“If he found out we didn’t call it in, we’d both be dead, and maybe our families,” the first guy defended. “We were fucked either way.”
“We always have been,” the second grumbled. “This was the job my parents forced me towards to bring honor to our family. Yeah, I feel honorable every day.”
The first rolled his eyes. “It’s better than being the ones they step on.”
The second shot him a look like he was the stupid one. “Yeah, we’re just much closer to be kicked instead and normally that’s what happens.”
They both shut it when a temp portal opened and Ainsworth stepped through with several more guards. His gaze immediately landed on “me” and filled with glee.
“How? How did you get her?”
The first guy shrugged. “We… What the fuck?” He glanced around when the woman stopped looking like me.
Meaning, I stopped projecting that she was me into all their minds and hiding that she was a wolf.
“What did you do?” Ainsworth bellowed at them.
“It’s a trap,” one of the other guards figured out.
Duh.
Ainsworth tried to open a portal, but I hopped down from where I’d been hiding and pulled the magic right from it.
“Oh no, you’re staying right here,” I purred, smirking at him.
And lowered all the other barriers I’d had up hiding the dozens of wolf shifters who worked for the council.
“Your comeuppance is due, Ainsworth,” I confirmed when he looked around. “Caught in the act even. Naughty, naughty.”
“This was all your setup,” he roared and wrote something on his hands.
“Please, attack me and don’t come peacefully,” I taunted, smiling evilly at him. I wanted to scream in frustration when the fucker actually was smart and pulled back his magic. Fuck! I shouldn’t have taunted him.
“This was of all her design and—” He tried, but Councilman Brooks cut him off.
“Oh no, we’ve been watching a while and saw the whole thing play out.” He waved over a few guards. “Restrain him with the magic cuffs so no one can be hurt.” He moved closer so he was standing toe-to-toe with Ainsworth. “As apparently he likes to hurt wolves. Female ones he uses his magic to catch and sell to humans to fight in death matches. We’ve confirmed a dozen of them.”
Ainsworth actually went pale, knowing it was the truth and he was fucked.
“Is that why you tried to take this wolf tonight?” I mocked once the cuffs were on. “Were you getting involved in another ring? Is that your whole interest in me, or do you just want to drain me of my magic?” I nodded when I heard his thoughts he wanted my magic for himself and the black market. “Well, you’re lucky the wolves got you before I could, as they’ll treat you fairly, but I’m still going to have fun.”
“They can’t take down a councilman any more than you could,” he argued.
“I have,” I reminded him. “And I’m going to dismantle the black market and your whole organization, asshole. I’m going to take it apart piece by piece, every disgusting thing you’ve built, and burn it to the fucking ground. That’s the justice I’m going to get for all those you’ve spilled the blood of.”
He snorted. The fucker actually snorted at me before turning to Brooks. “You have nothing on me besides the word of an unhinged witch we’re trying to control and handle as we already should have. You’re risking your whole council going against ours and—”
“We’ve spent weeks verifying the proof, Louis,” Brooks snapped. “You’re done. And be grateful it’s me standing here and not Trigger Rothchild, as you’d already be dead. You took his daughter and sold her for a death match. You’re the unhinged one. You will probably be sentenced to death by us for your crimes, and justly so, but Trigger would break you and make you beg for death first.”
I snorted. “He deserves no less. Too bad there’s too much corruption in this world where it would start more shit than we could handle. I’d pay to see that, and the Rothchilds deserve it.”
Most were shocked at how blood thirsty I was.
I honestly wanted to ask them if they’d been paying attention at all.
Instead, I opened a temp portal and escorted the group holding Ainsworth to the holding cells in the wolf council estate. And then, to the shock of everyone there, I laid several runes and spells on the cell, smirking at Ainsworth when I was done.
“Because unlike you, I can make tier seven crystals, asshole,” I taunted… Handing Councilman Brooks a box of said crystals right in front of the other council members and aides who had joined us. “To keep this all charged for as long as you need for him or anyone else magical you need to arrest. I put a rune down that will flash if you’re running low.
“Only you can recharge it. Touch one crystal to that rune and you’re all good. I trust you and we have an understanding.” I waited until he nodded before smiling at Ainsworth. “And I also put a rune on the cell that will kill you if you should try to escape. If you use your magic to bust out of here, it will fry your brain. It will also fry anyone who tries to free you. No dodging justice this time.”
“I don’t need to. Councils don’t convict each other of anything,” he sneered. “This is just a stunt because of whatever you promised them.”
“Not a godsdamn thing, Ainsworth,” I chuckled. “You pissed in the wrong cornflakes this time. I promised to help them get you without any wolves being hurt. That was it. I am not the only one who was gunning for you. There’s a list.
