Two servants were waiting right outside her bedroom door when she came out.
“Get me a new phone,” Hilde ordered.
She had some things to take care of, and the number one thing on her to do list was kill Snoe Blake. Hilde couldn’t possibly kill Snoe herself, no matter how appealing the idea was. There was too big of a chance that she would be found out, and the whole coven would turn against her. It would jeopardize her plan too much for her liking.
The servant returned quickly with a new phone in hand. She shooed them away as she walked outside into the garden she couldn’t wait to destroy. Hilde called the only people—well, more like animals—that could get the job done and have it not come back to her.
Setting up a meeting was simple; the location could have been better, but no one would ever expect her to be there. Hilde sat in the far corner of the restaurant, a charm next to her and a magic spell written on her arm. Even if she was outnumbered, she’d get out just fine; of course, she would take them down before leaving. It would just be fair.
“Can I get you anything?” a human waiter asked.
Hilde turned her nose up at the idea of eating anything they served in this dump of a restaurant. Humans were the lowest of the pecking order, but still, they had small cities and towns where they thrived the best they could. Hilde waved the human waiter away, not willing to waste her time on the lower life form.
The neutral territory was the best spot for the meeting, even if it held more humans than she liked to be around. There were other supernaturals here, keeping out of each other’s way.
A rugged-looking man with a long beard and wild hair walked in with four others flanking him. The gold eyes of a shifter were easily spotted across the room. Hilde met his eyes, and he sniffed the air like an animal before he made his way to her table. Hilde had worn a disguise; she’d draped herself in magic that altered her appearance. Instead of her usual poised self and blonde hair, she appeared to be an frail, weak old woman.
“I’m guessing you’re the one we’re supposed to meet,” the man said. He scented the air again. His lip curled up, sharp teeth glinting as he growled. “Smells like magic. Hope you’re not trying anything.”
Even if Hilde was trying something, they wouldn’t have known it. Disgusting animals. Hilde sat back in the booth. Her hand trembled as she pointed to the seat across from her.
“You’re causing a scene,” Hilde said.
Her voice wavered. She’d made sure no one would be able to recognize her.
The man grunted, crossing his arms over his chest, and widened his stance. Hilde was sure it was meant to intimidate her, but if anything, it just annoyed her. He might as well take out his dick and beat his chest. They were nothing more than wild beasts, and she was regretting her decision in picking them.
Hilde thought about just leaving and going a different route, but she knew this was the best option. Vampires were too dangerous, and Hilde honestly didn’t like them. They would betray anyone for their own gain.
“I’d appreciate it if you sat down, Mr. Huntsman,” Hilde said.
She had no desire to learn their names and only wanted what their famous pack could do for her. And that was all. You attract more flies with honey. The beast of a man grunted but took the seat. Hilde pulled out a silent charm. He growled a warning, and she rolled her eyes. It was like a cat and the vacuum. They feared what they didn’t understand.
“It’s so our private conversation stays that way,” Hilde said.
She didn’t wait for an okay; she pushed magic into the charm, and it burned, and a magical bubble surrounded their little area. The Huntsman pack leader rubbed his ears before planting his arms on the table, shaking it.
“So, who or what does an old lady like you want killed?” the man asked.
So brash.
Hilde passed over a photo of Snoe. “Once it’s done, you need to place this on his corpse.”
The Huntsman leader sneered at the charm. “I don’t touch magic.”
Hilde rolled her eyes. “I can pay extra. I need to make sure he’s dead.”
They didn’t need to know it was a torture charm, one that would go off the moment it touched blood. Hopefully the animals didn’t get blood splattered on the charm and activate it before they could place it on Snoe.
“Are you doubting me?” He slammed his fist on the table. “Let me tell you, lady, I have never failed at a job.”
Hilde kept herself in check even as the man growled at her, and the gold ring in the shifter’s eyes glowed brighter.
“It is not about if you can complete the task or not, it’s about my surety,” she explained.
“Yeah, I don’t care. I do this my way or no way,” he grumbled.
Damn animals.
Hilde left the charm next to the picture, not willing to take it back.
“Who is it anyway?” the man asked, looking at the photo. “He looks too young to be a lover.” He laughed at his own crude joke.
“I expect you will have this done with the utmost discretion,” Hilde said.
The Huntsman leader waved his hand. “Yeah, sure, what’s his name?”
“Snoe Blake,” Hilde answered.
The Huntsman leader went stock-still, his eyes slightly widening. The other four crowding the table growled.
“As in the Blake coven? A witch?”
“Can you handle it, or should I be contacting someone more capable?” Hilde asked.
The man’s fingers shifted, and long nails scraped against the wood table as he crumbled the picture.
“He must be important,” the man pointed out.
Hilde knew this would be critical information the shifter wanted. “He is Alister Blake’s child.”
Gold eyes gleamed back at Hilde. She could practically feel the beast’s bloodlust.
“Do you have an item of his? Something with his scent on it?”
She did. She passed over the bag that contained the shirt she’d retrieved from the place Snoe had once called home.
“You will be taking on the job? The money we discussed earlier is still fine, correct?” Hilde asked.
“Killing Alister Blake’s child is nearly reward enough,” the rough man said.
Hilde nodded. “You get half of the agreed amount now and the other half once his death is confirmed.”
“What does an old lady who is clearly a witch want Alister Blake’s kid dead for? I thought they were like fucking gods to you people?” he asked.
Why couldn’t he just take the job and that be the end of it? “The Blakes are spineless, conniving witches that have fooled the world,” she said.
He burst with laughter. “If you weren’t a disgusting witch, I might actually like you, old lady.”
And if he wasn’t a mindless animal, Hilde would still hate him. The Huntsman leader’s smile was ire, and Hilde knew she’d chosen right. Shifters hated the Blake coven, as they’d been the ones who pushed the shifters further north and had massacred many of them.
Hilde stood from the booth, grabbing her wood cane, making sure her disguise was as believable as possible.
“I hope to hear from you soon,” she said. She stopped before breaking the magical bubble. “Do not disappoint me. I don’t require any more fur rugs.”