Page 24 of Son of a Witch

“That asshole got to the box first,” Raze snarled.

By asshole, he meant Devon, his brother, or their gang. Knoxe had suspected there was a mole in the prison, giving the vampires the heads up on our missions, always making them one step ahead of us. Out of our reach. Always uncapturable. Our leader’s hunch was proven right after they let us capture the vamps with little fight, leading to the siphoning of the prison’s magick, the gantii escaping, along with the mole and deadly prisoners wielding powers.

“Fuck.” Despair tied knots in my stomach, and I rubbed at my forehead. “He’s probably destroyed it.”

“If he did, I’ll track him down and rip off his head.” The determination in Raze’s voice lifted me.

I sniff-snorted, feeling better knowing Devon would get what he deserved. I just wish I could be there for the occasion. Watch my mate take him down. Yeah, this place had jaded me. That asshole assaulted me in my cell, cut my throat, and scared me into an anxiety attack.

“What’s the next plan?” I asked.

“Search the archives for any of Jaz’s evidence.” Raze’s voice was as sharp as a spear.

“Good plan.” I hoped Jaz hadn’t destroyed the rest of the documents.

“Your friends have found strange anomalies in the veil energy.”

I perked up further. “Really? Like what?”

“Strange patterns of disturbed veil energy,” he replied. “They think the prisoners and vampires are using this to travel and somehow disguise their destination so we can’t trace them.”

Totally my jam. Wish I was there to study it with them. My chemical powers could be of use in a situation like that. I could test the veil.

“Let me know what you find.” I twisted the phone cord. “Information sharing will be useful in our investigations to track down the prisoners and return them to the Guardians.”

“What about the mission to catch Styx?”

“On hold until all the escapees are accounted for.”

“Munyara,” Raze cursed. “I need to find that box.”

Hell, yeah. Freedom for my men hovered so close I tasted it. Once that was secured, I’d call in a huge favor from my friends to get me out of here, if it was possible. They’d warned me they might not be able to get me a second chance. A bridge I’d cross later.

“Enough about me. Are you safe?” Raze asked. “Are the others caring for you? How is Tor?”

I froze. A question I didn’t want to answer, especially when I couldn’t lie with my Asperger’s. Where to begin? I was holding it together for all of them. Well, except for Knoxe. Up until ten minutes ago, he was my rock throughout all of this. Until my father got in my head, and I found out someone had meddled with my appeal papers.

So, I told him the truth. “Things are falling to pieces.”

I let the rest tumble from my mouth. Everything about Tor’s depression, Pascal blaming himself, Knoxe and me trying to hold the fraying edges together, finishing with what my dad said.

“To top it off.” Fire rose to the surface, scorching my throat, my father is fucking with my head, suggesting Knoxe sabotaged my appeal. I can’t stop thinking about it. He had opportunity, being the one who handed me my appeal paperwork. Gloria swears the warden has never made such an error.”

“Good. Knoxe did the right thing if he’s responsible.” It took me a few moments to digest Raze’s words, and my hands went numb with shock, leaving me barely able to grip the receiver. “I would have done the same thing to protect you. You’re not safe outside of the Guardians at the moment. There are prisoners on the loose, hell-bent on revenge, and they would do anything to hurt you to get back at Knoxe for incarcerating them.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A fiery heat started low in my belly. The temper I’d inherited from my father—so far not a murderous one—rose like fire pumped with oxygen. “You’re taking his side?”

“Absolutely,” he growled so savagely. “If it were me, I’d kidnap you, hide you in a cave where no one would find you. Then I’d mate you, fill your belly with pups, and never let anyone near my family.”

I hiccupped-laughed at that. Such a Raze thing to say. It doused the angry heat in me and cheered me up a little, too. “What about my three other men? They might have something to say about that.”

Seemed like I still counted Knoxe as one of my men. An uncertain future at the moment, but it was nice to dream about plans post-Guardians.

“They’re welcome to stay with us in the cave,” Raze declared with a smile in his voice. “They can protect you while I hunt for you and the babies.”

“Babies?” I coughed out.

“Yes, four of them in one littler. And that’s just for me,” Raze proudly declared his daddy-wolf intentions. “Two for Knoxe. Three for Tor to keep him busy, and one for Pascal.” I squeezed my thighs together thinking about popping out that many children.

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