A light turned on in the cabin, right where I was staring. My blood froze. So someone was in the cabin, and I highly doubted it was anyone from Wandstown. All my thoughts of turning around for reinforcements vanished. Wordlessly, I grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled him toward the cabin.
Both of us walked lightly and peered around every tree before darting forward a few more feet. The extreme caution seemed a little ridiculous, but it really wasn’t. Someone was inside Butcher cabin and everything inside me screamed that it had to be Jagger—a shifter with incredible hearing. If I was right, the best chance we had at saving Miss Iris would be to ambush the shifter.
After that . . . well, I didn’t want to think about what would happen after that. It would all depend on how Jagger reacted. If he was too violent and Miss Iris’ life was on the line, extreme measures would need to be taken.
I gulped as the unavoidable idea of fighting to the death arose in my mind. Yes, I would soon be attending Spellcasters, and yes, spies had to kill people. Even the most passive ones claimed that killing others was necessary, either for self-defense or the greater good. I’d been steeling myself for such a requirement for years.
And yet, even with all that preparation, when faced with the possibility of killing someone at just eighteen years old, I couldn’t truthfully say that my stomach wasn’t flip-flopping.
But I was out of choices. I needed to make sure Miss Iris was okay, and if not, I had to save her. So I kept moving forward.
When we were about thirty feet from the cabin I caught the sounds of pots and pans being moved around. Someone—Jagger, I was almost positive—was cooking. Or maybe brewing up a potion to keep Miss Iris sedate.
For what felt like the billionth time, I wondered why he had taken her. She didn’t have any secrets and wasn’t a powerful witch. Was he just a total asshole? Also, where had he learned about potions? It wasn’t exactly a shifter pastime to brew up potions.
I shook my head, totally confused by what was happening and turned to Alex. “Okay, this is it. We’re not going to knock, obviously.”
Alex nodded. “If our suspicions are right, and I think they are, Jagger won’t take kindly to visitors.”
No . . . he wouldn’t. But I didn’t want to rush in and take the chance of injuring Miss Iris either. I glanced at the window and, before Alex could stop me, dashed beneath it. Slowly, I lifted up on tiptoe to peek through the dirty window pane. My heart leapt.
Jagger was in the middle of the room, standing with his back to me. I didn’t see Miss Iris, but knowing that Jagger had absolutely no right to be in Butcher cabin and that Miss Iris was missing was enough for me to want to investigate more fully.
I scurried back to where Alex hid in the trees. “He’s in there. His back was to me, so I don’t think he heard us. I say we knock down the door with magic and rush inside.” I bit my lip. “Have you ever dealt with a wolf-shifter before? A full grown one?”
The mountain lion I’d encountered during my exam had been young, a student from the Shifter Academy of Spies brought in to assist in examination. And even though the mountain lion was just a student, he had been challenging enough to defeat. Jagger was older and definitely looked strong, which didn’t bode well for us.
Alex released a heavy sigh. “No. But I have an idea. If he’s hostile, just blast everything you’ve got at him, and I’ll do my best to work quickly.”
I nodded. One idea was better than what I had, which was absolutely nothing.
Slinking out from the cover of the trees, we made it all the way to the door without incident. Once there, I held up three fingers as I pressed my other hand out in front of me.
I counted down and Alex and I released our magic simultaneously. Beams of violet and crimson wove together, blasting the door open, and we rushed inside.
Chapter Eighteen
We made it only a few feet into the ramshackle hut before I slammed on the brakes and shot an arm out to stop Alex too.
“Smart girl,” Jagger growled.
He stood in the middle of the living room that flowed seamlessly into a kitchen area. Doors leading into other rooms sat closed along the back wall. A decrepit couch and a chair that looked wobbly even from where I stood were the only furniture in the place. The only other decor of note was a pitiful fireplace that was missing half of its bricks positioned on the wall opposite the kitchen.
But the sight that had stopped me was Miss Iris. She hung unconscious in one of Jagger’s arms. With his other hand he held a dagger out in front of him.
“Let. Her. Go.” I spat out each word with force, trying to cover up the fact that my hands were shaking like leaves in a storm.
Jagger snorted. “It’s obvious that you grew up with privilege. You both have the same annoying imperious tone. But as you could still be useful for my purposes, I’ll over look it. Especially seeing as Iris is clearly not going to talk any time soon.” His lips squished to the side in frustration. “You may be my only choice.”
“How could she talk when you drugged her?” I brushed off his vague words. My fists clenched so tightly that I could feel my nails cutting into my skin. “Some of her past boyfriends sucked, but you’re a real piece of work.”
The shifter’s eyes widened and then, inexplicably, he began to roar with laughter. Something in the sound made my hands stop shaking. What was up with this guy? A part of me wanted to question him, to extract his whole evil villain soliloquy and understand what the hell was happening, but my chance was ripped from me, because at that exact moment Alex leapt forward. Crimson magic burst from his hands, soared at the shifter, and swiped the dagger to the side, straight out of Jagger’s hand, where it clattered to the floor.
I sucked in a breath. The move had been a risky, but it had worked. And by the astonished look in Jagger’s eyes as Alex sprinted toward him, it had been the right move. The shifter dropped Miss Iris, and she landed half on the couch as he retreated into the kitchen.
Snapping out of my awe, I followed the shifter. On my way, I kicked the dagger toward the hearth, then positioned myself squarely in front of Miss Iris.
Somehow, in the seconds that I’d been preoccupied, the shifter had acquired another knife and was already engaging Alex. A smarmy smile curved his lips as he dodged Alex’s magic skillfully. I began to shake with fury. The cocky bastard probably thought he had it easy, fighting two witches who weren’t even properly trained.
I clenched my fists. Too bad he’s wrong.
Alex and I might not even be initiates yet, but we were well ahead of the curve. Just to prove that point I aimed a spray of burning magic at the shifter.
It hit him straight in the side, and a roar burst from Jagger’s mouth as he whirled about to face me, teeth bared. I sent off a few more blows, and he retaliated by leaping at me. I twirled away, barely getting out of the way in time, before blasting him against the back wall with a frantic surge of power. A guttural half-human sound lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. He was clearly pissed, so I braced myself, expecting Jagger to come back fighting even more viciously. But instead the shifter dove between the couch and fireplace and fell to the ground with a thunk.
What the hell?
I took exactly two steps forward before promptly jerking backward as a wolf rose up from the ground. The wolf snarled, making ice fly through my veins. This was bad. Very bad. Jagger had already been a formidable fighter as a man, and as a wolf, he’d be even better. Not only that, but the magic imbibed in shifter flesh when they were in animal aspect made them more difficult to wound and kill. Even if they were a young, untrained shifter, it took a lot to hurt them in animal form.
And Jagger in his animal aspect wasn’t just any wolf off the street. He was massive, like alpha status massive. At least one-hundred and fifty pounds, with claws and teeth so long that they looked like they could rip me open in a single swipe. His amber eyes glowed dangerously, and a growl emanated from his throat.
Oh shit!
Simultaneously, Al
ex and I ran toward each other. Hopefully, he wouldn’t go for Miss Iris, but I figured that for the moment she was fine. After all, she wasn’t the one who had pissed Jagger the hell off. And clearly if he was going to kill us, which by the looks of him I didn’t doubt for a second, he still needed Miss Iris to see his plan to fruition.
“Got any ideas?” Alex asked the moment we were shoulder to shoulder.
“Nope,” I said, shooting a beam of purple at the wolf just to keep him a safe distance away.
“I have one. Maybe. It’s going to take a lot of skill. Hold him off?”
“You got it.” I began shooting off magic like it was my job. There wasn’t enough time to set an intention for each assault like I did with everyday spells, but it wasn’t necessary either. I’d fallen back on working with emotions, channeling them into attacks that were holding Jagger back.
Sort of.
When one of my strikes went a little wide, Jagger took full advantage of it. He lunged at us. Reacting instinctively, and totally stupidly, Alex and I broke apart. The wolf went for Alex first and, thinking fast, Alex threw up a shield. But Jagger wasn’t deterred. The wolf merely used the shield as a wall, ricocheted off of it, and directed his claws straight at me.
I stumbled backward, tripped over Miss Iris’ legs, and landed straight on the sagging couch. Dust puffed up from the old material and filled my eyes. I squeezed them shut and began coughing uncontrollably.
A force ran into the couch, and I flailed about to steady myself. A howl rang out, loud as hell and totally terrifying. Still, I was determined not to show fear, so I forced my eyes open. Right away, I flinched.
Jagger’s wolfish face was mere inches from me. Dog breath filled my nostrils and I swear it looked like the bastard wolf was laughing. Although my hands were shaking, I brought them up to defend myself.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t look alarmed by the threat. Probably because he could be at my throat in seconds and he knew it.
Which meant I’d only have one shot.
I loosed a scream and released a burst of magic, hoping that it would be strong enough to throw him across the room.
But to my utmost horror, Jagger jerked out of the way just in time and my power soared right on past him.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed and I saw the end plainly. His lips pulled back, revealing long white teeth and then, without hesitation, Jagger’s head darted forward.
Thunk!
A dog-like whine filled my ears, followed closely by a human gasp.
What the hell? My eyes popped open and a half sob choked out of me.
Alex was gripping the kitchen counter, his other hand outstretched and trembling. A shield of crimson surrounded Jagger, small swirls of magic whooshing around him as he tried, and failed, to fight his way out.
All my air whooshed out of my lungs and my weight sagged into the couch as the realization that we were safe washed over me.
Chapter Nineteen
As neither Alex nor I had cell phones on us, I had to haul ass back into town to get reinforcements. Once I finally found the sheriff and told him what had happened a few others were standing nearby. They joined us and street by street we gathered more people, including the mayor. By the time we marched through the town’s wards half of Wandstown trailed behind me.
We arrived back at Butcher cottage to find Alex on the brink of collapse. Sweat dripped down his face and his arms trembled violently as Jagger repeatedly rammed his massive wolfish body into the shield. The mayor noticed Alex’s exertion and instructed the medics to move quickly. They whisked Miss Iris away on a stretcher, but the rest of the townspeople remained behind to hear what had happened.
My parents and a handful of Spellcasters professors dashed in right as the medic left. As soon as Jagger noticed them, he stopped fighting and resorted to glaring at the group of professors.
I breathed a sigh of relief that they were there, and not only because Jagger had let up on attacking Alex’s ward. While most of the residents of Wandstown were witches and could probably have handled Jagger if he fought back, those witches who lived at Spellcasters were more skilled in magic—and at getting information out of people.
Alex let out a relieved groan when he was finally permitted to drop his shield. I felt bad for him, but didn’t move to comfort or help him. Instead my eyes stayed locked on Jagger, who I half expected to try and make a break for it. But the wolf surprised me when he simply stared at the crowd, his amber eyes stopping on Mother the longest.
“Don’t try anything you’ll regret wolf. You’re outnumbered and outskilled,” Mother said, her tone hard as flint. “Shift back and answer for your crimes.”
Acquiescing, Jagger shifted to human aspect. A scowl firmly planted on his face, he allowed the sheriff to cuff him and lead him to sit upon the dirty couch.
In any normal, human town, the interrogation would have been done at the police station but not in Wandstown. Miss Iris was a beloved member of society and everyone wanted to know why Jagger had kidnapped her. That witches who weren’t on the police force but were gifted in mind-magic were present was another motivating factor to perform the interrogation right then and there. If the sheriff needed their skills to get to the bottom of things, he figured that Butcher cottage was as good a place as any.
“So,” the sheriff, a wizened old witch with a grizzled gray beard, pulled the chair from by the fireplace over to sit in front of Jagger. “Care to tell everyone why you kidnapped our sweet Miss Iris and drugged her?”
Jagger snarled, and Professor de Spina, who stood just behind the captive, shocked him with a surge of metallic gray magic.
“Ow!” The shifter whipped around to face de Spina. His eyes narrowed. “You gonna let him do that to a prisoner?”
The sheriff shrugged. “Seen worse. I suppose he just doesn’t like how you treated his ex. There are a few of them present and they all hold Miss Iris in very high regard. A few skilled mind witches are here too.” Jagger stiffened, which elicited a grim chuckle from the sheriff. “If you don’t want anyone prying, I suggest you start talking.”
“This isn’t right. I demand a lawyer. It’s my right as a U.S. citizen.”
Jagger’s demand sounded like a last-ditch effort to save his butt and everyone knew it. The sheriff most of all. He shook his head, staring the shifter down.
“Son, you know as well as I do that you aren’t getting a lawyer or any sort of human trial here. This is magical territory. We abide by our own laws.” The sheriff’s wrinkled face grew hard. “Besides, if we brought in the PIA, what do you think they’d say when they heard what you did to the daughter of a celebrated ex-spymaster?”
The shifter’s eyes narrowed and shifted to each citizen, like he was trying to stare down everyone in the room. It was only when he got to my mother, who gave him the glare of death, that his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“I needed information about her father.”
Others gasped, but I just waited. I’d suspected that Miss Iris’ father had some sort of role to play in all this, although I still didn’t know exactly what it was yet.
“Care to expand on that?” the sheriff prodded.
Jagger loosed a frustrated sigh. “Her father did shitty things when he was a spymaster.” The shifter’s eyes lifted and although he was surrounded by people who were inclined to dislike him, he looked justified. “He was a murder. He killed people like my father.”
I bit my lip, and some in the crowd began to murmur. I had no doubt that what Jagger said was true. Spies had to kill people, and Miss Iris’ father would have had been no exception.
Alex stepped forward. “Was your father a part of that terrorist shifter ring?”
Jagger spit on the floor. “Damn the PIA for spreading heinous stories about my old man and our pack. My pa was a leader and a patriot! A goddam patriot! He recognized the corruption at the PIA for what it was and deserves to be avenged!”
Even though Jagger sounded like a lunatic,
my lips parted in understanding. Judging by Jagger’s size as a wolf, he carried alpha blood in his veins. Jagger’s father had to have been the alpha who’d attacked Headmaster Bulspot.
The very same alpha the ex-headmaster had hunted and killed in return. My stomach sank. What Jagger did was still wrong, but a tiny part of me understood his motive. If I came across the black witch who’d attacked my father, I’d want to end her too.
No, I wouldn’t just want to end her. I’d do my best to make it a reality.
“So you wanted revenge on the father by kidnapping the daughter?” the sheriff asked.
Jagger snorted. “I didn’t care about Iris. I mean, she’s nice enough and clearly no spy. No one in their right might would let her in on state secrets. But I didn’t need anything like that from her. I only wanted to get to her father. Once I learned he used to be a headmaster at Spellcasters, I knew where to start looking. I mean, any magical who knows about the spy schools knows that each one has a supernatural town in it’s proximity where most of the staff lives. It was just a matter of discovering if anyone here knew anything about his current whereabouts.” Jagger shrugged. “I hit gold when Iris was the first person to talk to me. She told me her entire life story the day we met. Everything except where her father lived. I thought I’d be out of here within a week, but she never cracked on anything related to her dear old dad. So I had to stick around longer than I’d intended to even the score.”
I sucked in a breath as another puzzle piece fell into place. He’d drugged Miss Iris not to physically do something terrible to her, but in hopes that her tongue would slip.
Mother stepped forward. In response, people in the crowd moved back and even the sheriff leaned away from the shifter, deferring to her. She barely noticed; her gaze was like a laser searing into the shifter’s eyes.
“Did you attempt to force your way into my office?” Mother’s tone was commanding. “And dig under the fence of my school to break in?”
Academy of Magic Collection Page 108
