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“What gave it away?” I said, brushing dirt off my ass.

“What happened?” Bram’s gaze slid over his mate, making sure she was okay.

“She’ll give Jaz what she needs.” Her gaze shifted to Ren. “But only if you kill a feral that’s been stealing from her traps.”

“Me?” he said, looking confused.

Mags looked from Ren to me and back. “That’s what she said.”

Ren frowned. “I can do it, but I’ll need a couple days to track it.”

“It’s way too dangerous. We don’t even know if the information Agatheena has is worth it.” I met Ren’s amber and gold eyes. “It’s too much. You don’t have to do this.”

His gaze moved over my face, then his nostrils flared and a strange look shifted through his eyes. “Yeah, I do.”

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Chapter 11

Ren

* * *

Jasmine had been quiet as we made our way back out of the forest, and every now and then she’d cast sidelong glances my way. I didn’t blame her. The way I’d acted back there, like doing anything for her was my right, was fucking weird and pushy. But my fox had sprung to his feet and demanded we kill the feral for her, and it came through in a way that was, yeah, intense.

Maybe because her scent had lingered in my place all fucking night, mixed with mine—on my skin, and on the shirt that she’d worn—and it’d messed with us.

It didn’t help that she’d just come out of the crone’s cottage and I’d been tense as fuck the whole time she was in there. I didn’t trust the old witch. I didn’t trust many people. Add in the demon-infested forest, a forest I knew well, and I was feeling out of control and overprotective.

I was doing it for Willow. I’d do anything to protect Wills from pain, which meant protecting her young cousin. I didn’t need to worry about Mags, she could take care of herself. She also had her assassin mate with her, and Jaz was helping me and I owed her. I’d felt the cold brush of a hand on my arm this morning, but just a whisper, and it’d felt more distant. What Jaz had done for me was working, and I wanted to repay her for it. That’s all this was.

I glanced at Jaz now, walking a little ahead of me. She was wearing black jeans and a black, fitted long-sleeved T-shirt topped with a dark denim jacket with black leather sleeves that I knew belonged to Zinnia because I’d seen her give it to Jazzy the last time she was home. Her long blond hair was down, and there were small braids here and there. It always looked a little wild, that tousled just-out-of-bed look.

Jesus.

I quickly shut that thought down.

When she glanced at me again, I got a glimpse of the butterfly inked on the side of her throat. Similar to the live ones she usually had on her shoulder or in her hair, with colorful wings that fluttered, every now and then as she walked. Willow was right, Jaz was different now, not the female I’d first met years ago. She’d been a kid then, always in pink, painfully shy. Whenever I’d tried to talk to her, she’d ducked her head or hidden behind her sister or one of her cousins.

She wasn’t that shy, little female anymore. She still liked pink sometimes—my gaze dipped to the hot-pink belt she wore—but now she was a powerful witch, one who wasn’t afraid to call me out on my shit, who shoved wolves back and had covered herself in tattoos because they made her happy. A female who spent a lot of her time laughing and dancing and taking care of everyone else, who’d made me laugh when I thought that was impossible. A female who made anyone who got to know her fall at her fucking feet—

Unhinged cackling echoed through the forest a moment before several demons stepped out of the trees, their lizard-like eyes sliding from Bram and I to Jaz and Mags. I grabbed Jasmine’s arm and pulled her against me. They were more humanoid than some. Well, they wore clothes at least. Their faces, however, yeah, not so much. Bram pulled his knife and Mags fisted several vials full with deadly potions.

“Leave the breeders, and we’ll let you walk out of the forest,” one of them said around the thick, drool-covered tusks protruding from either side of his mouth. “You’re weak shifters, and you’re outnumbered. Hand them over now, or we’ll eat you.”

Fury burned through me. “Don’t recognize me, Husk?”

The demon eyed me, then his chin jerked back. “Fox?”

I wasn’t surprised he didn’t recognize me. I’d rarely taken my human form out here, only when I needed to fight, and then I’d been naked and covered in blood and dirt. “That’s right, and you just threatened our females.”

I saw the fear shift through his bulging eyes. I didn’t care. He’d threatened Jasmine, and I couldn’t let him live. My fox bared his teeth in complete agreement. He needed to die. I grabbed Jaz around the waist, and she squealed in surprise as I hoisted her up into the closest tree. She scrambled farther up as I pulled my knife free and stood under her. “You have two choices,” I said. “Fight me now with honor, or show your brothers what a coward you are and run. I promise either way I will end you.”

Mags and Bram had moved closer as well, all of us surrounding the tree Jaz was in.

“Come on, coward,” I said to Husk. “Let’s see what you can do.”

He snorted like a bull and charged.