The beast growled, his eyes full of anger as his shoulders bunched at Hilde’s threat. The magical bubble popped, and the surrounding noise rushed back to her, clouding her ears for a few seconds. She walked out of the revolting hovel and made her way down an alleyway winding behind the buildings. She made sure no one else was around before pulling out her teleporting charm. She first let the disguise drop, and she was back in her elegant dress;gone were the dingy clothes she’d worn. Her skin smoothed back out, and the grey in her hair went back to the shiny blonde.
Hilde pushed magic into the charm and was transported back home. One thing taken care of.
“Where have you been, love?” Jero asked.
Hilde smiled at her lover as she pulled her tight bun out and her thick blonde hair cascaded down, framing her angular face. She pulled her hair to the side and turned around.
“Would you unzip me, dear?”
Jero was easily distracted, Hilde would laugh if it wouldn’t ruin the moment. Men were too simple. She smiled at her lover. Soon one obstacle in her way would be gone. Her dress fell to the floor, and his soft hands caressed her body.
Hilde turned around and wrapped her arms around Jero’s neck.
“I wish that we could come out to the public with our relationship,” Jero said.
Ugh. He always whined about keeping what they had behind closed doors. Hilde had no desire to make it public. Jero was just a step in her journey to the top. She smiled sweetly at her lover and pulled him down for a kiss.
“Once everything is settled. I don’t want anyone getting in the way of our love,” she promised him.
Like an idiot, he believed her. “At the next meeting I’ll push to make a decision, but Parkins and Keys are making it nearly impossible. They ha—”
Hilde cut him off with a kiss before she pulled back. “You’re Jero Von. Your bloodline is second to the Blakes’. If you ask me, you’re more of a witch than Alister Blake ever was.”
Jero sucked up the praise like a sponge, and he puffed up his chest. “Yeah, I am.”
And just like that, Hilde’s claws in the man sunk deeper. She needed to keep him on a tight hold. Her job was never done.
Chapter Seven
Snoe
Hunting was a skill Snoe was still trying to master. The thick snow on the ground was the only cushion Snoe had as he waited for the rabbit he’d seen earlier to come hopping by. The forest was so peaceful, almost too quiet—not even birds chirped. Snoe was minding his own business when something heavy tackled him to the cold hard ground. Thick snow crunched under him as he was pushed hard against the ground as a furry beast sat on top of him. Snoe cracked open an eye, and all of his blood froze at the sight above him. Large fangs glinted at him, and drool dripped from a mouth so wide Snoe’s head could easily fit inside.
The tiger growled, scaring Snoe even further. “Don’t move, witch,” the tiger said.
His lips didn’t move, but Snoe heard his voice all the same. Shifters could speak even when in animal form. Witches came up with the theory that shifters had their own magic that made it possible. That reasoning also led to shifters being hunted and subjected to countless tests by witches. Many died, and it was one of the many reasons the two races didn’t get along.
Snoe’s stomach dropped at the realization it wasn’t just a normal tiger, but a shifter. Claws sank into Snoe’s wrists and over his hands. A scream was wrenched out of Snoe as he was put through the worst pain he’d ever felt—pure fucking agony—and Snoe nearly passed out. His body’s natural reaction was to pull his hands away from the thing causing him pain; it only made things worse. Snoe screamed again as his brain tried to catch up with everything. Without the use of his hands, Snoe couldn’t call upon his magic. He was about as fucked as a rabbit in a trap.
“Please,” Snoe cried out. He was reduced to begging for his life from strangers, not understanding why they were attacking him. Snoe hadn’t stepped foot in shifter territory that he knew of. The town he’d visited twice was inhabited by humans, and there had been no large predator tracks around the cottage. His logical mind couldn’t come up with one reason why they would want to cause him harm.
“Arnold, are you sure it’s him?” someone outside of Snoe’s sight asked.
Great, just what Snoe wanted to hear—there was more than one shifter. Snoe didn’t hold much hope of overpowering shifters; they were physically stronger and faster. Snoe had no one to come to his rescue. He was all alone.
“Hey, what’s your name?” the tiger asked.
Snoe shook his head, and his entire body trembled with fear. Warmth soaked his pants.
The tiger’s lip lifted as he growled deep, his claws sinking into Snoe’s clothes and scraping against skin. This can’t be happening.
Snoe squeezed his eyes shut, begging himself to wake up from the nightmare.
“You hear me talking to you?” the tiger asked.
Of course, Snoe had heard him—it was the fact that he wished he couldn’t, he didn’t want any of it to be real. Even if Snoe wanted to respond, he couldn’t. Fear clogged his throat, and no matter how much he swallowed, all that came out were screams and cries. The shifter’s breath was hot on Snoe’s cheek. Snoe’s stomach rolled, and bile burned the back of his throat.
“Ugh, where the hell is Fred with the shirt?” the tiger asked.
There was another? How many were coming for him?
“He should be here shortly,” someone answered.
Snoe pried open an eye. It didn’t seem he was going to wake up soon from this hellish nightmare. The tiger shifted above him, turning from beast to man. The one who had their claws in Snoe’s wrist shifted, his razor-sharp nails leaving Snoe’s skin, making another wave of pain hit Snoe. He gritted his teeth, but still, a scream was pulled from him.
“He smells of magic,” one guy said.
Snoe took in shallow breaths, trying to push past the pain, trying to pay attention in order to find out why the hell the shifters were attacking him. The man who’d shifted from being a tiger stood and yanked Snoe up.
Snoe’s legs were in no state to hold him up; they caved instantly, shaking with fear. The man growled, and it was just as menacing in human form as it was in tiger form.
“Is your name… Fuck,” the tiger man shook Snoe, his head snapping back and making his vision blur. “Your last name is Blake, right?”
Snoe stopped breathing at the question. What? Why? He’d given anyone he met in town the last name Whyte, so how in the hell had he been found.
“Hey, Fred is here,” one of the men standing around said.
The tiger shifter shook Snoe, making him even more disoriented than he already was. A headache was now added to the list of areas that were in pain. Snoe caught sight of a lion carrying a shirt Snoe knew all too well. It was one of the items that was left at the estate in his hurry to escape.
The tiger shifter held Snoe up with one hand, proving the strength of shifters, as he grabbed the shirt and brought it up to his nose, taking in a big whiff. His eyes bored into Snoe, the gold ring glowing with intensity.
Snoe’s stomach dropped, and if he’d eaten that morning, he was sure he’d be puking it up at that moment. His mouth felt dry as he tried to think of something to say in order to plead for his life. But what the hell was he going to say that would work on the beast? Snoe moved his fingers, trying to muster up some magic. He had no real plan, but the chance was taken from him in an instant. It was fair to say Snoe wasn’t the first witch they’d hunted.