Page 85 of Alpha Power

Maddox narrowed his eyes, anger tainting his scent.

Luther stormed off in a huff of fury, barrelling past them and walking outside. Zamorra looked awkwardly around the room, catching sight of Void rifling through Arturo's belongings.

"Uncle!"

He froze like a kid caught in the cookie jar. He peered over his shoulder, frowning. "What? It's not like he's gonna use it anymore." He tucked a sleek black Nintendo Switch under his arm and shoved the gaming chips into his pockets.

"You are unbelievable."

"No, I'm an opportunist."

Rolling her eyes, she walked away to find Luther, leaving him to his own devices.

Zamorra was worried about what she would find. Their one lead had literally gone up in flames and the only crucial bit of information they were able to discover was that Arturo was actually a vampire, not a shifter.

Did that mean whoever was responsible for Night Flare was a vampire too? She already knew a mage was involved, the question was whether they were the help, or the mastermind?

Luther paced back and forth along the sidewalk, radiating anger and frustration with every step.

"You're gonna wear a hole in the ground." She approached him cautiously, feeling a little bit nervous.

He grunted and continued to pace, brows lowered in an angry frown.

Darius pulled up at the curb and slowly got out of the car, watching Luther with worried eyes.

"Look, I know it seems bad, but look on the bright side."

Luther froze and turned to look at her, voice tight. "Bright side?"

"Now you know vampires are somehow involved in all this crap. Why else would they go to such drastic measures to hide themselves and pose as shifters? It not only concealed their identity, but it put your focus on the shifters and away from them. I bet it never even occurred to you that it could be one of your own people responsible?"

"What?" Darius' eyes darted between the two of them, shocked. "It's a vampire behind Night Flare?"

Luther stared at her intently, a slight tick in his muscular jaw before he started to pace again, this time even angrier than before.

She thought it would improve his mood, not make it worse.

Hearing that it's one of his own people murdering their kind must be hard for him to take.

Oh. She hadn't considered that. There was no love lost between her and her own kind, so it made it easy to forget that it might not be the same for others. Luther would see this as a betrayal, she was sure of it.

Void came stumbling out of the house with his hands full of household items. Vamp One and Vamp Two followed next, juggling an assortment of pillows and blankets in their grasp while Maddox walked out empty-handed, shaking his head in exasperation.

"You have got to be kidding me." Zamorra stared in shock as they walked towards them. "Wha-what the hell are you gonna do with a damn toaster? You sleep in a tent."

"Opportunist, Zo. Opportunist."

She had no clue what he could possibly do with a lamp, naked lady alarm clock, toaster, fake plant, cutlery tray, and a miniature golf club. She had no clue why he would evenwantthose things in the first place.

Void stopped behind the SUV and kicked the trunk. "Open it, D."

A growl from Luther stopped Darius dead in his tracks, a look of regret on his face. "Sorry," Darius mumbled, stepping back and putting his hands behind his back.

"Oh seriously? You're gonna make me walk two blocks with all this stuff?"

"Be grateful I don't make you walk back to the mansion." Luther's phone rang and he reached into his suit jacket, pulling it out and answering with an aggressive "What?!" He tensed, his eyes flicking to her briefly. "No, let her in.”

"Her?”

---