Page 38 of Cosmic Power

Thaddeus Rixton.

Wearing a long black trench coat, white dress pants and a dark blue turtleneck, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. His blonde hair was cut short and styled neatly. His light brown eyes held a certain degree of seriousness that Luther had never seen from the dark mage before.

It put him on edge. Something that could make Thaddeus look like that could only mean something bad.

A second figure walked out of the portal and Luther tensed, eyeing him suspiciously. He was a dark mage, but unlike Thaddeus, he was young. A child. No older than sixteen. Although he wore expensive, stylish clothing, he looked as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He was all skin and bones, not an ounce of fat or muscle on his body. There was a set of long, deep claw marks marring the side of his face, the red wounds standing out brightly against his pale skin.

The young mage looked around the room uneasily. When his eyes drifted to Ophelia, he stiffened. Fear drenched his scent and he stepped back as if he wanted to go back through the transportation portal, but Thaddeus gripped his arm tightly, stopping him.

“You’re fine. It’s okay. She can’t hurt you anymore,” Thaddeus whispered softly in his ear.

Luther’s superior hearing picked up his words and he frowned. “Thaddeus,” he greeted, walking forward. “What are you doing here?”

Before he could answer, Ophelia jumped in his path, putting her hands on his chest. “My maker.” Her voice was shaky, her face etched with anxiety and worry. “I need to talk with you.”

“Actually Luther, you’re going to want to hear what I have to say first,” Thaddeus said, glaring hard at the red-haired vampire.

Ophelia spun, anger exploding from her. “Shut your mouth, Thaddeus,” she snarled. Her red eyes snapped to the young mage and her fangs lengthened threateningly.

Red lightning flitted around Thaddeus’ fingertips. “No. You…shut yours.” With a flick of his wrist, the dark magic coiling around his fingers shot through the air and hit Ophelia in the face.

She shrieked and flew backwards, smashing into Luther’s chest.

“Thaddeus!” Luther blasted, wrapping his arms around his sire and holding her before she could fall to the ground. “What the fuck are you doing?!”

Ophelia squirmed in his arms and he looked down, stunned. Her mouth was sewn shut. She clawed at her face, panic flashing in her eyes. She tried to talk, but her lips could barely move.

“Undo this. Now,” Luther snarled.

Darius, Margaret and Void watched on in shock, none of them having the guts to intervene.

“Trust me Luther, when you hear what I have to say, you’re going to want to do ten times worse to her.” Thaddeus stepped forward, his hand still gripping the younger mage’s arm tightly.

“It doesn’t matter what you have to tell me, you don’t attack one of my own unprovoked,” Luther warned, darkness wafting off him.

The young mage shrunk back, his fear increasing.

Thaddeus gave Luther a level stare, his magic crackling around him. “Really? Not even when I tell you that she’s the one responsible for Night Flare?”

ChapterTen

Luther blinked, shock blasting through his body. He straightened his spine, dropping the red-headed vampire in his arms, not caring in the slightest how she fell.

“What did you say?” he whispered darkly, crimson flickering in his dark eyes.

Ophelia scrambled to her feet and tried to talk again but without being able to move her mouth, all she could manage was hysterical humming sounds.

Unease flashed across Thaddeus’ face and he stood protectively in front of the young mage. He gestured over his shoulder with a tilt of his head. “This is Ryker. He’s fifteen, and a dark mage. When he was seven, his mother abandoned him and left him to live on the streets.”

“What does this have to do with Night Flare?” Luther barked, his patience wearing thin.

“I’m getting there, Luther, but I need you to calm down. Please. Just listen to me fully before you react.”

Ophelia blurred, trying to run out of the kitchen. But Luther was faster. He watched her move as if she was running in slow motion, her long legs stretching out as she sprinted for all she was worth, trying to get out of the room.

Luther appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye, making her run smack bang into his chest. She stumbled back in shock, her eyes widening in fear.

He gripped her shoulder with one hand, digging his claws deep into her skin. “You’re staying right here until we get to the bottom of this.” He dragged her back to the centre of the kitchen and turned her to face the mages in the room. “Continue, Thaddeus.”

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