Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283: Outshadowed

"Kira! Let go!"

Braxton’s voice tore across the courtyard and her eyes snapped open, the golden threads guttering out of her hands as her concentration broke.

Lydia stood a few feet away with Viktor at her shoulder, the pair of them watching her with a calm that was far more frightening than shouting would have been.

Braxton was already down on his knees, arms wrenched behind his back, silver chains biting into his wrists as two Umbra guards held him in place.

Behind them stood a wall of Umbras, already shifted, red eyes burning in the dark, waiting on a single word.

Kira had no idea how many she’d managed to turn. Not enough, probably. But there was exactly one way out of this and it wasn’t standing still and thinking about it.

She spun to the ranks behind her and gave them one word.

"Attack!"

Chaos erupted across the courtyard. The Umbras she’d compelled shifted and threw themselves forward, slamming into their own ranks, and for one glorious second Kira watched the whole disciplined formation collapse into chaos.

But her triumph was short-lived as she saw that they were nowhere near enough. Barely a fraction of what she’d hoped for.

Still. It was enough to buy her a breath and a bit of ground, and that would have to do.

She turned to run, but the floor beneath her erupted. A net sprang up out of the floor, snapping shut around her, and Kira hit the ground hard inside it.

She grabbed at the ropes and pulled, and the moment her fingers closed round them she felt a slow drag as the thing began pulling the strength straight out of her body.

The fighting raged on across the courtyard while Lydia walked over at a leisurely pace, folded her arms, and looked down at her.

"I really did underestimate you, didn’t I?"

Kira glared up at her and said nothing.

Lydia’s brow creased. She tilted her head, studying her with the sort of expression a woman gets when a sum won’t add up.

"But how in the goddess’s name are you still using your powers with that bracelet on your wrist?"

She reached down for Kira’s hand. But at that exact moment a loud explosion shook the ground beneath them.

It hit like something massive had dropped out of the sky, shaking the stone underfoot so hard that half the courtyard stumbled and the rest went straight down. Dust drifted from the walls. Somewhere behind them, glass shattered.

Lydia’s head whipped round, her eyes darting across the courtyard, searching for a source.

Then Braxton started laughing.

Her gaze snapped down to the young Alpha still kneeling in his chains, his shoulders shaking with it.

"What have you done?" she hissed, her eyes flicking between him and Kira. "What have you done? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you."

"But you did," Braxton replied.

Kira was grinning now.

"You’ve just been outshadowed, Shadow Queen."

Lydia’s face moved through three things in quick succession. Confusion first. Then the slow, dawning understanding of a woman working out what that noise had been and where it had come from.

Then pure, undiluted horror.

The shadow dome built around the fortress, which made the shadow pack impossible to find had been broken. The stronghold had been compromised.

They had broken into her stronghold. Her chest heaved as she turned in a full circle.

This, Kira thought, grinning into the dirt, is extremely satisfying.

I’ll admit it, Lux said. Your brother is a genius.

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