Page 83 of Alpha Power

Cocking her head to the side, Zamorra studied him intently. Why wouldn't he shift? He would have more of a chance fighting them off in his shifted form as opposed to his human one.

Arturo spat at Luther's feet. "You don't scare me, vampire King."

Luther smiled evilly. "I should."

Thaddeus stepped up to Luther's side, a frown on his face as his eyes slowly ran up and down Arturo's body with fascination. "Oh, this guy is goooooood."

"Who?"

"The mage casting these spells," Thaddeus said, running a finger down Arturo's bare chest. "This here is a camouflage spell. It's masking him as a shifter but you're not a shifter, are you?"

"Fuck off, mage."

Well, that explains why he didn't shift. Because he can't,her werewolf said, intrigued.

Zamorra had never heard of a camouflage spell before, but the ability to hide one's true nature and replace it with another sounded fascinating to her.

"Can you remove it?" Luther asked, studying Arturo with interest.

Thaddeus slowly circled Arturo, scrutinising every detail. "I can. It'll hurt like something fierce though."

"Do it," Luther ordered, unfazed with whatever pain Arturo was going to feel.

Cracking his neck, Thaddeus rubbed his hands together excitedly, sparks of power igniting at his fingertips. He took a step forward and Arturo baulked back.

"Don't touch me!" Arturo screamed, fighting with all his might. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get free from the vampire's grasp.

"I would say to you 'it'll hurt a lot less if you don't fight it', but that'd be a lie." Thaddeus grasped both sides of Arturo's head with determination, red lightning crackling violently from his hands.

Arturo screamed as the magic coiled around him like a vice and travelled down his torso, pain coursing through every nerve inside his body. Powerful winds swirled around them, pieces of paper and dirt wafting into the air and dancing around them like a mini tornado. The lights flickered on and off until eventually they just died altogether, encasing them in darkness. Lucky for her, shifter eyesight was pretty much like wearing night vision goggles.

Arturo started to shake uncontrollably from the neck down, his arms and legs flailing wildly like a man possessed, his mouth hanging open in a silent scream.

Maddox and the vampire soldiers tried to keep him still, holding his shaking limbs with clenched teeth, but the power was just too much. They were flung across the room like they weighed nothing at all, crashing through walls and into cheap furniture.

Right before her eyes, Arturo slowly began to change, screaming in agony as his body shrank a few inches. His build went from tall and stocky to short and lanky. Scruffy blonde hair replaced his dark curly locks, his skin paling and eyes transforming from blue to bright red.

Thaddeus released his grip and Arturo crashed to the floor with a loud thud. His scent invaded her senses and her eyes widened in surprise.

"No. Way."

Zamorra stared in wonder at the man who stood before her, Thaddeus' magic still lingering in the air. She'd seen mages weave their little spells before, but she had never witnessed such a display of pure power. It both excited and terrified her. What else was Thaddeus capable of?

The room filled with silence as Arturo slowly got to his feet, shaking his head with confusion. His eyes snapped to her and he hissed loudly, fangs descending from his gums as he glared menacingly.

"A vampire?" Maddox frowned, surprised.

Arturo lunged, his claws reaching out for Zamorra's throat. Thaddeus shot a stream of red lightning from his fingertips, wrapping it around Arturo's body tightly and freezing him in mid-air.

"Uh uh uh," He tutted.

Sparks danced around Arturo as if they had a mind of their own, keeping him completely immobile while his eyes darted frantically around the room like a terrified child.

"This guy is good," Void whispered in awe.

Zamorra agreed. Despite seeming a little bit drunk at the start, Thaddeus was still quick to react and had power flowing from him like a waterfall.

With a flick of Thaddeus' wrist, Arturo went flying up, smashing into the ceiling so hard plaster rained down around them like confetti. Arturo came crashing back down like a house made of cards and landed in a heap on the floor.

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