother to look.” We both stared at the dancers a few feet away. A glimpse of lilac caught my attention amid a sea of black, white, and silver, and I half smiled.
When I looked beyond the dance floor, I saw Alaric Vane staring at Raven. I wondered if Polly knew Raven had a third mate; possibly more if Zane was correct. She caught me watching the storm mage, and her lips curved up in amusement before she turned to me and said in a voice only I could hear, “Be very careful around Tiberius. That mage is dangerous.”
I nodded. “I know.”
When I looked back, Alaric had disappeared. A few moments later, Zane escorted Raven back to me. Her pink cheeks glowed with happiness, and her eyes sparkled like ice gems.
“Dancing is so much fun!” she exclaimed before jolting in surprise when she saw her potions tutor. “Oh, Miss Windborne! I love your dress!”
Polly smiled. “Thank you, my dear. You’re very kind to an old witch.”
Raven looked confused. “But you’re not old!”
The red-haired witch half smiled. “Age is but a number for a witch. Enjoy your evening.” She leaned in and whispered in Raven’s ear. “I believe your guardian has arrived, dear. He’s looking forward to seeing you again.”
