8. Chapter 7

"We don't have much longer until he is healed. We need to find a place to get cleaned up." Louie stands, her thighs shaking and smothered in my come.

I smirk with pride at how unsteady she is.

And to think our sex life is only going to get better when our bond is fully formed. How it could get any better than this, I'm not sure, but that's what has been told to me. I know Maven and Alexander only want each other more every day. Comparing them to Louie and I has me wondering how explosive we will be since we have so much time to make up for.

"We can go to Purgatory Pins. It's the only place where we can get decent food, drinks, even clothes. We can pay to shower too."

I stand, brows raising when I take in the damage we created. So many trees are broken, some worthless stumps now. Blood is everywhere. It drips from the leaves above and coats our skin.

And then there is Brenden who looks like a pretzel.

I have no regrets.

Elouise stands with her hands on her hips giving the appearance of someone who has been to battle. I suppose in a way she has.

I'm the war she will never conquer and the battles she gives me will only make me stronger.

"You are beautiful," I say, tugging on one of the spiraled curls. "You've always been the most breathtaking woman I've ever seen. The moon has nothing on you, Louie. You are and will forever be, my favorite moonlight."

"Is that where ‘My Light' comes from?" she asks. "You're comparing me to your moon?" She bops the tip of my nose with her finger.

I take her wrist and bring it to my lips, kissing the inner part where the soft, smooth skin is. "What's to compare? Your beauty is brighter than her light will ever be."

"Always such the romantic." A teasing tilt of her lips and me licking my own.

I snatch her throat and growl as deep as I can. "Only when I want to be. You'll do well to remember that."

No longer am I staring into golden hues but bright red gems.

Her fangs peek from under her top lip. "Maybe when I'm not behaving, you'll do well to remind me of that."

A continuous purr vibrates my chest. "My Light," I tsk. "Eventually, the only thing you'll ever remember is me."

The crack of bone sliding into place has us turning to see Brenden's ribcage is healed. We're running out of time.

"Let's get you dressed and head out of here." I bend down, picking up her shirt, then her pants, bra, and everything else I happily stripped from her body.

They are covered in blood and dirt.

"I'll get you new clothes," I tell her. "But you have to wear them or I'll kill too many people for seeing you."

"Maybe I should stay naked then."

"Elouise," I growl in warning.

"What?" She rubs her hands down her delectable body, grinning as her nails rake clean lines through the blood drenching her flesh.

"Louie." Her nickname is a cross between a hiss and a snarl.

She winks at me, the flirtatious gesture has my cock twitching. I don't know how I'll make it out of the full moon alive with my body intact. I already want her. The heat, the pull, the lust between us is so strong, and mixed with all the years we had to be without one another— we are a bomb waiting to go off.

I shift into my beast, shaking off as much blood as possible from my fur before gathering Uri and strapping him over my shoulder. I pat the small pouch I have, double checking to make sure the eeries are in there. That's what will pay for food, drinks, and anything else we will need tonight.

And then, it's time to try to find the avisseus. Or try to.

So we can get the fuck out of here and live the rest of our lives in my pack, surrounded by love, and maybe, I'll be able to put the past behind me. Because then, I'll have everything I've always wanted.

A future.

And I will not let my past ruin it.

I frown when she pulls her shirt over her head, a short white tank top that shows her stomach.

"What? You don't like my shirt?"

I shake my head. "I fucking hate it because now I can't see your body."

She giggles, lacing her boots. "You can see it whenever you want, Beloved. You don't even have to ask." Elouise begins to walk away from me, swaying those hips I was just clenching onto five minutes ago, driving my cock as deep as I could.

I snag her wrist and tug her to me, outlining her body with my hand until I'm cupping her cheek. "Don't ever walk away from me without giving me a kiss."

"We are going to be walking together, Aziel."

"I don't care. Anytime you walk away from me, you kiss me because I won't ever miss an opportunity when I can feel you. Ever."

Her eyes soften in understanding. "I like the sound of that." She leans in, giving me a quick, deep kiss. "Now, let's go before you have the urge to rip his head off."

"Climb on my back?" I fall to my hands and feet, expecting her to argue with me about how she is capable of walking.

She reaches onto her tiptoes, petting under my ear. "I am in love with every single inch of you."

My ears flatten as I hang my head, rubbing my snout against her neck. "You say that now—" I gently lick her cheek "—Until I tell you what happened." I crouch lower to allow her to grip the fur at my neck and swing her leg over to mount me.

"We have a few hours until we are at Purgatory Pins. How about you tell me on the way?" She strokes my neck. "And I promise, there's nothing you can say that would make my heart cease the love I have for you. I want to know everything about you, Aziel. The good and bad."

A heavy sigh deflates my lungs. I begin to walk away, stepping on Brenden's body so it takes him longer to heal.

"Hold on," I tell her. "I want to get us as far away from him as possible."

She leans down, wrapping her arms around my neck. She curls her fingers into my fur, holding on to me for dear life as I leap through the air.

"Oh my God! You could have warned me!" she screams, but through the faint bond we have, her happiness and excitement fuel me. Elouise laughs. "This is so freeing! Aziel, this— you're amazing."

I leap over fallen logs, my paws splashing into creeks. The skeletons of the trees reach for me, wanting to snag us with their branches. Certain trees engulf creatures into their trunks forever embolizing them in wood. I dodge to the left when two branches swing out like they are about to hug us.

The bark groans and squeaks with every stretch toward me.

"Aziel!" Elouise screams when a branch hits her across the chest, sending her flying off my back.

I skid to a stop, growling with the intent to kill. I sprint, using my momentum to jump onto a tree, only to use it as leverage to push off it. My claws grind against the trunk as I twist my body, launching myself into the air to snag Elouise. The branch is wrapped around Elouise's ankle, the root beginning to shrink back to its natural state— taking Louie with it.

"I'm not losing her to fucking firewood—" I sneer, biting the wooden tentacle where it grasps her leg.

The wood snaps and the tree screeches in agony. Water pours from the broken root, the leaves trembling in pain. Picking Elouise up by the back of her shirt with my teeth, I run in a direction where the tree can't reach us before veering left.

"You can put me down now," Louie grumbles.

Yeah, I knew she wouldn't like being carried away in that manner.

I slow to a stop, checking my surroundings to make sure we are safe before putting her down. Only, she doesn't make it easy. She starts wiggling to get free of my hold. When she twists, her shirt catches on my right fang and it fucking hurts, so I open my mouth naturally.

She plops to the ground, smacking it with a hard thud that makes me flinch. Elouise groans, pushing herself off the ground. She narrows her eyes at me and the way her anger is pointed directly at my soul has me wanting to lay my claim all over again.

"Really? You had to pick me up like a puppy?"

"Not like a puppy. I would have gripped you by your neck or the middle of your back. I chose to pick you up by your shirt. That's very different."

She gets to her feet, hissing when she twists. "Ow, fuck." She raises her arm and right at the curve of her hip is a large bleeding gash. "Damn, that hurts."

"Why aren't you healing?" I panic. "Louie, why aren't you—" A relieved breath fills the air when I witness her skin meshing together.

"You have to give me time to heal," she chuckles, touching the spot that is as good as new now. "Doesn't even hurt. This wasn't a paper cut. You have to remember, the bigger the wound, the longer it takes to heal."

"I know. I'm just irrational right now. We are only half-mated. I can still taste your heat on my tongue. I can smell my claim, my come, and my possession on you. I feel your love for me and— I don't deserve it— but there is no way in hell I'm ever letting it go. So yeah, I thought you were about to become a tree trunk and that scared me. You scare me, Louie."

"Me? Scare you?" She blinks in confusion, tilting her head and probably wondering how.

"You terrify me because if anything happens to you, I'll go mad. Did you learn about werewolf sickness after we weren't allowed to see each other?"

Her brows furrow as she gives me a slow nod.

"I'll spiral into madness for you because I've already done it once. I have no doubt that I would do it again." I walk away. I need a moment to calm down.

She tugs on my tail hard enough to bring me to a stop. "What do you mean you have had the sickness? You seem fine. What are you talking about?"

I shake my head, not wanting to talk about it. "Come on. We don't want to waste time in these woods, Louie. We need to get to Purgatory Pins."

"Aziel, don't you dare try to sweep this under the rug. We have put off talking long enough. Plenty has happened over the years, and we can't ignore it. Talk to me."

I stand on my hind legs, frustration— and once again, fear— lead my heart. "Because I don't know how to talk about it!" I yell, hitting my chest with my fist. "What is it that you want to know? That the moment you were dragged away from me, the moment I knew I would never be able to have you again, the moment your father's second in command threatened to fuck you when you were of age, that it changed me forever? Yes, it fucking broke me, Louie. Losing you broke me. I didn't care what happened to me after that."

Her eyes brim with tears at the same time her bottom lip quivers. "Aziel—"

I take a few deep breaths as my emotion builds and cut her off, "—You want to know what happened to me? You were taken from me, and I no longer cared about anything. I had images in my mind of you belonging to someone else, being in someone's arms that weren't mine, taking someone's cock that wasn't mine, having someone's children that weren't mine. The thought of you tortured me."

"And you don't think I had the same thoughts? The same fears? You think I didn't think about—" her breath catches and one tear drips down her cheek "—I thought of you with your mate, laughing, having kids, loving her, giving her what I always wanted. Do you really think your feelings were one-sided? I nearly died when they took me from you. I refused to eat, to sleep, to do anything. I held a stake to my heart more times than I'd like to count but something always stopped me. My love for you tortured me too."

I cup her face with both of my palms, my beast's hands engulfing the delicate bones. I've killed too many with these hands but with her, they are gentle and at ease. "A stake? Louie," I choke on her name, thinking about a world where she no longer existed. "I had something similar, but it wasn't a stake."

"Tell me." Her small hand hidden with strength presses against mine as she leans her head into my palm.

"Brenden, the vampire back there. He used to be a warlock. A very powerful warlock. He was evil, stealing power from other witches, and it made him unstoppable. He captured werewolves, destroyed our homes, and put us under a curse that made us kill for him. I was trapped inside my beast for fifteen years. I did…" I take a deep breath, my teeth grinding together as flashes of the people I've killed flash through my mind. Their screams ringing in my ears. Their pleas for death make me struggle to breathe.

"—It's okay." Louie rubs soothing circles on my chest. "You're okay."

"I'm not okay. I killed women and children. I ate other shifters in war because Brenden wouldn't feed us. I'm a fucking monster, Louie. And I have to live with what I did forever. I can do that. I lost myself a long time ago, and I never planned on finding a way back."

"How did the curse break?" she questions, kissing me on the chest where my heart is racing against my bones.

"My new Alpha or in your case, Master. Alexander Monreaux and his beloved Maven Wildes helped end the curse by changing him into a vampire. The curse lifted but I think parts of me were still trapped in the age when I was seventeen. I missed you. The majority of my life was taken from me, and I didn't last very long in the new life Alexander and Maven gave to me. I swear, I smelled you on the property."

"Oh, God. Aziel." She wraps her arms around me the best she can. They don't wrap all the way around. I'm too big. Her shoulders shake as she cries for me.

"Smelling you sent me into sickness. I had gone without you for far too long and that's what happens. All those years ago, we were supposed to be together, and we were forced to be apart. I have no doubt that's what pushed me into sickness. I nearly died. I was terrible to everyone, especially Anwyll. I said hateful, unforgivable things, but Maven found a treatment."

"A treatment? For werewolf sickness?" Louie takes my hand, tugging in the direction of Purgatory Pins, and casually leads me to where we need to go.

"Yeah, I didn't know it existed, but Anwyll and his mate went on a journey to get all the ingredients. It worked, in the sense it cured my sickness, the feral and rabid rage."

And the pain… God the pain. Every so often, it likes to roar its ugly head, reminding me of what I felt when I was going mad.

"Physically, I'm fine now, but according to Death, my soul got lost fighting between life and death, so I got sent here. I have to find my way back to my body before the lunar moon which means we have to find our way back to the surface. I am not leaving here without you, Louie."

She stops, sighing, and it's the kind of exhale that lets me know that I won't like what I'm about to hear. "I don't even know how I got here, Aziel. I can't remember anything other than complete darkness."

The familiar fire of fury boils my blood. What happened to my mate that sent her down here like me?

"What do you mean you can't remember? What events lead up to it?"

"I— I don't know." She drops her hands to her sides and bends down to pick up a fucking stick, poking at the ground. "I remember screaming but that's it. I have no other answers for you, Aziel."

"I'll find them."

"You don't know that."

I jump in front of her, cutting off her line of escape. "I swear to you. On my soul's life, I will find those answers because I'm not living my life without you again. I will happily live in Purgatory for the rest of my days if it means I get to be with you. If you stayed here and I found my body, I would die anyway. Why would I choose death when I could spend the rest of my life right here with my mate?"

"Wait. If you can't go home because you'll die, and I don't have a body that means—"

I take her hands in mine, giving them a firm squeeze. "—It means we stay here."

"But we could die. We could get killed and then what? We wouldn't be remembered."

"Why would I care about being remembered by anyone who isn't you? I don't think you understand just how far my need goes, Louie, how far my love goes, how intense my obsession is with you. I'd do anything for you. There isn't a line I wouldn't cross. There isn't a life I wouldn't take. Nothing could stop me from being with you in this world or any other world."

I lift her by her shoulders, inciting a yelp from Louie while she kicks her feet.

"Aziel! Put me down."

"No. Now. Give me a kiss."

She quirks a brow at me before crossing her arms over her chest. "Excuse me? You want a kiss after you manhandled me to be ten feet in the air?"

"I can make it eleven." I stretch my arms above my head, grinning when she kicks more, but it's the constant laughter coming from Louie that lets me know she doesn't mind.

"Okay. Okay. Okay." She reaches for me, planting a kiss right on my werewolf lips. "Better?"

"For now." I set her down on the ground and the moment her feet touch Purgatory's floor, she slaps me on the arm. "Ow. That hurt."

She rolls her eyes at me. "Please. I bet you didn't even feel it. My feet belong on the ground. Got it?"

I lift a shoulder and shrug. "I guess that rules out you straddling my face, your legs over my shoulders while I eat that pretty cunt of yours."

Her mouth drops open. "In this form?"

"This one," I echo in agreement.

She pouts her lips before nibbling the bottom one. "I guess heights aren't really that bad. Plus, you'd never drop me, right?"

"Never, My Light."

She becomes bashful before taking my hand again. "Come on. We are close. I want a shower to rinse all this blood off."

"I thought vampires loved blood?"

"If I was covered head to toe in your blood, that would be different. His blood kind of reeks."

"It's the evil," I mutter while looking straight ahead. Nothing but dead trees and black grass in sight. "He might have changed forms, but his blood is still as toxic as ever."

I'm not too sure how far we are into our journey, but my stomach begins to growl. I can't remember the last time I ate. I've been too busy feasting on my mate. I lick my lips when my mouth waters. If only she were enough to sate my actual hunger, I'd never need food again when I could live off her.

Louie stops, the blood on her skin no longer gleaming, and sniffs the air.

"What do you smell?" I place my hand on her lower back, my gaze trying to follow hers.

"Iggy!" she shouts, blurring away from me and heading straight ahead before I can stop her.

"Louie!" I growl, worried she isn't hearing her friend at all, but a demon pretending to be him. "Louie!" My legs stretch with every stride as I run.

I'm going to spank her for running away from me.

I follow her delicious scent that's muted by Brenden's blood. My paws leave indents in the ground, landing with weighted thuds. I'm closer to her scent. Chirps and hisses sound in alternate rhythms around me. Small glowing eyes appear in the shadows of the trees, watching me.

An uneasy feeling takes hold, and my instincts scream for us to get out of here. We are predators, yet there is something in here that sees us as prey.

"Louie! Where the hell are you?" How far could she have gone? This vampire speed gives me a headache. I'm going to have to put a bell on her, so I know where she is. I'll do the same with the vampires in my pack.

When I get to the edge of the tree line, I skid to a stop when I see one of my worst nightmares come to life. Louie is standing next to a feminine man. He's short with big round eyes and from here I can smell his fear— and his nature.

And so do the skelewolves surrounding them.

They are similar to hellhounds only instead of being born in fire, they are birthed in darkness here in Purgatory. They are skinny, their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, encasing their organs tightly under their skin. Their hair is patchy, and their eyes are bottomless pits of coal, something most creatures seem to have in common here.

I slip Uri from the holster. Louie must hear me because she lifts her head and stares in my direction. She has a dagger in hand, one arm stretched around Iggy to keep him safe.

These skelewolves don't want Louie. They want Iggy.

He is a male omega and if they get to him, they could force him to birth their pups. He'd be used until he died and then the wolves would hunt down someone else.

They snap their jaws, acidic spit dripping from their jowls. The ground sizzles and steam rises.

"What is it with this place having acidic fucking fluids?" I mumble, giving Louie a nod so she understands what I'm about to do.

I rear Uri back. Louie's eyes widen before the realization dawns on her. The warrior she is replaces her fear. Her stance changes. Sights narrowing. Dagger firm in her grip.

Twisting to gain more momentum, I swing Uri once, twice, and on the third, I let it go. My weapon flies, cutting through the air by flipping in a straight line. The skelewolves whip their heads to me, giving Louie the chance she needs to lunge.

The crunch of bone and the spew of blood creates an orchestra when Uri hammers a skelewolves head.

Right. Down. The. Middle.

Its head splits in two and the body falls limp. That gives Louie the split-second chance to shove her blade through the temple of another wolf. She blurs, fighting as fast as she can so the wolves won't get to Iggy.

I run, eating up the distance between me, my mate, and her friend. Iggy stabs the air missing the creatures as they dodge and nip at his ankle, toying with their food. One of the wolves manages to slip by Louie on her quest of killing and I'm soaring through the air to tackle the one closest to me when Iggy screams in agony.

The wolf begins to drag him away through shallow murky water. His scream is drowned out by dirty water and not even that is enough to cover the stench of Iggy's arm burning from the acid.

Carnality takes over. Louie hops on the back of the wolf I'm fighting, plunging her daggers in on either side of its neck. A loud screeching howl from the skelewolf sends shivers through my bones, almost causing me to howl its pain in return.

"Get Iggy! Please! I'll take care of them." She jumps over another wolf, twisting her body in the air, and lands perfectly on her feet.

"Louie…"

She gives the skelewolf a come-hither motion with a confident smirk. Louie doesn't look at me. Her eyes are locked onto her target, waiting for the beast to make its first move. The daggers dance across her knuckles before she spins, flicking the knife. It lands in the abyss of the right eye. Black smoke oozes from the orbital bone.

"Aziel. I'm fine." She rips the blade free before plunging the other into the wolf's chest. "Please, go!" Louie yells at me, killing yet another wolf by herself.

Dropping to all fours and taking one last long look at my mate before I dash to save Iggy. The wolf is snarling, still dragging him through the murky water only this time, Iggy has shifted into his bear.

He's small which isn't unusual for omegas, and he is doing his best to fight. He bites and swipes his paw at the wolf, landing one good hit on the side of the wolf's face. It's enough for Iggy to be freed. He runs through the shallow water, staring at me with big, wide eyes that are full of fear.

He bellows for help, and I roar in reply, so he knows I'm on my way. He's halfway across the field of death weeds. The grass can come to life whenever it wants, wrapping its blades around its victims to squeeze until all the life is gone. All Iggy and I can do is hope the weeds remain still.

Just as the wolf hurls itself through the air, arms wide to land on Iggy's back, I sink my claws into Iggy's back, slinging him behind me. I take the brute force of the skelewolf's weight. Its paws push against my shoulders, pushing me under the disgusting water they drink.

I relax, making the creature think he has won, and when I feel him ease up on his power, I rake my feet down his underbelly, punch my fist into his chest, and rip out his heart.

Breaking the surface of the water, I gasp, inhaling as deep as possible before standing on my hind legs. I hold the heart in my hand, watching it beat slower and slower until the pulse ceases to exist.

I throw the useless organ to the side, the water splashing from the thunk of it.

"Iggy! Iggy, I have you. It's okay. You're okay. You have to be okay."

I don't have time to catch my breath, not when I feel the soul-aching sadness from Louie. Iggy has shifted and is lying in her lap, struggling to breathe, and clutching his mangled arm. The acid did damage.

All that is left is bone.

Iggy shivers from shock. His hair drips with muddy water. His cheeks and lips shake from his tremors. His mouth is blue, and all color has drained from his face. I know Louie can smell it— the seconds ticking towards death.

"Iggy? You're okay now. I have you. You'll be okay. Please, be okay." My sweet mate runs her fingers through Iggy's hair to try and comfort him.

"I'm okay, Elouise. I'm not in pain." He smiles, moving his head back to look up at her. "Never would have thought some fucking wolves would get me— no offense—" he says to me before coughing.

"I'm not a wolf so no harm no foul," I make sure to return his light-hearted nature with a sad smile.

"No. You're going to be fine. You'll be just fine." Louie takes a deep breath, blinking her tears away. "You're my best friend. Please, Iggy, don't go. I need you here with me. You're my best friend. I can't— I can't do this without you. It's been us since day one."

His attention drifts to me and an understanding passes between us. "I think you'll be just fine now that you have your beloved, Louie. You'll be okay. He'll take care of you."

Louie shakes her head, lifting Iggy into her arms to clutch him tighter. His heart rate begins to slow, his eyes fighting to close.

"You were a light in this place, Louie. You made my existence worth it when I never thought it could be," he whispers, losing the battle of staying conscious.

"No, no, no! Iggy! Wake up. Please wake up!" She shakes him, holding his face in her hands. "Iggy!" A scream built upon pain and suffering swims for miles around us as she lets her friend go.

A tear falls from her jaw to Iggy's chin, and I've never moved so fast in my life. I drop to my knees and take Iggy from her, his heart losing its strength with every wasted second.

"No! Give him back! Let me have this. Let me say goodbye," she shouts at me.

I wipe the glittering tears from her eyes, rubbing the silky liquid between my fingers before showing her. "Your tears, My Light. Give him your tears."

She stares at me dumbfounded and frozen. "How could we have forgotten that?" Louie rushes to scoot closer. "We are so damn stupid." A relieved emotional cackle barks from her before she leans her head over Iggy's mouth, a single tear dripping free from her face and right onto his tongue.

A second passes without anything happening but I still hear his heart beating. It's a dragged-out pulse, one that proves how close he is to death's grip.

"Come on, come on," Louie begs the universe.

But we aren't in that kind of dimension. The universe can't hear our pleas. Her cries for help have no reply.

"Why isn't it working? Aziel, it should be working. My tears fix everything, anything, everyone. I don't understand."

I lift his arm for her to see what I do. "Look," I say, easing my tone to a more soft and gentler level in hopes she can hear my calm and feel my hope. "It is working. He is healing. Life takes time to create." I reach for her, and she falls into the crook of my arm, wiping her wet cheeks on my fur.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I drop my gaze to her just as she peers up to me with tear-stuck lashes. I love her eyes when she cries. I know it's horrible to say but the gold in them seems brighter, almost like they are glowing. I hate her sadness, yet I find it beautiful all at the same time.

"For making me think clearly. I was so caught up in pain, in the grief of losing my best friend, I forgot I could save him."

I run my claws through her hair which is a bit tangled with blood just like my fur is.

"It's what I'm here for, to help you when you can't help yourself. You're the strongest woman I know, Louie. The bravest. The wildest. It's okay not to have it all together all of the time. You don't have to. I'm here now. You can relax that part of yourself. I never plan on going anywhere."

Her gaze drops to my lips as her fingers play with the fur on my cheeks. I bend down to catch her lips in a searing kiss when Iggy's voice stops us.

"Ugh, God, kill me all over again. You two are sickening—" he coughs, inhaling a deep breath.

"Iggy! Oh my God. You're okay." Louie gathers him into her arms, manhandling him a bit with her vampiric strength, and squeezes him too hard.

"I can't breathe," he croaks, eyeing me to save him.

I shrug, silently telling him he is on his own.

She releases her stronghold, dusting off the dirt on his torn shirt. "Oh. Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just so happy. I was so scared. I haven't felt that in a long time." She brushes Iggy's hair back. "I thought I lost you."

His face is still pale, but his heartbeat is normal. There isn't a mark on him. Vampire tears are special. More so than their fangs. I know there are hunters out there who want the fangs to prolong their orgasms and the ability to perform, but the real salvation is the tears. They heal diseases, add to someone's lifespan, and increase libido.

I hope the last one doesn't hit Iggy. That would be awkward. I wouldn't be able to help him out with that. The vampire back home, Greyson, he'd like Iggy. Greyson thinks he is covering up his secret so well, but everyone knows he likes males.

Iggy tugs her into another hug. "Thank you for using your tears. I thought I was a goner. I know how sacred the teardrops are. I would have never expected—"

She pulls away, snagging him by his shoulders. "—I would do anything for you. If you need more tears, I'll give them to you. You're my best friend, Iggy. Your death isn't allowed."

My stomach lets out a long, loud grumble, and if it were possible for me to blush in this form, I would.

"Way to ruin the moment," Iggy teases, knocking my knee with his elbow. "Thanks for coming after me, Aziel. I know you didn't have to."

"Any friend of Louie's is a friend of mine. If you died, she would be sad. I can't have my mate unhappy."

"So for selfish reasons. I can live with that. And also—" he turns to Elouise. "Louie?"

I grunt, not really knowing what to say. Saving him was selfish. I also know it was the right thing to do.

"He loves calling me that even if I hate it," she mumbles with a sigh.

"You love it." I snag her neck and yank her to me. It's been too long since I've felt her lips. I break away, leaving her glassy-eyed and by the scent of it, aroused.

"Okay. Remember, I'm here." He waves the air away from his nose, the smell of lust too much for him. "What's the plan?" Iggy cracks his neck from side to side, groaning. He does the same to his back, fingers, and ankles. How does someone crack their ankles? "Hey, Aziel? Can you just tug on my leg?"

"I'm afraid I'll rip it off, and I won't shift to human form, not when we are vulnerable."

"He's a shifter, Beloved." Louie grabs his ankles, giving his legs a good yank, and a loud pop from his hips makes me flinch. "He'll be fine."

He moans. "God, that feels so much better. Thanks."

"We are going to Purgatory Pins. We'll wash up there, eat, and be on the way to look for the avisseus. Hopefully, no fog hits and I don't have to go back to fight for more information."

"You aren't fighting," Louie objects, getting to her feet.

I stay seated, tilting my head back to appreciate my angry mate. Her finger is in my face, shaking it as she speaks.

"You will no longer fight, Aziel Monreaux. Do you understand me? We are half-bonded. You won't risk that."

Hearing my pack's last name behind my first shocks me. I've never thought about it before. I know we take the last name of whatever pack we pledge to and it's a reminder of how I was packless for so long. I didn't have a last name. Not until Alpha Monreaux took me in and gave Anwyll and me a chance. I'll do my best to live up to the Monreaux name.

"My Light." I tug her hand causing her to fall into my lap. "I have to if we want to get out of here. All of us. Iggy too."

"I don't know if I can," he admits. "I'm dead. I died in my dimension when they wanted to kill all male omegas. I don't think I can go back. I don't have a body waiting for me."

"— But you have bones."

Louie unsheathes her daggers and takes a stance while I drop in front of Iggy, growling at the intruder.

Only to see it's Death.

"You," I growl.

He lights a cigarette. "Hiya. How are y'all doing? Me? I've had better days. Someone's mate just died so that really sucked. I really hate the sadness. I really think love is so beautiful, ya know?"

"Death?" Iggy peeks around my back. "Like the Four Horsemen, Death? You brought me here? You could have saved me, you know!" Iggy launches himself at Death and I snag him in time. He is kicking and reaching for the Horseman.

Death casually stands there in his beast form, his wings tucked behind his back, and the stitches that sew his face together crinkle when he takes another hit off his cigarette. "Feisty little thing, aren't you? I was doing my job, little one."

"Don't call me that. I might be little, but my attitude and anger are your size, bucko."

Death snickers, flicking the ashes off the cigarette. Humor flashes across his eyes. "Noted." He takes another puff. "Little One."

"Oh, I'm going to fucking—" Iggy tries to attack Death again and I roll my eyes, clutching his shirt to keep him in place.

The bear still swings, missing Death by— let's just say— so much room.

"So, you were saying he can come back with us?" I ask, tugging Iggy back. "Stop it," I grumble. "He could kill you."

"He already has." Iggy narrows his eyes and crosses his arms.

"Brat," I say under my breath, exhausted by this day. When will it end?

"If you three manage to escape and his soul is freed, he will find his bones. He'll be alive and well. Loopholes, am I right?" Death holds out his fist for knuckles. "Come on," he urges. "You want to."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do." He shakes his fist. "Come on. Give me some knucks."

Louie slaps a hand over her mouth to smother her giggles.

Sighing, I roll my eyes and lazily clench my fist, bumping his fucking knuckles.

"There it is! You're welcome for the advice by the way."

"I thought you weren't allowed to help us escape?"

"I didn't tell you how. I said if you managed. Loopholes." He blows smoke into the air. He checks the time on the watch he isn't wearing. "I've got to fly. Someone else died. Every fucking second. So depressing. Smell ya later." He holds out his fist again, and I bump it for good measure before he flicks the cigarette away, vanishing in a black cloud.

"That was… that was…" Louie is trying to find her words to explain that meet and greet.

"—Something. I know. All the Horsemen are like that."

"Well, then I'm going to have words with all of them," Iggy says.

"Okay, Killer. How about we make it to Purgatory Pins alive first? If we don't get there soon, I'm going to have to have some bear."

Iggy and Louie gasp in horror.

"I'm kidding. Jeez."

Kind of. They don't need to know I'm a little serious. I've eaten shifter before in desperation. I have no issue doing it again.

"Not a funny joke," Louie whispers out of the side of her mouth so only I can hear.

I lift my finger and thumb, pressing them together to make a small space. "It was. Just a little bit."

A howl sounds in the distance and the hairs on my body stand up in warning. "We need to go. Skelewolves are coming. They probably sense some of their pack is dead."

"Iggy. On Aziel's back. He's quicker."

"Hey. I do my best. It's not my fault I have little legs."

I drop to all fours and drop my head, push it between his thighs, then fling back. He yells, somersaulting through the air. He lands on his stomach with a groan, scurrying around so he doesn't have a view of my ass.

"You could have just asked me to jump on."

"That would have taken too long. Ready?" I ask Louie, wishing it was her on my back. I already miss her touch. The way she runs her fingers through my hair, how she grips it, the way she buries her cheek into the thick of my neck— she reminds me I have something to protect.

"You better hold on," I warn him. "If you fall, I'm not coming back for you."

"Psh, yes you would," he sasses.

Fucking. Brat.

"Let's go." I start running, the weeds of the field coming to life. They nip at my paws, trying to embrace my ankles to bring me down. I'm too strong. Louie has to hop on my back to avoid the wicked blades.

I guess I'm a chauffeur now. Surprisingly, I don't mind. Louie is safe along with her friend. This journey to survive might kill us but at least we will die together.

We'll fight for our existence. We'll get back home. We'll be a family.

Iggy too.