Page 4 of Branded By Shadow
Apparently, Stormwright shared her interest, and he wasn’t shy in displaying it. He was using his aura to get Dr. Ellis to cooperate. That House Zeus trick never failed to infuriate me. His false charisma was too efficient in hiding the snake that lived underneath his skin.
Dr. Ellis stood against the conference center wall, her eyes wide with confusion. Despite the obvious tension in her shoulders, she was leaning slightly toward Alexander. I took a step closer, and the sharp scent of failing suppressants assaulted my nostrils.
Happenstance? Bad luck? It was possible. Either way, it made her far too vulnerable to Stormwright for my liking.
I moved into the narrow hallway. Darkness pooled at my boots. “I’m Damon Blackwood. House Hades. I’ve heard a lot about you, Dr. Ellis.”
Dr. Ellis went rigid at my introduction, color draining from her face. Unsurprising, if not ideal. House Hades was almost as unpopular with regular humans as it was with the Olympian Houses.
Alexander’s smile widened, but his focus never left her. “I’m sure you have, Mr. Blackwood. Dr. Ellis and I were just discussing the exciting possibilities for her groundbreaking research.”
“Exciting possibilities?” I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at him. “Is that what you call cornering an unclaimed Omega in an empty corridor?”
“House Zeus has funded medical breakthroughs for decades,” Alexander replied, and I hated that even to my ears, he sounded perfectly reasonable. “We understand the unique pressures young researchers face in a competitive environment.”
Dr. Ellis nodded, drawn to his apparent sincerity. “Mr. Stormwright has been very generous with his time,” she said, though some uncertainty still lingered in her expression. She must have sensed something wrong earlier, before Stormwright’s insidious aura had taken hold.
“I see.” I studied Alexander’s face, noting the subtle smugness behind his concern. “And what exactly does House Zeus want in return for this generosity?”
“A simple partnership.” Alexander spread his hands as if the answer was obvious. “Dr. Ellis’s research represents a real breakthrough in Omega healthcare. We simply want to ensure it reaches the widest possible audience.”
“Through exclusive licensing agreements, no doubt,” I snapped at him, trying but failing to contain my temper. “With your people maintaining complete control.”
“Business considerations are always secondary to the greater good,” Alexander argued. “Dr. Ellis would maintain full creative control over her research.”
The lies came so smoothly I almost admired his skill.
“Is that a fact?” I focused on Dr. Ellis now. “Has he mentioned that House Zeus owns the patents on seventeen different Omega medications? All bought within the past year? All under complete contracts of exclusivity?”
Not for the first time, I mentally thanked Elara for her comprehensive intelligence gathering. When my cousin had first flagged House Zeus’s recent acquisitions, I hadn’t thought much of it. But I had learned to trust her gut, and it was finally paying off.
Dr. Ellis bristled. Not even Alexander’s aura could suppress the natural response to having her life’s work threatened. “Is that true?” she asked sharply. “Are you threatening researchers into working for you?”
“Of course not, Dr. Ellis,” Alexander answered, his mask still frustratingly impeccable. “Mr. Blackwood is known for his dramatic interpretations of standard business practices. We’ve always followed the highest ethical standards and operated with complete transparency.”
“Transparency?” I repeated. “You haven’t even told her what you really want.”
“I want to help her research reach the Omegas who need it most,” he insisted. Not even the strongest aura in the world could make that lie convincing.
“You want to control the only suppressant formula that actually works,” I countered. I didn’t know his endgame, but hisimmediate goal was clear. “The only way your House can win an Omega is through lies and manipulation.”
Shadows began to writhe around my feet in response to my rising anger. Alexander raised a hand, shaking his head as if he was disappointed. “How predictable. House Hades always resorts to intimidation when rational arguments fail.”
Brilliant white energy blazed from his palm, flooding the hallway. The darkness bound to me recoiled, shying away from the glare.
“Light conquers all, Blackwood,” he taunted. “It always has. In a battle between Zeus and Hades, only the King of the Gods can win.”
Electricity crackled between his fingers as he pressed his advantage. His arrogance irritated me far more than the light itself. “And you’re Zeus now? That’s reaching, even for you, Stormwright.”
The harsh illumination made Dr. Ellis blink and shield her eyes. “Stop.” She stepped forward, positioning herself between us. “Both of you, just stop this. I don’t know what’s happening here, but I want no part of it.”
Up close, her scent was more than just an Omega in distress. A faint, earthy resonance hummed beneath the surface, a frequency my own nature recognized as its opposite. Of course. Stormwright knew exactly what he was trying to claim. He wasusing his aura to muddle her senses before she understood her own value. A classic House Zeus tactic.
“Dr. Ellis, you’re witnessing House Hades’s typical approach to negotiation,” Alexander explained. In the lightning-bright corridor, he looked infuriatingly perfect. “This is exactly why researchers need protection.”
But Dr. Ellis hadn’t gotten here because she was stupid. And no matter what Alexander claimed, even his power had its limits. “I don’t believe you. You’ve been doing something to me, haven’t you? Making yourself seem more trustworthy than you are.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Alexander said smoothly, but a bead of sweat traced a path down his temple. Wielding his aura and his elemental power at once was taking its toll.
