Blaze was too confused to respond, but he’d also had enough of the game.
“Ma’am,” he said to the kidnapper, “I don’t know who you are, but I’m going to need proof that she’s your granddaughter. I can’t, in good conscious, just let this happen.”
“Well,” the evil nana smacked her lips before pursing them in a disapproving frown. “You kids are so disrespectful.” She moved her arm away from the young woman and pointed it in his direction.
There was a handgun aimed at him.
If someone had told Blaze that he would be held at gunpoint by a crazy matronly type, he would have laughed. But there was nothing funny about this situation. He could see clear hate in the older woman’s beady eyes.
“Whoa. All right, there’s no need for that.”
The old woman glanced around, confusion in her gaze. “What?” Then she shook her head as if to clear it. “No need? I disagree,” she responded as if she finally remembered what was going on. “I’m talking this filthy soul with me, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
He tried to contain his smile. He really did, but it was stronger than him. She didn’t like that a bit.
“Filthy soul?” The redhead pleaded with him with big blue eyes. “Look, my name is Astra Bishop. I own that business. Please help me.”
Blaze took another step and his blood ran cold.
Mate, his wolf howled inside him. Protect her.
His eyes zeroed in on the redhead, Astra. He felt it again. Deep in his heart, that loud, strong thumping. His entire body came alive. He had finally found her.
His mate.
And she was about to became old lady fodder if he didn’t find the right way to deescalate the situation.
Blaze heard the hammer hit the bullet's cap.
He knew the bullet was aimed directly at his heart. The grandma definitely had homicidal intent. Blaze crouched and lunged forward. Though his wolf wanted the old woman dead right that second, the human side of him didn’t think it necessary.
For a split second, he considered flattening his would-be-killer into the ground but he thought better of it. He didn’t want to be responsible for breaking any hips. His animal disagreed and fought to take control, but Blaze was stronger in will and managed to hold off the animal’s desire to kill the old woman.
He went for Astra instead. He wrapped his arms around her legs and spun through the air so that when she landed, the impact was dampened by his body. Her leg went straight to his junk, and he groaned out in pain. It was sharp and made it damn near impossible to breathe. His eyes watered, but he was quick to blink it all away.
The killer nana stood there, a smoking gun in her hands and a confused look on her face. She blinked several times, appearing unsure what just happened as if a moment of senility had taken over. Then, just as quickly as it came, it left. She snarled at him, spittle streaming down from one corner of her mouth.
“I need the girl,” she growled. It was an upsetting tone coming from such a small woman.
Blaze moved quickly. Though his animal growled and fought to destroy the woman, he didn’t want to pounce on the old lady. His wolf could give two shits of her age, but Blaze knew that without the weapon, she wasn’t a real threat. Maybe she was senile and shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions.
The gun fired again.
He ducked out of the way, feeling the swift bullet missing him, but just barely. Blaze could only do one thing. Keep advancing on the witch hunter until her gun was empty. Then he could take the useless weapon from her hands and call the sheriff’s office to deal with her.
With every step he took toward the witch hunter, she fired at him. He managed to dodge four more deadly missiles.
When the gun was finally empty, she kept pushing the trigger with a series of grunts as if that would magically reload the weapon.
“Give me that,” he said gently, taking the gun out of her hand.
She struggled a bit and once again seemed confused at what was happening before clarity took over her gaze. Blaze flashed his wolf eyes at her, letting the soft, subtle shift pass through him. It was a silent threat, but not one that he would execute.
“I am connected to some very powerful people,” she insisted.
“Mrs. Gellar, please stop. It’s over. You’ve been caught.”
The woman cackled, making Blaze uncomfortable. “You think I’m the only one? Oh, no, we are legion.”
Blaze grabbed his cell phone from his back pocket and called the Salem sheriff’s office, letting them know he had caught one of the members of the Order of Salem.
It only took the deputy a few short minutes to come barreling down the streets, sirens blaring.
Chapter Five
Blaze
“Holy shit,” Astra whispered. Her mouth hung wide open and her eyes were as round as saucers. “Did that just really happen?”
They watched Mrs. Gellar being driven away in the back of a cop car. She was still spewing vicious things about witches, and so it was a good thing that the deputy had been a wolf by the name of Betty. The officer was up on the current threat in Salem.
“Yup,” Blaze answered Astra. “That was the most insane thing I’ve ever witnessed.”
Mate, his animal roared loudly inside his head.
What did the beast want him to do? Jump her right there?
No, he wouldn’t do that.
Blaze wasn’t known to be a smooth-talker or a charmer, but he didn’t want to fuck this up. He had to approach the situation so the stunning Astra would be opened to the idea of finding her mate.
“That was not normal, right? Like, that just doesn’t happen to people?” she asked him. Her pale creamy cheeks were flushed. “Thanks for saving me, by the way. I’m not usually one to let others fight my battles for me, but fuck knows where I would be if you hadn’t intervened.” She gave him a big, genuine smile that made him very happy.
He could smell the adrenaline coursing through her veins. It mixed with the wonderful bouquet of vanilla and honey that floated off her skin. He would love nothing more than to lick every inch of her body like the most delectable ice cream pop.
“I didn’t do any fighting,” Blaze assured her.
He was really trying not to notice how beautiful she was. But it was hard. Everything about her screamed delicious. “I’m Blaze, by the way. Blaze Roman.”
“Fighting would've been a bit overkill, seeing as how the attacker was a tiny old lady. But you still saved me.” She looked sincerely pleased to have been saved, too.
“It was nothing.” Shit. Now, how was he supposed to get her into his truck? “Look, I don’t want to add to what I’m sure has been a very stressful morning, but…” He took a deep breath. Words had never been his strong suit. “I was sent here by the sheriff to take you into protective custody. There’s an order of witch hunters after you and all of the other Bishop witches in town.”
“Yeah, psycho granny told me all about it. I have to check on my twin and my cousins. They could have been attacked, too.”
“I wouldn’t worry about them,” he assured her. “All three of them are safe. Each with their own…” he looked for the right word, “protector.”