Rodney: Marshall’s Shadow – Jaguar Shapeshifter Romance by Kathi Barton (books for new readers TXT) 📕

of mine, but my friend. The question. All right. What can you tell me that would involve me challenging the lesser witch that claims to be a grand witch? She’s causing trouble for our kind, and she needs to be either ended or made to see the error of her ways. Before someone else gets hurt, I mean.”

“You can feel all the witches and warlocks around you, correct?” Rebel nodded. “Good. That was something I learned from your zap, that you’re much more powerful than even I first thought. But to challenge her, you need only to tell her to step down or face the consequences of your wrath. You must tell her, in your own way, that you’re not happy with her current way of doing things. As her superior, you must tell her from the start that you’re stronger than her and know that you’ll be required to take her to task.”

“So in other words, I tell her to stop fucking around, or I’ll have to fuck her up. That’s it?” Darin laughed. Hard and long. She was like a breath of fresh air in his world. When he nodded, telling her that was it precisely, Rebel grinned back at him. “I’m really good at telling people like it is rather than beating around the bush to get back where we started in the first place. With this magic, I can summon her here, or I can go to where she is. How does it work if…? Never mind. I got it. Hang onto your hat, Darin. We’re going for a ride.”

He found himself standing in a large room with not just Wendy, the witch, but several other lesser witches, as well as wannabes. When the ones that were down on their knees, seemingly bowing to Wendy, saw them, they all fell to the floor on their bellies as soon as Rebel cleared her throat.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Wendy tossed a spell at Rebel when she spoke. However, the effect it had on the stronger woman was that she absorbed it rather than it hurting her as Wendy appeared to have wanted. “Stand down, or so help me whatever you threw at me will be a walk in the park compared to what I will do to you.”

Rebel looked at the ones on the floor and told them to be gone. Darin figured they’d leave on their own, but they simply disappeared. He didn’t ask her what she’d done with them but waited until this was finished before he started questioning her methods. Telling Wendy to sit down had the witch not just sitting on the floor, but her hands were bound together with magic, and her mouth seemed to be glued shut.

“Now, here is what I’m going to tell you. Only this one time so that you can ask me questions if you wish. But I’m telling you right now, you fuck with me, and I’m going to kill you. It won’t be a pleasant send-off, either. I will make you suffer in ways that what you’ve done to your victims looks like a day at the zoo. Nod if you understand me.” Wendy screamed behind her closed mouth, and that was when Rebel simply snapped her fingers. “You may speak, but I want to warn you once again, I’m not one to fuck with.”

“Who the hell do you think you are coming in here like you own this place?” Rebel said she was sorry and told her what her name was. Also, he was glad to hear her declare herself as the grand witch. It would be her saving grace to tell anyone that asked about today that she had warned the other woman. In introducing him, he was glad to hear only their first names when she finished speaking. “I don’t give a shit what your name is. What do you hope to gain by pissing me off? I will tell you right now, I’m going to put you into a world of hurt myself when I’m free from this magic.”

“I want you to think about what it is you’re saying. Not only was I powerful enough to send your would-be victims away, but I was able to order you to sit and bound you in a way that prevents you from using your…well, your paltry magic. Do you know that only someone more powerful than you could have done that?” Wendy stupidly said Rebel wasn’t more powerful than she was. “Okay, let’s test that theory of yours. I’ll allow you to try and harm me once. If that doesn’t work, then you’ll concede to the fact that I’m not only stronger than you are but apparently a good deal smarter than you are too.”

As soon as she was freed from the magic, Wendy stood up and gathered strength around her. The magic was dark. He was able to see that now, and when she shoved it at them, not only was he not hurt by it, but neither was Rebel. Again, she seemed to take it as her own.

“Is that all you have?” Wendy screamed out her frustrations and tried again. This time it was powerful, but nothing that harmed either of them. “I can see that you’re wearing yourself out. Would you like a few minutes to recoup before I shove it all back at you? I have to tell you, I had hoped this would go better than I thought it would. You’ve broken a hefty rule. One that, even as a lesser witch like you are, will get you into serious hot water with the other witches.”

“If you leave right now, I won’t report you to the council.” Rebel said they were there, and as if they’d been summoned to show themselves, the nine witches of the board showed themselves. Wendy turned to them. “She came here to kill me. Not only that, but she disbanded my helpers.”

“We’ve seen enough, young Wendy. You have been a blot on our