***
“You must be kidding me.” Troy couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice as he stared at the guns pointing at his and Paul’s heads. “I thought we had an agreement.”“Well, consider it canceled.” Blaze grinned as he relaxed in his seat and lit a joint. He already looked high. And from the traces of white power on the table and the rolled-up dollar bill beside the substance, Troy could hazard a good guess what the gang leader was high on. He’d watched enough TV. “This is a lot of cash.” Blaze pointed his joint at the sacks of cash as he watched the two boys from beneath his lashes. “I don’t want any of this getting out so we have to shut you up…permanently.”“But we helped you get…”“What did you do?” The leader of the gang scoffed as he took a long drag. “Your work was to stop the police if they showed up. They didn’t.”“That was because I changed their course.” Troy was literally shaking with disbelief and anger. He was, however, more concerned about Paul who was trembling and pleading pitifully beside him.They’d arrived at Blaze’s hideout…a warehouse of sorts, as had been agreed, only for two of his goons to point their guns at them. Blaze had shouted at the goons to take them outside to avoid blood getting on the floor of the warehouse. Not only did the crook want to cheat them out of their share of the money, he clearly wanted to take their lives as well? Well, not if he took theirs first, Troy thought as he started to chant silently. Some dark magic would do. They just needed to stall the murders until he was able to complete his chanting. What he wouldn’t give to be a real warlock like the others, Troy thought exasperatedly.“You are being very unreasonable and wicked.” Troy’s voice raised.“Yeah, yeah, yeah give me a break.” Blaze snorted. “It’s called tying loose ends, buddy. No offense.” He said with a wave of his hand. “Bye.”“Move.” One of the goons growled.“Please…” Paul sobbed in fear. “You don’t have to give us any of the money. Just keep it.” Neither Paul nor Troy moved. Paul because he was busy pleading, and Troy because he wanted to stall their executioners. “We won’t tell anyone.”As Paul pleaded for their lives, Troy concentrated on the fireball he was conjuring with his mind. Unlike the other warlocks he’d grown up around…who could conjure a fireball just by wishing for one, he had to concentrate and chant for some minutes just to make one since he wasn’t a warlock. He’d never been told what he was by his family. But they’d made him know that he was special and had magic within himself. He’d been taught how to make his own dark spells by harnessing that magic. It took some time but he was eventually able to get things done if he put his mind to it. Troy lacked the needed concentration but he hoped that the magic within wouldn’t fail him. His and Paul’s lives depended on what he was trying to conjure.Angry at the fact their prisoners were not moving as they’d been instructed to, one of the goons raised his gun with a clear intention of hitting Paul. But before his hand could come down, four people…two men and two women, appeared out of nowhere.“The fuck!” Blaze gasped as he shot to his feet and quickly pulled out a gun. “What is this? Who are you people? And how did you get here? Start talking.” He shouted frantically as he took in the four people standing inside his crib.Troy’s eyes widened in confused surprise as he stared at the four people. Who were they, he wondered. Warlocks? At least one of the women was dressed like one. Troy couldn’t see much of her face because of what she was wearing. She had on a sexy long dark gown with a hoodie. But from the wisps of blonde hair escaping her hoodie, Troy could tell she was Caucasian. The other female was a beautiful dark-skinned woman with really long black hair which had lovely flecks of silver. She was in khaki pants, a white short-sleeve stretchy polo top, and trainers. She looked to be in her fifties.Next, Troy sized up the men, not pausing even once in his silent chanting. He couldn’t have asked for a better distraction. One of the men was dark in complexion, tall, muscular, and looked like he could break him in two without much effort, Troy couldn’t help but think. He looked very imposing in dark jeans and a black t-shirt with boots. The only thing off about Hercules was the fact that he couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off his face as he gazed at him. Troy wondered why. But the other man, who was Caucasian, dressed in all black just like the first man, and equally tall and muscular like the other, was the one who arrested Troy’s attention.“You!” Everyone turned in the direction of the voice which was filled with so much anger and pain. It had come from Troy whose eyes were locked on the man he’d seen during the attack on his clan.“Friends of yours?” Blaze drawled cockily. “I don’t have time for this shit.” His release of the safety catch on his gun was loud in the quiet warehouse. But before he could pull the trigger…“Guns!” The Caucasian lady in the hoodie said out loud.Blaze and his gang gasped in shock and fear when every gun in the warehouse moved to the feet of the woman in the hoodie. The goons who had their guns pointed at Troy and Paul stared at their empty hands in shock whilst their leader, the great Blaze, whimpered in fear.“Hey, hey, hey…” Blaze said shakily with a sheepish smile, staring at the woman in the hood. “We wouldn’t have killed them.” He didn’t need to be a genius to know that they were fellow magicians of the Troy boy. “We were only trying to…”“You destroyed my family.” Troy’s angry growl filled the warehouse as his hands began to slowly lift up. “You took everything from me.” He trembled visibly as he spoke. “My entire family is gone…”“Travis, listen…” Philip began to speak but Troy didn’t look like he could even hear him.“You and your animals caused all this.” Troy went on, overwhelmed with blinding fury. “I’m in this predicament because of you. You’re all going to pay…” A huge fireball suddenly materialized in his hands. But before he could do anything with it, everyone in the warehouse froze…except for Jeremy.***A shocked Jeremy tore his eyes off his now stiff fireball-wielding brother when he felt a familiar warmth against him. His eyes widened in shock when his gaze landed on his sleepy mate. He was still in the sweats and t-shirt he’d left him sleeping in back at home. He couldn’t even seem to keep his eyes open.“Baby?” Jeremy ran his fingers through Ryan’s disheveled hair. He thought his mate looked absolutely gorgeous with that sexy bedhead. “How…”“Not me,” Ryan mumbled sleepily as he wrapped his arms around Jeremy’s waist and laid the side of his face against his broad chest. “The baby thought you were in danger. It brought me here.” He yawned. “As you can see, I was sleeping.”“What?” Jeremy gasped as he wrapped his arms around Ryan too. “It can do that?” He looked stunned.“It’s your kid.” Ryan chuckled. “What’s going on here?” He looked at a fireball-wielding gorgeous young man and smiled. “Your brother looks pissed,” Ryan murmured.“Oh, he is.” Jeremy chuckled. “At Lip.”“Oh b
***The story of the bank robbers who were mysteriously found with their loot and weapons in a locked police cell was to later become a hot debate in media houses and on social media. Blaze of course sang like a canary, talking about a magician called Troy and his team. Of course the story of the flabbergasted police team who found themselves in another state just as they got to the bank that was being robbed by Blaze and his team, only fueled the story. The story of the Vigilante Magicians was to trend for weeks.Magicians were urged to help the police do their jobs like the selfless group who had, according to the story of the robbers themselves, given up Blaze and his gang. Among the speculations that were rife on media was the possibility of an alien invasion.Meanwhile, in a quiet farmhouse, where unbeknownst to the public, the nine original residents had been murdered in cold blood with the help of magic, five warlocks watched the news with grim faces. They knew for a fact that
***“Paul?” Troy breathed when he heard his friend’s voice on the other end. “Are you at the police station?” He listened for a moment. “Okay, I’ll come and get you…don’t think because she looks like a nice person, she is.” He said urgently. “These people are murder…” Deloris snatched the phone away.“Alright, that’s enough.” She cut the line. “At least you know I didn’t lie to you.”“What do you want from me?” Troy asked quietly. “You’ve already taken everything that I have. My family…”“We are your family.” Gloria finally said softly as she started towards Troy, who looked at her closely for the first time.“Oh no, no, no I’m no kin of you people,” Troy said with a shake of his head.“You are, son,” Gloria said quietly as she stopped in front of her youngest son, her cheeks wet with tears.Troy stared at the woman and felt a strong wave of emotion he couldn’t understand but which made him want to comfort her, sweep over him. The feeling was so powerful he took an involuntary step cl
***“Paul is not here,” Troy said quietly immediately after they materialized in Gloria’s living room. They’d all decided that the best place to break Troy in was in his mother’s house.“He will come over as soon as you and your mother are done talking,” Philip muttered as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began to type, sizing Troy up intermittently.“I won’t say anything until I see him.” Troy insisted, a dark scowl in place. But he added after a moment; “Please.”“How about we call so that you talk to…” Jeremy began to say but trailed off when his brother began to vigorously shake his head.“How about I see him first?” Troy didn’t sound as if he was going to accept anything else. “I’ve been around warlocks long enough to know the tricks that can be played.” He glared at Jeremy. “For all I know, the voice I heard on the phone in the warehouse was not really his. I just want to see that he’s okay.” He added quietly. “Is that too much to ask?”“And what makes you think th
***Troy’s worried eyes followed Philip until he disappeared through the door. He was surprised at the sudden feeling of guilt and unease that washed over him. He wanted to call Philip back but he stifled the urge. What was wrong with him, Troy combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. He was convinced the so-called werewolves he was in the room with had cast a spell on him. Even if they couldn’t do it themselves because they were werewolves, the Deloris woman could do it for them.“Can I get some water please?” Troy asked quietly.“I’ll get it,” Jeremy said as he turned towards the dining area. He came back in no time with a bottle of water.“Thank you,” Troy said as he took the water from Jeremy. By the time the bottle came away from his lips, it was empty.“Want another?” Jeremy asked.“No, thanks.” Troy shook his head slowly, looking at the bottle in his hands.“Are you okay?” Gloria asked softly but Troy didn’t respond. He kept staring down at the bottle in his hand. Af
***Back in the dining area, Camille was laughing uncontrollably. “Philip is not a bad person, Trav…Troy. He will only take a life if it’s for a good cause.”“And you think taking Paul’s life is for a good cause?” Troy looked and sounded incredulous.“I didn’t say that.” Camille tried to compose herself. “Listen, you said yourself that your mother said no harm will befall Paul, right?”“She promised,” Troy responded.“Her word is gold.” Camille smiled. “Trust me on that. I’ll take good care of Paul. Don’t worry about him, okay?” At Troy’s nod, she added; “And remember, Philip is the most kind-hearted and amazing man. It would be great if you tried to get to know him.”“Not on your life.” Troy breathed, ignoring Camille’s gasp. “I don’t trust the guy. I know the woman meant…”“Gloria.” Camille interrupted. “That’s her name.”“Glori…”“Don’t call her that.” Camille interrupted again.“But you just said that’s her name.” Troy groaned, looking confused.“Yes but she’s your mother.” She sa
***In his room, on the tenth floor of the magnificent Stanwood building which stood proudly in the middle of the vast land of the Stanwood Pack, a naked Alpha Philip Harrington paced. He’d had a fierce run but still felt restless. He didn’t understand why Travis…or Troy or whatever he called himself, made him so angry. Maybe it was because they were close to having a full moon. That would understandably intensify his emotions. But that notwithstanding, no one had managed to get him so angry so quickly in his thirty-three years of existence. The boy knew the exact buttons to push to get him into furyland.Philip prided himself on being a very understanding person. He’d always had to be because his best friend, Jeremy, had been a handful right from their childhood because of his Ojah power. He’d had to assume the role of the voice of reason which had had a calming effect on Jeremy. Philip had therefore never had the luxury of giving in to anger like a typical male werewolf would.As an
***“You’re all idiots.” He muttered as he turned towards the bar to pour himself a drink. “The silly boy is refusing to change the bloody cat’s name.” He growled as he came back to join his friends.“I love this boy.” Paige laughed.“Lip, you okay?” Jeremy asked softly.“What do you think?” Philip rasped.“You need to go easy on him, dude,” Jeremy told his friend.“Your brother is a piece of work, Jer,” Philip muttered.“Put yourself in his shoes,” Jeremy said quietly. You first kill his family and then threaten to end his pal. You wouldn’t like you either if you were him.”“Yeah, the cactus.” Stan drawled. “Damn, that was a good one.”“From what Cami tells me, those two are just friends so chill,” Jeremy said.“Your smart mouth of a brother is not making it easy, Jer.” Philip groaned.“Easy, brother,” Paige murmured. “You’re what? Twelve years older than him, right? Come on, Lip. He’s bound to irritate you. Try not to allow yourself to be drawn into his…”“Wait till you find yoursel