Chapter 772 I really missed you

“She can be dangerous,” Seraphine said, her voice quiet but firm.

Voren agreed, his expression thoughtful, his mind already working through the possibilities. “Indeed. And she seems interested in my powers.”

He paused, consulting his wolf. ’Bloodfang, what do you think? Should we take the bait?’

Bloodfang smirked in Voren’s mind, a dark, predatory amusement flickering through their connection. ’Let’s see if she’s powerful enough to handle my energy. But let her begin with her mate.’

Voren agreed, his voice steady. “Alright. If you drain your mate and are still up to it, then you can drain mine. And that of Corvine.”

Corvine wanted to cry. His face fell, his mouth opening in protest, but before he could argue, Voren added, “Sword is very powerful too.”

Suddenly, the playful voice vanished, replaced by something serious, something ancient. It still wasn’t Quinn’s voice.

“You are all different from my kind. I’m beginning to like you, so I won’t allow Nyra to keep the powers she drains.”

“You must be Veyrax,” Voren acknowledged, his voice calm, unafraid. “So let me ask. If I ask you to drain energy from your kind, will you do it?”

“If they are bad, then yes. We drain it and give it to good people.” Veyrax’s voice was steady, certain. “If I drain from my kind to yours, then you’ll be more powerful, but my kind would not die even if we don’t return the powers. They’ll refill through dark magic.”

Voren was already putting a few things together from this revelation, the pieces clicking into place like a puzzle he had been trying to solve.

“Alright, so how many can you drain at once?”

“For a first time, it can’t be much. And when returning the powers, we can choose to return all, or keep some, or even swap.” Veyrax revealed with a seriousness that made them cringe, a cold, clinical detachment that spoke of ancient knowledge and terrible power.

Voren turned to Damon, his voice firm. “You should be able to control them and make sure they return my powers to me.”

Quinn instantly frowned as Veyrax spoke through her, the voice dripping with amusement. “You are so smart. No wonder you are the King. Damon’s wolf is the only one capable of controlling us, and trust me, we can be very meek and cooperative after a good sex.”

Quinn instantly took control, her cheeks burning a deeper shade of red, the blush spreading from her neck to her ears.

“Sorry about that.” Her voice was strained, embarrassed. “They are spurting nonsense.”

How could these creatures embarrass her like that? She was getting used to them, nonetheless, learning to navigate the strange, crowded space inside her own mind. “Shall we start now?”

Damon nodded, his jaw set, his eyes steady. “I’m ready.”

“Then I guess everyone else should step back,” Quinn warned, just as Nyra had told her to do.

Everyone watched as energy like rays of lightning emitted from Quinn’s eyes, moving in brilliant arcs as it landed on the top of Damon’s head.

His body shook violently at first, like bolts of electricity were being transferred into him, his muscles convulsing, his teeth gritting against the pain. But seconds later, the white ray on Damon’s head turned brown, moving back to Quinn, flowing into her like water into a vessel.

In less than thirty seconds, Damon was weak on the floor, his body crumpling, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Seraphine rushed to his side with Callum, her hands steady, her voice urgent.

“Damon, tell me how you feel.”

“I can’t feel my wolf.” His voice was hoarse, broken. “And I feel exhausted, like I’ve run a marathon without eating in weeks.” He looked up at Voren, his eyes warning. “Voren shouldn’t.”

But Voren wanted to know how much power Quinn’s wolf could absorb. In the time of war, it would be needful, a weapon they couldn’t afford to ignore. He stood in front of Quinn as soon as her energy connection broke from Damon, his posture relaxed, his expression unreadable.

Quinn smiled, and the same process took place. But this time, the energy drained from Voren was black, a dark, swirling mass that seemed to drink the light around it. Even as Voren was being drained, he didn’t show any sign of weakness, his jaw tight, his eyes fixed on Quinn.

Five minutes passed, and he was still being drained, his body unmoving, his expression unchanged. But the connection ended abruptly, and Quinn gasped, her eyes wide.

“Too much.” Her voice was strained, desperate. “They both can’t take it.”

“V, how do you feel?” Seraphine asked, her hand on his arm, her eyes searching his face.

Voren replied truthfully, his voice steady. “A little weak. The earlier pain was like that of an electric current. Bloodfang is still responding.”

The connection began again, and this time, Quinn was returning the energy, the black mass flowing back into Voren like smoke returning to its source.

“We haven’t finished the experiment,” Seraphine pointed out.

But Quinn shook her head, her expression pained. “His energy is different. It burns from the inside. We can’t hold it for long.”

Bloodfang smirked in Voren’s mind, a dark, satisfied amusement. ’See? I told you. Our powers increased after the Blood Moon festival.’

Voren smiled, a small, knowing curve of his lips.

Seraphine asked him, “Can I try?”

Voren shook his head. “She should try with Corvine first.”

Liah felt sorry for her mate as she stepped back, her expression sympathetic. Corvine moved to stand in front of Quinn, his posture stiff, his jaw tight. The draining was successful, and Corvine could not hear from Sword, but he wasn’t too weak, his body still steady, his breath still even.

“I’d have to return it too.” Quinn’s voice was thoughtful. “We managed to drain all of him, but his powers are strong.”

“He has a strong Alpha wolf,” Voren clarified, as Quinn returned both Corvine and Damon’s powers, the energy flowing back into them like water returning to a river.

“Can we test with some of the strong warriors?” Damon asked after regaining his strength, his voice steady, his body humming with renewed energy.

But Quinn refused, her voice tired. “I’m exhausted. Can we go and rest?”

Damon looked at Voren, and the latter agreed. “Indeed, she should rest today, and we shall continue the test tomorrow.”

Then he winked at Damon, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I hope you aren’t too weak too…”

“Come on, Voren, I’m not that weak.” Damon laughed, shaking his head. “I can still go four rounds at least.”

Everyone laughed as Damon carried Quinn out of the gym, her body limp in his arms, her face pressed against his chest.

Seraphine and Callum were able to put their reports together, their notes detailed, their observations careful. They hoped that as Quinn got stronger, she’d be able to drain more. After all, Lycans were stronger than the average werewolves and were also backed by sorcery.

This meant that Quinn’s capacity would have to be expanded before a war broke out.

As the leaders trooped out of the gym, Jasmine was about to return to the pups’ academy when Kael caught up to her, his footsteps quick, his voice urgent.

“Jasmine, can we talk?”

Before Jasmine could answer, he pulled her into his warm embrace, his arms wrapping around her, his face buried in her hair.

“I really missed you.”