Page 61 of Son of a Witch

Cheyanne raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to call in that favor to find out.”

I sighed and rubbed my temples. “Seriously? You’re going to make me call in the favor for something as small as a magical spell or device?” My snappy tone came out hasher than I intended but it was too late to recall it.

Cheyanne leaned down to whisper hiss at me, “We swear an oath when we join the Sorcerers. If I tell you and they found out, they could banish me for sharing secrets.”

Banished. The word sat heavier than a log in my gut. My wolf had been exiled from the Guardians and taken from me. I’d not put Cheyanne in the same position.

“No.” I clenched Tor’s hand so hard he twitched. “I can’t ask that of you. I don’t want you to be kicked out for me. We’ll find another way.”

Fuck. The Sorcerers weren’t going to help, and it had been pointless bringing her here. All my anticipation leaked out through my feet.

Another question came to mind. “Does the same apply to another favor?” Because she’d promised me. Something she shouldn’t have done if it risked her membership.

Cheyanne glanced at the guard, clicking on his phone, scrolling through something. “No, just when discussing Sorcerer power.”

An alarm bell went off in my head. Wait. What now? I sat up straighter. Was she saying what I think she said? “Was a Sorcerer weapon stolen?”

Cheyanne leapt at me and clamped a hand over my mouth. “Shit. I’m such a blabbermouth. Don’t tell anyone. Okay?” Her pulse thumped in her neck and her eyes pleaded with me to stay quiet about it.

Dread coiled in my stomach. I nodded despite my mouth being plastered by Cheyanne’s hand.

Hell.No wonder the Sorcerers had been so cagey with Tor earlier. The vampires or their agents had stolen one of the Sorcerer’s magical objects and they’d concealed it. Crap. Magick in the vampire’s hands was really shitty news. They could take over the world if they wanted. Suck every human dry of life force energy and leave humanity for dead.

Cheyanne released me and the dread in my stomach solidified.

We had to stop this and find the vamps before they succeeded. I just had to figure out what magical item had been stolen so I could devise a plan to counteract the magick.

CHAPTER22

Raze

Awkward silence.Beer can in my hand. Company other than my pack. Two shifters seated opposite my reclining chair. Devoid of conversation after a long day of building a new cabin, I twisted my beer like it was the most precious gift in the world. A rare luxury we got to indulge in while serving time at the Guardians, and only when we went out on missions and had a night to let our hair down. Now I could indulge whenever I wanted.

Steele stroked Heather’s hair off her shoulder and played with it. She reclined against his arm and hummed.

Fuck it made me pine for my mate and I crushed my can.

“What’s she like?” Heather murmured, sinking into Steele’s shoulder.

I released the can with a crackle of tin. “Brave. A fighter. Protective.” A thousand other words came to mind, but I didn’t want to bore them.

Heather buried under Steel’s thick, tattooed arm. “She sounds like Sarah.” The way she said it suggested a secret desire to be like her best friend.

Little Wolf didn’t bare the same accountability as Sarah, responsible for the lives of ten families, single shifters, and some pairs. Although she fiercely protected and care for her men.

“Found any more clues for the box?” Heather tried to keep up the conversation when it dwindled between her taciturn mate and me.

On one of our trips to the stream to fish, I told Heather—and Steel by proxy—about the box I was charged to find and prove my brother’s innocence.

“Not yet.” I was hoping Jaz might pay a visit to drop a clue. “Luna and her mates are working on it.”

Steele wrapped his arm around his mate’s chest, and she clung to his forearm. “Why don’t we go into town tomorrow and get Gable to do a tracking spell on the note you found?”

“Don’t need one.” Not with my gifts. Although, it might speed up the process and give me an idea of where to look first.

Something bothered me about the note Devon left me and I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it. I removed the crinkled, water-wrecked paper and sniffed it. Something else felt familiar about it. A scent tucked away in the recesses of my mind. Fear. Sweat. Body fluids. Water. Metals. Memories flashed of where I last smelled those scents.

A mission. Long ago. Back when Jaz was with us.

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