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.”