Why?
Pushing my chaotic thoughts aside, I focused on what I knew about him and his family. Maybe their history would offer some kind of clue as to his current whereabouts. His servant must have taken him to a property the family already owned. A random room in a house somewhere would not be safe for a vampire royal.
I cleared my throat. “What happened to the rest of your family?”
“I do not know,” he admitted. “When the virus hit, we all fled to different locations. My father believed the mages had unleashed the virus, so he said it was safer if we didn’t know where everyone went.” His lips flattened, and a flare of anger turned his red eyes black for a moment.
His rage should have scared me but being a dumb and deeply slutty witch who kept being sidetracked by his delicious scent, sexy voice, and subtle caresses, all it did was turn me on. Stars above, I had no sense of self-preservation. Glynda would despair if she knew.
Then my brain finally caught up and processed what he’d told me.
“The mages triggered the extinction virus?”
He nodded. “We believe so, but it all happened too fast for us to prove it.”
“But… why?”
“Power.” Rasmus glanced at the unfinished chess game to our left. “Removing us from the board helped them to consolidate power. Tiberius Vane is a snake. My father hated him, but despite my telling him the mage had plotted against us, he refused to act.” His eyes fluttered shut again, a sign that this conversation was taking its toll.
Tears pricked my eyelids. I quickly brushed them away before he noticed. Acting all emotional would not do. Rasmus needed practical help, not useless tears. Still, the words in my head fell from my lips.
“I’m so sorry.”
The vampire reached up and stroked my cheek, brushing a traitorous tear away with his thumb. “It’s not your fault, little witch. Your heart is true.”
Forcing my emotions down, I focused on what I needed to find the vampire.
“I can use magic to locate you, but I’ll need something that belongs to you.”
Rasmus slid the gold and ruby ring from his finger. “Take this. It’s our family ring. It was a gift from my father when I reached maturity.”
My brow pinched in a frown. “If I’m not physically here, can I take it with me?”
“Yes. I have little power left, but I can ensure it travels back with you.” He took the ring and slid it onto my finger before speaking a few words in a language I didn’t understand. Magic flared between us, and the ring went from loose to snug. The amulet around my neck warmed against my skin, glowing for a brief second beneath my top as the tether in my chest pulled tight. I instinctively reached for the black stone before the stinging sensation faded.
“Then why can’t you teleport yourself to me?” It would be easier than striving to find him with my stupid magic that rarely did as I wanted.
“I’m too weak, little witch. And I suspect the wards surrounding this location would prevent me from leaving.”
“Won’t they stop me from finding you?”
“It’s possible,” he admitted. “But you are special to me. You’re my—”
Before he could finish that sentence, something yanked me hard, and I opened my eyes to find the incubus sitting astride me, a panicked look on his face as he peered intently at me.
“Where the fuck did you go, Raven?”
39
Zane
The bear’s threat to maim me if I dared touch the witch was him blowing smoke up my ass. I didn’t need the bear’s permission to touch our mate. She was mine as much as his. If he didn’t like sharing, that was a him problem. I had no issues sharing. Not a single one.
It had been two days, and Maverick had still not returned to campus, but despite my offer to help, I knew he could handle things. And if he got injured, well, that gave me extra time with our mate.
I’d arrived in her room via the cracked open window to find her thrashing around in her bed, mumbling shit about a ring. It was pretty fucking obvious she was in the middle of a vivid dream. Not even stroking her face woke her.
The more I listened to her one-sided conversation, the more I realized this was way more than a lucid dream. So I grabbed her shoulder and yanked her upright.
