“All right, you two, stop it. Either that or get a room ‘cause you sound like you’ve been married for twenty years.” Rafe shook his head before turning to Sherman. “So what’s the solution?”
“This Witch is powerful, but he has a fundamental flaw,” Sherman said, tapping his nose conspiratorially. “He’s lazy. He’s placed his magic on the road and for a few feet either side of the road but that’s all. There is nothing further afield so if we leave the vehicles here and go in on foot, giving the road a wide berth, we’ll be fine. Well, until we reach him that is. Then the fireworks will begin.”
Sherman finished with a flourish, clapping his hands and a distinct twinkle in his eyes. Rafe liked him. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Zohar didn’t respond directly, instead he turned to one of his men, barking out orders. “Tell everyone to get out and onto the side of the road. They’re to follow us precisely, no deviations whatsoever.”
Rafe patted Sherman’s shoulder. “I’ll go and get my own men then I’ll catch up with you.”
“Fine, fine, just remember to leave this rascal for me to deal with.”
“Sure,” Rafe replied, taking the opportunity he leaned down. “About that, if at all possible can you soften him up enough for me and my Wolves to deal with him? It’s just that the Pack that he killed, you know, the entire Pack of Wolves that we buried? Well those were my mate’s people and she’d like him to be dealt with Wolf style. If that’s something you can do, Sherman?”
Sherman twiddled his fingers and leaned toward Rafe as he tapped the side of his nose. “I get you, Rafe. That bastard deserves all he gets and your lovely lady, well, I can’t even begin to know how she must be feeling. If that’s what she wants then I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen. No promises, of course, because I don’t know exactly what we’re walking into, but if this lame ass spell he’s got going on here is anything to go by then I feel confident that I can deliver him up on a platter to you. After that you can do what you wish with him and good riddance is what I say.”
Rafe grinned, then winked at the Witch. “Thanks, I really appreciate that.”
He took off, running back through the throng of bodies that now barred his way.
Annoyance at being held up by Zohar’s men, he finally reached Jacy and Tasha, finding the rest of his men waiting too. His Beta pacing back and forth muttering under his breath. When he saw Rafe he relaxed. “Thank goodness! I thought you’d pulled a fast one and left us behind.”
His hand flew to his mouth, eyes wide as he looked around. “Shit, I said that aloud didn’t I?”
Tasha laughed. “Yeah, you did, but it’s what we were all thinking.”
“What?” Rafe sidled up to his mate, chucking her under the chin. “You really thought I’d do that?”
“Yes, no, not really,” she mumbled, refusing to look him in the eye.
“I admit the thought crossed my mind but I gave you my word and I don’t break that, Tasha. Not if I can help it.”
“Sorry,” she said, raising her eyes to meet his. “I can feel your reluctance about having me here so I thought you’d maybe taken the opportunity to leave me behind.”
“I don’t like that you’re here but you are. It is what it is but my men all know they’re to keep you safe at all costs. I trust them so let’s get moving.”
Rafe looked around, spying Myrtle. “Stay close, Myrtle. I might need you.”
Tasha nodded giving him a tight smile before he wrapped her small hand in his, tugging her along as he jogged back toward Zohar and Sherman. The Council’s men heeding what they’d been ordered and staying well away from the road, spreading out into the trees that ran alongside. They moved quietly, with stealth and purpose, Rafe and his men reaching Sherman quickly.
The diminutive man strode purposely forward, his fingers intertwined across his chest and muttering low with words that Rafe couldn’t understand. He whispered to Myrtle behind him, “What’s he doing?”
She shook her head and shrugged. “Magic but it’s far beyond anything I know.”
So much for having his own Witch. He couldn’t be annoyed at her though. She was more Wolf than Witch and never hid the fact she never courted the power her mother wielded. Myrtle was happier healing than anything else and focused any magical abilities in those directions. Rarely did she use her Witch side in anger, although it had been known.
A smirk slid across his face as he recalled a time when she’d come across a young Wolf bullying some pups. She’d lit his hair up, sending streaks of sparks to give him a jolt or two, not enough to do any real damage. It was enough to scare the hell out of him and when his parents came to complain Rafe growled that they were lucky it wasn’t him that had caught their son and if they didn’t get the little shit under control then he’d do it for them. That soon shut them up.
His nose twitched, jolting him out of the memory, alerting him to a change around them. What the hell was it? Inhaling deeply he almost gagged on a scent he’d never encountered before. Foul, definitely, but it was more than that. It was almost as if it were alive, sliding over his skin and seeping inside. Shivering involuntarily as the malevolent force passed over him a second before Sherman’s hand shot up halting them.
It wasn’t just Rafe that was affected. Everyone that was in front, or in line with him, shook their heads, or swiped at their arms as if trying to wipe something away. He reached behind him, pushing Tasha back. “Stay behind me.”
“Hold up, guys.” Sherman shook his head. “Crafty so and so. I’ll get rid of this in just a moment.”
Zohar snarled, shaking his head violently as if a bee had made its way inside, swiping at his ear. Rafe fought to still his own hands from scratching at the skin on his neck. The feeling of a snake slithering around it and winding tightly to cut off his air. He knew there was no such thing but the feeling was there just the same. His beast howled in his head, pawing at the ground, desperate to be free to attack the non-existent threat.
Barely containing his shift as Sherman babbled words that held no meaning, his arms flying skywards and a moment later the sensations dissipated. Collective sighs of relief rang out all around, Rafe’s included.
“Looks like he doesn’t want visitors.” Sherman chuckled.
“No shit,” Zohar grumbled as they trudged on. “Can you tell how far away he is now?”
“Close, that’s all I can say.” Sherman shrugged. “There’s no magic nearby so you can send a scout ahead if you wish but I’d urge caution.”
Zohar pointed to the man nearest him. “Take one of your best men and go ahead. See if you can locate any kind of house, cabin, anything that this fucker could be holed up in. If you see anything at all, get your asses back here and let us know. Go.”
Tasha’s hand grabbed Rafe’s, holding on tight. “What was that?”
“Hell if I know, obviously magic.” Rafe saw her worried face upturned in the moonlight. Her pale grey eyes wide, darting side to side as if she expected an attack at any moment.
“What if he has rogues?”
“We have more than enough men here to deal with his damn rogues.” He ground out through clenched teeth. In fact, he was counting on it. A day cooped up in the jeep had him ready to let off some steam and there was no better way than ripping into some rogues. The only drawback was having Tasha here. He couldn’t allow her to be hurt.
Stomach clenching, roiling as if he was going to puke with the mere thought. Shit. Could he talk her into going back?
“Uh uh, don’t say it.” She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Damn. She was getting good at reading him already.
Her face fierce, cheeks flushed, one hand on her hip as she glowered up at him. She was beautiful and she was his. Pity she was stubborn too.
“Tasha . . .”
Her hand shot up, waggling a finger. “I said . . . don’t say it. I’m not arguing with you. I am going to find this, this . . . person . . . who killed my parents and my
Pack and I’m going to watch as he meets his end. Understand?”
His mind raced to come up with words to change her mind. He was Alpha. He always knew what to say to get his way but somehow, this time, words failed him. He was still going to try though, that was until they were rudely interrupted.
“Excuse me, but if you two lovebirds have stopped having a domestic then can we get going?” Zohar’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
Rafe’s eyes spun to spear him with a deadly stare. “Butt out.”
“I would, but we’re on a mission and I don’t usually have to take part in marriage counselling.” The Enforcer smirked, looking at Tasha then back at Rafe. “But I have to say, if you two are starting off like this then it doesn’t bode well for your future. Hey, just saying.”
Rafe strode forward, closing the distance between them, his lips curled back in a snarl. “Don’t. Don’t say, don’t speak, don’t fucking comment. Tasha is off limits to you. You’re a Neanderthal that’s not much more than brawn with not a lot of brains. If you did have brains you’d have your own damn Pack, Zohar. You know it, I know it, everyone fucking knows it.”
Zohar let out a growl, showing his teeth, his fists clenching at his sides. Rafe knew how this went. As it always did. The Enforcer would lose his temper and they’d be embroiled in a down and dirty fight in no time. Well, that’s how it usually went. This time Tasha pushed her way between them, punching each of their chests as she went. She didn’t hold back either, her face red with fury as she spat out.
“Stop it! You two are like a couple of teenagers having a pissing contest. We’re here to find the person responsible for murdering my parents so can we go do that.”
Her words, tone, outraged face were like Rafe had been thrown in an icy lake. His heart dropped like a stone, aching for adding to her already immense hurt and anguish. Zohar seemed to fare no better, his eyes dropping to the ground, refusing to meet Tasha’s.
“Come on,” Tasha said coldly, spinning away and following behind Sherman who was already walking away.
Her back rigid, head high, every muscle screaming her annoyance. Rafe sighed, she’d never looked so magnificent as he jogged after her. Jacy joined him, slapping his back. “Hey, you and Zohar really need to stop this nonsense. I know he’s a bit of a . . .”—his Beta stopped, glancing to check where the Enforcer was before continuing—“ass but you know that so why do you let him get to you? You’re better than that, Rafe.”
“I guess he just knows which buttons to press with me.” Rafe admitted to his best friend something he’d never do to anyone else.
“Ya think?” Jacy chuckled.
Catching up to Tasha he remained silent, simply grasping her hand and slowing to walk beside her. She glanced up, her eyebrow raising briefly before she relented and her lips tugged up slightly, as they walked on quietly.
Taking in the area around them, long grass, trees, sounds of wildlife, large and small. The place would be beautiful if not for the reason they were there. Soft footfalls heading their way, he reached forward, halting Sherman, a finger to his lips.
Moments later Zohar’s men ran into view, sliding to a stop, standing to attention before their commander as he barked, “Report.”
“Small house ahead with a contingent of rogues guarding it. We had eyes on a dozen but there are probably more inside. There’s also a cabin off to the side with lights on, so it’s safe to assume there’s rogues in there too but there can’t be many because of its size.”
Zohar nodded, dismissing them before giving out orders to several of his men, dividing them into groups to surround the main house and cabin. “My men will take care of the rogues. Sherman, you’ll stay with me and deal with the Witch. Rafe, you and your men can accompany us and take care of any stragglers inside the main house.”
“Fine,” Rafe agreed before looking for Levi to give out his own commands. “Levi, stay back with Tasha. Keep half a dozen of our men with you in case of any trouble.”
Tasha opened her mouth to argue but this time Rafe would hear none of it. “No. You will not be involved in the breach. After the rogues have been taken out and Sherman has done his thing with the Witch, then, and only then, can Levi bring you in. That is not open for discussion.”
She crossed her arms, glaring at him, her voice saying one thing as her body said another. “Fine.”
Zohar’s men started to break away in groups, finally the Enforcer turned to Rafe. “Let’s roll and put this fucker down.”
“Sounds good to me.” Rafe snarled as he his Wolves followed, ready to tear apart some rogues.
His beast champing at the bit to be released, he fought to contain it, his skin rippling with hair already sprouting through. Gritting his teeth, he forced his change down, allowing it to simmer just beneath the surface in case he needed to call on his Wolf quickly.
His long legs powering across the ground, thigh muscles tightening as he ran, anticipation rushing through him as their quarry was finally within their grasp. He only hoped his mate would get her wish and the death of the Witch would grant her some closure. Rafe also hoped he’d be the one to deliver the death blow to the asshole.
As they neared the Witch’s hideout, sounds of battling Wolves erupted in the night air, not surprising as Zohar’s men had gone ahead to clear the way. What did surprise Rafe was Sherman. Somehow the small, rotund man had kept pace with them. How he’d managed that feat was beyond him, but he had, and the Witch didn’t even seem out of breath. Maybe he’d used magic. No matter.
What did matter was that Sherman was right there with them as they raced through the final brush into a wide open area. Zohar’s men cleared the way, with more than a few dead rogues littering the ground. Rafe’s eyes spun around, taking everything in, the cabin off to the side had also been breached. The door hanging off its hinges, blood and bodies clearly visible.
Zohar’s Wolves were good. It had only been minutes, but they’d attacked and killed the opposition quickly and efficiently. It looked like this was going just the way they’d planned. Rafe grinned as they slowed to a walk, closing in on the main house.
And that’s when things went to hell in a fucking handbasket. He’d never been so damn grateful that he’d put his foot down and forced Tasha to stay behind because right now they were all in a heap load of shit.
The door to the house came flying off, yes, flying as in off the hinges and up into the air. It rose about twenty feet, at what appeared supersonic speed then crashed into a group of Zohar’s men. Some in human form and a few in Wolf form, howls and yells rising in the night air as the solid oak knocked them for six. The sound of broken bones and the scent of blood rising around them.
Shit. One guy’s head lay at a godawful angle. He was definitely not getting up again. Not in this life anyway. Zohar slid to a stop, Rafe barely stopping himself barreling into him as Sherman cursed loudly.
“What the fuck?”
Rafe kept his eyes on the gaping hole where the door used to be, a dark figure emerging, bathed in a blue light. “Shit,” he mumbled at the sight.
The man that appeared seemed to be floating, his hair sticking out all around, crackles of lightning sparking from the ends of his dark hair and his outstretched hands. His face looked stranger still. Eyes wild, mouth open with that weird blue light visible inside, all the way down his throat. Jeez, it was like a vision from a horror movie. One he didn’t want to be witnessing in real life.
Magic. Rafe freaking hated magic.
Sherman stepped forward, shaking his head and muttering. “Theatrics, why do they always go for theatrics. Amateur.”
Rafe looked at the small man, then at the dreadful vision descending toward them. Sherman had balls of steel in his opinion.
“I’ll give you one choice.” Sherman raised his voice to be heard over the noise of the crackling electricity. “Cut the crap or suffer the consequences.”
Rafe stifled a chuckle. It wasn’t exactly what he expected Sherman to say. Watching intentl
y as the man they’d come for lowered to the ground but otherwise nothing else changed. Rafe kept his eyes glued to the sparking electricity, feeling waves of energy wafting toward him.
Sherman sighed. “So be it.”
The next second a bolt of energy flew toward them from the man they’d hunted down, Rafe dropped to the ground but Zohar was a split second too late. He was blasted in the chest, lifted up off his feet and flown backward to land on his ass. He then tumbled head over heels to land with a loud gasp as the air was knocked out of him before he sat up, dusting himself off and snarling. Zohar sprang to his feet and rushed forward but Sherman shook his head, warning him not to go any closer. The Enforcer did not look happy.
“You all right?” Rafe asked, trying not to grin. Admittedly he didn’t try too hard.
Zohar didn’t reply, merely grunted before he snarled at Sherman. “Can we deal with this asshole now? That is why you’re here isn’t it?”
Sherman glanced up, squinting. “Indeed, but I didn’t see Rafe being knocked on his ass.”
Zohar looked like he was about to explode, his face red, like one of those cartoon characters. All it needed was for steam to pour from his ears and he’d be all set.
“Right, let’s remove you of those powers.” Sherman almost sang as his hands seemed to dance in the air, strange words flying out his mouth. He reached inside his jacket, pulling out a small green silk pouch. Holding with one hand he quickly stuck two fingers in and out, pinching something or other between them, before the pouch disappeared. He spoke faster, hands moving together again, his feet moving toward his foe quickly.
Rafe followed, scared the smaller man was putting himself in danger. Sherman stopped barely a few feet from the man and this close Rafe could see pure evil staring back at him. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on this fuck.
Sherman continued his incantation, his voice rising to a crescendo before finally throwing whatever he held in his fingers into the much taller man’s face. The result was startling and instant.
A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books Page 10