Page 27 of Cosmic Power

Barnabas reached into his pocket and pulled out a small photograph, showing it to her. It was an old photo, black and white, and showed two young boys around age ten, arms slung over each other’s shoulders with big beaming smiles. One of the boys had silver hair and silver eyes and the other had features that were eerily familiar to her.

Barnabas’ voice echoed around her as she studied the photo, his words making her heart clench. “Orion was my brother.”

His brother.

His words rang through her head on repeat and disbelief filled her. The man she’d grown up with, the man who took care of her every night, who taught her everything she knew, wasn’t her father…he was her uncle?

She glared hard at the Alpha shifter. “You murdered your own brother?”

She didn’t think he could be anymore of an asshole, but killing his own brother shot him straight to the top of the list.

“He stole my woman and my child. He deserved worse. The fact he was my brother saved him from a lifetime of torture.”

She studied him. “You two look nothing alike,” she said, trying to find some sort of family resemblance between them, but she couldn’t see any.

“Same mother, different father. But we grew up together. My father was a rogue werewolf passing through town when he met our mother,” Barnabas said absentmindedly. “I was born first, then Orion a year later. When I turned eighteen, I challenged the Alpha of the pack for leadership and won. I’ve been Alpha of The Shadow Pack ever since, with Orion as my second in command. That was, until the bastard ran off with my woman and child.”

Barnabas readjusted in his seat, his eyes sweeping across the small space in front of him. She didn’t know what he was looking at. There was shit all in here. Not even a bed or blanket. Just a bucket in the corner for her to relieve herself in, which she refused to do. She wasn’t a fucking animal.

“You might be my biological father, but Orion will always be my dad. You didn’t raise me. You didn’t protect me. You weren’t there to help me through my first heartbreak. That was all him.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Barnabas thundered. “He and your mother just took off in the middle of the night without so much as a ‘see you later’, and then nine months later you were born. I didn’t have the option tobeanything else.”

Zamorra scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you would have been Father of The Year or some shit. I don’t mean a goddamn thing to you.”

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong, my sweet, darling daughter. I care about you a great deal. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to complete the last phase of my plan. Something I’ve been working on for decades.”

“Ah yes, this grand master plan of yours. Am I ever gonna find out what that is? I mean, it’s only fair considering I’m such a big part of it.”

Barnabas got to his feet and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Another time, that’s enough for today.” He gripped the back of his chair and dragged it along the ground as he walked to the cell door, the sound like fingernails on a blackboard.

Iris followed him out, her head lowered and eyes on the floor. Always on the floor.

“Iris is going to recast the spell blocking your werewolf.”

Anxiety rushed through her and Zamorra ran forward, getting to the cell door just as Iris slammed it shut with a wave of her glowing white hand. “But you said if I behaved, she’d get to stay! I didn’t do anything!” she yelled, gripping the bars. Her hands burned instantly and she hissed, stepping back.

“No, you didn’t, and I’m very proud of you for your restraint, youngin,” Barnabas said, a condescending note to his tone. Zamorra snarled. “But I can’t allow you to have unfettered access to her, not right now. It’s simply too risky. With your werewolf restricted, it pretty much guarantees no escape.”

No!her werewolf roared.Don’t let them lock me away again!

Iris raised a hand and Zamorra retreated, panic on her face. “No, stop. Just wait.”

She couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from her werewolf again. It was unbearable.

“Sorry, youngin. It’s not negotiable.” Barnabas nodded and Iris called on her magic. “I suggest you keep your were under control. It’s more painful when the spell takes effect if you’re shifting. Iris.”

At Barnabas’ command, the light mage recast the spell blocking her connection with her werewolf and Zamorra mentally screamed, feeling the loss instantly.

She gripped her chest, glaring daggers at the Alpha shifter as that loss spread throughout her body, her mind, making her feel utterly alone.

“Don’t worry, youngin, I’ll be back soon. And we’ll have another good heart to heart,” Barnabas winked, walking away.

ChapterSeven

“So, I said to her, I said ‘Baby, if you’re not gonna get down on your knees and suck it, then quit staring at it,’ and you wanna know what she did?”

Luther glanced at Void as he prattled on, his brows lowered, his face a frown. He tried to remember when he asked to hear this story.

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