37. Ziggy

CHAPTER 37

ZIGGY

The Rabble Chat is silent once again.

Everyone had gone still in the unnatural way that made it so easy to spot supes in the wild. I would have bet money on Theo being the one to break the silence, but it was Lady Tempest who opened her mouth first.

Equally unsurprising.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" she shrieked at Daisy, who—to her credit—didn't flinch. "How dare you accuse your own family of such heinous acts. After all we did for you?—"

"What exactly did you do for us? For Daisy specifically?" Zion interrupted, clearly battling to keep his supe form from taking over.

Just let it happen, Lacertus…

Let your animal out.

Lady Tempest didn't answer the question. Instead, she employed the same tired tactic she always did when any of her children behaved in ways she didn't approve of.

She went for the jugular.

"The more important question is, what are you going to do, Zion?" She laughed condescendingly. "It has been months since you stole the throne, and our clan is weaker than ever—because of you. I'd held out hope for so long that you might someday show us you were meant to rule, but you've been a disappointment since day one."

C'mon, Zion.

Stop letting her wear your crown.

I was itching to intervene, having witnessed this verbal abuse first-hand after moving into the Salah estate to conclude my mission. At that point, Zion was in charge, but Micah still weathered his mother's biting comments about how "useless" his powers were, simply because she was too dimwitted and uncreative to understand how amazing her son actually was.

There had been many nights when I debated simply infiltrating the elder Salah's bedroom and finishing them off. It would have been easy enough to star hop their bodies into space—to avenge Micah with several excruciating minutes of pain and terror—but I refrained, mostly out of respect for Zion's authority.

Not that he ever received any respect from them.

"Even now," Tempest continued, so secure in her delusion that she believed herself untouchable. "Even with the ammunition you've been given and the eyewitness account from your little spy"— she haughtily sniffed in Daisy's direction—"you can't muster the balls to do what needs to be done. "

Simon stepped forward, but Wolfgang placed a gloved hand on my brother's shoulder, stopping him from speaking up. A quick glance at the Suarez clan leader's face showed he took no pleasure in watching his counterpart's humiliation, so I had to assume his restraint was due to the nonsensical code of conduct these supes abided by.

Good thing I have no such code.

"Zion," I steadily spoke, not wanting to appear too eager. "My offer still stands if you require inspiration?—"

"I don't need help, Ziggy!" he snapped, familiar scales flickering over his skin, an ancient call to battle to the beast that lurked within me. "This is my clan, and you're?—"

"Family…" I practically whispered the word, once foreign to me yet now coveted. "I'm your family , so this would be an… Inside. Job."

Let me in.

Let's be animals together.

Understanding finally lit up Zion's deep brown eyes as Lady Tempest continued to dig her own grave. "Case in point!" she cried triumphantly. "What kind of a clan leader needs someone else to do their dirty work for them? A weak one, because you're weak."

Enough.

As I'd hoped, that was the last straw for the supe known as Scaled Justice. Zion's eyes turned yellow, his pupils narrowing to reptilian slits as he zeroed in on his mother like the hungry predator he was. "Do you know what I think is weak, Tempest? Treating family as pawns for your power. Allowing a supe as powerful as him" —he gestured at Micah, making my stolen heart swell—"to believe he's worthless. Framing your own son for murder. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand, because you and Pops always taught me that relying on anyone else was weak. Allowing others to help actually makes you stronger. A true clan leader understands that."

I'm ready.

Zion nodded at me, but before I could make a move, Micah cursed under his breath.

Oh, no.

Lady Tempest threw back her head and laughed as the shield high above our heads momentarily flickered, allowing punishing winds to slither through the cracks. With a sinking feeling, I realized my perfect mate could only do so much on his own.

I can't assist both him and Zion at the same time…

"We've got this, Ziggy." Gabriel hurried closer to Micah and placed his hand on my stellar collision's glowing chest, nodding at Andre to do the same. "We take care of our own."

"I can also help." Theo stepped forward, already glowing like the others but oddly hesitant. "If that would be okay with you?"

Did another Stellarian slip into his body when I wasn't looking?

"Yes." I swallowed down my discomfort for the greater good. "But if you put your hands anywhere else on him, I will remove them."

"Excellent choice," he chuckled but nodded as he joined his twins in lending Micah their power. "I promise, I will behave."

For once .

"Ziggy," Zion gritted out as his Earthling body was overtaken by his Lacertus form. "Let's fucking do this."

Before he loses his nerve.

I didn't fault Zion for not wanting to take on his parents. Despite the heartless environment he was raised in, neither the Lacertus nor any of his siblings seemed to have a thirst for violence. In fact, that was one of the many things I admired about Micah—his desire to help others instead of hurt them.

Although him killing for me was one of the hottest things I've ever experienced…

Focus, Zig.

If I was being honest, I wasn't convinced I could kill my own family either. As much as I'd once dreamed of the day I'd get my revenge on Theo, my plan had consisted of capturing the fugitive and bringing him back to Stellaria for trial. Yes, this most likely would have resulted in his death at the hands of Astrum Force Command, but I wouldn't have been the one delivering the killing stroke. Instead, I let him go.

And I wrongfully thought that made me weak…

Until Micah showed me otherwise.

I now understood what Zion had struggled with for so long—what he so eloquently said to his soon-to-be-deceased mother: Allowing others to help makes you stronger, and no one makes you stronger than family.

Blood or otherwise.

Unlike the Salahs, however, I did thirst for violence. So, with a growl of satisfaction, I vacated my Earthling form and forced my way down Zion's throat, merging my essence with his.

Let's. Fucking. Do. This .

It was a process as natural as breathing, and while the feel of our synapses connecting in Zion's body wasn't nearly as satisfying as it was with Micah, I reveled in the sensation of having an "enemy" Lacertus under my control.

Careful, Ziggy.

Play nice.

Perhaps he sensed the reason for my enjoyment, as Zion tensed. Needing both of us to cooperate, I released just enough of my powers to calm his fight or flight instincts without putting him to sleep. My goal wasn't to take over his body completely—although, I definitely could— but to give the supe the extra push to do what needed to be done, for the good of not only himself, but his family.

And I can provide him with a little advantage over the competition.

"HOLY SHIT!" Baltasar shouted, pumping his fist into the air as I, on Zion's behalf, unleashed a few dozen razor sharp tendrils from beneath his Lacertus scales. "It's Godzilla Rambo!"

"Fuck yes, it is," Zion growled in reply, allowing my power to flow through him—to remind him how powerful he was. "And we're about to deliver justice."

I like the sound of that.

Major Obscurity attempted to fade into the scenery, so I quickly captured him in a tendril and squeezed—not enough to completely crush his internal organs, but the cracking of his ribs brought a smile to my borrowed Lacertus face.

We both like the sound of that.

As was the usual at this stage of the merging process, Zion's thoughts, emotions, and memories were still very much at the forefront of his mind, impossible to ignore. I'd thought I understood the full magnitude of what he and his siblings had suffered at the hands of his parents, but the slideshow of abuse I was now privy to made my vision go red.

Kill them.

Kill them all.

"We'll show them no mercy." Zion's face stretched into a toothy smile all his own. "For Daisy, Meeks, Izzy, and the others."

Killkillkillkillkill…

Lady Tempest attempted to summon a storm within the dome of protection Micah had created, but she realized too late that her powers were exhausted by the tropical cyclone she'd traitorously maintained for days. The best she could conjure was a strong wind before Zion directed two of my tendrils to slice her hands clean off.

Excellent choice.

Tempest howled in rage and torment, but the Salah clan leader wasn't finished. With a roar that echoed off the island's volcanic peak, he lowered his monstrous head and clamped his teeth around her waist, violently tearing his mother in half before flinging her convulsing body into the sea.

We then made quick work of sending Obscurity to his watery grave alongside her before I carefully extracted myself from Zion's body, and we returned to our Earthling forms.

Back to pretending we're not the animals we are.

"Fuck…" Zion dropped to his knees, his gaze fixed on what was left of his mother's body and the blood seeping into the sand.

His blood—but not his family .

Baltasar was by his side in an instant, followed by Micah, who was able to drop his shield now that Tempest and her tropical cyclone were gone.

"Thank you, Z." Micah hugged his big brother tight. "Thank you for being the clan leader we need."

"Seconded—one thousand percent!" Isaiah crowed, appearing from behind the treeline, already freed from bondage.

You're a good man, Zion.

The newly-acquitted Salah then stepped forward and buried his hands in the sand, and I could only gape as a hole temporarily opened beneath his mother's remains to swallow up the evidence.

"Back to hell where she belongs," Isaiah snickered before sobering and addressing Zion. "Mad respect for believing me… and for finally putting an end to these assholes."

"I can't believe it worked out," Zion croaked, finally finding his words. "My dumb ass thought she would drop the storm once I confronted her." He paused to give me a grateful nod. "Thank fuck Ziggy stepped in to do the heavy lifting."

Oh, Lacertus.

That's not how this works.

Micah laughed, shooting me a conspiratorial wink as we both remembered our most recent "badass space adventure"—when I discovered my true purpose in life.

And who I'm supposed to share that life with.

"No, Zion," I replied. "I simply gave you a little inspiration. Misplaced loyalties based on years of conditioning are what made you hesitate to kill your parents— not weakness. "

"Agreed," Wolfgang interjected. "Just because I managed to do it first doesn't mean I'm a ‘better' clan leader than you. I simply benefitted from having my own Stellarian whispering in my ear from a young age." He threw a glance at Luca, who beamed like the proud father he was.

Zion stood, quickly pulling on a pair of sweatpants someone handed him before huffing a laugh. "Oh, so you're admitting you killed Apocalypto Man and Glacial Girl now?"

Wolfgang shrugged noncommittally, spreading his gloved hands. "Technically, I allowed my family to help me."

Because that's what makes us strong.

"And speaking of family…" Simon briskly clapped his hands together. "We have less than an hour to prepare for what SNZ is calling ‘the supe wedding of the century,' so… chop-chop!"

"Not you," Wolfgang pointed at Theo and me. "You two need to stay here and work out your differences before the ceremony takes place. That's a direct order."

WHAT?!

I expected Theo to balk more than anyone, but he simply released a slow breath and nodded resolutely. "Thank you, Wolfgang. It's long-overdue."

Oh. Well…

Looks like we're doing this.

Micah walked over to squeeze my hand as the others organized and dispersed. "I know you can do this, Zig, but here's a little inspiration to help get you started."

I smiled softly at my stellar collision, assuming he was about to brandish his superpowered harp and play my resonance .

Instead, he turned to my father. "Hey, Theo. Ziggy told me his Earthling origin story, but what was your reasoning for picking this body in particular?"

Theo blinked before grandly gesturing at himself. "Well, first of all, just look at me. But if you must know, it was because this skinsuit had the biggest dick I'd ever seen."

I am definitely a better man than him.

Capturing my perfect mate's perfect lips in a quick kiss, I sent him on his way before taking a deep breath of my own and finally facing my maker.

And it's time to become the man Micah knows I can be.