or the hard way, up to you.”
He snorted but didn’t respond.
“Hard way it is then.” Instead of putting up another shield, I called on my magic, asking it to lift the bear shifter away from Grim. My black magic that smelled like an oncoming rainstorm poured out of me, and the hunter backed away with wide eyes.
He said, “Don’t you dare hex me, Ellwood, or I’ll make your life a livin’ hell.”
My brow furrowed. “I’m not gonna hex you, asshole.” Then I scooted the bear shifter right out of his arms and floated her to my truck bed and used more wind magic to push him away against a tree. His dagger slashed through my magic, but I’d been prepared for that and had a constant stream coming. For every slice, more came flowing toward him, and I had enough power to keep at it for hours.
“You can’t fuckin’ do that!” he yelled. “I caught her, I keep her!”
I rolled my eyes. “And BCA trumps hunters. End of story. Hope I never see your ass again.” I ignored the weird twinge in my chest that the statement caused.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re gonna be sorry you did that, Ellwood.”
I waved him away and hopped in my truck. “Have a nice life, hunter.” After slamming the door, I drove away. I didn’t release my magic from him until I was five minutes down the road.
I made it back to BCA in record time.
Chapter Three
Basil
Stifling a yawn, I turned into a little village. It had been one hell of a long week, and even though I’d brought in a bunch of perps, Alec still wouldn’t put me on the witch murder case even though another fucking witch was killed a few days ago. So here I was, chasing down another random perp.
A loud roar made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, so I slammed on the brakes and hopped out of the car, making my way toward the noise. Screams were heard from the townsfolk, and I cursed under my breath. I’d been looking for this giant for two days since he killed a family of incubi that lived in Brinnswick Forest.
A giant on a rampage was a serious matter. Giants usually lived peacefully out in the forest, minding their own business. It was rare for one to harm another creature, but when they did, it was always messy. If this giant started rampaging, it was only because he was reacting to something. Someone must’ve hurt him or one of his family, or stole from him. They were very territorial and protective when it came to their belongings.
Guys, there’s a fucking giant. I need you here, I called out to my brothers.
Jorah said, We’re on our way.
Be careful. Don’t do anything stupid, Bas, Thayer said. Just keep it away from people, and we’ll figure out how to carry it home when we get there.
As I rounded the corner where another loud roar sounded, I slid to a stop. Right there in the middle of the open field stood a man. A really motherfucking stupid man. What kind of magicless person took on a fucking giant? Fucking idiots, that’s who.
I watched in stunned silence for a few seconds as Grim shot the giant in the leg with his crossbow, then rolled behind a boulder. What the hell did he think his little tiny arrows were going to do?
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered as I ran out toward the pair, then dove behind another rock so I could see the idiot hunter. When Grim shot the giant in the leg a second time, I yelled, “Hurting him is only going to anger him, you fucking idiot!”
Grim spared me a glance, and his face hardened as he yelled back, “And how exactly do you plan on taking down a fuckin’ giant?”
“I’m going to bind him.”
“You can’t. His hide won’t allow it.”
I knew that, I knew that a giant’s hide would repel any magic I threw at it, but Ailin had taught me a few things, including how to work around shit like that. Ignoring the hunter, I closed my eyes to concentrate. The giant was big enough—as in I was probably only as tall as his pinky finger—that it would take a lot of power for my plan to work. Luckily, I was a powerful witch.
I drew on that power, manipulating the air around us, but a scream had me opening my eyes.
Horrified, I watched Grim’s body fly through