Page 36 of Nazab

Cam nodded in sympathy. “I’m thinking of it as practice,” he said. “We can keep the solar panels, the battery and the septic tank. Everything else can be replaced. Wyn, can you shut off the water?” he requested.

“It’s done,” the redhead said after reaching out with her magic to stop the water from flowing through the pipes to the cabin.

“I’ve already shut the electricity down,” Xan said before her brother could ask. “It’s safe to remove the battery and solar panels now.”

The knights swiftly removed the items and stored them in the garage where Queegly’s truck and caravan were. They returned to the cabin and waited for their next instructions.

“How are we going to knock this thing down?” Arkas asked, eyeing the old structure.

“We could use the bulldozer,” Camriel said. “We could probably teleport it here if we pool our resources. We’ll need to knock some trees down and clear a bigger space to build the mansion anyway.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Caterina said, drawing everyone’s attention to her. The pyrokinetic was looking at their matriarch with a pondering expression. “We’ve all seen what the cambions can all do with our talents, except for Zoe.”

“You’ve all seen me predict the future and delve into the past,” Zo said with a slight frown.

Grace knew what was coming and she wasn’t sure whether to be excited or scared about it. She and Amaros had both witnessed a small taste of the seer’s other talent. It had been unnerving to say the least.

“I’ve heard our family mention your rage, but I’ve never seen even a hint of it,” Cat said.

“It’s real,” Amaros said wryly. “Grace and I both saw Zoe lose control once.”

“Did she lose control?” Bria asked shrewdly. “Or did she just open the door to her rage a crack and let a little bit of it out?”

Zoe looked down at her son who was sleeping peacefully in her arms to avoid the question. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to open the door,” she said at last when no one spoke.

“Maybe it’s time to learn what you can do with all that power, mama bear,” Queegly said, surprising them all.

Zo looked at him and Grace saw a hint of betrayal. “He’s not talking about unleashing your rage completely,” the teen said. “But keeping it pent up inside you constantly without any sort of outlet can’t be good. Maybe do what you did the night Amaros made you think you could never have a baby and aim your fury at the cabin.”

As usual, she said exactly the right thing to defuse the situation. “Are you sure about this?” Zoe asked her fellow oracle.

“It’ll be fine,” Queeg said to soothe her nerves.

“I’ll take little Arak,” Amaros said, holding out his arms. His mate handed the baby over to him, then approached the cabin.

“Here we go,” Vic murmured to Cam. He was just as tense as she was.

Everyone moved to stand in a cluster behind Zoe, then Amaros felt his mate gathering her power. Angel growled low in her throat as her fur stood on end. Hissing in terror, the feline sprang off Wynter’s shoulder and ran for her life back towards the base.

“She’ll be fine, babe,” Eze said to Sin. He didn’t want either of them to miss out on the spectacle they were about to witness.

Grace reached out and Queegly took her hand. Tori took the kid’s other hand and hooked her arm around Jac’s waist. Her mate didn’t have any quips inside him right now. He was just as nervous as the rest of them.

Zoe had spent half of her life containing the power that resided inside her. She’d never understood why she had so much rage simmering in her mind. Now that she was aware of her origins, she knew she’d inherited it from her sire. Just thinking about Rahab was enough to make her fury spike.

Thinking about their enemy’s plans to kill her entire family and take over the world was enough to enrage her. Zoe Zayden cracked open the door in her mind and focused her fury on the cabin. Taking a deep breath, she screamed at the structure and her rage manifested. Amaros raised a ward around his family to protect them from the sheer power that blasted outwards.

“Holy shiz!” Grace shouted, but she could barely hear her own voice even with the barrier muffling the noise.

Zoe’s scream ended and she staggered. Her mate was by her side to catch her with one arm, while cradling their son with the other. Arakiel woke up and began to howl, reacting to his mother’s emotions. Nova cried with him and Wynter soothed her daughter.

“I’d say it worked pretty damn well, mama bear,” Queegly said in awe. Only splinters remained where the cabin had once stood. Their matriarch had managed to direct her power at the building and surrounding trees. The trees had been blasted to smithereens as well.

“We’re going to need a really big shovel to scoop up all the rubble,” Semi joked.

Tor snickered, then the females were all laughing hysterically. Grace saw how shaken her best friend was. Not even Zoe had been aware of just how deadly she could be, but the teen suspected she’d only scratched the surface of her powers.

“Take me home,” Zo murmured to her mate. Amaros teleported his family away from the destruction.