I kept flipping pages and then I found the spell he must have used on me. How to stop a person’s actions. I read that page and the spell over and over. It didn’t seem very difficult, but it just didn’t seem feasible.
When I finished with the book, I unfolded the pages I’d marked earlier and placed the book on the shelf. I was prepared to take a stab at casting a spell on him when the perfect opportunity presented itself. I just hoped Barry found me before I paid the ultimate price if it failed. If it worked, it would give me a chance to rip Maximus apart.
I walked into the kitchen and rifled through the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. When I landed on the leftover venison chops, I devoured them. I didn’t even heat them up. When they were gone, I continued my search for more food.
I stuffed myself on some meatballs that were kept in a small container, then turned off the television before going to the bedroom and lying down.
Chapter 14
Holt
“My mate, are you okay?” I asked. I hadn’t heard from Daci for hours, and my heart sank at the thought that something dreadful may have happened.
“Barry, my dearest. I’m fine. It’s been an exhausting day.”
“He hasn’t hurt you, has he?” The blood rushed through my veins. The thought of anything happening to my sweet Daci made me furious. I had to stifle my growl.
“Well, he was upset with me earlier. I’d searched through a drawer, looking for the address where he lives. When I placed the papers back in the drawer, it appears they didn’t get pushed in far enough. When he saw a paper peeking out the edge of the drawer, he grabbed me by my arm and shook me. And he hollered at me, then threatened to lock me in the cage.”
“A cage?”
“The day he brought me here, he locked my Coy-wolf in the large cage he has in his living room.”
“The more I hear about this guy, the more I hate him. I want to rip his vocal cords from his throat and sever his jugular so he can bleed to death.” My breathing had gotten harsh. “I just want to fucking …”
“It’s not worth it. I just want to get away from him so we can be together. Let the police take care of him.”
“We clearly don’t see eye to eye on this.” I’d let her call the police after I shredded this fucker’s filthy hide off his bones, if that made her feel better.
There was a lengthy pause.
“How are you able to communicate with me, my dearest?” Daci asked.
“It’s a long story. I promise I’ll tell you everything, but right now my priority is to find you.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be just fine. I’m not the same weird kid you used to know.”
“I never thought that you were weird.”
“Veronica did.”
“That was her, not me.”
I needed to keep moving. “I’ll be in touch when I’m there.”
“How will you find me? I didn’t give you the address.”
“Trust me, love, I know where you are.”
“Barry.” The butterflies stirred deep in my gut hearing my name roll off her tongue.
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
“You can ask or say anything to me. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, it’s just... never mind. I’m being silly. I look forward to our next talk.”
“Soon, my mate. We’ll talk very soon.”
The confrontation that was imminent was welcomed. This Maximus asshole had to be dealt with. He needed to understand how unacceptable his behavior was. He kidnapped an unsuspecting, overly trusting woman, then held her against her will. And not just any woman. My woman. My soul mate.
What I wanted to do was kill him, but I knew Daci didn’t want me to take it that far. I couldn’t help but wonder how much pain I could inflict without having him keel over. I planned to find out, though. I’d honor the wishes of my soul mate, but I was going to push the punishment as close to the brink as I could. Then I’d give Daci the satisfaction of knowing he was left alive for the police to handle, as she requested.
The thought of leaving that fucker breathing pissed me off. It was at that moment I heard my mother’s words echo in my brain. You have to lead with a level head. You can’t allow your emotions to rule you.
Yeah, yeah, I thought.
I covered the next few miles faster than I’d expected. Daci’s sweet scent had become more powerful and I knew I was getting nearer to the house.
Trey had warned me when we met with the Council not to go in there half-cocked. We were prepared, and I needed to make sure I approached this situation the same way. Daci’s life was at stake and I damn sure couldn’t fuck this up and get her hurt, or killed.
“Trey, I need your help. I’m nearly to Daci, but I may be going up against a Warlock.” I contacted him through our link. It didn’t take very long for him to reply.
“A Warlock? Damn, kid. Are you sure?”
“Daci thinks so. Evidently he cast a spell on her shortly after he kidnapped her.”
I heard Trey growling. “I had no idea there were Warlocks nearby. I need to check with my good friend at Council on this. What’s this guy’s name? Do you know?”
“Daci called him Maximus. She never gave a last name. He might not have one. He’s like some famous people: Sting, Iman, Madonna. And then there’s Cher, Beyoncé, and Adele. Or maybe like…”
Trey cleared his throat to interrupt me. “I get the idea, kid. I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor. Give me a few minutes and I’ll check with my buddy to see if he has any information on a Maximus Warlock.”
“You mean Maximus Asshole,” I said. I laughed so hard I nearly toppled over.
“I guess if Alpha doesn’t work out for you, you can try the comedian route.” Trey chuckled.
While I waited for Trey to get back to me, I decided this was a perfect time to hunt. My stomach felt so empty I thought it was touching my backbone.
As I polished off the fawn that had become my meal, Trey linked to me.
“Holt, I’ve got some news.”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“I talked to my long-time friend, Sherman Kelly. He’s a Witch used by Council. Sherman wasn’t able to dig up any intel on anyone named Maximus in our area.”
“Did he have anything on anyone name Maximus? Maybe the guy moved from somewhere?”
“He knew of one guy named Maximus in France. He’s still there, so there’s no way it can be the same person.”
“Did you tell him about the spell?”
“Yeah, I did. Sherman’s not sure exactly what he did, but he seriously doubts this guy is a Warlock or has true magical powers.”
I was dumbfounded. I sat in the grass and scratched behind my ears.
“What should I do?” I asked. If I’d have gotten it confirmed this guy was a Warlock, at least I’d know what I was up against. But now, I had no idea.
“How soon will you be ready to make your move?” Trey asked.
“I wanted to go get her tonight. I’m just not sure that’s the best idea. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow.”
“What are you waiting for? Tomorrow won’t change anything. He’s still going to be him, you’re still going to be you, and Daci is still going to be held captive. The only problem with waiting is this guy may come unglued and do something terrible to her. Could you live with that?”
My Wolf howled at the thought of anything happening to my soul mate. “No way!”
“Then don’t leave her there. With all due respect, kid, go get her right fucking now.”
Chapter 15
Daci
Maximus came home and put me under the same spell as before. He put me back in the cage, but this time he entered behind me. I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare at him.
He held himself up with one arm and started out rubbing his free hand down my hair, professing his love for me. He kept
calling me my pet. He’d kiss one cheek, then the other, all the while his fingers were combing through my tresses.
I couldn’t move. I wanted him to stop, but I couldn’t speak.
He stared at me for several seconds, then he lowered his mouth to mine and forced his tongue between my lips. He kept twisting his head from side to side and moaning. His moans made me sick. His wet, slobbery kiss made me sick, too.
My stomach lurched when his hand slid beneath the robe and cupped my breast, squeezing it over and over like it was a stress ball. He’d squeeze, then pinch my nipple, then squeeze again. Each time, the pressure was greater and more painful. In my mind, I was begging him to stop, but no words came out of my mouth.
His hand slid from my breast down over my stomach, where he momentarily stopped. His fingers made their way lower, lower, lower until he had my crotch firmly in the palm of his hand -- literally.
He whispered in my ear that he was going to make me his, then slid one of his long fingers inside me. I wanted to scream. I held my breath in hopes that I’d pass out and he’d leave me alone. I closed my eyes as he wiggled his finger inside me, dragging it out and pushing it back in. I couldn’t even close my legs in hopes of stopping him from violating me. I could feel the tears trickling down my face. I wanted it all to stop. I would’ve preferred for him to have killed me.
He leaned in and kissed my neck, then told me he loved me again. I could feel the bile rising in my throat. I tried to contact Barry to beg him to hurry, but he never replied to me. The tears were flowing in a steady stream.
There was a rustling noise, but his hand never left me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Maximus kneeling. He was preparing to violate me in the worst way. I’d been saving myself for my soul mate, and it wasn’t him. I was screaming in my head, No! And I was frantically calling for Barry, but he wouldn’t answer.
When I closed my eyes again, Maximus grabbed my face in his hand and squeezed harder than he had ever done. That was when he told me he’d killed a wolf on his way home. He said he saw it crossing the road and sped up in his truck, then ran it over. Then he rammed himself into me while he laughed that horrible cackle of his. I faded to black in my dream.
The dream I woke from was so vivid. So real. So terrifying.
The empty feeling left in my chest and stomach was haunting. I sat up in bed and hoped like hell it was just a dream. That was when I realized I’d been crying. I wiped at the remaining wetness on my face, then inhaled deeply before letting the breath slowly out through my slightly parted lips.
I wrapped my robe around me nice and snug, then went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. As I sipped, I shook my head at the horrible nightmare that woke me.
My heart was racing. I pulled the robe even tighter around myself while my stomach roiled. I rushed to the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet.
I slowly padded across the floor, taking a seat in the hard, wooden chair. I had no desire to watch television or read any of his books. I wanted nothing to do with being in his fucking house anymore. I wanted out. NOW!
I tossed the robe onto the floor and transformed into my Coy-wolf. I paced back and forth in the living room before I made my way to one of the windows, and began clawing at the window sill. I left a lot of marks, but the wood wasn’t ripping away. I used my teeth and left incisor marks, but it still wouldn’t rip free. What kind of material is this, I thought.
Furious, I walked over to the couch he’d been sleeping on and swiped my front paw with claws out across the seat, ripping it. Stuffing was visible and protruding though the gashes.
Fuck him and his couch, I thought. I swiped again, leaving another set of claw rips and more stuffing exposed.
“Precious one, what are you doing?” Barry said through his link.
“I need out of here. I’m going crazy. I hate this guy and I hate being locked in his house,” I said.
“I need you to stay calm,” he said.
“That’s easy for you to say!” I screamed. “You’re not the one locked in here. My Coy-wolf couldn’t even rip the trim off around the windows.”
“Don’t damage his things. If he gets there before me, who knows how he’ll react. I’d die if he seriously hurt you.”
“Then run faster, Barry, because I’ve already shredded his precious sofa.”
“I’m moving as fast as I can. Why don’t you ever call me Holt? That’s my name now.”
“You’ll always be Barry to me. My sweet Barry.”
I paced back to the sofa and gritted my teeth, growling my hatred for Maximus. I could feel the foam building up in the corners of my mouth as my anger grew stronger. I leapt up onto the piece of furniture with all four feet, claws out, and began shredding it with swipes and kicks. Stuffing material was flying in the air around me. I wished it was his filthy body under my paws.
When I finished with his prized sofa, I transformed back to my human and made my way into his kitchen.
I stomped over to the cupboards and opened the one with his plates and glasses. One by one, they were flung across the room, crashing hard against the wall, shattering into bits on the floor.
Chapter 16
Holt
“Holt, I presume.” The voice behind me was unfamiliar. How the hell did someone sneak up on me?
A low, warning growl rumbled up as I spun on my heels, immediately ready to attack. When I saw the tiny, thin, black-haired stranger, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He barely reached my ribs.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked.
“Not the person you should be speaking to in that way, or with that tone. I’m Sherman,” the man said. His squeaky voice sounded like that of a child.
“Sherman who? I don’t know you.”
“I’m the Council Witch, Sherman Kelly. Your Beta and my good friend, Trey, told me you had a problem and some concerns. After contemplating the story he relayed, I thought it best if I came and assessed the situation myself before you get yourself killed.” His smug reply pissed me off.
“Did Trey ask you to come? He never told me you were on your way.”
“He didn’t ask me; I took it upon myself to come help you. A favor, if you will.” He stood and stared at me with his beady black eyes for a few seconds. “If you’d rather I leave and let you fend for yourself, I’ll be more than happy to oblige you. I thought you’d be more appreciative of my presence.”
“I’d have been more appreciative if I’d asked for you to be here and knew you were coming,” I said. The words came out much more harshly than I’d intended.
Sherman crossed his arms and stared at me for a few seconds. “Then I’ll wish you well and leave. I don’t have to be here. I’m sure Council and the Enforcer have more important things I could be doing.”
Before he was fully turned to walk away, I called out to him. “No. Don’t go. I didn’t mean to sound like an ingrate. I am happy you came, I just didn’t know you were coming. That’s what I was trying to say.” My back-pedaling seemed to have been satisfactory. He turned to face me once again.
“Tell me about your alleged Warlock,” he said tersely as he rolled his eyes.
“I don’t know much about him. Daci said she was put under a spell when he kidnapped her.”
“Has she mentioned being entranced since?”
“No. She hasn’t mentioned anything.”
He tilted his head then inhaled a deep breath, and rolled his eyes again before releasing a long sigh. “Do you think you can ask her about it?”
This fucking guy, I thought. I managed to keep my temper under control. I linked to Daci and asked her about the asshole Maximus and what spells he had cast on her. I also asked her about a possible entry point to the house, and she told me all the doors and windows were locked to make sure she didn’t get out.
“She said she was only spellbound twice, when he brought her to the house. Both times she was put in a catatonic state, but she was still awake. No other spells have been cast
that she knows of. Oh, and she said he’s locked the windows and doors so she can’t get out.”
“That sounds like either a very amateurish Witch or Warlock, or a terribly pathetic imposter. I have to stick with my first assumption; this guy is not a Warlock. He doesn’t have any magical powers. If he did, he wouldn’t need to lock doors and windows. Instead, he could either leave her under a spell while he’s away or he’d be well-versed on how to prevent her from exiting without locking mechanisms.”
Before I could reply, Daci sent me another message saying she’d found a witchcraft book on his bookshelf. I relayed that information to the Council Witch.
Sherman waved his hands in the air. “I knew it. He’s a mortal who’s pretending to be something he’s not. I get no sense of magic, witchcraft, or any other supernatural source coming from his land, either. What I can opine, based on the feeling I’m getting, is this guy is missing a few screws, if you get what I’m saying.”
“I understand, but if he was able to place a spell on Daci would he be able to do the same to me?”
“Did you hear what I just said? He’s a fake. A crazy assed fake. His abilities are limited and I believe he had a stroke of beginner’s luck with his little witchcraft spell. My guess is he did it to intimidate her. To force her to think he’s more powerful than he is. I can show him true magical powers, if you’d like, or you can handle him yourself. He’s no match for you as Alpha.” He looked me up and down. “Hell, he’d probably not be a match for you if you weren’t a Shifter.”
“Is it safe to proceed?”
“I’d strongly recommended it, for your mate’s sake. You shouldn’t hesitate, either. Not because he’ll be able to have any further magical control over her, but because I think this guy may be very unstable and dangerous.”
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