Page 233 of Filthy Royal

She sent out her gift.

The guard crumpled at her feet. Further proof that she could channel her power when she tried.

But standing right behind him, murder in his gaze, loomed Andor. “You were never worthy of being a Stormhart.”

“You’re the one not worthy of that name.” Scarlett pulled more of the hate and rage and, yes, love for those who deserved it into herself and recharged. “To think you did all this out of foolish pride and ego.”

“Burian took from me.” Andor bled from a cut over his eye, but his fangs and claws were out and primed. “I want his line ended. The Skolovs never deserved to be anything but space trash.”

“Kadon will bring back real glory to the Stormhart name,” she told him with pride. “With Luc by his side.”

“I will die before I let those two be together. And you’ll die too.” He surged toward her, claws outstretched. “Since I couldn’t have my prime omega, Damien Skolov won’t either.”

Andor’s claws slashed toward her throat, but right before her gift exploded, he jerked to a halt, his eyes opening wide.

His body twitched.

He sank to his knees. Then his face smacked into the ground.

Damien stood behind him, claws dripping blood. “For Kadon,” he snarled, his gaze locked with hers.

“For Kadon,” Scarlett whispered back.

She ran into his arms.

He jerked her close, his grip so tight she could hardly breathe, then he shoved her behind him and hustled them backward toward the closest wall. “Stay close.”

“Where are the others?” She feared for them all.

“Kadon, Luc, and Maddox are dealing with the Consortium guards while Nikolai and Maxheim handle the Brotherhood.”

“And Anya?”

Damien shook his head. “She wanted to come with me. My elder brothers locked her in the containment pod used for transporting prisoners.”

Anya would not like that.

But there was no more time to address it.

“They murdered Andor. Kill them both.” Darvish’s outraged order echoed through the cockpit. “Now!”

Twenty lasers swiveled in their direction. All with barrels that glowed bright green.

“Damien!” She clutched at his back.

“Always and forever, wild thing. In this life and the next.” He stepped more fully in front of her, his hands gripping her hips to secure her behind him. A selfless act of love. Like so many before.

But this time… this time, she was equally confident in her ability to protect him.

His touch grounded her, his energy fusing with hers, steadying her, pushing her. Making her better, stronger, more fully herself.

Her gift erupted.

It blew back the closest ring of guards, but even better, evenmoremiraculous, the swirl of colors and jagged dark slashes hovered in the air, dancing like particles of dust, yet somehow binding together to become a glowing, curved barricade that deflected every laser shot.

No matter how many guards fired, the lethal beams of green energy bounced off her colorful shield, the good and the bad blending together to create something truly solid, strong, and everlasting.

Because that was her and Damien.

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