Page 77 of Happily Ever Bitten (Underworld Royals 2)

“It’s not something I like to do,” she replied. “It exhausts my minimal power reserves.”

I opened my mouth to say something, then forgot my words as fire raged through the doorway of Lux’s room.

I gaped at the inferno, then dove to the side as it flashed by me. Grigory snapped something unflattering at his mother about manners and ignited his own power in response. It nearly suffocated me on impact, his strength so intense it literally sucked all the air out of the room as he retaliated against his mother.

It was all mental.

A battle of wills.

I felt him compelling her, demanding she kneel.

She responded with another fiery ball, but it lacked the punch from before.

I ran to the doorway in time to see her legs give out beneath her, her eyes furious as she stared at her son.

And then he waved the fig beneath her nose.

Rage poured off her.

Followed by a hint of confusion.

“Do it again,” I urged him, noting the flicker of color in her aura.

He did, this time holding it beneath her nostrils and forcing her with his mind to inhale. She gasped, the wind swirling through the room dying in an instant as she fell to the floor at his feet, her hair a tangled mess of dark waves.

Grigory released her from his mind and knelt beside her, his fingers running through her thick locks. She panted in response, her chest heaving with exertion as a myriad of colors slammed into her aura.

The most prominent was red.

Anger, I thought. Because I could feel her fury. But it was no longer directed at her son.

“Charis,” she choked out, confirming what Narissa had told Grigory.

The Neptune princess took the bag from the floor and pulled out another fig, then returned to the sitting room to press the item to each guard’s nose.

“It’s not just Charis,” Grigory said softly, drawing my attention back to him. “It’s Napia, too.” He went back onto his heels and blew out a breath. “I have a lot to tell you, Mother. But let’s get you a drink before I start.”

Lux didn’t say a word while Grigory told her about the army, the sea dragons, and Narissa being the true heir to the Neptune sovereignty. As soon as Narissa had corroborated the statement, Jeremiah had returned at Grigory’s request to take the princess to Valora and Adrik.

I remained behind and listened as Grigory continued the story by telling her how we escaped. Which included a detailed account of my growing powers.

“So before you tell me she’s not a worthy mate, consider everything I’ve just said. And understand me when I say that she’s mine and there’s no fucking way I’m marrying Napia. The only female I want is Zaya,” he concluded, his arm stretched out behind me on the couch.

He leaned back and waited for her to say something.

She had a cup of tea in her hand and a blanket draped around her slim shoulders.

Her guards were back at their posts, their auras blaring red with anger from having been duped by a sea demon.

Lux’s aura, however, had cooled a bit, to a strange yellowish orange. “I see” was all she said before taking another sip of her tea and carefully setting it on the table beside her.

“Do you?” Grigory countered. “Because I mean it. I’m not marrying that sea witch.”

“Oh, that’s quite evident,” she replied before brushing her skirt with her palms and standing. “Lucifer,” she called into the surrounding air.

I started. Oh, no…

The room crackled with darkness, and I tensed against Grigory as the King of the Underworld materialized beside her. He was dressed in a sharp suit, his eyes dark with interest as he looked directly at Lux.

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