Page 70 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

“Raven!” I shout her name, sounding like a crazed lunatic, but I don’t care. My heart hammers against my chest the longer the silence answers me. “Dammit. Raven!” I yell again, and this time someone calls my name from the third floor.

I run up the stairs, hating that I can’t fly without shredding my clothes. Taking them off would take too long, so I settle on my enhanced speed and make it to her room in under a minute. The door nearly rips off the hinges when I throw it open, and my eyes immediately seek hers.

She’s lying on her bed, head propped up on a pillow and her damp hair dripping all over her sheets. Everett is sitting on the bed, eyeing me like I might be a danger to her. I give him a hard look before dropping to my knees in front of her.

“What happened?”

She sighs, reaching her hand toward me and brushing some of my hair out of my eyes.

“A lot, but I’m okay.”

I grab her hand and kiss her palm, not giving a damn that she probably finished having sex only a few minutes ago. All that matters is she’s safe.

“I was so worried,” I mutter against her skin. Worried is almost too gentle of a word; utterly petrified is more accurate.

As if sensing my need to be closer to her, Everett pats her thigh and mumbles something about needing to clean his socks. I nod at him as he leaves and then climb into bed with her. She wraps her arms around me, holding me tight against her body even though I’m probably crushing her with my weight.

“It’s okay,” she whispers.

“Tell me everything.” I roll to my back, keeping my hands on her hips so she ends up on top of me.

She gives me a warm smile, running her hands over my scruff and nodding. “Well,” she begins, focusing on her fingers in my beard as she tells me everything that happened while I was gone.

I hate that I wasn’t here for her, but she promises me she’s okay. I recognize the sadness lingering in the back of her eyes from all the times we worked together, but I don’t call her on her bullshit.

She may have gotten Bea back, but dealing with her mom and Morg wasn’t easy on her, but she tugs on my beard and smiles at me.

“Don’t worry about me so much, big guy. I’ve been through worse.”

I grimace, because I hate all she’s gone through, but nod all the same. “I’m here now.”

“And you never get to leave,” she says in a teasing tone.

“Fine by me.” I pull her down onto my chest and hold her, running my hands all over her body. It’s not sexual, and she doesn’t give me crap for my obsessive need to touch her. If anything, she seems to enjoy it because the bond flares with warmth.

She’ll be all right, and maybe eventually she can finally be happy.

* * *

RAVEN

Later that day, while we’re all sitting around eating, a strong presence races through the academy gates. My hackles instantly rise at the power sweeping through the building, but when I scent the air, I release a breath and relax. For a second there I thought it was Death coming back for a visit. My gut is telling me he’ll be back soon enough, and I have no idea what to expect from him.

“It’s Blaze,” I tell the guys who all stand at once when they sense him.

“We need to get phones out here.” Carter spins his fork in his spaghetti. “Then he can call first before coming to visit.”

“I found a locking system for the gate as well.” Adler pushes his cleared plate aside. “It has a keypad, so the only people who can enter are the people we give the code to. Everyone else will have to call through the comm box.”

“They could climb the wall,” Draco points out, slurping the last of his sweet tea through his straw.

“They can try.” Brayden scoffs. “It’ll be nice to have fresh meat to practice my combat skills on.”

Draco rolls his eyes at his brother. “So long as you use them on unauthorized visitors and not the students, I accept that.”

“He’s here,” Everett says, jutting his chin in Blaze’s direction.

I set my food aside—surprisingly, Joan doesn’t complain—and get up from the table, meeting him halfway. He must have carried his clothes with him, because he’s dressed in simple black shorts and a navy shirt.

---