~

 

“You go high, and I’ll go low,” Koren said as he looked down at Nestor’s wolf. The beast turned its face up towards him and growled a warning. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Nestor was already miffed off at one vampire; he didn’t need another one‘s snarky comments in his life. He waited until Koren’s attention moved away from him and then head-butted the man in the back of the knee, that move almost brought the vampire down, and he reveled in just how good that felt.

“Keep your wolf humor to yourself. You have a funny way of showing gratitude for my help in rescuing your mate. I’ll say again — your — mate. Especially as I don’t even like the woman,” Koren bit out.

Nestor’s beast pulled its lips back on a snarl of annoyance, and the vampire snorted his contempt for the elder’s attitude.

“Hey, I can go home right now. Behave your senile old self before I buy a leash for your wolf. I’m thinking something pink and sparkly.”

Nestor grumbled a growl as the wolf padded forward toward the scent of his mate that clung to the air around him. He could sense the magic in that scent. She was leading them to her.

Clever witch.

Nestor’s wolf turned to look back over its shoulder at the vampire, grunted, and nodded its head up towards the treetops.

“Sure, it’s always the vampire that has to go high. Maybe, just maybe, one of you guys could climb a tree for once.” Koren muttered just loud enough for the wolf to hear but nobody else, and a heartbeat later the vampire was gone.

Nestor grumbled another growl before he padded off. In the distance, he could hear his pack coming toward them from all different directions.

He wouldn’t say that it was a fair fight and he hoped to hell and back that none of his pack died rescuing his mate. But he knew in his heart that was what family did for each other, they had each other’s backs, and one way or another the vampire that abducted his mate was going down.

 

~

~

~

 

Cassius noted the way that the witch’s lips were twitching. He’d lived many lives and new witches well — she was conjuring up some kind of the spell, and he also knew better than to ignore it.

He tried to push within her mind to read her thoughts, but her shields had grown in strength from the last time that he’d done it. He had to wonder how that was possible.

Cassius pushed harder, clawing at her mind, and trying to see what devious plan she had in store for him. He couldn’t break through the barrier, and that left him with only one choice — the meddlesome witch needed to sleep once more.

In a heartbeat, one of hers, he was in front of her. His arm swiped backward, ready to strike, and Aggie knew within her heart that it would be now or never.

She needed to strike while she had the chance.

Sever the ties that bind my wrists — sever the ties that bind my wrists — free me — free me.

Aggie tugged at the bindings until they broke apart. As his hand swiped downward through the air towards her, she thrust her palms out in front of her and aimed the powerful orb of her magic that had been brewing within her body right at the bloodsucker’s chest.

Cassius caved in on himself the moment that her magic hit him. His feet were torn away from the ground, and he was ripped backward through the air away from her.

He hadn’t sensed the wolves until that moment when her magic had been forced elsewhere. The clever witch had somehow managed to weave a cloaking spell around the area.

Cassius knew that he had underestimated her. Stupid really, considering the fact that she had broken his warlock’s spell and put them all in that situation, to begin with.

He’d been too generous in keeping her awake. He was losing his touch, but he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

His body hit the ground, and his head bounced off a tree trunk. That was a wake-up call if ever he needed one.

The wolves were close, but the witch was closer. As he rebounded back up to his feet, he found the witch up on hers.

Aggie faced down the vampire. Now that she was free she was determined to have her day.

Aggie had little other thought within her mind than to make sure that the vampire paid for his wrongdoings. And she was going to enjoy every moment of it.

With the wolves closing in around them, Cassius knew that he needed to reach the witch and use her as a bargaining chip, or get the hell out of there before he was caged in.

He could feel one of his own kind around him, and that sense came from everywhere which could only mean that the vampire was above them in the treetops. He was trapped.

The pack started to appear around them, snarling and growling their intention to rip him to pieces. Cassius made one move toward her but was stopped in his tracks when the wolves seemed to succumb to magic.

The beasts were held in place by the agony inflicted upon them by an unseen hand. Cassius had an idea of whose magic was controlling them, and it certainly wasn’t the elder witch.

“It appears that you still need me,” Raymond said as he stepped out into the clearing. His hands were raised at chest height, and his magic was in full force against the pack.

 “Enter the warlock stage left,” Aggie sneered.

She had about as much time and patience for a warlock as she did for a vampire. In fact, when that vampire wasn’t Koren, she probably had more time for a vampire.

“You disappointed me,” Cassius said.

“They do that. Warlocks are very unsatisfying,” Aggie offered.

“Shut up, witch. Your time here is limited.” Raymond sneered at the elder as hate flared within his eyes.

“Says you,” Aggie tossed back. “And I bettered you once.”

She was already working her magic around them. Drawing on the power of the three witches that offered their magic freely for her needs and building up a makeshift shield to protect the pack.

“Once. It won’t happen again,” Raymond bit out.

“Don’t count on it, little man,” Aggie grinned as if she had a secret that she wasn’t going to tell.

No, she preferred to show, and with the protection spell for the pack woven around her, she forced it outwards from her body as a barrier for the wolves in the clearing.

As the pain of the warlock’s magic was blocked by that shield, Aggie could see the lack of understanding in the man eyes. The wolves were snarling their hungry intention for the man, and there was little that he could do to prevent the outcome.

“Witch!” Raymond bit out with every ounce of venom that he could muster.

“You bet your warlock ass I am, and when you mess with a witch you get the bitch,” Aggie grinned in victory. “Enjoy.”

Cassius moved fast. He was behind the warlock in a single beat of Aggie’s heart.

He placed one hand on either side of Raymond’s head and wrenched it fast to the left. Aggie was sure that she heard the crunch of the man’s bones breaking.