Page 166 of Gift from the Nexus

“Come on, dear wife. You’ve had your fun. It’s time for you to do the work you were born to do. Don’t keep your grandfather or husbands waiting any longer,” Donald says with a broad smile and behind him, Bryce, Gish, and his three bitch brothers walk up.

They all appraise me. Grinning from ear to ear as if they’ve waited so long to be reunited with me.

Not happening.

“I won’t be sacrificing myself or anyone else today.”

“You’ll never sacrifice yourself again if we can help it, princess.”

“We’ve got you, Primary.”

“Where you go, we go, little wanderer.”

“Lead the way, little warrior.”

“Come on, girl. Where’s that noble behavior at now?” Gish calls out. His condescending, smug laugh rings in my ears and his fuckboy entourage joins in, making me hotter.

I won’t waste my breath with any more foolish tactics, questions, or comments. You can’t negotiate with a villain who believes those who disobey him die and everyone else is below him. The followers who carry the same standard are just as bad. They’ll receive no mercy.

My first footstep seems to thunder through the space, silencing the mocking as my enemies prematurely claim their victory. Their shoulders relax, their smiles widen, and eyes heat with disgusting pleasure that has my anger rising. My blood begins to boil beneath my skin and wind twirls through my fingers, readying for my command as I take another step. The distance between us is slim, maybe fifty feet, and that’s all I need to make a point.

Although my body, my mind, is full of anger, I refrain from using my full force. My purple flame shoots from my palm with a controlled order, riding on the speed of light with a push of air. None of them have time to react and I smile as Gish bellows in agony.

Burn, fuckface.

He tries tirelessly to douse my flames with his water, but it’s a worthless attempt and the useless men standing around him stunned won’t be able to help him either. He won’t die, yet, but his face will burn completely until I put him out of his misery.

The beautiful, unhinged laughter coming from Draken and Caspian behind me is cut off abruptly when the tips of claw-likefingernails nip my neck. Bryce is the first to gain his composure and his eyes are feral as he tries to get his hand around my throat. He moved so quickly, I didn’t even see him coming, but Keeper did.

“You dare harm the Adored of the Keep? My blood?” Keeper growls as his outstretched arm twitches and his hand squeezes Bryce’s throat tighter.

I wrap my flaming hand around his wrist and his nails immediately retract from my neck as he hits the ground on his knees. His eyes are burning crimson, much like his mangled limb dangling beside him, but he doesn’t scream out. He snarls and heaves in a futile attempt to get free from Keeper’s clutches.

“Twenty-seven times. That’s the number of times you bit me while I was strapped to that table. Then once more in front of my Nexus, to punish them and me. You’ll repay me for that with your head,” I declare.

“He bit you, unwillingly? With…”

“Pain.” I finish for Keeper as his bleeding eyes burn into me.

In a move quicker than I was prepared for, he moves directly between me and Bryce, blocking my view. The sickening crack echoes louder than the screams still coming from Gish and when Bryce’s body hits the ground, it shakes the entire landscape. I catch the smallest of glimpses of his rolling head as Keeper tosses it at the Summum-Master and Donald.

Up until now, I have a feeling that the Summum-Master was just testing me, seeing how far I’d be willing to take this, but now with two of his higher-ranking members done for, his intentions, his anger, his loathing hits me right in my heart and I know he’s had enough.

“Bring me my targets. Kill the others,” he shouts. His voice rumbles across the rocky terrain, making the pebbles at my feet vibrate.

No sooner does the order leaves his lips than the good little soldiers who’ve waited patiently for a command, move in.

My men instantly surround me, their elements and gifts on the surface, ready for anything. Tillman tilts his head back, whistling to the sky, and the E.F. members pour out from the tree line with a war cry pouring from their chests. The sound of bones cracking behind me is closely followed by an ear-splintering howl, and I know my brother, my family, best friends are ready.

I allow my purple flames to flow freely across the ground to make a circle around us and our people. Those of the Mastery who are stupid enough to attempt to cross the line of fire I’ve created burn to ash, while the others search of a way around it. Draken takes a more brutal approach and incinerates any who step forward. His animalistic excitement is contagious, and his dragon rumbles in his chest with the need to hunt. That need is calling to my beautiful beast and she’s ready to be set free.

Corentin’s element breezes past me, ruffling my hair as he and Caspian dance around one another, either sucking the air out of people’s lungs or filling them with water. Light pours from one’s palm, blindly bright and unforgiving, while darkness streams from the other, creating sinkholes that are pitch-black, swallowing people whole. Those two are like witnessing the God of Light and God of Darkness join forces. It’s breathtaking in this ruthless moment, and I wish I could stand back and gawk at them.

Tillman stays to my left, standing tall like the fortress he is. With either a mental command or strike from his element, the Mastery members fall to their knees with no chance at all to reach us. His mind, body, every technique operate like a machine and the sheer strength pouring from him causes me to shiver.

Movement in my peripheral steals my attention from my remarkable but deadly Nexus and I zero in on Donald’s every move as his body disappears. I still can’t make him out perfectly, but thanks to Corentin’s gift, seeing the outline of him move through the rays is much easier. When he charges straight for me, I don’t back down.

I run toward him.

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