THE RICH ALPHA

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Maggie."

Maggie furrowed her brow and buried her face deeper into her pillow.

"Maggie!"

Maggie creaked open her eyes. The glow from the fire spread across the floor and illuminated Adrian's chambers. She glanced to her left. The other side of the bed was empty.

"Up here."

She tilted her head so she looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Adrian floated naked above her. He cupped his chin in his palm and grinned down at her.

"Mind letting me down?" he asked her.

Maggie wrapped a sheet around her and sat up. Her mouth gaped open as she clutched the sheet around her. "H-how? W-what?"

He chuckled. "Your powers are manifesting themselves in interesting ways, but I would really like to get down. My-ahem-important body parts don't like the cold air."

Maggie scrambled off the bed with the sheet wrapped around her and gawked at his floating person. "Me? I'm doing that?"

He nodded at her chest. "Look at your hands."

The young woman followed his gaze and saw her hands gave off a faint bluish glow. She raised her shaking hands in front of her and her heart quickened its speed. Instinct took over. Maggie yelped and furiously waved her hands to extinguish the light.

The light vanished, and so did Adrian. He dropped out of sight on the other side of the bed. Maggie heard a hard thump and a groan.

"That was rather quicker than I expected," Adrian muttered.

"I'm so sorry!" Maggie yelped as she hurried around the foot of the bed.

Her feet stumbled and tripped over the sheet so badly she didn't notice her hands glow again. Adrian stood before she made it around to the side. At least, that's who she expected.

Who actually came up was her father in all his naked glory. Maggie yelped and spun around to avoid any further mental trauma.

"D-Dad! I can explain!" she insisted.

Adrian's chuckle came from behind her. "Against the common cultural cliche, I'm going to have to tell you I'm not your father."

Maggie peaked over her shoulder. Her father stood facing her with a peculiar smile on his lips and a sheet tucked around his waist. She did a brisk inspection of the area for Adrian, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Looking for someone?" her dad asked her, or rather, his lips moved, but Adrian's voice came out.

Maggie half-turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "A. . .Adrian?"

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Her father bowed. "At your service, my lady."

She pointed a shaking finger at him. "B-but how? When?"

He nodded at her hands. "Your powers seem to have a sense of humor."

Maggie raised her glowing hands and glared down at them. She shook them and the light faded to nothing. With the light went Adrian's false front. His form shimmered for a few moments before the ruse dropped to reveal his true, handsome self.

Adrian admired her with his teasing eyes. "Your abilities are as unpredictable as you are reliable."

She glared at him. "But I don't want these powers."

He chuckled as strolled around her in a circle and looked her over. "Until we can find a way to extract the power from your soul I'm afraid your stuck with this mixed blessing." He paused and cupped his chin in his hand. "Why don't we see what else you're capable of?"

Maggie marched past him and plucked her clothes off the floor. "I would rather just leave. I've already missed work and my dad's still in the hospital."

He sidled up to her as she hopped into her pants. "But surely you're a little curious to see of what you're capable."

She slipped on her shirt and shook her head as she focused her eyes on the buttons. "Not in the least."

Maggie turned to the door, but he stepped in her path. His smile had vanished and his yellow eyes stared into hers. "At least allow me to teach you how to control the powers."

She frowned. "Do you have powers?"

He shook his head. "No, but I have a great deal of experience with the magic from the mirror."

"I'd rather talk to Dr. Ficus about it," she told Adrian as she stalked past him.

"Maggie!" Adrian called as he followed her into the hall. He grasped her shoulders and turned her so she faced him. "You're risking a great deal by going out there untrained."

She pursed her lips and shrugged off his hands. "But I'm risking more by staying here. Now if you'll excuse me."

Maggie marched to the top of the stairs with Adrian close behind her, but it wasn't him that made her stop there. There came a knock on the door that stood at the bottom of the steps. She could see the silhouettes of two large persons through the thick glass. Albert's footsteps clomped through the house and he appeared from the dining room to her right.

Maggie yelped when a pair of hands reached around her. One settled on her mouth and the other crossed her chest and drew her back against Adrian's bare chest. She squirmed and tried to scream.