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I lifted my hands, palms out. “We will leave. We don’t want to cause trouble.”

“It’s too late for that,” snarled the skinny fae. The witch’s presence seemed to have bolstered his confidence. His spine was straighter, his eyes no longer full of fear. “Your kind have killed so many of us already. We can’t risk letting you go.”

“We are hunting a feral beast as we speak!” Reid argued, his voice tinted with anger. “We are trying to protect you!”

“Feral beast?” The witch cocked her head, her eyes flashing. “Do you mean… one of your own kind?”

Reid said nothing, his jaw going rigid. Though the creature we were currently hunting didn’t seem to be a Wolven Mage, more often than not, it was. In many ways, the fae and witches were right to fear us; when our kind became Rogues, the results were catastrophic.

If the fae authorities could simply work with us instead of against us, we could apprehend the Rogues quickly and save more lives.

“Has it occurred to you that an easy solution to your feral beast problem is to simply wipe out the Wolven entirely?” the witch asked. “Your magic is an abomination and must be snuffed out.”

Within me, Tavik snarled. I bared my teeth at the witch. “Leave now,” I warned her. My hands curled into fists at my sides, my body pulsing with adrenaline. “This will not end well for you.”

The witch tilted her head at me with an incredulous look on her face. “Even with these two idiots,” she said, gesturing to the fae alongside her, “it will be easy. My power far outweighs yours.”

Either she didn’t realize she was talking to the captain and his second, or she was far too haughty for her own good. We had bested a witch before, and we would do it again if we had to.

But we didn’t want to kill anyone. It would only fuel the hatred between witches and Wolven Mages.

Despite how much they deserved to die, I didn’t want any more blood on my hands.

“What do you want from us?” I asked the witch. “Name your price.”

Her red lips curled into a wide smile. “My price is your life.”

Her hands cut through the air, igniting a jet of green flame that illuminated the dark forest. I ducked, and Reid dove to the left. The spell blasted against the trunk of a tree.

The witch brought her hands together again, but I was already barreling toward her. I just had to get close enough to strike.

Her eyes widened, as if she hadn’t realized how close I was. With my arm outstretched, I lunged for her just as her hand sliced through the air again. Green fire scorched my shoulder, and I cried out in pain, rolling to the right to avoid another hit. Behind me, Reid roared in fury and shifted to his wolf form.

“Reid, no!” I cried. But his body was already elongating and sprouting amber fur. With a snarl, Nell pounced, bounding toward the witch.

A spark of emerald shimmered in the air as she conjured another spell. But I was close enough now.

I tackled her, arms wrapping around her middle as I pinned her to the forest floor. She screamed and grappled with me, arms flailing. But my bulky weight pressed her down, my hands clamping down on her arms to hold her in place. With a screech, she spit in my face, but I was undeterred.

She was neutralized.

Nell was on his way, paws hitting the ground hard. He would finish her off.

An echoing shout made me stiffen. One of the fae males was racing toward me, dagger raised. I lifted one arm to block him, easily able to wrench the weapon from his grasp. I slammed the hilt against his head, knocking him out.

But it cost me. The witch wriggled one arm free and sent a jet of green flame straight into my chest. The air whooshed from my lungs as I toppled backward, my skin burning. The smell of charred flesh reached my nose, and sharp agony cut through me. I groaned, darkness bleeding into my vision as I rolled and staggered to my feet.

Nell roared, diving for the witch, but she sliced her hands through the air, freezing the wolf in place. Nell went completely rigid like a statue, jaws open wide and fangs gleaming.

The ground began to rumble, and a burst of green light enveloped Nell. The wolf went flying before colliding hard with a sturdy oak tree.

“No!” I bellowed.

The witch rose to her feet, seething. Shit, she was far more powerful than I thought.

I tried not to glance toward Nell’s motionless form. Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.

Chest heaving, I glared at the witch as she drew closer. I was going to enjoy killing her.