Zohar ignored her, talking over her directly to Rafe. “I’d like your men to . . .”
Rafe snarled, loudly, stepping forward to stand toe to toe with a startled Zohar. “Do not ignore my mate. If you do then we are going to have a huge fucking problem.”
“What?” Zohar looked down, he was taller than Rafe and Tasha barely came to his chest. “Who is this?”
“This is Tasha and she is not only my mate but she also escaped from this slaughter.” Rafe prodded Zohar’s chest. “So she is the only fucking witness you have. Listen up, asshole, because she’s the only person you can ask about what went down here.”
Tasha gasped as Rafe stepped back, his arm going around her waist and drawing her close to his side. Her eyes rose to meet his, her thanks in the look that passed between them.
Zohar huffed. “Whatever. So, what were you going to say?”
“I was about to say that my parents are in there,”—she pointed to the camp—“and I want to see where they are taken for burial. I want to lay them to rest, please. After that, I’ll answer any of your questions but first I need to say goodbye to my mom and dad.”
Rafe watched her intently as she spoke, heard the slight waver in her voice as she finished. Her chin jutting out as if daring Zohar to disagree only making him love her all the more. His chest puffing out as his arm tightened around her, letting her know he was right there with her.
His eyes switched to the Enforcer. Zohar’s jaw clenched and his left eye twitched. A sure sign he was annoyed. Rafe waited, ready to pounce if the man upset Tasha in any way.
Zohar looked off to the side for a moment then back down at Tasha, giving a slight nod. “Fine, go ahead but you’ll have to be quick. My men are moving fast to get the job done and I’ve no idea if they’ve already dealt with your home or not.”
Tasha looked up at Rafe who motioned to Levi. “Levi, get a couple of men and go with her. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“On it, boss.” Levi pointed to two of his guards who jogged over.
“Thank you,” Tasha said to both Zohar and Rafe.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Rafe said quietly, leaning down to kiss her quickly before she left.
“So you’ve found a mate?” Zohar said with a sneer. “Next you’ll have a dozen pups running around your heels.”
Zohar’s tone more than his words set Rafe’s nerves on edge, his anger rising, and his blood on a slow boil. As always. He cracked his neck, side to side, exhaling before he met the Enforcer’s eyes. “Shut the fuck up unless it’s to do with what’s happened here. My life, my mate, it’s off limits to you. Understand?”
The Enforcer smirked, knowing he’d annoyed Rafe was all he’d wanted. Damn it. Rafe knew it. It was how Zohar worked but every damn time he allowed the man to get under his skin. They’d come to blows more than once and if he continued to make remarks about Tasha then they’d do so again, and they did not have time for that shit right now.
“We have to find who is behind this so cut the crap.” Rafe snarled viciously, allowing his full Alpha power free rein.
He heard several of his men step forward, ready to fight for him, but he held up a hand halting them. This only seemed to amuse Zohar all the more.
“There is magic in the air,” Zohar announced in a matter of fact voice, as if the last minute or two hadn’t happened.
What the fuck was wrong with this guy? Rafe had no clue. He only knew the Enforcer liked to rub people up the wrong way then sit back and watch the fall out. Asshole.
“Myrtle,” Rafe called out, looking for the Healer. She appeared from behind his men, obviously nervous and unwilling to come forward. “It’s all right. This asswipe won’t harm you.”
Myrtle walked slowly toward them, her eyes firmly on Rafe. When she stopped, she refused to look at Zohar, Rafe reached out and patted her shoulder. He could feel her apprehension and hated feeling one of his Pack suffer. “It’s all right.”
Her eyes sought his, her hands wringing as she nodded. “Magic is here all right. It’s stifling and just wrong. It’s evil and malevolent. Whoever is using it has bastardized theirs to use it for their own ends. They are powerful and it’s possible to track it but I wouldn’t, not on our own.”
“We can handle whoever is behind this,” Zohar scoffed. “Follow me.”
Zohar stomped away toward the camp, Rafe shrugged. “Jacy, Myrtle, come with me. The rest of you bring the vehicles.”
“Alpha,” Myrtle quick-stepped to keep up. “I don’t like him. His aura is all . . . wrong. Just wrong.”
“It’s not his aura I care about. It’s whether he can get the job done,” Rafe replied grimly.
“He’s an ass, don’t let him get to you.” Jacy tried to help Myrtle who was obviously struggling. “Zohar is the Council’s best Enforcer but to hold that position means he has to be a specific type of person. He’s not Pack but he usually gets the mission accomplished.”
“I still don’t like him,” Myrtle whined.
“Neither do I,” Jacy chimed in as they entered the camp.
Rafe pulled up short, the stench overpowering, cloying in the air, enough to make him gag. Refusing to show any weakness, he opened his mouth, taking shallow breaths through gritted teeth. Jacy cursed as Myrtle let out a sob.
“Oh hell, this is, shoot, I’m gonna throw up.”
She ran off, disappearing behind a nearby tree, the sound of her retching almost Rafe’s undoing. His jaw aching as he clenched his teeth further, determined not to disgrace himself. “Jacy, check on her then come find me.”
“Check on her? Shit, I’ll be joining her.”
Rafe strode away in search of Tasha, following
