Chapter 15 #3
“The kid can see things in your words you don’t even know are there,” Cal says. “It’s his gift.”
“If you’re not being honest with us, then we will have to continue our investigation. That means we may cross paths again. We’re here to avoid that,” Amy’s tone almost sounds like a veiled threat.
I look at Saul and he nods, like he’s giving me permission to share everything. I’m not sure I want to, especially with a bunch of Witch Hunters, but the quicker they’re gone, the better. I can protect Taryn from them if it comes down to it, especially with the entire Silver Pack watching my back.
“Fine,” I bark. “A foolish little girl found an old book and tried to cast a spell. It didn’t work exactly as she intended, but it ruptured the fate-block enough for me to sense her.
She’s my mate. I didn’t realize that at first. I thought the spell she tried to cast manifested as a curse, so that’s why Saul contacted a shaman.
But when we tried to break the curse, we actually broke the fate-block.
It’s over now. There will be no more spells or curses in Covington. ”
“That’s the truth,” the kid says confidently, smirking enough for me to want to go for his skinny throat, but I restrain myself.
“And to be clear, the… foolish little girl, as he so gracelessly put it, is no witch. She doesn’t know how to use magic at all,” Saul says bluntly.
“She must know how to use magic if she cast a spell,” Marty counters.
“She found an old book,” I repeat. “She can’t even read it. All the magic is hidden behind a cipher. It took years for my mate and her friends to even decipher the ingredients for one of the spells.”
“We’ve seen books like that before,” Dale says, glancing at the others, something passing between them that I notice. “Usually, it’s a handful of spells copied from a grimoire. Witches and other magic users employed ciphers so that nobody could prove they were real spells.”
“I’ve seen the book. I’m pretty sure you’re right,” Saul confirms.
“Okay, in that case, we have no interest in the girl,” Cal says. “If you turn over the book to us, we’ll make sure it never falls into the wrong hands.”
“I can make sure it never falls into the wrong hands,” I state confidently.
“We can’t leave a book like that here. I’m sorry, but we have rules we have to follow.
We don’t burn witches at the stake anymore unless we have to.
Our main job is eliminating the source of their magic,” Cal takes on a more authoritative tone.
“The kid says you’re telling the truth, so all we need is the book. After that, you’ll never see us again.”
I glance at Saul and he leans toward me, lowering his voice. I’m not sure if they can overhear us, but he must not care since he’s not using the mental link.
“Do you really give a fuck about the book?” he whispers.
“No, but I don’t see any reason to hand it over to them,” I mutter, keeping my voice low. “We have no idea what they’ll do with it.”
“They’re not going to use it to cast spells,” Saul chuckles dryly. “They’ll probably burn it or stick it in their archives. Either way, it won’t be our problem anymore.”
“It’s not our problem now,” I retort. “They are.”
“Yes, but they’re not looking for a fight. They’re not planning to burn your mate at the stake. Why don’t we just give them the book? Your mate isn’t attached to it, is she?” he asks.
“Not really. She said her grandmother got it at an estate sale,” I mutter, pondering it for moment. Saul usually chooses the peaceful option, if there is one. I can’t think of a good reason not to hand the book over. “Fine, we’ll let them have it. We have no use for it.”
Saul leans back and looks at the Witch Hunters. “Alright, we’ve discussed it. We’ll give you the book.”
“That’s great news,” Cal lets out a pent up breath of relief, as do a few of his companions. “Can we arrange to meet later today or tonight?”
“Where?” I ask. “I have it.”
“Here?” Cal suggests. “We can wait if you want to go get it.”
“I’ll bring it later. No reason to wait,” I answer, standing up. “I have other business to take care of today, but you’ll get the book. We have no use for it.”
I turn away and walk toward the door. Saul is more polite and shakes a few hands before catching up with me. We wait until we’re outside before speaking.
“Are you really going to give it to them, or should I call Silver Pack?” Saul asks, glancing at me with some concern in his eyes.
“No, I’m going to give it to them,” I assure him. “I just don’t answer to them. They’ll get it when I bring it.”
“Fair enough,” Saul says. “Glad we could resolve this peacefully.”
“As long as they leave Covington once they have the book,” I add.
Taryn is the main reason I have no plans to rush back. Once I return to the hotel, the mating bond is going to make it difficult to leave again. But I’ll keep my word and give the Witch Hunters the book. No blood will be shed today if they keep theirs.
If they betray us, they’ll find out why wolves don’t fear silver as much as they think we do.