The Hunter’s Mage

by Bryce Evans

  “Hold on a minute,” Cosmo interrupted, “are y’all talking about a puppy or a wolf who grew up in a pack. Did your pack not teach her anything? I mean, you act like she’s made of porcelain. She’s a shifter and would probably shock you at what she can do.”

  Lennox watched the alpha closely. He was certain Arden cared deeply about Jade, but he realized that the wolf alpha wasn’t telling him everything. “No, she isn’t a normal shifter. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Jade is different. She hated training to fight. She couldn’t even take up for herself when other girls in the pack picked on her. We sheltered her from anyone hurting her. She’s not made like us. When she was attacked, it traumatized her and everyone protected her.”

  “Seems to me, you did her an injustice by sheltering her. No wonder she never looks anyone in the eyes. She needs to learn to take up for herself, and if that means getting put on her ass, then she will be educated from it. When she realizes she doesn’t like it, she will adapt to what she did wrong, and find a way to correct it. Come on, didn’t y’all teach her any kind of self-defense skills that would help her take care of herself? I’ve seen your guards. They all seem to be squared away, but don’t your women know anything except how to—”

  Arden’s chair slammed against the wall as he shot up. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on the table. “Finish that statement, bear, and you will see what I’ve taught my mate.”

  “Okay, that’s enough.” Quinn glared at Lennox. “Is this what it’s going to be like once the pack moves in next to us? Bar fights, pack wars, simply because your people don’t know how to play nice. If you think for a moment that Jade will just glide on over to your land with that type of attitude, you are sadly mistaken. She’s not desperate for a mate.

  “At the end of the year, she will be a multi-millionaire. So, she doesn’t need your money or your support, and like I said earlier, Jade is different. Just because you say she is your mate doesn’t mean she is just going to hike up her skirt and let you do the dirty with her. You act like she should be thankful you chose her.”

  Quinn took in a deep breath and held up her finger to Lennox. “You’ve been out of the dating game, it looks like to me. All I can say is if you want to win Jade Cross then you had better change your ways. You got to give a lot more then this to win her heart. I will say this and then we’re leaving before my mate starts drawing blood. If you really care for Jade and she is really your mate, then it might behoove you to get to know her and what she really loves in life. And, buddy, that includes her pack.”

  Arden was already pulling his mate out the door when she said the last word. He watched as they both disappeared. He sat in silence until Cosmo brought him out of his haze. “Well, buddy, you have a lot of girl training to do. I don’t think you made any new friends tonight.”

  Lennox turned and stared at his beta. His bear wanted to swipe its claws right across Cosmo’s face right now. This hadn’t gone as he had planned and now his beta was pissing him off.

  “I can tell that you want to change and rip my face off. Don’t cha?” Cosmo asked, picking up another bread stick. “But that’s going to have to wait. You made me be here to find out that the woman you are choosing is a wolf and…” Cosmo put his finger up like the female alpha did and his beta knew how angry that made him. “Now, let me finish, not only is she a wolf but you just pissed off her whole pack. How are you going to get the girl if you continue to piss everyone off? I’m so hungry, can we just eat now?”

  Lennox couldn’t hold it in any longer. Thrusting out his left arm, he tried to hit Cosmo into the wall, but he was expecting it. Cosmo laughed as he ran around the table with another bread stick in his hand. “Come on, man, let’s eat and figure out what to do next.”

  Swallowing his growl, Lennox watched as the door to the back room opened. The waitress walked in with different types of appetizers. Cosmo had ordered them when they arrived.

  “Food, finally.” Cosmo rushed over and helped the waitress unload the tray she was carrying. She was scanning the room looking for the others. Her scent told him that she was a wolf and probably part of Arden’s pack.

  “Did the alpha leave?” the waitress asked, looking around the room.

  “Yep, but he told us the food was great here,” Cosmo said, pilling as much food onto his plate that he could.

  The waitress put her hand on her hip. Usually, she was smiling, but right now she was giving him a death look and he knew that kind of look when he saw one. “What did you do? Now, I know you did something bad to make poor Jade leave. She loves the special and never misses a chance to eat it. So, what did you two do?”

  “I…did…nothing,” Cosmo said with his mouth open. Before he knew it, the waitress popped Cosmo on the back of the head.

  “Hey!”

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full. That’s rude.”

  “Now, I will ask again, what did you do?” Teresa asked, staring at him.

  Lennox had no plans on telling a complete stranger what had happened. It didn’t matter that she was part of the Dixon pack, he wasn’t. Getting up, he laid down a hundred-dollar bill and walked out leaving Cosmo to answer. He had some thinking to do and figure out how he was going to win a wolf.

  Chapter Five

  Jade sat on her bed, shaking. She held it all in until she could be alone. She shifted, letting her wolf go. No matter where it took her, it would take the pain away. Lennox Bartley said she was his mate. It had to be a mistake, but…”

  No, she wasn’t going to let this ruin her run. She needed this to escape what was now a major problem for her and the pack. Jade ran as fast as she could. Letting the wind blow through her fur. She didn’t stop until she made it back to her cabin. She used her head to close the door, then shifted.

  “Knock, knock.”

  She scented Quinn at the door. Taking a quick look in the mirror, she grabbed a robe and patted her hair down. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Quinn stood there.

  “What? Why are you staring at me again?” Jade looked down at her robe. “I just got back from a run.”

  “I wanted to check on you to make sure you were okay.” Quinn moved into the room and closed the door behind her.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” What a stupid thing to say.

  “Jade, it’s me, Quinn. Come on. One of the biggest and baddest alphas around just named you as his mate. Oh, yeah, I’m a little concerned how you are taking that news.”

  Turning, Jade shuffled to her desk and sat on the edge. She didn’t want Quinn to see her expression. Every time she heard it, it sounded worse. “I’m fine. Doesn’t matter to me what he thinks. I’m my own person. I can choose who I mate with.”

  “Jade,” Quinn said, sitting on the side of the bed. “Do you feel anything toward him. I know you remember what you said to me about mates. Well, it was true. I tried my best to stay away from Arden in the beginning, but I couldn’t. The mating pull is going to get you, girl, and you won’t be able to control it. I’m worried about you trying to overcome the mating pull. It can do stuff to you mentally. Trust me, I tried and it made me wild. You remember how I acted. Plus, I don’t want you to move.”

  Standing up quickly, Jade huffed. “I’m not moving anywhere. Who said I was moving?” Jerking around quickly, Jade whispered, “Does Arden want me to leave now?”

  Grabbing her hand, Quinn pulled her to sit by her on the bed. “Of course not. This is your home, but like me, when it finally clicked with me and Arden, I couldn’t stand to be without him. Even now, I can’t stand to be without him. If I’m at the store, I think about him,” Quinn said, nudging her in the arm.

  “What do you think we’re doing in my office all those times during the day.” Raising her eyebrow, Quinn winked at her. “It’s the mating pull and I’m telling you that it’s going to be difficult for you to stay here. You will want to be with him all the time.”

  Shaking her h
ead, she replied, “That’s not me. I love my job and my pack. Why should I leave. I don’t know him, Quinn, and everything I’ve heard is bad. We’re not even compatible. Arden hates him and I’m not even going to say what Bane wants to do to him. I bet my brother is camped out right now just waiting for him to cross over onto Dixon land so he can shoot him. Giving him a reason to kill him. This is crazy! I can’t believe this is happening to me.

  “I’m nobody, Quinn. He’s an alpha. He scares the crap out of me. He’s so big, and like you said, wild looking. He probably expects me to just lie down with him and I’m not like that. I want…” Jade turned, sucking back the tears. She wouldn’t let this ruin her life.

  Quinn pulled Jade close to her. “I’m not that kind of wolf. I’ve never…” Jade let the tears fall. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She was scared to death. And she knew Quinn was right, but she didn’t want to believe it.

  Quinn got up and went to her window and looked out. “Nobody is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. Not even that fat head alpha. I promise. Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day and we will figure this out, together.”

  Jade nodded, knowing this wouldn’t be that easy. “I think I will take a shower.” She needed for Quinn to leave before she fell apart. They all thought she was weak and if she broke down like she wanted, it would be impossible for anyone to take her seriously ever again. She was having trouble believing in herself to make a rational decision without asking someone what they thought. This was something she had to do for herself.

  “That sounds good. Just relax in the tub and try not to worry about any of this.”

  Quinn winked at her before she closed her door. This would be all she could think about. She knew what the mating pull was. Her brother and Simone and Arden and Quinn all fell prey to it, but right now, she didn’t feel anything like they described.

  Lennox had to be wrong. All she felt was how scared she was. Of course, she was attracted to him, but he had never asked her out. He would think that was stupid and if she didn’t make this right, it could easily pull her pack apart and that was out of the question.

  She would talk to Lennox tomorrow and tell him he was wasting his time and to rethink this and she was sure he would realize he was wrong. “He made a mistake and there is nothing else to say about it.”

  Jade walked to her bathroom. “The alpha is wrong and I plan on telling him that tomorrow.” Yes, that was what she was going to do. Now she had to find the nerve to do it.

  Oh, my little wolf, you are mine and I never make mistakes. Lennox inhaled deeply, scenting his mate through the window. Her scent was sweet like candy apples, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what she said. She was scared of him and she had never what? Been with a man like him or. . .no way, not at her age.

  She couldn’t be a virgin. Nothing good had ever come of wondering what if. No, whatever it was, he would deal with it like he dealt with anything. She would submit to him and tell him why she was scared of him and what she meant by that little statement, but he had to be careful or she would know he was eavesdropping on her conversations.

  He scented the guard as he stood beneath his mate’s small veranda. The wolf knew something was off, but he couldn’t scent him. That’s the way he liked it. He needed to check in on his mate from time to time and he wasn’t going through her brother to do it. Bane Cross had another thing coming if he thought he was keeping his mate from him.

  He couldn’t see into the bathroom window, but he could hear the water running. More wolves were already moving in his direction. They may not smell him, but they knew something wasn’t right. Lennox waited until the wolf finally walked to the front of the house then dropped to the ground and ran toward his property. The guards never even heard him. He was good at this and had years of practice. Surveillance was what they did best. He was good at killing too, but nobody ever got the jump on him and they never would.

  He could see his property line when something, or somebody, fell from the tree, cutting off his escape. “I thought it was you on the veranda, and I was right.” Quinn Dixon stood, smiling.

  How the hell. . . He never even scented her or heard a sound. The insects chirped away like she wasn’t even there. “How did you do that?”

  “You’re not the only one with talents.” Quinn held her hand up and it started glowing.

  “You’re a witch with more talents then I knew about.”

  “Yes, and a shifter. I thought you knew that? I thought you knew everything about the pack you are investigating.”

  “I knew you were a witch, but now I see that you are a special kind of witch. Hmm.” Lennox’s hand patted his beard down. It was a thing with him when he was stumped. “So, what do you want?”

  “Let me ask you the same question since you are on my land without permission. I think you need to answer that first.”

  “You said you knew I was on the veranda. How did you know?” Lennox asked. He knew he hadn’t made a sound that anyone could pick up, and he sure as hell knew that his scent was masked, so how did the witch know?

  “Like you, I also know how to mask my scent and to make the animals feel comfortable around me. They don’t seem to feel threatened by me as much as you.” She was right, there wasn’t a sound in the woods from any insect or animal.

  “They know a predator is around,” he said. “This is natural when one shows up, but you, on the other hand, are dabbling in black magic.”

  “No, I never use black magic. Never,” Quinn spit out. “I know some spells that my grandmother taught me. It doesn’t last long but I got here just in time. You should have scented me a few yards back.”

  “I did, but again it’s your property and I’m sure you check your perimeter, right?”

  Quinn snorted. She stood quietly looking, no, staring at him, but like the smart wolf, he too could play this game. “Is Jade really your mate?”

  “I already told you.” Lennox didn’t like to be questioned, especially by a woman.

  “Then you should know that Jade is like no other wolf that I’ve come across. She is special—”

  “Yes, I know she is special…”

  Quinn stepped closer to him. “No, you don’t understand. She is an innocent. She’s never—”

  Lennox grabbed her arm. “What…what are you not telling me about my mate?”

  Quinn whispered something to herself, and he felt the heat, then BAM…Lennox fell backwards releasing her arm. “Witch!” he spit out.

  “Don’t you ever touch me.”

  Quinn Dixon had powerful magic. “How did you do that? I’ve never felt magic like that except…”

  “Yes, yes, I know, except black magic. You have never come across my family. My grandmother was one of the Old Ones and she taught her granddaughter well. The older I get, the more I will learn from the Old Ones. They only teach who they choose. I was just chosen this year after my grandmother made her request. They can only choose…”

  “Just one. Yes, I know. I didn’t see anything in your background that linked you to the Old Ones. How?” Lennox knew about the Old Ones and their power. They gave the Death Hunters the masking power and all the other gifts they used. But he knew something was wrong, who was the grandmother that wasn’t in his file?

  “One day, if you treat Jade like a queen, I will tell you, but only then,” Quinn said.

  “Jade is a virgin?” Lennox whispered. There he said it.

  “Yes, yes, she is. Does that matter to you that she is not experienced? I know you are probably used to…”

  “Stop, please, don’t say another word. You act like I’m a caveman going to throw her over my shoulder and run away.” Lennox couldn’t believe he was even having this conversation with her. “Why am I even talking to you. It’s none of your business.”

  Her mouth set in a hard line and he knew what was coming. “When it comes to Jade Cross, it is my business.”

  Lennox crossed his arms over his chest, and asked,
“You scared you won’t get your cut from her business.”

  He felt the magic as it cracked through the air. Instead of throwing it at him, she stood very still, waiting. He had to admit he deserved it. He was being an ass. Everything he had learned about Quinn Dixon was all good. She had a shit head for a father, but thankfully, she didn’t get his less than desirable qualities. Thankfully, he wasn’t on the council.

  “That was mean and untrue, and if you knew your mate, you would know that when it comes to business, Jade isn’t going to let someone take advantage of her. I love that woman and I only want the best for her and if that means me standing out here without my mate knowing, trying to help your stupid ass. . .” Quinn exhaled loudly.

  “I don’t like lying to my mate so I’m going to tell him that I came here trying to help Jade. She deserves to be happy and not just because someone is willing to take her but because she is beautiful, sweet, kind hearted, and most of all, I see something in Jade that nobody has. Magic. I don’t know what kind, but whatever it is, it’s buried deep within her and it may never come out, but she is blessed with it, so you better treat her right, Alpha, or you will have me to deal with.”

  “You’re right. You didn’t deserve that.” Lennox admitted. If she had information about Jade, then he would do whatever it took to find out. “You said magic. What do you mean it’s buried deep within her?”

  Quinn cleared her throat. “Okay, I think Jade needs someone like you, and to be honest, you definitely need someone like Jade to help with that stellar personality of yours. I know all you alphas are like—hey, look at me. I’m the best out there, but you’re not. None of you are, well, maybe my mate, but any hoo. Like I was saying, Jade has a sweet nature and she is truly a good person, but I don’t know what kind of magic it is. I just see it in her and it may never manifest itself, but it’s there. So, I wouldn’t piss her off.