Chapter 28
Nyxeris
“Holy shit, Erich. You melted that boulder.”
I gape at my tattooed, pyromaniac Alpha, who is laughing manically while keeping control over a fireball the size of an oven at the back corner of the training ground we were assigned to for our experiments. The heat from that fire is so strong it’s making me uncomfortable over fifty yards away.
That’s insane.
The hole that fireball is grinding into the stacked stone beside the now molten-liquid boulder is even crazier.
This place is more of an enclosure than a building. There’s no flooring and no roof, but there are unkempt walls and large doors. Throughout the vast interior are obstacles and various elevated stages, ropes, cargo nets, rocks, and more.
Years ago, I’d been here, being “taught” battle formations and tactical strategies by Beta instructors. I always wondered if they treated us so badly because they were jealous of our abilities.
I bet that’s true of a lot of them.
At the other side of the grounds, Zeph stands with his arms out, making anything loose on the ground around him rise up into the air and float before small, dark purple orbs swallow them. His face is pinched in concentration, his blond hair matted to his sweaty forehead.
Seeing those two work so hard to figure out what they can do now that our mate bonds are solidified makes me frown. Not at them, but at me.
I need to figure this out, too.
Remembering how my body would crackle with electricity while mating with my pack gives me an idea. And I just hope that I don’t need to orgasm for it to work.
Andrew chuckles from behind me, and I shoot him a halfhearted glare, which makes him purse his lips, though his green eyes remain filled with mirth.
I turn my back to him and take a deep breath in, let it out slow as I extend my arms in front of me.
Since it manifested, my electric power has always just been a part of me. Think about it, and it does what I want. Even in delicate situations, like when I disabled the shields around the explosives in Mira and her pack’s collars.
Visualization has always been the key.
So, maybe…
I stare at my bare arms and imagine what it would look like with my pale blue electricity covering them like long gloves. How it would crackle just so, pop in the air, make that sizzling sound.
And there it is! Blue bolts cover my arms and hands, dancing with fervor along my skin but never hurting me.
Closing my eyes, I imagine the electricity covering my entire body like a suit of armor, even my face and hair being enveloped.
“Brava, Nyxeris,” Andrew calls from behind me, and I know I’ve done it without looking.
But this process is too slow. And I’d need to be in close combat for it to actually do anything to an enemy.
“Not necessarily.”
Hmm. I’m getting a little irked by this new mind-reading thing of Andrew’s.
“Sorry, love,” he says as he approaches, not sounding sorry at all. “It really is difficult to control.”
When I open my eyes and lose my concentration, all the electricity vanishes.
“Electrical fields can repel. So, your armor could actually protect you from ranged attacks.”
Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.
Andrew grins but says nothing, and I sigh dramatically. “Go ahead and say it.”
He makes a zipping motion over his mouth with his fingers and turns from me to join Zeph.
“Hey.” Erich approaches me, his fingers sweeping a lock of hair behind my ear before he places a kiss on my forehead.
A couple of weeks ago, I never would have imagined we’d be here, publicly displaying affection, not to mention mated. And now, it’s like there’s never been another form of existence. We just belong.
“You look like you’re having an inner war.” He gives the slightest smirk before taking my hand.
“I kind of am. I want to be able to do these things immediately, on command. Otherwise…”
He nods in understanding. “I feel the same.”
“You were just melting rock with a fireball,” I say flatly.
He huffs a laugh. “Fire is easy. I haven’t even tried magma yet.”
Oh, shit. That’s right.
“Would you like some moral support?”
I want to support him, of course, but I also need a distraction. Or, just want one.
“Would you?” His eyes go all puppy-dog like Zeph’s do sometimes, and I’m a goner.
“Of course.”
We head out the door on the other side of the facility and walk to the border of the treeline, where we stop, and he turns to me with a frown. “I don’t want to screw up more of the grounds, so if I can get the lava to flow, I’m going to stop. I just want to know I can do it if I have to.”
I smile up at him. Very responsible of my hothead. “You can do it.”
He lets out a long breath and waves me back. “Just in case.”
I keep back several paces before he levels a hand, palm down, and closes his eyes. I try to keep my eyes on his hands and not his sharp jawline that I want to nibble as it flexes, making the black ink flames that barely touch it dance.
I press my lips between my teeth to stifle a growing giggle when the ground beneath my feet begins to rumble, ever so slightly, drawing my attention to it a second before the earth spits liquid fire up into the air.
“Holy shit!” I jump back in shock and fear as more lava spurts and flows from just a foot or two in front of Erich’s feet.
“Fuck,” he hisses and jumps backward as well, the lava seeming to stop its flow the moment he moves, though what’s already been pulled up continues to trudge slowly, smoke billowing along its bright orange path.
When the edges begin to darken, the movement begins to halt, and I let out a relieved breath.
I turn to him, blinking. “Well, you did it.”
His head is shaking before I finish. “I can’t control it, though. I can draw it out, but once it’s flowing, it’s a free-for-all.”
“You only tried it once,” I reassure him, placing my hand on his upper arm.
“It’s too dangerous to keep experimenting with right now. This is a last resort move.”
“That’s very responsible of you.” I link arms with him as we walk back to the grounds. “But don’t hesitate if crap hits the fan.”
Erich laughs, and I feel some of the tension in his shoulders dissipate. “Roger that, boss.”
Once we pass through the doors, we’re met with the sight of Zephyr floating in the air, a giant orb of purple so dark it’s nearly black hovering between his hands, arms extended in front of him.
I stop in my tracks, but Erich rushes forward, a glint of fear in his eyes, staying just outside the gravitational pull that’s sucking grass, leaves, rocks, and chunks of earth into the core of the orb.
He moves back and forth like he’s ready to catch Zeph if he falls.
When my eyes meet an amused Andrew’s, I realize that Zeph must have this under control.
Andrew wouldn’t let him get hurt. He’s likely firmly inside our love’s mind.
Taking pity on Erich’s poor nerves, I jog over to him and tell him as much when he takes me into his protective arms.
“He’s got this,” I say, enjoying how the tide has changed for them.
This close, I can feel the pull of Zeph’s power, and I find myself digging my heels into the ground a bit.
And that’s when Zeph turns to us, looks down at me, his eyes swirling with that same dark energy.
There’s no white, no lilac, just darkness with purple wavering around his lashes.
He lets out a “Ha!” and the orb between his hands vanishes with a strange sound, almost like a muffled zipper, and his eyes return to normal as he slowly lowers to the ground, an enormous grin on his face.
“That was brilliant!” he shouts before rushing over and scooping me into his arms, away from a gaping Erich. “Did you see me, darlin’?”
I can’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm. “I did! You were amazing.”
He leans in and pecks my lips before reaching over and pulling Erich into our embrace, kissing his jaw like I’d wanted to do earlier.
Great minds think alike.
“That they do,” Andrew says from behind me, bemused.
I pull away from the group hug and turn to him. “How are we going to train you, mister?”
He blinks at me silently, as if he hadn’t thought about it. Then his expression grows grim, his brows draw tight.
“We need help from outside our pack.”