Page 71 of Blood Oath
When Maven leaves her dorm, I watch her every move from the end of the hall. She zips up her coat, pulling on dark leather gloves and tossing a wary glance over her shoulder—but not in my direction.
Over the last few days, I’ve carefully tested within what proximity she can sense my presence in Limbo. If I stay a fair distance away, I can still obsess over my keeper at my leisure without her being any the wiser. Though the fact that she can ever sense me at all in Limbo is intriguing. Not even other incubi can see or sense me most of the time.
Just another reason that my darling is so fascinating.
As soon as she vanishes down the stairwell at the end of this hall, I launch up through the ceiling, passing through four stories of Everbound until I come out on the gabled rooftop where Decimus is sitting at the edge of a turret, legs dangling as he gazes out over the mist and snow-wreathed grounds surrounding the school. When I step out of Limbo beside him, his brows bounce up.
“Our pretty raven has left her nest,” I confirm.
The plan is for me to follow Maven’s road trip progress, unseen, while he flies ahead to where Crane and Frost already are. They traveled separately last night to Connecticut to get things ready. I must admit, when working together, we don’t make an abysmal team.
Decimus pulls out his phone and shoots that update to the others. Crane ensured that I have a phone to use for this particular venture, too, since they’ll be relying on me for updates. He used some overcomplicated spells on it to ensure it will work after going in and out of Limbo. It can’t be used there, but it should be connected to my ability to walk between planes. Every other electronic or living thing I’ve tried to take into Limbo with me doesn’t survive the trip back.
Decimus stands and stretches before warning, “Don’t you fucking dare lose track of my mate. And keep us updated so Everett will know when to?—“
We’ve already been over this, and he’s annoying me, so I shove him off the edge of the roof.
His shouted curse quickly morphs into a guttural roar as scales and talons explode into existence. Before he can hit the ground, golden wings flare out wide, and he swoops upward, wings punishing the air as he snarls in my direction with smoke rising from his nostrils.
I make a shooing motion, already fixated on the abandoned staff entrance that I’m positive Maven will come out of.
Growling, Decimus takes off, just barely glides far enough out of sight before Maven’s small, dark form slips from the very exit I hoped she would. She takes a hard left, quickly trekking through the wintry cold toward the parking area a short walk from Everbound Castle. I step off the roof just as I slip back into Limbo, gliding overhead and watching as she slips into a light blue Mustang.
It takes a moment before the car turns on. Her driving seems jerky at first, breaking and pausing several times before very slowly peeling out of the parking lot. Interesting.
Has she not driven in a long time? I find that idea bothers me—she is setting off on nearly a four-hour drive, after all.
For the first four hours of her drive, I soar along after her in Limbo, occasionally getting distracted by the glowing wisps that dance by in the murky, slightly warped dream world. Wisps are the ghosts of past dreams and are highly dangerous for anyone who isn’t me, especially if they group together to break into the mortal plane of existence. But there aren’t enough of them here to warrant any action, and I’m far more focused on Maven’s progress.
Three hours in, she finally stops to refuel the car. I settle on the ground outside of the service station, watching in curious amusement as she studies the petrol pump like it’s a monster she’s never encountered before.
It takes her a while to figure it out, and I laugh out loud at the way her nose wrinkles when she accidentally sprays the ground with gas while shoving it into the car.
Slipping around the back of the service station, I step back into the mortal world and slip the enchanted phone from my back pocket, along with a lighter and cigarette. Smoking reverium, which only grows in Limbo, helps my body relax after frequently swapping between planes. It takes a toll, walking between two worlds without the ability to call either home.
Crane answers on the first ring. “Where is she?”
Already, I can’t stand not having her in sight, so I lean against the side of the building to catch a glimpse of where she’s still adorably frowning at the pump. I want to smooth away the furrow between her brows with my lips.
“Fueling up in a quaint little town about half an hour out.”
“Good. I’ll tell Everett to get started. Just get her here before the?—“
My spine goes rigid when a large human man in a baseball cap leaves where he’s refueling his semi-truck and approaches Maven with a smile plastered across his bearded face. His aura is like burnt vomit. The way his eyes roll over her, glancing around to see if anyone else is here with her, has me ready to reach into his mind and rip it to shreds.
Even before I was old enough to understand the horrors they craved, I made it my business to prey on predators. To show no mercy to those who turned their sick dreams into realities. After so many years of hunting down those predators, even without glimpsing this man’s psyche or his dreams, I can see all the hallmarks of a pervert as he stops directly beside my keeper.
“Hey there, sweetie pie. You’re lookin’ a little lost. I’d love to help you,” he drawls.
Maven ignores him, calmly observing the ticking numbers on the pump.
“Need a hand?” The man licks his lips, studying her profile and baggy clothes that leave so much to the imagination—and clearly, he’s letting his imagination run rampant as he subtly adjusts himself in his pants. A dark daydream starts to color Limbo around his head.
“Fucking bastard,” I growl.
My markings light up. I’m going to cut off his cock inch by inch. Should only take about three slices.
“Crypt?” Crane snaps in my ear, making me realize I’ve been tuning him out. “What’s going on? Is Maven all right?”
