We all did.
I hated this fucking disease.
“Need a hand?”
“Goddess, fuck!” I snarled when the fucking incubus materialized in front of me. He smirked as he leaned against the wall, playing with a small knife.
“You know it’s forbidden for students to enter faculty offices without permission, right?”
The fucker snorted. “Since when do I care about rules?”
“Well, you should,” I growled. “Now get out of my way. I have shit to do.”
“So I heard. It sucks that your uncle has turned feral. The disease is spreading. Not as quickly as the bloodborne virus hit the vampires, but still…” His voice trailed off as he flicked his knife in the air, catching it with one hand.
“If you know something, Vanyx, spit it out!” I wasn’t in the mood for his fucking mind games.
I hurriedly changed into a pair of jeans I had stashed in a cupboard before grabbing my truck keys. It was a day’s drive back home, and if I set off now, I could be there by nightfall. Hopefully, Dad could keep Seamus contained until then.
“I think we both know this disease isn’t some random mutation. There’s only one group that stands to gain by weakening shifters, and that’s the power-hungry bastards in charge of the Mage Council.”
He was right, but I didn’t have time to debate politics with him.
“Yes, I know this, but now is not the time, Zane!” He blocked my path.
“I’ll make sure our little witch is safe while you’re gone,” he said with a smirk, “but we need to talk when you get back.”
My bear growled at the sight of his smug face. “Stay out of her bed, Zane. If you push her, I’ll fucking maim you.”
The bastard grinned. “I don’t need her in a bed to pleasure her, care bear.”
My bear surged forward while roaring in my head. He wanted to rip the incubus apart. It took all my effort not to shift in my office.
“Get the fuck out of my office now!” I growled as fur rippled down my arms and my shirt split across my shoulders. Damned incubus. Now I’d have to drive for hours wearing only my jeans and sneakers.
He grinned when I swung my fist at him. My bear needed to hear the crunch of the fucker’s nose before he calmed, but before I couldconnect with the arrogant bastard’s face, he blinked away. The momentum had me stumbling forward, and I cursed loudly.
We’ll rearrange his face when we return.My bear chuffed in agreement. Our little witch might not like him so much if I turned the annoying shit into a fucking Picasso painting.
38
Raven
The cold, smooth surface beneath my feet told me my dream self had arrived back in the room with the stone floor and no window. This time, candles burned on every available surface, and I could smell the sweet scent of beeswax and vanilla.
The male lay in bed waiting for me. His eyes seemed duller, less clear, and his cheeks more sunken. When he stretched out a pale hand, I saw he’d grown thinner since the last time I visited.
“I don’t have long, little witch. A few months at most.”
His faint, raspy words hit me hard. “You’re dying?” Stars above, I didn’t know the male, but the thought of him dying all alone in this strange room brought tears to my eyes and caused my chest to ache.
Without thinking, I rushed over to the bed and grabbed his hand. The tarnished gold ring encrusted with tiny rubies on his index finger caught my eye. Something snagged in my brain. I’d seen a picture of that ring. But where?
Before I could focus on the ring’s detailing, the male spoke.
“Come closer, little witch.”
My eyes slid up, and I fell into his hypnotic red irises. If anyone had asked me a few months ago whether I liked red eyes, I’d have grimaced and said, “Stars, no. Get that person some pink-eye treatment. Eww!”.
