Page 15 of Son of a Witch

I removed the wrinkled note again, inhaling everything I could pick up from the paper. Printed in the last two days, the burn of the paper and ink were fresh. Planted in the soil within the last twenty-four hours by the dampness of the paper and leak of ink. Stinking of Devon’s foul hand, tempting me to dispose of it, rather than let it stain me. I shoved it back into my pocket, scanning William Street, ready to track down this slimy bastard.

Before I took one step, the barrel of something hard bit into my shoulder and I froze. A gun, digging in harder.

“Turn slowly with your hands up,” an authoritative voice ordered me, making ice pour into my veins.

Fuck, had the Guardians found me already? Worse—Devon and his gang? Doing as ordered, I turned slowly, keeping my palms raised. Muscles in my arms strained, preparing to throw a punch, swipe a gun away from them, and run like hell. First, I had to assess my situation. The number of assailants I was up against. Then hatch a plan to take them down.

A group of four stood behind me. Three men and a woman. One carrying some sort of boomerang gun, another rolling multi-colored flames on his knuckles. A gargoyle sentry with wings tucked close to his back, aimed an electrified spear at me. The emblem on their uniforms didn’t go unnoticed. An intertwined G and S. Guild of Shadows. Munyara, the Bathurst branch had been deployed to apprehend me and take me back to the prison for transport to the Lycan realm.

I let my eyes flash silver, alerting them to my werewolf. “I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t get the hell out of my way, I will.”

“Calm down, Raze,” the female said. Something about her smelled familiar. Fruity and sweet. I’d smelled her before, in the infirmary.

One of Little Wolf’s Shadows friends. Luna. The ones who come to the prison to take her back with them. Take my mate away from me!

“What do you want?” I didn’t bother to look at her. She didn’t stand a chance against me, but the large sentry might. Skin hard like gargoyle rock, bulging muscles, golden eyes.

“Well, you stepped into our territory, crossing an illegal portal,” the guy beside her said, extinguishing the flames on his knuckles. The voice that told me to turn around. “Naturally, we had to investigate. Protocol and all that.”

Luna glanced at him through her green glasses. “But we’re not here for that.” She wore her long, auburn hair swept into a braid.

“No, we’re not.” The man with the flames gave off a leader vibe and I focused on him. Crystal blue eyes. Model handsome. Athletic, but not massive like me or the sentry glaring at me. “We’ve been detecting an unusual amount of portal activity across the country.”

Escapee gantii and prisoners accounted for that. All the rats abandoning a sinking ship, scurrying about and hiding.

I flexed my fingers in and out of a fist. “You know the vamps weakened the protective spells on the prison? Released all the gantii prisoners and Guardian inmates? Destroyed the place. Killed many sentries and inmates.”

“Astra’s okay though, right?” Luna pressed a hand to her stomach. “She never mentioned the escape.”

Interesting. They’d been in contact. When? Why?

“She’s fine. Thinking about my mate drove an icicle through my heart.

“My mom.” Dude with the gun clutched his weapon tighter, his scowl dropping, face blanching. “She’s an inmate in Cell Ward B.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t know her. Lived in Cell Ward A. I left before I discovered who was accounted for.” My gut sank thinking of him losing his mother. Of me losing my own and being banished from my tribe. “Sorry, man. I hope your mom is alive.”

Gun dude nodded at me and stared at the ground.

“I’m Luna, by the way.” The sweet-scented female extended a hand to shake but I didn’t accept it and she dropped it back to her side. “We didn’t officially meet. You were a bit out of it from a werewolf bite.”

She went to say more but flame guy grabbed her shoulder. Her chin lifted again, and she leveled her gaze with mine.

“This is our leader, Blaze.” She pointed to the flames guy. “Talon.” The sentry. “And Cole.” The guy holding the boomerang weapon.

She already knew my name, but I didn’t know why they were here. Whether they were assisting the Guardians to round up the escapees. “What are you doing? Chasing stray gantii?”

“Astra called and asked us to help you find a box.” Luna smiled and swung her hips. “She said it contained something to prove your innocence.” When had Luna and Little Wolf spoken? Before the new warden arrived? “Since I’m the reason Astra’s in that shitty place—”

A confession she’d made at my recovery bed out of guilt. That I remembered through the fire and sweat of my fever. Luna was the woman Little Wolf had stolen the scroll for and landed in the Guardians. Little Wolf’s friends got her appeal overturned and permission for her to return to the Shadows, but my stubborn little mate refused to leave.

I growled and prowled closer. This cute, curvy, little woman had put my mate in danger multiple times. Frightened her. Caused her to be assaulted and injured. Her arm broken by vampires. For that, she would pay.

The sentry’s electrified spear swung in my direction, ready to jolt me with current if I made a move.

“Easy, big guy. We’re on the same team.” Luna held up her palms as I shrugged off the burn in my chest. “Astra won’t leave the Guardians without her men, so I have to get them out, and clear my debt and my conscience.” She smiled coyly. “You wanna help or growl at me?”

Stupid question. I’d do anything for my mate’s freedom. To be reunited with her and my pack. After losing my father and tribe, my Guardian family were all I had left to fight for. I’d made a promise to Jaz to save them. Find the box, prove our innocence and free them from incarceration.

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