Page 45 of Alpha Power

"I like him," Zamorra whispered.

Luther rolled his eyes. "Most women do."

She watched Thaddeus work his dark magic, his hands gliding through the air, glowing a bright red. Power flooded the atmosphere, making her skin tingle and heart accelerate. A beam of pure magic shot from his hands, encasing both bodies. Sparks flew in all directions, wild and full of power. There was a blazing red light, a thrum of magic and then the bodies ignited in a field of red and black fire. The flames burned hot, consuming everything it touched and leaving nothing but ash behind.

Thaddeus turned, giving them both a wide smile. "I'll expect my payment in 24 hours."

Luther grunted. "I should dock you for the stunt you pulled."

Thaddeus gaped. "You wouldn't."

"Mmm," Luther replied, waving a hand through the air. "Go on, you'll get your payment."

"24 hours," Thaddeus reiterated, narrowing his eyes. There was a spark of magic as he clicked his fingers. A shiny black rose materialized in the palm of Zamorra's hand. "For you,mia signora." Thaddeus bowed at the waist as a transportation portal opened up behind him. "Until next time, Luthy. My Lady." He stepped back, disappearing from sight.

Zamorra raised the flower to her nose, a small smile on her face. Thaddeus was definitely a character. He had a humorous personality, one she found amusing and entertaining. He was obviously incredibly powerful, that much was clear to her. She had never met a Master-Level mage before. His magic was unlike anything she had ever seen, anything she had ever felt.

Judging by the playful way he interacted with Luther, it was clear they had a close relationship. She was curious about it, and how they met.

Luther scowled at the beautiful black rose in her hand as he climbed into the driver’s side, a flicker of red in his dark eyes. He muttered something under his breath, something she couldn't quite catch, even with her shifter hearing. He started the car and headed out of the dark alley.

"He seems nice," she commented, rotating the flower in her hand.

Luther grunted, eyes plastered to the road as he merged onto the highway. "He's annoying, is what he is," he grumbled.

"That's not a nice thing to say about your friend."

"He's not my friend."

Zamorra chuckled. "Does he know that? Coz from where I'm standing, he sure thinks so. Or does he treat everyone like that?"

He shook his head. "Thaddeus lives in his own little world, with his own set of rules. He likes to think we're friends. We're not. We work together. Employer and employee. That's it."

"Uh-huh," she replied, rolling her eyes. She highly doubted a man like Luther, powerful, dominating and a little bit of a control freak, would allow someone to restrain him with magic if he wasn't a friend.

His dark eyes shot to her. "We're not," he repeated.

"What does it matter if you are? He seems like a pretty cool dude. I'd love to have a mage friend."

"I don't keep friends. They just betray you in the end."

Zamorra frowned. "There's plenty of people out there who wouldn't betray you, Luther."

He gave her a hard look. "Everyone I've ever put my trust in has betrayed me. I've learnt my lesson. The only person I can trust is me."

That was a depressing statement,her werewolf interjected.

I'll say, she agreed.

Was that why he acted the way he did? Barking orders, never sharing anything about himself, avoiding interacting with others. Was he trying to keep people away? Not give anyone the chance to betray him like he'd been betrayed in the past?

She understood that. One of her favourite sayings was 'fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' Luther had obviously learnt over the years not to trust anyone, to guard himself. She just hoped he would give her the chance to prove she could be trusted.

Whether he knew it or not, he saved her life that day she ran into his territory. If Cade and his men had gotten a hold of her, her life would have been over. She owed him.

"So, where are we going?" she asked, changing the subject.

"You'll see," he replied, vaguely.

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