Chapter Eighteen

This Is The Only Way.

"There can be no love without sacrifice." ~Zeena

Otto darted through the darkness, his feet pounding against the cold, wet ground. The scent of earth and fear filled his nose as he navigated the treacherous terrain. His body was partially shifted, the protective scales of his beast providing a barrier between him and the aggressive creatures of the earth realm.

In the distance, he could see the faint glimmer of lights from the house. He had been there occasionally in the past when he had still been Azure's unwilling punching bag. Marissa had surprised him with her cunning abilities, and she'd also taught him a few things, like the binding spell he'd put on the bracelets.

He would give a quick bite to the human females bound to his mistress—painless and swift. It was almost a kindness, in a twisted way. As Otto reached the final few stairs leading up to the porch, he paused to catch his breath and scan his surroundings. His keen eyes caught movement in the grass nearby. Otto turned just in time to see a sleek black panther emerge from its hiding spot. Bane, always one for dramatic flair, had allowed Otto to hear him approaching. But this panther knew how to be truly silent when it hunted. He wasn't after Otto. Not yet at least.

"Why you here?"

Bane glanced over his shoulder at the battle waging, then looked back at him.

"You not stop me," Otto warned and then walked up to the door. He scurried up to the latch and pushed down. It clicked and then swung open. A slight breeze blew in and unsettled the dust, causing Otto to scratch his nose. He jumped back down to the ground and stood still, listening. As soon as he heard their voices he took off running.

"Otto," Bane's voice bellowed from behind him. The panther had shifted back to his human form.

The lizard's heart raced as he heard the heavy footsteps of his pursuer behind him. Ignoring the thudding fear in his chest, Otto pushed through the door with all his might, bursting into the room where two human females sat huddled together on the floor. He could feel their fear radiating off them like heat waves, their wide eyes fixed on him in shock and surprise. Even the dimly lit room didn't hide their trembling forms or tear-stained faces.

"Otto, you don't have to do this." Bane stepped into the room. He glanced at the females, then looked back at the lizard.

"My mistress dies," Otto said as he looked up at the panther.

Bane slowly knelt down. "I know."

"Are you going to save us?" one of the females asked, but Otto didn't look her way. He knew there was only one being in the room that might be able to stop him.

"They alive. She not," Otto said, as if Bane didn't understand the first time.

"There's another way," Bane said, gently.

Otto shook his head. "Otto think and think. This is only sure way."

"Don't let him kill us, please," one of the females pleaded.

Bane did not look away from Otto. Smart panther. Otto watched as Bane pulled out his phone and pressed the screen. There was a ringing, and then his mistress's voice filled the room.

"Bane, how on earth did you carry a cell phone while in your cat form, and where the hell is my lizard?"

"Magic," Bane answered simply. "He is here, with the two females drawing from your life force."

"Why? Why are you there, Otto, and not on this boat with me where you trapped me?"

Tears welled up in Otto's eyes. "I told my Katy. I make this right." His voice shook as he stared at the phone, wishing it were her face he could see. Even mad at him, there would be kindness in her eyes.

"Biting them is not the answer," Bane's deep voice rumbled.

Katy gasped. "Otto, no. They're innocent, victims."

"No one is innocent," Otto grumbled. "I old. I know things."

"But they don't deserve death," Katy argued, her voice tight. "You don't get to decide when they die."

"I not let you die," Otto bellowed, and his shoulders shook. "Mistress may hate me, but you be live. That enough for me."

He moved toward the females, and they tried to push farther against the wall. "I won't hurt," he told them. They were looking at him as if he were crazy. Probably because they'd never encountered a talking lizard, or one that planned on killing them. "It will be fast."

"Otto, stop right this instant." Katy's voice came through the phone.

Otto could hear the battle still being waged between Azure and the other shifters. He heard Marissa's voice and, beyond that, Nico, who even laughed. Crazy shaman.

"Would Visata want you to do this?" his mistress asked.

Otto dropped his eyes to the floor. How many things had he done for Azure that Visata would not have approved of? "I fall from grace long time ago, mistress." Otto noticed his shaking hands and clenched them into fists, the claws pressing deep into his palms.

"You can't fall from grace, Otto," Katy said softly. "Grace is what catches you when you fall."

"Think of who is actually deserving of your bite, Otto." Bane's eyes narrowed. "Who created the tie between Katy and these females?"

Otto's eyes drifted to the window in the room. The dark curtains that hung in front of it were parted so he could see out to where Azure's scales shimmered in the moonlight. The huge snake darted forward, striking at one of the beasts fighting him. Otto didn't know if the three lions and wolf could defeat Azure. He was powerful, especially with his tie to Marissa. Her dark magic helped fuel Azure's own power. "The witch," he said softly as the pain and fear in his mind began to clear. He'd been so focused on the tie between the human females and Katy that he hadn't considered taking out Marissa. Otto's bite was one of the most poisonous of the Damarians. She might wield dark magic, but she was still just a human.

"Otto, come back to me, please," Katy pleaded with him.

Suddenly, the noise from outside stopped. Otto's head snapped back up.

"Katy, what's happening?" Bane asked.

"Zeena." Katy breathed out.

Bane tapped the phone and shoved it back in his pocket as Otto looked up at him. "Let's go. Marissa's evil ends tonight, and you will be the weapon that takes her out." Bane reached over to the women and untied them. "I'll be back for you both. You're going to be fine. Do not leave, understand?"

Both females nodded as they stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Get on," he told Otto as he shifted into his panther form.

Otto scuttled up the feline's hind quarters onto his back and then ducked his head as Bane lunged through the window, glass shattering around them. His paws hit the ground with a soft thud, and then they were running back toward the boat, toward the sudden silence.

"Close enough to jump," Otto told Bane. He wanted to bite her on her neck, in the largest artery, so the poison would travel fast. Otto dreaded the idea of tasting the witch's blood, but it was a necessary evil. He'd need to make sure he injected enough venom to kill her. Her dark magic might help her fight off his poison. Once Marissa was dead, the link between the females and Katy would be broken.

"Stop this." Zeena's voice was rough with emotion as she watched her mate be ripped to shreds by the cats and wolf. Every slice tore through her soul. Despite the raging animals, Azure heard her immediately and pulled back, his hood flaring wide. Thanks to the voodoo priestess, he could speak in his serpent form. Zeena had never particularly liked Marissa, but she'd never felt threatened by her either. Azure was her bonded mate. Their souls were practically one.

"How long have we been together, Azure?" She stalked toward her mate, unafraid, confident he wouldn't harm her. "How many millennia have I stood beside you?"

His tongue flicked out, and she knew he'd smell her scent, one that was as familiar to him as his own. He would taste her skin from the sweat that surfaced on her flesh.

"Where have you been, mate?" Azure's eyes focused on her. "I feel the bond now, but it had been gone."

She shook her head. "Not gone, just muted for a bit." She glanced at Marissa. "I needed a break from certain parts of your life."

The priestess cackled like a fool. "I told you she wasn't as resilient as you, Azure." Marissa's voice grated along Zeena's scales.

In the blink of an eye, Azure was a man again, though scales covered his skin. "Shut up, witch," he spat at the priestess. "Do not speak of my mate in such a way."

Zeena wondered where this possessiveness was coming from. It had been so long since he'd shown her real focus and desire. He took a step toward her, but she shook her head and took a step back. "We have matters to discuss." Her heart was breaking all over again. She couldn't believe the man he had become, and she couldn't believe she had supported him. What had gone wrong? She'd asked herself over and over, but she had no answer. All she could see was a man who'd started out wanting the best for their people, who had now turned into someone who craved power, unable to get enough of it.

Azure's scales rippled as he watched her. "Don't turn our bond off again, mate." His voice was more gentle than it had been in as long as she could remember. "It was"—he struggled to find a word—"unsettling."

"I imagine so. With our bond shut down, you surely noticed the presence that shouldn't be there."

Zeena hadn't noticed it until Marissa began using her power on Nico. Then she had begun scrutinizing her own mind. That's when Zeena had seen the link the priestess had on her mate. A tear streamed down her cheek. She hated to cry, especially in front of the one who'd broken her heart.

"Even now, she's using your power." Zeena motioned to Marissa. "And you're letting her." Zeena would not become hysterical, no matter how crazy she felt at watching the connection between her mate and another female. It wasn't a lover's connection, but that didn't matter. There should be no bond besides theirs.

"What have you done?" Azure hissed at Marissa.

"What I had to." The priestess's form was outlined in dark magic. She was strong here in her territory. Who knows how many bodies littered the bayou to power her dark magic, both human and animal alike. "You wanted animi for your people. I created the spell for it. I told you I would need someone with powerful magic." Marissa laughed, a condescending sound. "You never even thought to offer your own power. But it was easy enough to take." She winked at him. "A blood bond doesn't take much of the red stuff. Just a prick. The Dire Wolf's mate was just a distraction. I didn't really need her. But she is a bonus. I know how much that wolf drives you crazy. Her death will drive him to his own."

Zeena thought she might vomit. The witch had tied herself to Azure with his blood, and he was powerful. He was old. A Damarian from their former world.

Her mate was speechless as he listened to what Marissa had done. Disgust and hate distorted his handsome face, making him look like the monster he'd become.

Suddenly, the grass rustled behind Marissa. There was no battle cry, but a large lizard flew through the air. Otto landed on the back of Marissa's neck. His mouth opened wide. As he struck, Zeena screamed. "Otto, no!." But it was too late. His teeth and claws were buried deep. Zeena heard Katy screaming from the boat, terrified, berating the little lizard. And Katy had reason to be terrified.

"Bane, get him off of her," Zeena ordered. She might not be a queen anymore, but her ability to take command when she needed hadn't left her.

The panther shifted to his human form, fully dressed. He looked at her, questions in his eyes.

"He will be infected with dark magic."

Bane frowned.

Dammit, what wasn't he getting? "It will make him sick, possibly kill him, especially since we are in her territory surrounded by her victims."

That finally made the panther jump into action. He grabbed Otto and ripped him away from the priestess. Otto's poison was already taking hold, but with her life tied to Azure, it likely wouldn't be enough to kill her. Marissa stumbled as her hand came up to her neck.

"What have you done?" she sneered at Otto, who sat on Bane's shoulder, his blood-covered teeth bared at her. He wobbled and his eyes rolled back. Bane caught him before he could hit the ground.

"I told you to stop him," Zeena yelled at Bane, even though it wasn't the panther's fault. She was just angry and scared.

"Otto!" Katy's voice carried through the night. "Bring him to me! GAGE." The girl was hysterical, and rightfully so. Otto would not live. Not if Marissa did.

Zeena slipped her hand into her pocket, wrapping around the hilt of the short blade that Azure had given to her as a mating bond present over a thousand years ago. It was infused with the magic of their home and blessed by Visata himself. Known as a righteous blade. She imagined Azure had forgotten about it. Not her. She'd kept it safe, worried that she might actually have to use it one day. Today was that day.

"If we kill her, Otto will be fine, and Azure will die with her." Nico approached with the demon by his side. "Right?"

"Zeena." Gage's voice boomed across the trampled area. He jogged in his human form, his trademark trench coat flapping open with his movements. His eyes blazed with anger as he looked at her. "He will live if she dies." It wasn't a question.

Her eyes fell upon Marissa, whose pale complexion bore a sickly hue. The once smooth surface of her skin was now marred with grotesque black splotches, evidence of Otto's deadly poison coursing through her veins. Each passing moment brought about new waves of pain and agony, as the poison slowly worked its way through her body, leaving behind a trail of destruction. But it wouldn't be enough.

"She tied herself to you." Zeena focused on her mate and prepared her mind for what she would have to do. She couldn't let him see it in her eyes. He couldn't be allowed to stop her. "I have loved you." Her lips trembled as more tears formed in her eyes. "I have been by your side for centuries, your most loyal follower. And instead of standing beside you, I remained one step behind you so you could have the attention that you seemed to need. I was okay to simply glow from the reflection of you shining."

"Zeena." Azure reached out his hand toward her. "I didn't realize?—"

"How could you? Your eyes were only ever focused on what you wanted. How could you possibly notice that I was slowly withering away? So much so that I was able to shut down a thousand-year-old bond. How long did it take you to notice?" She didn't want an answer. Zeena was already ripped to shreds emotionally, and her mate hadn't even said more than a sentence. She didn't want to hear his lies. "Over time, I grew so bitter and so angry, and I took it out on everyone around us until I had no one. My bitterness at you made me a prisoner of my own making. I tried to convince myself that you would go back to being the male that I bonded to so long ago. The one who looked at me the way Gage looks at Katy, and Callon looks at Lola, the way that Taras still looks at Lyra." She slammed a fist against her chest. "I should still have that with you." She could hear Katy's tears, her pleas for Gage to bring Otto to her. She needed to get this done quickly. Her time had come.

"Love takes sacrifice, Zeena," Azure's voice was resolute. "I was making sacrifices for our people."

Zeena looked at Gage. "The bond has become a triad. All must die. Then he will live, and so will your mate." She looked back at Azure as she pulled the righteous blade from the pocket of her dress, lifting it out smoothly in front of her. "You're right, my mate. Love does take sacrifice."

Azure reached for her, but Zeena struck with the strength and quickness of her own serpent. She plunged the knife into her chest, straight into her heart.

"What the hell?" Katy yelled as she beat the side of the boat with her hand. "What?" She pointed at Zeena, whose body lay on the ground. Then there were two thuds in rapid succession, and Azure and Marissa's bodies both fell to the ground. "She just… Lola!" Katy paced to her friend then away from her, looking for Gage. "What the hell is happening?"

"She was the sacrifice. Zeena said Marissa had to die, but the priestess had bound herself to Azure. She told Gage it was a triad. The only way for Marissa and Azure to die was for Zeena to die, too." Tears streamed down Lola's face. They'd both heard everything using their beasts' hearing.

"Otto?" Katy took deep breaths. Her palms were sweating, and she rubbed them down her thighs. She watched the field where the others seemed frozen in shock. Who could have predicted this?

She focused on Bane, who still held Otto's body. Slowly, the little lizard moved his head, giving it a shake. Then he pushed up until he sat in Bane's hands. "My mistress?" Bane nodded toward the boat. Otto turned, his big yellow eyes and met hers. His reptilian face turned up in a huge smile.

Katy laughed even as tears ran down her cheeks. She covered her mouth to keep from shouting out something, anything. There was just so much emotion in her, and she was stuck on this boat. Her mind froze, and she looked at the bracelets on her hand. Then back to Marissa's dead body. "Otto, the witch is dead. Do something about these freaking bracelets." She watched the lizards lips move and then he gave her the equivalent to a thumbs up. Katy's lips turned up into a smile that probably looked a little psycho. She jumped over the side of the boat, her feet hitting the wet ground, and she ran straight for the panther who held her friend. Katy snatched him and held him close as she turned and ran straight into Gage's bare chest. His arms wrapped around her, and she breathed him in. "We're okay. We're okay," she said over and over as if that would just make it stay true.

Gage's hand came up to the back of her neck, and he held her to him, his lips coming down by her ear. "We're more than okay. Breathe with me, my mate."

She did. She let herself focus on him, and he calmed her breathing, her heart slowing to meet his.

"Thank you." She pulled back to look up at him and then looked at Otto. "I'm so mad at you I could spit nails. But I know you just wanted to save me. So thank you, Otto."

"I told you I make it right," Otto said, a little too smugly. But she'd let him have it for now.

"What now?" Lola's voice came from behind her. Katy turned in her mate's arms so she could see everyone else.

"I will get the females." Bane motioned toward the house.

"I can help if they're hysterical." There was no flirtation in Raphael's tone. Apparently, he was just offering his ability.

Bane shook his head. "They're strong females."

"I'll help," Nico said. He and Bane jogged toward the house.

"Zeena deserves the burial of a royal," Talbot said as he and Rose glided across the swampy grass toward them. "She would want her mate with her. We will honor what she deserves, even if he doesn't."

"What about her?" Rose pointed to Marissa.

"Her body will need to be burned here," Raphael looked around. "It may not entirely cleanse this land, but it will help."

"Good thing I like fire," Nico said as he and Bane returned with the two wide-eyed women, who looked a lot worse for wear. Though they had no injuries, both bore tattoos on their arms.

Taras and Lyra stepped forward and smiled at the girls. Lyra, so gentle and kind, reached out a hand and shook both of theirs. "We will have those tattoos removed." She motioned to their arms. "And you will be returned to your lives. Nico, this green-haired cutie, will assist you."

Nico wiggled his fingers at them. "Don't worry, ladies, you won't remember a thing." He placed his hand on their foreheads, and both girls collapsed. Bane caught one and Raphael the other. They carried them to the boat as Nico picked up Marissa's body. "I'm going to take out the trash and burn it. I'll meet you guys on the boat." He saluted them and then jogged off with the priestess.

They loaded Azure and Zeena onto the boat and waited. When Nico returned, he worked some sort of magic on Jack. Katy was ready to collapse. But this was from sheer exhaustion, not from having her life force taken from her body.

She sat in Gage's lap with Otto sitting in hers and tried to process everything that had happened. Katy didn't know what she'd expected when they'd started on this journey, but never in a million years had she thought they'd be heading home with a lifeless Zeena.

Katy lay her head back against Gage's shoulder and listened to his breathing. Her eyes drifted closed. She could see Zeena and that knife. "She deserved better," she whispered, knowing her mate would hear her.

"She did."

"It's scary, what people will do for love," Katy told him, as Otto patted her hand and made a happy trilling sound in his throat. "But life isn't worth living without it."