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Chapter 5
Jackson
Ignoring my pack brothers, I give the boy in the chair my full attention as Hester stands in front of him.
How can someone so young hold so much power?
Sitting like this, he doesn’t look dangerous. He has dark, floppy hair that needs cutting and a baby face that makes him seem innocent. I know better. I have been on the other side of his magic and felt it tearing me apart.
Hester holds her palms out on either side of her, and the girls step up, joining hands with her and each other. Only Tessa remains near the back of the room with Abel. If her power is as temperamental as she mentioned, it’s probably for the best. The last thing we need is for her to accidentally fry this kid’s mind.
The scent of burning fills my nose as the power grows between the girls. They whisper hushed words, chanting until the kid in the chair jolts.
With bleary eyes, he lifts his head and tries to focus on his surroundings. I can tell the moment he realizes the trouble he is in, and I brace as he fights against his bindings.
“Son of a bitch!” he yells. “Let me go right now! I swear I will destroy you all!”
Hester steps forward, her hand outstretched toward him. He eyes it as if it were a live grenade, but it’s far more deadly than that.
“I don’t want to use magic on you, but I will if you don’t calm down.”
The kid’s gaze darts between the girls before sliding to me. There is a moment of recognition before his lips curve into a malicious smile. He clearly remembers our fight.
I cock a brow at him, challenging him, but his expression doesn’t slip.
“Untie me, and we can go for round two.”
“I don’t make a habit of hurting pups,” I say, keeping my tone neutral; bored even.
It’s like dropping a lit match on gasoline. He snaps his teeth at me like a rabid dog, tugging at his bindings so hard that the chair rattles from side to side. “I’m not a pup. Fuck you for saying that.”
Seems like that's a sore spot for him, so it’s something we can use to get the information we need.
I watch as he screams and yells before he loses steam and sags against the bindings. His frustration is tied to fear. I can smell it on him, my wolf eager to press for more as he senses weakness. I don’t move as his head lowers to his chest, his hair curtaining his face.
“Let me go, and I won’t kill you all.” The threat is delivered without any real heat behind it, as if he’s trying to keep a strong facade despite his situation.
“Considering you’re the one tied to a chair, how exactly are you planning to do that?” Sawyer’s stupid smirk seems to irritate the kid just as much as it does me.
He lifts his head, his eyes blazing as he glares at my pack brother.
“Remove the spell holding my powers, and I’ll show you.”
Sawyer snorts, pulling Roux into his lap as if they were sitting in their own cabin alone. Wolves are tactile, vargr more so than any other kind, and Sawyer clearly needs to have his mate close.
“I prefer you like this,” he says as his fingers rub at Roux’s nape, like he’s scared to let her go after their argument. The way she leans into his touch suggests she’s not pissed at him any more, though.
“What’s your name?” Hester asks, stepping closer. He can’t do anything to her, bound both physically and magically, but I still hold myself ready, just in case. I’d underestimated these guys earlier, and it nearly cost me my life.
The kid huffs out a breath, pissed off at this whole situation, but I don’t miss the slight tremor laced through it. “And what would you do with my name?”
Hester moves even closer, leaning over the chair, her hands gripping the back of it as her face approaches his. The smell of magic in the air is potent as his neck hyperextends, as if something is forcing his head back. Her mouth moves, whispered words slipping out as his angry eyes lock to hers, but it’s the smile that sets me on edge.
“Don’t go into my mind unless you are ready for what you’ll find there,” he warns.
That courage fades the moment I feel the power surge. I don’t know what she’s doing to him, but the boy flinches, trying to mask his pain. Then his bottom lip trembles, sweat beading on his forehead, before he lets out a scream that makes my blood curdle in my veins.
I can’t stand it. I grab Hester’s bicep, dragging her back from him, but she doesn’t move. That confuses me. I’m not a small guy, and yet she’s an immovable rock.
