Page 121 of Cosmic Power

Zamorra’s brows lowered in a frown. “Orders? What orders?” Something clicked in her brain. “Oh, that bastard,” she hissed under her breath. “Luther told you to do this, didn’t he?”

Axel glanced over his shoulder to look at her. “He told me to protect you while he wasn’t around, yes.”

“I don’t need your protection, Axel,” she ground out. “I can protect myself. Especially from his dweeb.”

The vampire shrugged carelessly. “Yes, I suspect you can. However, if Lord Luther finds out I did not protect you sufficiently,Iwill be the one he punishes. You wouldn’t want that, would you, Miss Solaris?”

Zamorra huffed in annoyance. No, she didn’t. And she knew Luther would do it, too. “Fine,” she growled. She hopped up onto her tippy toes to look at Julius. “Go away, Julius. I want nothing to do with you.”

Julius grinned, flashing his teeth. “Now that is a bald-faced lie. Every woman wants a piece of me.”

Jeez, her uncle was right about that arrogance.

“Not me. Now, leave me alone.”

“Nah, I don’t think I will. I like a woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind. And I gotta tell ya, the whole silver hair and silver eyes thing is amassiveturn on.” His eyes darted low, blazing gold. “I’m curious, does the carpet match the drapes?” He took a step forward, ignoring the vampire standing in front of her completely.

“Unless you want to die, I suggest you step back from my Mate.”

Zamorra gasped at the dark, demonic voice, surprise zinging through her at those words. Her head snapped to the side, seeing Luther striding towards them, face set in a mask of pure anger, his power rippling in the air around him, ready to lash out and destroy all those in his vicinity.

“Mate?” Julius breathed in shock, eyes ping-ponging between her and Luther. “You-you’re not bonded. I would sense it if you were.”

“Not yet.” Luther took Axel’s place in front of her, squaring his shoulders and staring Julius down. “But we will be. So like I said, step back.” A pulse of his power rushed out of him, smacking Julius in the face and forcing him back a few steps.

The shock of Luther’s statement vanished and the Chimera shifter regained his composure, standing tall. Gold blazed like the sun from his eyes. His skin morphed, fur sprouting up over his body as it grew in size, his large frame expanding, doubling in width and height.

He was a heartbeat away from shifting.

Tension snapped in the air. The shifters and the vampires lined each other up, picking their targets in anticipation of the upcoming attack. If a fight broke out between Luther and Julius, all hell would break loose. She had no doubt Luther could take the Chimera shifter, but it wasn’t just about them. With the threat of the fae hanging over their heads, it was beyond important they all put their differences aside to deal with the bigger threat. Fighting amongst themselves would do nothing but harm them in the long run. It was time they all came together.

Zamorra had to defuse the situation as quickly as possible.

She shoved her way in front of Luther, grabbed his head with both hands and pulled his lips to hers in a searing-hot kiss. Luther stumbled, eyes blinking in surprise, before his arms banded around her waist, lifting her off her feet. His mouth opened, tongue stroking against hers in a way that made her whole body fucking tingle, the memory of what that tongue could do flashed through her mind.

Gasps of shock came from behind her, but she ignored it. She poured everything she had into the kiss, her mouth moving in time with his, her hands sifting through his hair, scraping against his scalp in a way that made him groan. When she pulled back, he swayed towards her, as if searching for her. His eyelids fluttered open and her breath hitched.

There was so much lust and passion burning from his red eyes. They glowed so brightly she almost couldn’t look directly at them.

“So, youarea fanger fucker.” Julius’ voice cut through the haze surrounding them and Luther tensed, growling deeply.

“Ignore him,” she whispered, running her hand lightly over his cheek. “Forget him and focus on me.”

His eyes bored into hers. She wasn’t sure what was happening between the two of them. She was serious when she said she never wanted to force him into anything, and right up to this point, he had been entirely adamant about not forming a mate bond. She wasn’t prepared to let his jealousy over another male make any life-altering decisions for them. But that would all have to be addressed later.

A set of wide, ornate double doors at the head of the ballroom opened and they all turned to watch as the five Ancestral beings walked in.

ChapterThirty-Four

Silence reigned over the room. The overwhelming tension that had been building between the races only a moment ago died out as everyone stared at the five powerful beings standing on the raised platform at the head of the room.

Even Julius and his Chimera shifters remained quiet, watching the Ancestrals with caution. The frowns on their face showed that, like the other supernaturals in the room, they weren’t surewhothese beings were. But they didn’t need to know who they were to feel the power they possessed.

It filled the air around them. Smothered them with the sheer volume and intensity of it all, making it hard to breathe. It was like an unseen force, demanding complete and total respect. Compliance. Obedience. That dark, dangerous power emanating from them seemed to have a mind of its own. It coiled its way around your throat and threatened to strangle the life out of you if you didn’t obey, didn’t give it the respect it was due.

Zamorra thought having already met each of the Ancestrals meant she wouldn’t feel intimidated by them anymore.

Boy, was she fucking wrong.

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