“You’re a fucking psycho bitch…” Weak, so very different from only a few seconds ago, the witch’s declaration dribbled thickly with horror. Gripping her chin tightly, I snapped her head back hard, and her pained shriek bounced sharply off the walls.
“Tell me how you obtained my magic sign.” My calm voice was of startling contrast to hers, and I stepped back as she rolled her head with a very visible wince. “Tell me.”
“Fuck you! You’re just going to kill me anyway. There’s no reason for me to say anything.”
“Were you communicating over the Veil?” Stiffening at my question, the witch’s gaze snapped to meet mine, and anxiety thrummed in my veins and twisted my gut. Shaking her head furiously, she sneered at me even as guards rose in her eyes, and I relaxed ever so slightly. Bareiijnr’s hand has not dipped into this pot. “Tell me how you obtained my magical sign.”
After repeating my question a few times, the thick, solid door to the room swung open on shrilly screeching hinges, and I twisted to watch Derek sauntering through. A darkness filled his expression, but he was gentle as he wrapped his arm around my waist. Simply staring at the witch, his eyes glowed hazel, and his teeth were sharper than a human’s when he opened his mouth.
“Muss confirmed that she hasn’t been communicating over the Veil, babe.” Glaring with pure hatred at Derek, the witch trembled with rage, his mere presence seemed to reinvigorate her and she began to twist and jerk against the rope ties again.
Humming softly in acknowledgement, I rested my head on Derek’s shoulder just to see her reaction. Blood rushed to her face, eyes bulging slightly from their sockets, and my mate squeezed me to him briefly before speaking up again. “She doesn’t appear to like shifters. Did you have a mate that rejected you? Is that why you’re such a fucking cunt?”
Hostile silence met Derek’s amused probing, but the witch’s head looked ready to pop – like she was a balloon, and he was a needle. It was very interesting to watch; it was certainly much better than the human entertainment.
“I do not think this is working… she still thinks that I cannot break her.” Leaning back on my heels, I blew out a hot sigh as the witch’s narrowed eyes bored holes into my cheeks. “I will have to increase my efforts.”
“I’ll be watching babe, just so the same thing that happened last time doesn’t happen again.” Derek’s ominous announcement caused heat to billow up my neck, and he released my hip only to squeeze my butt firmly. Gasping, I jolted in surprise, but he only left his laughter in his wake as he strolled out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
Regardless, his words had their desired effect.
Turning my attention back to the witch, I crossed my arms over my chest as she paled. Her face was still a bright red, but the purple tinge had dissipated along with the puffiness of her cheeks. Gaunt, and in a state of realization I had seen many times before, she stared blankly into space despite the fact that the fire never died in her eyes.
“Tell me how you obtained my magic sign.” Raising my hands palm up, I flexed my wings as the familiar sensation of magic skittered along my skin. The witch’s cheeks paled from dark red to only pink, and her wide eyes darted around the floor as she desperately tried to think. “I see you need more intense convincing.”
My eyelid twitched when the witch’s head snapped back at my thoughtful observation, and I spread my fingers in the silence. Amplified heart beats and breathing sounds bounced off the concrete, and her whimpers added another layer of noise. For an endless few seconds, she didn’t do anything but stare and pant.
But the beetles, spiders, scorpions, and cockroaches that she thought had suddenly filled the room up about a foot deep caught her attention. Her shriek was beautiful, long and loud, and crackling with terror of a woman that had never come into contact with nature before. Grinning broadly as she struggled in her chair, my cheeks ached as her pants became rasping chokes, and she stopped screaming but couldn’t breathe.
Instead, the witch’s stomach contents came spewing out of her mouth to splatter onto the hard floor. I dropped my illusion as I felt the acid from her vomit cling to my ankles.
“Tell me how you found out my magic sign.” Blinking rapidly, the woman’s head whipped side to side, and that fire in her eyes morphed into confused ferocity. My demand only earned me a grunt through ground teeth, and I could see her thinking of a way to free herself.
Which would not happen.
“You think you can intimidate me with your stupid tricks?” A scornful laugh dragged down at the walls of the room like nails, and I pursed my lips tightly as goosebumps washed my arms. “You think I can’t tell the difference? I know when my mind is being fucked with by some two-bit amateur bitch. You’re pathetic. That’s what you get for betraying your people and bending over like a dirty – ”
“My people?” This time, I was the one that laughed harshly, and the sound burned the back of my throat. Bitterness brightened my eyes as I glared at the witch, but she only glared back. “You think I am part of your people? A witch? Please, do not insult me…”
The witch stiffened, eyes widening with shock as her jaw hit her chest. Taking the few, short steps towards her, I wrapped my hands around her forearms fastened to the arm rests. Carefully unweaving the spell that I had cast on her before we’d even met, I spread my wings wide and her face became ashen. Huge, fearful pupils darted around, and I beat my wings gently as a wide, malicious smirk tilted my lips.
“I am not a witch… when I am done with you, you will not be either.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Derek
“She really said she had no idea who it was that told her about you other than the fact that it was a woman…” Jackson’s troubled tone pulled a grunt from me, and Linne nodded as a grave expression settled on her face. “Well… it certainly couldn’t have been Rachel.”
“Things just got a fuckton more complicated since it wasn’t.” My frustrated growl earned me a frown, and Jackson dragged his palms down his face dramatically. This entire situation was just getting more and more incredible the deeper we were embroiled – and not the good kind of incredible, either.
We had the witch, but she didn’t know anything about the person who told her about Linne.
“Okay, we got the witch. Problem number one, solved. If you’re sure she doesn’t know anything else, Linne, then get rid of her. We can worry about the mystery woman later. Once you’re done, both of you come to my office.” Stiffening at the scathing glare Jackson sent me, I ground my teeth hard as my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “I’ve got shit to do, so be quick.”
Storming off towards the exit of the converted house that sat right behind the pack offices, Jackson left a tense silence in his wake. Soft fingers crept up my arm, and I scoffed a harsh, heavy breath as Linne’s long, free flowing hair tickled my skin. Reaching to rub my left arm, my nails dug into the discolored flesh, and my ears rang from the emptiness.
“Derek?” Linne’s feathers rustled, and I tore my narrowed eyes off the door to catch the serene smile that tilted her lips. “It is okay. We will figure this out when Alpha Jackson is done with us. Melinda said that the person needed to know my magic sign. There are not many that do. There are no witches in this vicinity, and I have not been anywhere else.”
“So, it could’ve been a human with a hyper-sensitivity to wild magic…” Wrapping my arm around her waist, I raked my left hand through my hair as my mind churned. My mate didn’t bring up the question of dealing with the witch, and I was content to just assume she had already done so. She’d proven many times before that she was capable of taking care of things without anyone noticing.
After all, that was her specialty.
“Maybe. It is an option. I will ask the human Chad when I go to work tomorrow.” Heading out in Jackson’s steps, we fell into a solemn silence until the gutted, empty house fell away to reveal the late, summer day just beyond. “I still cannot see Muss… is he around?”
“I do not understand what is happening. I should be able to see and hear him if he permits it… but I cannot…” Palming Linne’s back heavily, I closed my eyes briefly to the golden glow of the sun as it slowly descended in the sky. Guilt crawled up my throat despite the simple fact that this was entirely Melinda’s fucking fault. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I held my breath for a long second before exhaling in a gust.
“Maybe it’s because your magic is confused? I don’t even know if that’s possible, but it seems at least you’ve got pieces that aren’t supposed to be there.” Rounding the side of the pack offices, I grimaced at the notion that those pieces might not be dislodged. “The last time your wings changed, nothing crazy happened with your magic. Maybe that’s what’s happening. When we mated, we agitated the mate bond, making your wings change again. This is the same, in theory.”
‘Linne’s magic didn’t go haywire when you mated, Derek the Lion. This is hardly the same.’ Venom dribbled into the crevices of my brain as Muss’ big eye glared fiercely at me, and I bared my teeth at him. I didn’t need him blaming me for this when I was already feeling shitty about it. Halting our journey just as the sidewalk came into view, I licked my teeth heavily before speaking up.
“If her magic didn’t go haywire, why do her wings not shrink anymore, huh? She has to work on making them smaller now – the exact opposite of before. There’s no reason to think that this will be any different. Once the bond calms, her wings might stay this color, but everything else will return to normal.”
Spouting some shit that kind of – sort of – made sense, I rolled my shoulders to relieve some of the tension zinging through my muscles. Even though I couldn’t see it, I could sense Muss’ eye widening – that kind of sensation slithering into my mind in the same way that I knew someone was shocked. Linne’s distress that I was having a conversation with him that she was unaware of was palpable, and I tightened my grip on her waist before Muss’ voice bounced around inside my skull.
‘I did not think of that… Is there anything I can do to expedite this process? I could try to find a spell – ’
“No, Muss. No more spells. This has to calm down on its own or it’ll just get worse. But –”
Muss’ excitement turned sour so fast I could taste it, and he blinked at me expectantly as I reached to rub my jaw with my free hand. “You can help somehow. We think there’s a human sensitive to wild magic that targeted Linne. We don’t know why, but if you could keep an eye on the humans she knows, and maybe the ones they know that seem suspicious… it’d be easier to not go on a wild goose chase.”
“I would not know if the human was sensitive – only if she exuded wild magic. That is a good idea.” Linne spoke up, and conviction raged inside my skull, only intensifying at her declaration, and Muss ducked his head in a sharp nod. Relief poured into my chest at the simple fact that the biggest obstacle had essentially been taken care of. Muss had five eyes for a reason, and they were all independent of each other.
‘I will report to you as soon as I find her.’ For a long, heavy moment, Muss only stared at Linne, but he shimmered into obscurity quick enough. Exhaling heavily, I nudged my mate forward, and my chest tightened at her shaky inhale. We were silent, rounding the office building with heavy steps, and she leaned her head on my shoulder.
Muss and Linne were obviously very close despite the strict restrictions that she’d lived with across the Veil.
I wonder if he’s in love with her?
For some reason, that notion wasn’t all that disturbing.
The pack offices were quiet as they usually were, and I walked past reception and down the hallway with apprehension swirling in my gut. Jackson and I butted heads constantly, and I had the scars to prove it. Walking the familiar way to his office on stiff legs, I rolled and clenched my jaw absently. Linne’s soft body against my side was lax, her strides easy, and I dragged my free hand down my face just as we came up to Jackson’s closed office door.
Without any hesitation, I grabbed the knob and pushed, and the door gave way without a single squeak of protest. My superior stood, leaning on his desk to face us, and Linne slipped into the room first before I shut us inside. For a heavy, tense moment, Jackson only stared at us through narrowed pupils, eyes flickering between my mate and I. Blood rushed in my ears, but the sentencing I had been expecting never flew from his mouth.
“You’re going to Liza’s clan on Saturday to finish negotiating the treaty.” My whole body went rigid, and Jackson smirked maliciously with a dangerous twinkle in his eye. “I thought about how best to punish you both for disobeying me, and this is by far the worst thing I could possibly come up with. Those two wolves that defected will be going back with you.”
“What the fuck, Jackson. You’re going to make me a fucking diplomat?” Jackson nodded, his smirk growing, and my lip curled in an unbridled snarl that rattled the things on his desk. Clenching my hands into fists, my nails dug into my palms, and the electrically charged atmosphere only became more intense when my mate’s confusion joined the fray. “I do not understand. How is this punishment? Is it not an honor to negotiate peace?”
Staring me down, Jackson lifted his chin in triumph, and I tore my gaze off him to glare at the edge of his desk. His amusement taunted me, but even in the haze of irritation, I didn’t try to protest. He’d beaten my ass more times than I cared to count.
“It’s a punishment because Derek hates doing diplomacy or politics. I took into consideration your predicament, Linne, and the circumstances. Trust me, it’ll be punishment enough to deal with Derek at a peace table.” Jackson’s all-too-pleased tone prickled down my spine, and his gaze flickered to me to dance with threat-edged merriment. “Be grateful I don’t put you on the post again. You’ve got tomorrow to stew on it.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Linne
Hope blossomed in my chest as I stared intently at the human Chad, and he frowned under furrowed brows as he thought. My arm swung absently to spray water from the hose onto the pots of fresh, bright flowers in the yard, but all of my attention was on my boss.
“I mean, I can’t think of anyone off the bat, Linne… then again, I can’t think that I would notice if Kristy or Maddy were magic sensitive.” Exhaling harshly, the energy seeped from my body to loosen my shoulders, and I frowned deeply. The human Chad shrugged apologetically, but I only shook my head slightly; it wasn’t like I hadn’t expected his answer. “Maybe you could blast them or something with wild magic and see how they react?”
My jaw dropped slightly at the suggestion, and the human Chad cracked a smirk. Nodding furiously, I released the pressure of my fingers on the hose head and carefully set it on the ground.
“Yes, that is a good idea. I can do that.” Striding past the human Chad towards the warehouse, I swiped my hand across my forehead and flexed my wings. Hopeful anxiety surged through my veins, and my feathers rustled from the force of it. Ducking into the cool shade of the building, my sneakered footfalls echoed around the huge space as I made a beeline for the reception area just a wall away from the human Chad’s office.
“Hello!” Both Maddy and Kristy were sitting at their desks on their computers, and I grinned broadly as two pairs of eyes met me. Spreading my wings at the confused looks and slight waves, I beat the plume of wild magic that seeped from my feathers in their direction. Neither woman so much as blinked, and I cleared my throat roughly to rid the disappointment tightening it. “Uh… so, what are you doing for lunch?”
My test lasted only a fraction of a second, and I didn’t want these two women to think anything was wrong with me. Nibbling on my lower lip, I glanced between the pair as Kristy looked down at her watch with a slight frown.
; “I don’t know yet. Did you have any ideas, Linne?” Opening my mouth to answer, I held my breath when Kristy’s phone chimed and cut me off. Swiping the device off the edge of her desk, she tapped a button and put the speaker to her ear with an apologetic smile. “Yeah, Mags? No, everything is fine… I’m just trying to figure out what to do for lunch. How are you doing? You sound… I don’t know… panicky? Did the police get back to you yet?”
My mind whirled slightly as images of Kristy’s lover flashed in my inner eye, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Realization hit me hard, and I nearly choked on air before turning on my heel to rush out of the office. Fumbling to pull my own cell phone out of my back pocket, I flipped open the device to hit Derek’s speed dial. My heart lurched in my chest, beating rapidly to drown out the noises echoing around the warehouse.
“Derek – Derek – I know who hired the witch! I know!” Hiding behind a stack of bagged dirt on a pallet, I whispered in the receiver and crouched low. Glancing over my shoulder, my eyes narrowed on the office door over the axillar of my wings as they shrunk to accommodate my position. “It is Kristy’s lover, Mags. I administered a test, and – ”
“Woah, babe – talk slower… who’s Kristy?” Derek’s deep voice calmed the nerves that stung my fingertips, and I inhaled a deep, slow breath. Closing my eyes, I leaned on the wrapped pallet lightly and licked my lips. Organizing my thoughts quickly, I relished his patience that seeped through the speaker.
“Kristy is the receptionist at my work. She has sexual relations with another woman. The human Chad suggested I test her. The woman, Mags, called Kristy and was ‘panicky’; and Kristy asked about police. Maybe because the witch went missing.” Speaking slow, short sentences, I carefully explained the situation even as disbelief began to pump through my chest. “Why would she do something so awful? I have met her several times… she is a very nice human…”
Finding My Mate Page 18
