Free Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge 01 - Spell Bound by Jacob Z. Flores Page A

he replied. His Southern drawl got stronger the more emotional he got. He clearly didn’t like me, which was a pity. We could have had a sweaty good time. “Back off, or else.”
    It was my turn to lean forward. I wasn’t about to let Drake think he could tell me what to do. I was a fucking warlock, and it was about time he learned a lesson or three. “No one tells me what to do.”
    “I’m not tellin’ you to do nothin’. I’m just givin’ you a bit of friendly advice.”
    “When I want your advice, I’ll let you know.” I angled in closer until we were practically nose to nose. “And I’ll say this so even you’ll understand. You and me, we ain’t friends.”
    He chuckled and rose. “Honey, you ain’t tellin’ me nothin’ I don’t already know.” He practically moseyed away. His slow, even pace was meant to tell me that he wasn’t frightened of me, that he could take whatever I dished out.
    And as I watched his ass sway back and forth, I had no doubt he could.
     
     
    C OULD I be any more of a fucking screwup?
    I hammered my fist on the tabletop, drawing uneasy glances from a couple strolling by. A guy a few feet away who’d been washing down the sidewalk with a hose glanced at me from the corner of his eye. I sneered at them, and they turned around, going about their business.
    I might not be as physically intimidating as Pierce or as cold as Thad, but I’d been told when I was seriously pissed off, I could look pretty menacing. I wouldn’t be a warlock if I couldn’t do that, but my physical appearance also played a part in people’s reaction to me. Like everyone in my family, I had inherited the badass dark looks of a warlock, which often made people uncomfortable around me. That probably explained why my only friends at school were Brandon, Simon, and Eddie.
    At times like this, though, I regretted not having my active power. Frying a nearby car engine or giving someone a severe case of frostbite would make me feel a lot better than repelling strangers with my appearance. Especially since I had to go home and explain to everyone how I’d fucked up my plan right off the bat.
    I’d never hear the end of it.
    Because I hadn’t come up with anything during the first couple of days, Thad had wanted to take over. He believed casting a spell might help determine if Drake was the threat. But since the Conclave couldn’t break through whatever veil hung over Havenbridge, our father doubted it would work. True to his battering ram personality, Pierce proposed a more direct approach: snagging Drake from his bed in the middle of the night and zapping his balls with electricity until he revealed all. Strategy had never been one of Pierce’s strengths.
    My suggestion was subtler. Instead of tailing him, why not try to be his friend? He was new to town and most likely pretty lonely. So was I for that matter. Brandon, Simon, and Eddie weren’t exactly the pick of the litter. Sure, we hung out and got drunk, and I could always count on them to back me up if I needed them, but they were often too crass and unpleasant even for me. And I was a warlock.
    I’d have liked to have more people in my life than my family, who thought I was a screwup, and the other covens, who didn’t respect someone with my clear lack of skill. If I could be friends with Elliot, that would be great. We could have been best friends, but that was something our parents had quickly nipped in the bud years ago.
    So even though Drake and I had gotten off to a rocky start in the woods, I was confident I could get him to see past that. There was something in the slump of his shoulders that told me he could use a friend too. Why else would he be sitting with complete strangers at lunch or running like a madman in the forest, if he wasn’t searching for something?
    My brothers hadn’t agreed.
    Pierce had snorted, and Thad had silently rebuked me. Dad had been the only one to truly hear me out. I’d convinced him we couldn’t rely on