Seventy two

JASON

I was still marveling at the fact that my eyes were opened. The foggy skies were ten times a better sight than the torture I had to go endure whilst my eyes were closed. It was happening again. Witches were coming after those I loved. Except, something was different this time. They were only after one person and right now, that person despised me. I remained engulfed in my thoughts when a husky voice broke into them.

"Are you alright?"

My head instinctively whipped to the right. Kneeling over me was that blasted Hobbstone Alpha.  Sprawled behind him was David Blossom. An anger arose within me and I was forced to sit up. The nerves in my body punished me as I did so but the resent I felt for those blasted Blossoms was stronger than the wreaking ache that washed over my body.

"What is he doing here?" I demanded, reaching out to grab a hold of his shirt only to be stopped by Sofiane.

"He helped deflect the sleep spell cast on you," Sofiane informed, brushing my hands off him.

"Primrose," I muttered under my breath. I should have killed those bastards when I had the chance. My gaze traveled from the brother of that accursed witch to Sofiane. "Why are you even here?"

"I–"

"Your mate called out to you, didn't she?" I tipped my head to the side. The smile that crawled up the corner of my mouth made Sofiane shudder and I enjoyed the look of horror in his face with the taint of regret pooling in like a festering infection. Those awful moments were probably replaying in his head. The time I slaughtered Candice. Of course, he knew. That was Olamide's secret all this while. It's probably why he didn't kill her when he attacked my home. "The silence is deafening. It is the only answer I desire actually but explain to me why vampires and a member of the primrose coven is interested in my mate to the point where they put my entire pack in a sleep spell so they can kidnap her?"

"That is why I am here," Sofiane replied. "The last thing Candice felt was fear. A result that didn't even come up when you killed her. Whatever transpired had to have been horrific."

I wasn't sure what bothered me more. The fact that Sofiane was being honest or that Candice actually feared being kidnapped by Yasmin Maplewood. I wished things were different but as they were now, I needed the help of the werewolf who I had caused nothing but suffer and the brother of an evil witch.

"Do you have a phone?" I demanded.

Sofiane nodded in affirmation and procured one from the pockets of his faded jeans.  I typed in Elder Quentin's number and hit the dial button. As seconds spiraled away, the damned warlock eventually picked.

"Who is this?" Quentin demanded.

"Jason. Jason Crow."

"Oh, Hello Alpha Jason, I am confident the ritual went without a hitch."

The man seemed clueless but it did not defeat the fact that the witch who attacked me was a member of their coven. Her sin was on all of them and if I didn't get my mate back and unharmed, the truce I made with the coven was off along with their heads.

"Oh, you mean to tell me you are blissfully unaware that a witch from your ranks, Yasmin Maplewood infiltrated my territory, put my wolves in a sleep trance, and absconded with my mate."

"W–hat?" The man stammered. "Yasmin Maplewood?" He repeated.

I didn't have time for this. I cleared my throat and spoke my truth. "If my mate isn't brought back to me in three hours, any truce the Crow has with the Primrose will be nullified. The sins of Candice Blossom which had to be forgiven and of course, Yasmin Maplewood will be on your head and I promise you this time, there will be complete extermination of your coven."

Elder Quentin sputtered over the line. His voice came in sharp whispers this time around. You could almost hear the shivers that left his voice. "Jason... Let's not do anything rash... We'll find Yasmin. We'll find your mate. She will be safe. You have my word."

"Except, I do not want your words, Quentin. I want results. The clock is ticking Quentin and remember, your coven's future depends on the results I see." With that said, I cut the call. I swayed my head to the side as I handed Sofiane his phone. David Blossom was not sprawled on the ground as before. He still looked like someone that would pass out any second but the intense glare he sent my way divulged to me that he had something to say.

"Are you going to wait?"  Sofiane was quick to ask. I proceeded to ignore the lovesick Alpha as I had questions for David Blossom but Sofiane's query seemed to do it.

"We can not wait." He asserted. "Your mate was not the only person that Yasmin Maplewood took. She also kidnapped Satake."

I stared at David, my mouth dropping open. He had to be kidding. The budding rage sizzled and toppled over. With an inhuman strength, I shoved Sofiane out of my way and grabbed David by the collar. "You better be joking, you little fucker! Where is my brother?"

David surrendered under my hold. He was more fragile than I thought. He dipped over me and hesitated to speak. His lips literally tingled but they still clasped shut. You know, the kind of thing that happened when you were about to spill some troublesome brew.

"Why would they take Satake? What does Yasmin want?" I demanded, holding David's face like a trophy in my hands. The kind of answer he gave determined whether I bash his brain there and then or let him go. At the same time, Sofiane's large hand gripped me by the shoulder. He pressed to the point where the bones there began to squeal.

"Let him go." Sofiane maintained with a voice that promised death. Despite the deathly grip and the absolute damage that my shoulder sustained, my palms remained secured to David's head.

"Answer me!" I demanded.

"We were on a date." David slurred. "She came out of nowhere. It was nothing random. She had a moon scythe to disarm him and anyone who stood in the way. She had henchmen with her."

"I asked what Yasmin wants, there is no way she would want just cherry-pick the people I love. Is this about her daughter? Does she want something from me?"

"No," David muttered. "I always wondered why my sister chose your mate. It was just so random. But now, it seems to be all coming together. My sister never once made a risky bet if she did not have an escape plan. It's probably why she didn't flee Wentworth when she still has a body."

"Speak words," I growled.

"Satake is a relic and I suspect your mate is anything but human."

My steely grip left his face as I staggered back. Relic... Relic? I looked away from David Blossom. He was lying. He had to be lying. Why wouldn't Satake tell me? We were basically family. He would have trusted me with that secret. But Yasmin had also been working with vampires and with the sole purpose of retrieving my human mate.

David continued. "We cannot wait, Jason. If we do, we might be too late."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I knew the rich and grim history that witches had with relics. If there was any semblance of truth in the words that David Blossom was saying, that meant it was not a kidnap. This was a hunt and that implied that Olamide and Satake were in great peril.

I kneeled. "You can manage a locate spell, can't you?"

"It won't work. Yasmin wouldn't be that stupid. She has probably cloaked th–" David's throat hooked as his eyes traveled below my happy trail. We had a major crisis in our hands and David Blossom prioritized staring at my dick.

"My eyes are up here pervert."

"You," he whispered. I looked into his eyes and noticed the dazzling blue glinted with fascination. "...Ejaculated on her, right?"

It was disturbing how fast I got what he was babbling about. Yasmin would indeed cover her victims in a cloak but a part of me was still in Olamide. A part of me she probably didn't count to the equation. It was just crazy enough to work.