Page 33 of Big Top Bear Raid
“And we’re back at this again,” Zion muttered, scowling at Lawrance.“And you’re happy to help this moron?”
Lawrance scoffed as he withdrew a pouch.“Oh, I don’t care about this wolf’s mental health issues.”He shrugged negligently, and he even ignored the glare Stephan cast over his shoulder at him.As the warlock opened his pouch and poured a light pink powder into the palm of his cupped hand, he claimed, “But his knowledge of where you’d be this afternoon was useful, so when he called and left a message for me, I decided to use his obsession.”Lawrance grinned widely at him.“I’ll take you and, by extension, the rest of the bears, and start a new gig, and he can have the wolf.”
Switching to a chant, Lawrance lifted his hand and focused on Wraith.Between one breath and the next, he blew the dust at them, then started chanting again.
Zion stepped forward, putting his leg between Wraith’s.Then he pivoted, putting his back to the warlock and his spell.He felt the effects of a compulsion spell slam into him, and he grimaced as the tingles that ran across his scars seared him before it dissipated.
Damn, that had been fucking strong.
That made sense, considering he managed to enthrall entire crowds.
Lawrance roared, “Give the wolf to Stephan and come to me,” obviously expecting to be obeyed.
“Not happening,” Zion declared, snarling as he eyed them both.
“How?”Lawrance demanded, his eyes widening with his shock.
Before Zion even had to think about answering, the blue glow of a spell wrapped around Lawrance.His arms were snapped to his sides.His legs jerked together.A second later, Lawrance toppled to the ground.
Zion winced upon hearing the crack of Lawrance’s head hitting a tree root.
“Oops,” Urskin commented without any hint of remorse as he stepped out from behind a tree.Frowning down at Lawrance, he declared, “Lawrance, as punishment for your crimes, which are too numerous to even bother recounting, your powers will be stripped.”Urskin leaned down and slapped a pair of cuffs on his wrists, identical to the ones he’d used on the apprentice.“Condemned to live the rest of your life as a human after restitution to the shifters has been complete.”
Even as Lawrance’s mouth opened on a silent scream, a number of wolves streaked between the trees.They circled Stephan, forcing him away from Zion and Wraith.Manon appeared in human form, anger apparent in the way he glared at the other shifter.
“Stephan, for the crime of coming between fated mates, you are hereby named rogue,” Manon declared, stalking closer.He paused next to Wraith, who Zion just couldn’t release, yet, and glanced at them before refocusing on Stephan, who was shaking his head and sputtering denials.“Stephan, in conjunction with that crime, you injured one of our enforcers while escaping the pack house.You are sentenced to death.”
“No, wait,” Stephan cried, shaking his head and waving his hands.“That’s not—”
Manon didn’t give him time to keep denying.At his nod, a lean gray wolf lunged forward.The shifter slammed into Stephan, wrapping his jaws around the male’s neck.His momentum sent them both to the ground, where the wolf jerked away from Stephan, ripping out his throat.
Blood sprayed across a tree trunk, and the light faded from Stephan’s blue eyes.
“Come here, Kajika,” Jared crooned from where he leaned against a tree.He held up a bottle of water.“Shift and wash out your mouth.”
An instant later, Head Enforcer Kajika stood where the gray wolf had been and stalked toward his mate.
Zion jerked his attention away from the pair.Especially when they started making out.
A low rumbling filled the air as Congo appeared, flanked by the members of their bear sleuth.All the other brown bears were already in their animal forms.His alpha stopped a few feet from Lawrance and stared down at him with disgust.
“Don’t drain his magick just yet,” Congo requested, turning to eye Urskin.“Just remove anything from him that’s poisonous to shifters.”His smile turned feral.“We’d like the sport.”
Urskin seemed to understand what Congo was requesting—to have the right to avenge their fallen and abused.He nodded once, then went to Lawrance’s side and knelt.Urskin rifled through the other warlock’s pockets, quickly removing a number of items.
After straightening, Urskin stated, “We’ll make certain he can’t coerce anyone into helping him escape into town.”
Congo growled as he began unbuttoning his jeans.“He won’t get near enough to anyone to try.”Then his alpha started to shift.
Zion turned his focus to Wraith, but he didn’t even need to ask.“Go,” Wraith urged softly before pecking a kiss to his lips.“I’ll see you at home in a little bit.”
Home.
Zion sure liked the sound of that.
After one more kiss, Zion stepped away and began stripping.By the time he’d finished his shift, the others in his sleuth had already left the area.He looked back at Wraith, who stood with the rest of their mates, and chuffed.
Wraith smiled and nodded, then made a shooing gesture.
