Page 19 of Blood and Reign

“Anyone else think the old demon has lost a few too many screws?” Jax raises his brows at the lot of us.

“Speak fucking English.” Axel growls.

Soren gives me an exhausted look. “How on earth do you put up with them?”

“We give her plenty of orgasms.” Jax winks at me before looking back at Soren and narrowing his eyes. “Don’t get any ideas.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Soren runs a hand down his face.

“What are we dealing with?” Kai asks him, getting us back on track.

“The balance, it’s unstable,” Soren tells us.

“The what?”

“The…” Soren shakes his head. “Did they teach you nothing?”

“Obviously not. So why don’t you break it down for us?” Axel crosses his arms waiting for Soren’s reply.

“The balance of good and evil. There always needs to be a balance between the two. One scale tipped to one side too much will throw off everything.”

“What does this mean for our plane and the Underworld?”

Soren gives Kai a serious look full of worry. “Nothing good.”

“How far until we reach the first realm?” Rion asks him.

Soren frowns, looking into the cave once more. “Not far. If we move quickly.”

“Then let’s get moving. The quicker we get there, the quicker we can find King and end this before it gets out of hand,” Kai tells us as he begins forward. But something in the look Soren shares with Rion tells me it already has.

A few minutes pass before the next trap attacks. This time it’s dozens of small metal balls that explode on impact.

Before one even heads my way, Jax and Luka block most of them, using their bodies as a fucking shield to stop them from reaching me.

Soren raises a brow, a small tilt to his lips. “Here I was under the impression that your mate was quite capable of looking after herself?” Soren glances at me, raising a brow. “But maybe I misheard.”

He quickly turns, leaving us glaring at his back. But he wasn’t wrong, either. I am capable of looking after myself.

“Dick,” Jax mumbles, glaring at Soren’s retreating back before looking to me. “You, okay?”

Luka nods. “Ignore him. We’re a family. One that protects each other.”

“A family that’s going to let me also help protect you, too?” I look at them both. “I’ve already proved that I can look after myself. I can look after you all too if you stop being so overprotective and let me.”

“Being overprotective will never fucking change. It’s not in me to let anything hurt you, whether you can protect yourself or not. Besides, it’s whoever stops them first.” Jax winks at me, making Luka chuckle.

So, this is all just a game to them? Why didn’t he say so? I give them both a look that makes them lose their smug smirks quickly.

“Fine,” I tell them, making it look like I’m agreeing with them and knowing damn well it’s not anywhere near the truth.

Jax narrows his eyes at me. “I don’t like that look in your eyes.”

“What look?” I ask with my most innocent smile.

“The one that tells me you’re up to something.” Jax shares a worried look with Luka.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I step out of the little shield they’ve provided me with their bodies and reach down inside me, pulling my power up to focus on the small black balls in the cave wall.

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