Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2)(36)

"You think I kill kitties to power my spells?" Her voice was nasty, and despite the nagging suspicion that all wasn't as it should be, Brother Wolf approved of her.

He couldn't let it be, not with Anna's safety to worry about, but Brother Wolf's approbation gave him pause. There might be a different answer. "I've always heard that self-sacrifice-as when the witch uses her own blood to fuel a spell-has some power, but it's difficult to work with."

The witch pulled down her glasses and he saw his guess had been correct. One eye had been blasted by magic. He'd seen similar results before, and it wasn't something he'd forget soon. Her eye was stained white and shriveled, as if something had sucked it dry. The damage had happened a long time ago because no scent of it clung to her-and when that had happened, she would have reeked of magic for quite a while. The other eye had been destroyed more mundanely, though just as painfully-and likely just as long ago.

Interestingly, Angus stiffened, as if he had not known, and Anna didn't have any reaction at all. Not to the witch's face anyway-she was definitely reacting to him. She was not a bit happy with the way he was going after the witch.

After Moira felt he'd had a chance to look his fill, she put her glasses back on. Tom stared at Charles with intelligent yellow eyes that promised retribution, and Anna looked not much happier with him.

"I don't know Moira," said Charles to the wolf who was Tom, since he understood his reaction the best. "I did know that I've never heard of a white witch who could do what she did. And if a black witch is masquerading as a white witch... first, the deception implies she is one of the enemy. And second"-he gave the wolf a small smile-"I've never encountered a witch who could hide her nature from me."

"We were nearly killed by a black witch a few weeks ago," Anna told them, though he could tell she was still miffed with him. "It's left us a little skittish."

Moira reached out and touched Tom's flank and let her fingers drift down over his tail, which she tugged playfully. "It's all right, Tom. These are the good guys-even if he's being rude."

She turned her head to Charles. "Fair enough. I've never heard of a white witch that can do what I can either. And I'm not sure how it happened exactly. I can understand being cautious."

"I am sorry I had to push," Charles said, honestly.

"I'm sure I'll find a way to return the favor," she said, showing her teeth in a white smile. "At least you didn't say ick and run screaming."

The warm anger at the vampire attack settled a little deeper in his gut, and he let a little of it leak into his voice. "I hope you turned whoever did into a pig."

She stilled, surprised by his reaction, he thought.

"Cowards don't deserve better," said Angus.

The witch clearly wasn't expecting support from that quarter either. Had there been so many repulsed by her scars?

But what she might have said had to wait, as someone knocked tentatively at the door. "It's Alan," their interloper said. "Can someone let me in?"

The minute the Emerald City Pack's submissive wolf walked through the doorway, Charles felt more settled. Alan Choo was full-blood Chinese, and he looked it: delicate and unexpectedly strong, like a well-made blade.

Except for when he was alone with Anna, Charles had spent his entire life with Brother Wolf raging inside of him, pacing and growling against the trappings of civilization they were forced to bear. That's what it meant to be dominant and ready to kill anything that threatened those under his protection. Kill at a moment's notice.

Today was worse than usual. Brother Wolf was raging, and it was all Charles could do to make sure no one knew how hard he was struggling to hold on to control. He'd thought it only a minor addition that there were two other dominant wolves-wolves not of his pack-in the room with him and his mate.

But that was before Alan Choo walked into the room. He wasn't an Omega like Anna-but he was submissive, and he knew how to deal with raging werewolves. Somehow having him in the room tipped the balance, and between him and Anna, they calmed everyone down-including Charles.

Charles sat in the chair on the other side of the little table from Angus. It was more to give Choo room to work than because he wanted take a seat, but being able to sit down with the other wolves in the room was an improvement.

Anna took a quick glance around, so Charles knew she'd sensed the new quiet in the room, too. She caught his eyes and gave him a quick smile and perched on the arm of his chair.

"He's hurt because of me," she told Choo.

Charles shook his head and told her the truth as he saw it. "Not your fault someone decided to try to grab you. Tom did his job, don't be sorry."

"Hey, Tom, man, whatcha been doing to yourself?" Choo's words might have been flippant, but his hands were careful as he handled the injured wolf.

Tom allowed Alan to straighten his leg without uttering a grunt of pain-the little witch did more than enough of that for him.

"Damn it, damn it," she muttered, as Alan worked. "With just a little more power, I could keep this from hurting you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Finally, Angus, Angus, who had no use for anyone who wasn't a wolf, said, "Enough, Moira. It's just a little pain. Over in a moment and not worth your fussing. It would be a lot worse if you hadn't been with them-six vampires are more than a match for two wolves and any other witch I've ever seen. If you hadn't used up your magic when you did, no one would be worried about a little thing like a broken leg. Enough."