Page 7 of Cosmic Power

ChapterThree

Sated (for the time being, anyway), Luther made his way back to his current residence, a small two-bedroom cottage located just outside of the city.

His appetite for blood was full, the Pegasus shifter’s essence now fuelling his energy. The blood was just as good as he remembered—better even—and definitely hit the spot, managing to calm him slightly.

In an ideal world he would have prolonged the kill, dragged it out for days, or even weeks, and engorged himself on that thick, rich, potent blood. But this wasn’t an ideal world. He knew that better than anyone.

His vampire speed gave him the ability to arrive at his destination in mere seconds, the wind whooshing past him as he came to an abrupt stop in front of a large white door.

It opened a moment later, revealing an elderly stout woman with wispy grey hair and wrinkly skin. At her side stood her husband, just as old, frail and ready to welcome him with open arms.

“Welcome back, Lord Luther,” the woman, Sarah, said pleasantly, the compulsion he had laid days before working like a charm. Not that he was expecting any differently. Humans were so easy to manipulate.

If word of his arrival in New York spread, no one would think to search for him in some random suburban neighbourhood, surrounded by humans and housed by an elderly married couple. It was why it made the perfect cover for him and his Elites.

Luther stepped inside and removed his jacket, handing it to the human male, Clive. His fragile fingers grasped the expensive fabric and he hobbled to the closet, placing it on a hanger.

Margaret blurred in front of him, a glass of scotch in her hands. She peered up at him through her thick rimmed glasses, a stern expression on her face. “You’re late,” she reprimanded, like a mother scolding her child for missing curfew. “I was beginning to worry.”

Luther took the drink and gave a small smile tinged with amusement. “You always worry.”

Margaret grunted. “True.” She stepped back and cleared a path as he walked further into the house, giving him enough space to manoeuvre in the small hallway.

The tiny house was minimalistic at best. They possessed just the bare essentials. Nothing big or flashy. It was clear they didn’t want or need it, that it wasn’t what they treasured. The countless antique photo frames hanging on the walls and sitting on top of the cheap furniture showed what they valued most. Memories. Their loved ones.

Luther sipped on his drink, enjoying the slight burn as it travelled down his throat. He rounded the corner and entered the lounge room.

Darius sat snugly in one of only two rustic brown leather recliners, his bare feet propped up and hand stuffed into a large bag of cheese and onion chips. His eyes were plastered to the small TV in front of him, the screen flickering in and out of picture as it played an episode ofKeeping Up With the Kardashians.

A loud crunch echoed throughout the room as he shovelled chips into his mouth, spilling crumbs all over his dark suit. He froze instantly, his eyes widening at the sight of Luther in the room. He tried to jump to his feet, but in his haste lost his balance and toppled over, crashing to the ground.

“Shit! Fuck, uh my-my Lord.” Darius scrambled to a stand. “I didn’t hear you come in. I was just—”

Luther raised a hand in the air to silence him. Darius clamped his mouth shut. “Where are the others?” Luther asked.

“Ophelia is keeping track of a group of werewolf shifters we found getting drunk in a bar. Axel is disposing of the bodies as you commanded. And Maddox is—” he frowned and glanced around the room “um, Maddox is—”

“Here.” Maddox walked down the stairs off to the right and entered the room, hair wet from a fresh shower. A moment later an attractive young woman (a human, Luther sensed) stepped around him, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Her neck was peppered with bite marks and bruises, some still leaking tiny droplets of blood. Her clothes barely covered her slim body; the small black mini skirt she had on didn’t hide the fact she had no underwear on and her nipples peeked out through the thin crop top, showing she wasn’t wearing a bra.

The human quickly rushed down the stairs and went to leave. Luther blurred in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks.

She gasped in surprise, her eyes widening in shock. “Ho-how did you—”

Luther gripped her by the throat and with a simple flick of his wrist, snapped her neck. He was not in the mood to deal with an unexpected guest. A crack rang out around them and with an ease that came naturally to him, he flung her lifeless body to the side, letting her crash to the ground.

Luther glared. “Why are you not with Ophelia, watching over the shifters?”he questioned sternly, stepping over the human’s body and taking a seat in the recliner not covered in chip crumbs.

Maddox glanced at the dead body on the floor, his lips creased, “Didn’t seem like a job that required three, so I came back here to shower and satisfy a craving,” Maddox replied with a bit more attitude than Luther would have liked, his eyes flicking to the dead human once again.

“Was that what you were ordered to do? Abandon your post to get your dick wet?”

“No, bu—”

“Then why am I looking at your face right now?”

Maddox narrowed his eyes. Darius shifted uncomfortably and tried to answer for him.

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