Page 78 of Cosmic Power

Void wrinkled his nose. “Now that’s just gross—not to mention completely unsanitary. You don’t know where we’ve been. What if we’ve got an STD or something?” When he received disgusted looks from the other supernaturals, Void pointed at his chest saying, “I’m not saying I do. I’m just saying it’s a possibility one of you guys does.”

The fae had a confused look on his face, his brows creased and lips thinned.

“Enough wasting time. We need to go.” Luther walked over to the table that held the fae’s weapons and armour. They had stripped the fae of everything on their bodies, leaving them as naked as the day they were born. Luther took one of the silver-plated armour suits and put it on. It was a tight fit. An extremely tight fit, but it would do. He handed Void one of the bronze ones.

The shifter pursed his lips. “Why do I gotta wear the bronze one? I want the silver.”

“Just put it on,” Luther barked, already at his limit with him.

Void grumbled but did as he demanded.

Next, Luther eyed the swords. They were impressive pieces of weaponry, forged with a steel that was unknown to him. Even though they were more advanced than what he possessed, he still wanted to carry his own sword instead. But the Ancestrals made the annoyingly good point that it would be noticed by the fae and would most likely give him away. So, he strapped two of their swords to his back in a criss-cross fashion, trying not to let it get to him. He didn’tneedhis swords. He just preferred it.

Grabbing another sword from the table, he handed it to Void.

The shifter eyed it warily. “Yeah, look, here’s the thing. I’m not so good with swords. Daggers and knives? Yeah. But not swords.”

Luther took a deep breath to stop himself from stabbing him in the eye. “Just take it. You don’t have to use it. You just need to look the part.”

“Alrighhht,” he dragged out, taking the hilt. He dropped it immediately and it clanged to the ground. “Shit! I got it.” He picked it back up, fumbling a few times to get a proper grip on it before he finally managed to have a decent hold. “Got it, got it.”

Staring at his maker, Luther said, “Still think me going on my own is a bad idea?”

Zvetari watched Void struggle to strap the sword into its scabbard on his back. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

Luther grunted. “Let’s get on with it.” He nodded at the Ancestrals. “Open the portal.”

One by one, they each cut into their palm and placed the blood crystal in their hand, letting it absorb their blood. Each crystal glowed brightly; a mixture of white, red, black and green light filling the room. Ancient magic and bloodcurdling power smothered the air. Elias mumbled a few words in another language, red lightning flashing in eyes, a bright red aura surrounding his body as he chanted the spell to tap into the residual magic lingering in the air. A gigantic purple portal opened a few feet away. The ground trembled. The wind howled. Lightning whipped out in all directions, like a snake striking at a predator as the portal stabilised, a beautiful mix of different shades of purple swirling within.

Luther stared at the beauty that lay before him, power rolling over his skin.

“Alright, remember this spell will only last twenty-four hours,” Thaddeus said, running his hand up and down Luther’s fae form. “If you have any hope of finding Zamorra, you need to do it within that time frame.”

Void adjusted his bronze armour at Luther’s side. “Don’t worry, Thad. We got this.”

Zvetari handed Luther a black iPhone, making him frown. “I highly doubt phones will work in another world.”

“It’s not a phone. It just looks like one. I had Lenore and Elias enchant it. It will broadcast your position through space so we know where to reopen the portal for you to return. Galactic Portals work both ways. So when it appears, don’t hesitate. Since this spell only lasts twenty-four hours, that’s how long you have. By then you need to have rescued your little shifter and have acquired all the information we need to launch an attack on the fae. When that portal opens, ditch the phone so we have a clear line back to their world, and step through.”

Luther took the phone and tucked it away.

“Alright?” his maker said sternly, raising his eyebrows, needing confirmation. Luther understood his words very clearly.

Luther didn’t answer. He was not a liar and he knew he could not guarantee his return, as his maker so subtly commanded, if he did not achieve his goal. If he did not have Zamorra by the time the twenty-four hours was up, he would not go through the portal. He turned slightly, running his eyes over Void, Lex and Justin. “Let’s go.”

“Luther,” Zvetari snapped, stepping in front of him. “When that portal opens in twenty-four hours’ time, you step through it. You hear me? Whether you have your shifter or not.”

Luther said nothing. He double checked his swords, the daggers at his waist and behind his back before he sidestepped his maker and stepped into the portal.

ChapterTwenty-Two

“Well, fuck, this can’t be good,” Zamorra blew out, her vision and senses slowly coming back to life. She tried to move her hands and feet, but they were bound tightly to the thick, wooden X that her body was strapped to.

She blinked, slowly looking around her surroundings, trying to get a grasp on what exactly was going on, where she was.

After those infernal creatures had locked that ugly, gaudy metal collar around her neck and she’d forcibly returned control, her body had given out, her mind slipping into unconsciousness.

She expected to wake up in some dark, dingy cell with dry blood on the walls and rodents scuttling along the ground. Not in a well-lit room with glittering ornaments, luxurious gold-plated furniture and beautiful framed artwork. The fact that she was strewn up like a piece of meat at a butcher made it all the more bizarre. Most people kept their prisoners strapped to their torture devices in their dungeons, not in what looked like an elegant parlour room of some kind.

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