Page 174 of Filthy Royal

She wondered why Damien didn’t draw his laser. Again, she didn’t ask.

For her part, Scarlett concentrated on not undermining their efforts by failing to lock down her gift and killing them.

“This way!” The shouts grew louder, then a wave of bodies appeared, all in Consortium uniforms, all gripping lasers set to fire.

In the next heartbeat, another wave converged from the other direction.

The ground beneath their feet shook again, and it took every last shred of Scarlett’s concentration to hold her abilities in check; she was so absorbed in that, she almost missed what happened next.

“Anya?” Damien’s voice was barely perceptible over the roar of their pursuers.

Scarlett had no idea what he wanted, but the other omega clearly did. “I’m on it.” Anya paused. “But you know what that means, right? Yours won’t work either.”

“That’s fine. We won’t need our lasers.” Damien’s claws sprang out. “We have our own weapons.”

“Say when.” Anya’s voice was a whisper, but it held an edge of steel.

While Scarlett was still busy wondering what they were talking about, two things happened at once.

First, the guards surged forward, so close now they were less than two bodies’ lengths away.

Second, Damien growled, “Now!”

In the next breath, something stirred against Scarlett’s skin, brushing by as it traveled elsewhere, gone before she’d even realized it had passed. Yet, in the next instant, all the lasers died, the bright green of their power cells flickering out.

Shocked snarls, growls, and shouts of“What the hells?”and“Comms are out too!”were still being issued by the guards when Damien and Maddox attacked, launching from beneath their cloaks to rip through flesh with fangs and claws.

Five guards went down in the blink of an eye.

Utter chaos ensued.

Scarlett’s gift pounded against her insides, demanding release. And at the same time, a whisper of envy flitted through her. She had no doubt that the now defunct lasers and disrupted comms were a result of Anya’s gift.

Amazing. And useful.

Scarlett’s gift could have taken down the guards in one brutal blast. But at too high a cost. Clearly, Anya didn’t have that problem.

That was astonishing in itself. As was the fact that Anya still possessed her gift. Most omegas Scarlett knew lost theirs early in life. The few who hadn’t only managed to retain a trace of the abilities they’d possessed in their youth. Except for Scarlett, of course, but her gift was ugly and erratic. The exact opposite of what she felt pouring from Anya, which was bold, determined, and in control.

But Scarlett had been drowning in her own darkness long enough to sense something else: the current of pain fueling Anya’s formidable gift. Despite the other female keeping it mostly locked down tight, Scarlett recognized it, nonetheless. Something bad had happened to Damien’s sister. Something ugly and dark that even several vicious Alpha brothers had been unable to protect her from. And beneath the confidence and grace and eagerness to fight, it still lurked. However, unlike Scarlett’s gift, Anya’s pain did not diminish her power; it strengthened it.

Their battle with the guards continued.

Now that the guards knew where Damien and Maddox were, they surged forward, trampling over their fallen comrades.

But Damien’s reason for choosing this spot soon became apparent, as the narrowness of the tunnel made it impossible for too many of Darvish’s guards to attack at once, in spite of their overwhelming numbers.

A handful of attackers went down, leaving more bodies littering the space.

But even more clamored forward.

Damien was currently battling four and Maddox three.

“Look out.” Scarlett spotted a scowling guard with empty eyes sneaking in from the side, taking advantage of Maddox’s distraction to try for a deadly belly strike. But before he could, Anya threw off the cloak and slammed her elbow down on the guard’s forearm, resulting in a loudcrack.

The male screeched.

Maddox sliced the bastard in two.

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