Page 120 of Psycho Beasts

“What the fuck issss wrong with you?” Cobra stalked toward him.

Instantly, Xerxes was on his feet with two wickedly sharp knives twirling through his fingers. “I never said that to Clarissa.” His honeyed accent was steel.

Cobra’s eyes flickered to slit pupils. “Why should I believe the fae queen’sss lapdog?”

He moved forward with startling speed, but Xerxes dodged in time and slashed Cobra’s arm with his knife.

Blood splattered across the white floor.

Jax roared at the cut that bloomed across Cobra’s arm, and he charged at the omega.

Ascher threw me to the side and put himself in Jax’s path. He fell to his knees just in time to avoid the massive hand that would have chucked him into the wall.

While Ascher slid across the marble floor, he slammed his fists into Jax’s knee so the big man stumbled out of the path of Xerxes, who was lunging forward, daggers ready.

Rain pounded outside, and the wind screamed as it slammed into the mansion.

The beast realm sucked.

For a split second, I debated running up the stairs and hiding in the bedroom.

Blood dripped down Cobra’s arm, and he smiled at Xerxes like he was disemboweling him in his mind.

Xerxes’s eyes glowed bright purple, and the heartless assassin swirled daggers impossibly fast through his fingers.

Someone was going to get hurt.

Even if they didn’t want me anymore…romantically, it didn’t negate the fact that they’d saved my life countless times.

Why did I have to be such a good person?

I better be nominated for sainthood. I gnashed down on my inner cheek until a copper tang flooded my mouth.

Focusing on the center of churning darkness in my mind, I smiled as the blood in my mouth vibrated with the electricity.

It was pure power.

In slow motion, Cobra’s jewels flashed into shadow snakes and streamed toward Xerxes, who pulled his arm back and shifted his weight to throw a dagger.

Ascher clawed at Jax, who grabbed him and lifted him as he turned to chuck him into the wall.

I opened my mouth.

Four droplets of blood flung through the air and slammed into each man.

The small droplets sank deep through layers of skin, tissue, muscles, and veins as they sought the sources of their power like heat-seeking missiles.

Unlike the fae queen, who’d been covered in enchantments and centuries-old protections, they had no defenses.

“Freeze!” I ordered.

Immediately, they froze.

Last time I’d used my powers, I’d been bleeding out after being almost sucked dry by a vampyre of lore. I’d thought it would always hurt to use them.

How wrong I’d been.

Sheer joy bubbled through my chest, and a giddy laugh escaped my mouth as power strummed through me like a live wire.

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