by JC Holly
The man shook his head. “I said you were strong and resilient. I didn’t say you could fight. There’s a huge difference.”
“I’m not going to just sit on my ass while you risk your life, Jerry.” Mica took a breath. He’d said that louder than he’d intended. “Maybe I could charm her. I’ve known how to do that for a while.”
To prove his point, he smiled and Jerry did the same, before dismissing it with a growl.
“No.” Jerry shook his head, as if clearing it. “What if it didn’t work on her? Or if she pretended it did until you got close, then gutted you?”
Mica winced at the thought. “I can handle myself.”
“Against a human, sure. But a witch is more like a human in a suit of armor. They don’t go down to a sucker punch, or a knee to the balls.”
“And you think you can take her? Even with your shifter pals?”
“I’m confident I can, but I’m not stupid. I know there are risks.” Jerry’s expression hardened. “And I’m not letting her hurt any more shifters.”
Mica sighed. “Fine. I know I can’t stop you, but please be careful. I want you back in one piece.”
Jerry smiled and nodded, then leaned in to kiss Mica on the lips. It was soft and slow, and left Mica wanting more. Jerry straightened and moved to the door, then turned and looked back.
“I love you, you know.”
Mica smiled. “I love you too. Now go put that bitch through a wall.”
The door closed, and Mica sagged onto the couch. If Jerry were human, Mica could just follow him to where he was going. He knew firsthand what Jerry’s senses were like, though. Even if he had the address, if Mica moved within half a block of his location, Jerry would know, and that could distract him.
And I just told him I love him. That had been unexpected, but he’d meant every word. He hoped Jerry had, too.
Chapter Sixteen
Jerry drove in silence, his thoughts solely on what was to come.
The first question to occur was which form to fight in. The sun was still up, which meant he’d be a lot easier to spot if he went as a wolf. The last thing he needed was someone calling animal control while he was fighting to the death. Also he’d be unable to talk—though he didn’t expect he’d need to—or wield anything other than claws and teeth.
He was stronger in human form, but slower. Witches were fast, but if he got the drop on her he could end the fight quick. Assuming she didn’t have any defensive spells set up. Shifters had some natural resilience to magic, due to them being partly magical themselves, but a powerful witch could still turn a shifter to mincemeat without too much difficulty.
His phone buzzed with a text, telling him that the other members of the pack were in position, which reminded him that he was running away with himself again. The idea was not to fight the witch by himself. He was scouting, first and foremost. If it came down to a confrontation he just had to hold out until his reinforcements arrived.
“This form, then,” he muttered as he pulled up to a red light.
It was a shame Snow wouldn’t be helping out, but he was busy relocating the two men they’d captured. They couldn’t be taken to the police, since scents and confessions taken in Snow’s particular style weren’t much use in a court, but there were still ways to make sure the men wouldn’t bother anyone else. The local supernatural community had its own prison, of sorts, and while it wouldn’t hold the witch, it could take care of two regular humans with no difficulty.
Jerry had made sure to tell Snow to dispose of the two before Conway got chance. His methods were a little more extreme, and while the men were morons, they didn’t deserve death. The witch, on the other hand, was a considerably larger danger.
The stop signal switched to green and Jerry pulled away. The address he’d been given was on the edge of town—the best place for a hideout—but he’d have to stop a few streets short and make the rest of the trip on foot. It was harder to detect scents and sounds at forty kilometers an hour, and he was taking no unnecessary risks.
After ten minutes of driving, the buildings began to shorten and become more spaced out, then gave way to houses and parkland. After another glance at the address, he pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store, then headed round the back into the tree line. If his memories of the area were correct, he could travel the rest of the way completely off the road.
As soon as the nearby scents and sounds changed to those of nature, his shoulders lost some of their tension and he let his mind wander for a minute or two. Naturally, it went straight to the man he’d left in his house, after admitting he was in love with him.
He hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but given that there was a chance, no matter how small, that he wouldn’t return, he felt it was important to say it. And Mica said it back to me. He grinned at the memory. As soon as he got home—and he’d make damn sure he would get home—he was going to throw his arms around Mica and never let him go.
The walk to the hideout slowed halfway there, as he forced himself to go back on full alert. Every rustle of leaves caught his attention, and made his imagination throw up all sorts of images. Since she could also mask her scent and sounds, as she’d proved already, he had to rely on his eyes more than usual, too. There was no way the bitch was going to catch him out with the same trick. Fool me once…
Fifteen incredibly tense minutes later, a small cabin came into view, sitting in a wide break in the trees. The building was well maintained, the one visible window spotlessly clean. Ivy ran up one side, covering a large amount of wall. A small chopping block sat nearby, a small axe lodged in the wood.
So close now, Jerry knew he’d been detected in some way. He hadn’t sensed any magical traps or alarms, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. For a moment he considered grabbing the axe and going in hard, but he held back. Even with the likely possibility that the witch was aware of his presence, he was there to scout. That meant first checking the area, then making sure she was home.
He pulled out his phone and tapped a quick message. Before he could hit send, he froze. He wasn’t alone. He began to turn and someone smacked him across the back of head with something heavy. He collapsed to the floor, fighting to stay conscious, but the hits continued and blackness crept in.
* * * *
He was in the cabin, lying on a thick rug of some sort. Ropes bound his wrists and ankles, holding him fast. Breathing came from a few feet in front of him, to the left. Soft, but fast. She was excited.
Keeping his eyes shut in case his attacker, no doubt the witch herself, was waiting for signs he was coming around, Jerry took in a slow breath through his nose. Her scent was no longer masked, which meant either she was confident nobody else was near, or the spell had a limited lifetime. Either way, it was a small flicker of hope.
There was a log fire in the cabin, too, but it was out and had been for a few hours at least. No chance of burning his bonds. Maybe he could break them. He tested the rope around his wrists. It creaked, but it was decent stuff. It wouldn’t snap easily.
“You’re awake, then.”
The voice was odd. Old, considering the woman was supposed to be young. He opened his eyes for the first time and regarded his captor.
She looked to be in her mid twenties. As one of the men had said, her eyes were mismatched. One green, one completely black. Dark brown hair cascaded over her slight shoulders, contrasting with the bright blue T-shirt she wore. If it weren’t for the eyes, she’d have looked more like a student than a witch. Jerry knew from experience that looks were deceptive.
“How old are you?” he mumbled, his voice ragged.
She smirked. “Rude question. Shouldn’t be surprised, though. Shifters are animals, after all. No manners.” She smoothed the creases from her pants. “I’m eighty next year. I look good, right?”
“Maybe in dark sunglasses. Otherwise people can see you’ve been a little too liberal with dark magic.”
Her eye twitched, but the smile remained. “
Magic is magic. No dark, no light. Just magic.”
“It’s funny how the light magic has no effect on the body, then, and how dark eventually turns the user into a withered, soulless husk.”
Taunting wasn’t wise. In his current position the woman could finish him with a few muttered words. Still, she’d just smashed his head in and bound him like a deer. He was feeling a little cranky.
“There you go again with silly words. There is no soul, beast.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Jerry shifted to ease his shoulders. “You mind if I sit up?”
She shrugged. “If you can, sure. It’s not like you’re any threat to me right now. Seeing you flop about would be fun, too.”
Jerry rolled onto his back, then sat up and used his bound legs to shuffle around until he faced her again. It wasn’t much more comfortable, but it meant his hands were now out of her sight.
“Why haven’t you killed me yet?” he asked as he rolled his neck. “Couple more blows would’ve done it.”
Her smile turned to a grin. “But then I’d have nobody to talk to while I waited. You killed my associates, after all.”
Jerry let that slide. She didn’t need to know they were still alive. “Wait for what?”
“For your boss, of course!” She clapped her hands together. “You, Mister Fitzpatrick, are my bait.”
He didn’t know which was more disconcerting—that she was using him to kill Conway, or that she knew his name. Either way, he needed to deal with the situation, and fast.
“He wouldn’t come for me,” he said as he shifted his hands until a finger rested on the rope that held his wrists. “That’s not his style.”
“No? I think he will. Once the other members of your pack realize they’re not going to be able to rescue you, they’ll head back and report, and then I’ll give your alpha a call. And then I’ll kill him.”
She knew about the other shifters. Why wouldn’t they be able to rescue him? Was she really that confident of her abilities? His expression apparently gave away his confusion, and the witch laughed.
“If anyone steps within a hundred feet, they’ll be burned. If they push further inside, they’ll be incinerated. There’ll be nothing left but clothes and ash.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I’m hoping they try.”
Jerry cursed silently. “All this to kill my asshole of a boss.”
“That’s simply one step. An easy one, too. Of course, I’m not supposed to take the risk yet, but I always was a risk taker.”
“So there are others? People above you?”
“Nobody is above me!”
A lash of flame him his in the chest, burning his shirt and searing his flesh. He held back from crying out, but only barely. The witch was on her feet, her muscles corded as she glared.
“You’ll do well to remember that,” she said through gritted teeth. “Unless you want to be cooked like the animal you are.”
Jerry held his tongue and instead ran through what she had said while he waited for her to calm again. The woman clearly hated shifters, that was for sure, and seemed to have no qualms at all about killing them. Whether that had come through a bad experience in the past, or from the corruption of her dark magic usage, he didn’t know. She’d also mentioned that she’d been given orders. A cabal, maybe? That was bad news. One witch intent on harming shifters was one thing, but a group was a hundred times worse.
Eventually the woman’s breathing slowed and she sat again. Within moments the smile was back on her face like nothing had happened. Jerry dipped his head and breathed hard, as if the pain were becoming too much for him. In actual fact it was merely to draw attention away from his shoulders, which were moving as he scratched a fingernail at the rope around his wrists. A human’s nail wouldn’t do a damn thing, but a shifter was made of stronger stuff. Slowly strands of the rope began to break.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, his head still down.
“Because I enjoy it immensely.” She crossed her legs and slapped her hands on the armrests of her chair. “I am a huntress, you are prey. It’s how the world works, my dear beast.”
“It’s how it used to work.” He couldn’t keep the growl from his voice. “I’m more human than you are.”
“Now, now,” she said, waggling a finger. “Don’t make me hurt you again. I’d prefer you alive for this, but dead can work, too.”
Instead of snapping at her again, he used the anger as fuel, working his nail harder against the rope. He was already halfway through. Another minute and he would be able to pull free.
A noise outside had the witch glancing at the window. She muttered a few words to herself, then shrugged and turned her attention to Jerry once more.
“One of your beast friends just got a hell of a surprise.” She cackled. “I wonder if they’ll try again.”
Please, don’t. Jerry gritted his teeth. He didn’t want anyone’s death on his conscience. His heart sank when a roar of fire threw red light through the window behind him. The witch laughed aloud and clapped her hands with glee.
“Roast wolf!”
“Damn it!” He pulled against his bonds, but they wouldn’t budge. “You fucking bitch!”
Her eyes flashed and she stood, her hand raised. She was stopped by a knock on the door. Jerry cursed, this time aloud, as he caught the scent of who was at the door. The only person he knew who could walk through intense heat like it was nothing more than a sunny day.
Mica.
Chapter Seventeen
Mica stood in the doorway, his arms behind him in a casual manner. “I’ve been authorized to negotiate for Mister Fitzpatrick’s release.”
Jerry watched Mica carefully. He was lying, and clearly terrified, but he was also using the smile he’d used in the bar that night. He was pumping out enough pheromones to drop anyone’s pants.
“How did you get through my spells?” the witch asked, clearly surprised. She wasn’t attacking though, so it seemed Mica’s charms were having some effect. “Nobody should be able to walk through them.”
“What spells?” Mica cocked his head on one side, then ran his tongue over his top lip. “I felt a little heat, I suppose, but I put that down to my excitement at negotiating with such a beautiful woman.”
Come on, Mica. You’re taking it too far.
“A–and Conway is willing to talk, is he?”
She was off balance. Jerry could sense the beginnings of desire stirring within her, and was surprised to find a hint of jealousy in himself. While she was distracted, he pulled at his bonds again, this time gaining some more movement.
“He is,” Mica said with a nod. “May I come in?”
“I…” She licked her lips and let her gaze wander over him. “Of course.”
As she turned, Mica moved, faster than Jerry had expected him to be able to. From behind his back he pulled the axe from the chopping block outside and then brought it down in an arc. It hit the witch in the shoulder with enough force to fell a tree in one blow. Instead of removing the woman’s arm, though, the axe bounced off with a flash of light, clattering behind Jerry.
The witch jumped back and raised a hand. As Jerry scrambled for the axe, she threw a gout of flame at Mica, burning his clothes. The fire had as much effect on Mica’s flesh as a water pistol, though, and after a moment’s instinctual recoil, he ran at the woman and knocked her off her feet.
“Demon!” she screamed. “Fucking demon!”
“Literally,” Mica said as he slugged her in the jaw.
The blow bounced off again, but this time it appeared that it had at least some effect on her. The shield she had erected had been severely weakened by Mica’s first blow. She recovered fast, though, and punched out, hitting Mica and knocking him across the room where he collided with the door, crumbling to the base.
The sight drove all reasoning from Jerry’s mind. With a feral scream he pulled at his bindings, snapping them, along with his wrist. He barely felt the pain, instead grabbing th
e axe and slicing the rope around his ankles. As the witch raised her hand once more he threw the axe at her head. It was deflected, but there was an audible pop as the shield finally gave way. Her eyes widened and she began to chant a spell, but Jerry was on her before she could finish it, punching and kicking, only to be thrown off. He was thrown across the room and turned a chest of drawers into kindling as he collided with it.
He was up again in moments, though. Pain screamed through his back, but he couldn’t let the witch cast another spell. He closed the distance just as she threw out another gout of flame. He couldn’t avoid it, so instead barreled through and shoulder barged his attacker. It was her turn to fly, and she gasped as she hit the back wall, the breath blasted from her lungs.
Jerry closed the distance once more and lashed out with his hand, tearing out the woman’s throat. Clawing at her neck, she fell to the floor and fell limp moments later. As much as he wanted to go to Mica, he first dropped to his knees to make sure she really was dead, then pulled a cloth from the nearby table and draped it over her body.
A groan behind him made him smile. He turned to find Mica pulling himself to his feet, his hand on the back of his head.
“I know the feeling,” Jerry said. “You okay?”
“I’ll have a headache for a month, but yeah.”
They met in the middle of the room and embraced, hugging as tightly as each could bear, before separating again.
“How about you?” Mica asked. “That wrist looks broken.”
Jerry glanced down then shrugged. “It’ll heal. How did you know where I was?”
“That would be my fault,” came a Cockney voice from the door.
Standing in the frame, Snow shrugged, looking sheepish. He had a deep burn on the side of his face. “He used his incubus wiles on me. Before I realized it I’d given him the address and a ride here.”
“Those wiles saved my life,” Jerry said. “It’s hard to be angry at him for risking his life right now.”