Basil (The Brinnswick Chronicles #3) - Michele Notaro Page 0,1

stormy feel. That probably added a more ominous feel to my magic. Which was perfect for spooking asshole hunters.

The guy narrowed his eyes at me and lifted his crossbow higher. I only grinned in response before I wrapped my magic around his body, knocked the crossbow so it was facing up, and pulled my magic tight around him like rope. He was right that my magic couldn’t harm him—it couldn’t touch his skin or anything like that, not that I would do that—but it was easy enough to control the air around him.

When I dragged his ass backward by manipulating the wind and pressed his back against a tree, I said, “He’s mine now.”

The anger storming in his eyes was so fierce, I was surprised they didn’t start glowing and shooting lasers out at me. “Fuckin’ witches always thinkin’ they can walk all over everyone.”

I lifted a shoulder. “Don’t get in my way, and I’ll leave you alone.”

He narrowed his eyes again, clenching his jaw harder. “Your little power display tipped the mark, asshole. He already made a run for it.”

Jerking my head to the side and finding the perp gone, I cursed. “Motherfucker!”

“Now let me the fuck down so I can do my job.”

“Nah, I think I’ll leave you there to rot.”

Basil, my brother Jorah chastised through our link. He and Thayer were the other two thirds of the Three, so the three of us had a bond unlike any other, and because of it, we were able to communicate telepathically. It also meant that unless I was doing everything in my power to block them, I had zero privacy whatsoever.

What?

Let the hunter go. I think you bruised his ego enough for one day. Jorah was always the voice of reason between us. Which was a scary thought since he was just as much trouble as me. Thayer had calmed down a little since meeting his viramore—his soulmate—a few years ago, but he still had a wild side. Truth be told, all three of us did. Probably how we ended up with this magic in the first place.

Fine. Focusing on the hunter, I sighed. “Shoot me in the back, and you’ll regret it.”

“I don’t go around harming people for no reason, unlike you fuckin’ witches seem to.”

My eyebrows rose. Maybe where he came from was different, but here in Brinnswick, witches were known more for saving people more than harming them, so I had no clue what the hell he was talking about. With a sigh and a wave of my hand, I released him from my magical hold.

Immediately, he aimed his crossbow at me but started backing away in the direction we’d last seen the gnome. “If you follow me, I will shoot you. And don’t think my arrows can’t get through your shield, Basil Ellwood. You’re not the only one that knows what he’s doin’.”

I lifted my hands in mock surrender, then saluted him with my middle finger and turned my back on him. I was going to find my mark, but I was going to use my magic to do it, and I didn’t need that asshole watching me do a tracking spell.

After a minute, I turned around to see if he was still aiming his crossbow at me, but he was nowhere in sight. I sighed. That guy was a piece of work, but I couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell he was doing around here. I thought I knew most of the hunters in this area, not that I was friends with them or anything, but we were at least amicable. Maybe this guy was new, or maybe he was simply good at his job and hadn’t yet been caught by me. Whatever. Hopefully I’d never see him again.

Even as that thought ran through my head, a strange tightness in my chest momentarily took my breath away. It was gone almost as quickly as it had come, so I easily brushed it off and continued doing my job.

My Bonded dragon transformed into his smaller form, a bearded dragon—all Bonded had multiple forms. Instead of hanging out with me, he rushed into the nearby trees to hunt for his dinner. All witches had a Bonded One, a magical animal that we formed a magical Bond with. A Bonded could share magic with you and you with him, and one of the coolest things was that we could pull ourselves to our Bonded’s location, no matter how far away they were, same with them