Myron nodded. “She needs to get to the Kingdom of Fangs where Nox can protect her. And where she will find her mate.” He dropped his eyes as he said this. Katy was flattered that both of them seemed to find her good mate material. Based on what, she wasn’t sure, considering the extent of their relationship was based on them kidnapping her.

  “What about Azure getting away with this? What about all the women he’s already hurt, or women who are coming to this kingdom and might be hurt once they get here?” Katy threw her hands up in the air. “I mean, he can’t just be allowed to do whatever the hell he wants just because he’s a king, and if your society is the type that turns a blind eye because of royalty, then I want no part.”

  “Perfect match.” Otto’s yellow eyes gazed up at her proudly. “You his perfect match.”

  “Whose?” Myron and Slick asked at the same time.

  “Her mate.” Otto stared at her.

  “She has a mate? You have a mate? I’ve never seen a wolf with that tattoo.” Then Myron shook his head, seeming to consider his statement. “Granted, I haven’t met every wolf, but how would you have met one that’s come through here that I haven’t met?”

  “You not see his tattoo,” Otto told him, “and live to tell.”

  “Umm, okay,” Katy said slowly. “I don’t know him well, and yes, he admittedly seems to have a violent streak, but would he really kill someone just for seeing his tattoo?”

  There were strings of curses from both Myron and Slick before Myron spoke.

  “You’re mated to the dire wolf?”

  “Mated is a strong word,” Katy said casually. “I’d say more like we’re, well, nothing really. We met. Literally spent about a minute in one another’s company, and then he left.” She held up the infamous phone, which had remained oddly silent. “Oh, and we’ve shared some snarky texts. But that’s all. He doesn’t know that I know.”

  Slick’s eyes widened. “He didn’t tell you?”

  “To keep her safe,” Myron interjected. “If Azure knows what she is…”

  “Damn,” Slick said slowly and then said it again, only louder. “Damn.”

  Katy walked over to a chair and took a seat. She needed to process. Also, she needed to figure out how to get one of the three males in the room to unlock the dang magic door. Stupid magic. “So can we go back to the part where I don’t want to be a part of a world that turns a blind eye to a king abusing women?”

  “No,” Myron answered. “I’m still stuck on the part where the dire wolf is going to kill me for making a bid on his mate.”

  “Oh, snap.” Katy nodded. “That does suck for you. But not my problem. Now, how do we make sure Azure gets the book thrown at him?”

  “A book not hurt him.” Otto looked at her like she’d lost her damn mind.

  “I don’t mean a physical book, Ot.” She sighed. “I mean, how do we make sure your people take him down from power? He can’t be allowed to rule a freaking kingdom when he’s exploiting the vulnerable and abusing his power. That’s not okay.”

  “The Council will need proof,” Slick finally answered. “Not just eyewitnesses.”

  “Then we give them proof.” She pushed up from the chair.

  “Like what?” Myron shook his head. “I don’t think he’s going to let us go traipsing around his lab with a camcorder.”

  “We can do better even than that,” Katy replied.

  All three of them looked at her like she’d grown a second head.

  “We give them an animus from whom he’s siphoned power.” She hooked a thumb at herself.

  “No!”

  “What?”

  “Not happening.” They each yelled at her.

  Katy blinked at the three males. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recall asking for permission, as if I needed it.”

  “It could kill you.” Myron’s handsome face suddenly grew gaunt, showing dark circles under his eyes. “He won’t believe your Gage’s mate. A disgraced dire wolf. Everyone knows that dire wolves only mate once, and only to another dire wolf. And they were all killed before we crossed into this realm.”

  Katy’s stomach dropped. “Did Gage have a mate that was killed?”

  “No,” Otto answered quickly. “Master Gage not mated before.”

  She breathed out a sigh. Okay, that sucker punch could be reversed. For a split second, Katy thought she was going to be competing with a ghost for all of eternity.

  “I don’t have time to argue this with you three, and I don’t know what you’re talking about with all this dire wolf history. What I do know is Azure needs a powerful animus, and he seems to think that if a female is mated to a male in a powerful position, then she will be powerful. And from what I’ve gathered, a dire wolf is powerful, right?”

  “Just a bit.” Slick held up his hand with his thumb and pointer finger slightly apart.

  “Then I can give the Council what they need to take Azure down. I can give them firsthand proof. I’m doing this. You can either help me or get the hell out of my way.”

  All three males simply stared at her like she’d lost her mind. Katy turned to Otto.

  “How long has that bastard treated you like crap? How long has he stomped on you, crushed you into the dirt, made you feel like you were nothing when all you’d ever done was serve him well? We can’t let him get away with this.”

  “Katy get hurt.” Otto’s yellow eyes grew glassy.

  “I’ll be fine. I’m made of tough stuff. Please, Otto,” she implored him. “As soon as Azure has his voodoo chick doing her mojo, you can contact Gage and bring in the calvary.”

  Otto stared at her for several heartbeats before he finally responded. “You die, I bites you.”

  “Biting dead people isn’t healthy, Otto. It’s like drugs. Just say no,” she told him as she followed him to the door.

  He placed his hand on it.

  “Otto.” Myron breathed out, but there was only sadness in it, no real objection. Just resolve.

  “I’ve got to do this, Myron. Why else would I have been brought here if not for this reason?”

  “Damn good female,” Slick muttered.

  Myron nodded, his lips turning up slightly. “The hardheaded ones usually are.”

  The door lit up and then dimmed. Katy didn’t give herself time to think about what she was doing. She wrapped her hand around the knob and turned it. As she started out of the room, she looked down at Otto, who walked beside her. His chin was lifted with determination, even though she didn’t miss the way his little hands trembled. “When I was a kid, for every Christmas and birthday, my dad would get me a typical gift. A doll, a play set, coloring books…, all the usual things. And every time, I’d say, ‘Is a puppy too much to ask for?’ Because I always wanted a dog. But we live in New York City, and owning a dog is a major undertaking. Just taking it outside to go to the bathroom would be a half-hour ordeal every time, ya know? But as a kid, you don’t care. You just want what you want.” They made some turns down different hallways, and Katy trusted Otto to lead her where she wanted to go. “But now, if I was a kid again, I think I’d say something different.”

  Otto blinked. “What?”

  “I’d say, ‘Is a lizard too much to ask for?’ Because they’re cool as shit.”

  Otto’s little mouth turned up slightly, revealing the tops of his sharp teeth. “Yeahs we are.”

  She laughed. “Oh, the way you talk. Dude, don’t change.”

  They were silent in the last hallway. Then they stopped in front of a large, ornate wooden door. It was covered in snakes and painted black, but the eyes of the snakes were each a different color and looked way too real for Katy’s liking.

  Otto knocked on the door. It was only a second before Azure’s voice carried through. “Come in.”

  “You’re not going in with me,” Katy whispered as she looked down at him. “He might try to trap you to hurt me. You need to be able to get in contact with Gage.” Katy held out the phone, leaning down so Otto could reach it. “Go. I’ll be fine.” She had no idea if that was true. But she did know that Azure would instantly see how much Otto meant to her and immediately use that to his advantage.

  Otto’s face was torn. He didn’t want to leave her. But he knew she was right. Finally, he gave a sharp nod and took the phone. Then he stepped across the hall and slunk into the shadows until she could no longer see him. Katy faced the door. She took a deep breath and let it out before entering the snake’s den. She had no idea how long it would be before Gage would get to her. And she knew a million things could go wrong with her plan. Like, literally everything. It was a pretty hole-filled plan, honestly. Good grief, why am I not better at this? I read. I watch crime documentaries. I feel like I should be more prepared for this scenario. More prepared for handing herself over to a snake king to siphon her apparent supernatural powers to make more beings like her, only they wouldn’t really be like her because the Damarian Creator wouldn’t have been the ones ordaining their creation. How does one prepare for that exactly, Katy? Then she ignored her own question as her eyes met Azure’s. The room wasn’t a throne room, but the snake’s office.

  “Katy Dire.” Azure sounded pleased to see her. She wasn’t expecting that. “I was just about to send for you.”

  “Oh?”

  “It looks like your time as our guest has come to an end.” Azure’s snake-slit eyes glowed eerily. “Nox, the Alpha of Kingdom of Fangs, has agreed to pay the expenses it will cost to get you to Montana. Considering the mix-up with you ending up in my kingdom…”

  “Mix-up?” Katy asked slowly. What the hell was going on?

  “Well, you’re going to have a mate in the Kingdom of Fangs. That tattoo is a clear indication of it. My males never should have brought you here.” The Snake King shrugged.

  Katy cleared her throat. “Interesting take on the situation.” Was this guy seriously acting like he hadn’t ordered her to be kidnapped and dropped on his damn creepy doorstep? “But I don’t need to go find my mate. I already know who he is, and I’m good to stay here. So, you can tell Nox, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’”

  Azure’s eyes sparkled with humor. “Oh? And who’s your mate then?”

  She lifted her chin and pulled her shoulders back. “Gage, the dire wolf.”

  Azure chuckled, shaking his head back and forth. “He said you’d say that. Though I don’t think he realized you’d be quite so proud. Even if it were true, if you knew the disgrace that is a dire wolf, you’d never be proud to be mated to one. Especially Gage.”

  “I am his mate.” Katy’s heart squeezed tightly in her chest as she fisted her hands.

  “Not according to him.” Azure shook his head as he slid his hands into the pockets of his expensive-looking slacks. “In fact, his exact words were, ‘Her best friend just mated the Lion King. She’s jealous and wants to lay claim to a powerful mate. But I belong to no one.”

  Chapter 14

  Don’t Spit In The Snake King’s Eye.

  “I feel like life just looked at me and said, ‘Could you please hold my glass?’ and then proceeded to beat the crap out of me while laughing maniacally. Why? Because sometimes life sucks. We’re supposed to grow in character and learn from it. But I think we’re in the midst of that learning process where we can also just hand life its drink back and return the ass-kicking.” ~Katy

  Gage felt as if the floor had been ripped out from beneath him and he was free-falling. A wolf wasn’t meant to fly. His feet belong firmly planted on the ground. But Slick’s words had just plunged him through the air.

  “Did you hear me?” Slick’s voice came through the phone. “Gage? Katy’s going to tell Azure. Right now. That you’re her mate.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Gage’s voice was so guttural with his beast that his words were nearly unclear. “And then I’m coming to get her. You might not want to be there when I get there, Slick. If he hurts her, I will end the Kingdom of Venom.”

  “Myron and I will try to get her away from Azure. Just get your ass down here and bring that crazy-ass Alpha with you.” The snake ended the call.

  Voices around Gage began asking him questions. He held up his hand, and the room, including the people still on the video call, got quiet. He punched a number on his phone.

  “I’ve been waiting for your call,” Azure said without preamble.

  “Nox will pay whatever you want. Katy is going to tell you I’m her mate.” Gage’s mind was working overtime, trying to figure out a way to keep his female from getting herself killed. “You and I both know it’s not true.”

  “Why is she going to tell me this, and how do you know?” The Snake King’s voice was careful as he spoke. Clearly, he was unsure of where Gage stood in their so-called alliance.

  “Because I’m in a video conference with Kingdom of Claws, and Katy has managed to contact her friends via cell phone. Apparently, I left an impression when we met.” Gage sounded smug and wanted to punch himself in the face, but he had to sell this. “Her best friend just mated the Lion King. She’s jealous and wants to be able to lay claim to a powerful mate. But I belong to no one.”

  He heard the hissing of pissed-off females behind him, but Gage couldn’t worry about who he offended. He had to keep Azure’s attention off of the remote possibility that Katy could be his mate.

  Azure chuckled. “Females do like to one-up each other. I’m sure it’s a bit of an ego blow for Katy to find herself beneath her friend on the power scale.”

  Gage’s wolf wanted to bite the damn snake’s head off. Katy didn’t give a shit about power. That was obvious because she was willing to put herself on the chopping block for females she didn’t even know. “How much for her? Nox has males ready to meet her.” Gage changed the subject.

  “Ten million.”

  “Done,” Gage said without pause.

  “Just like that? He’s not even going to threaten to out me to the Council?”

  Gage laughed. Complete silence filled the line and the surrounding room. When he stopped laughing, he looked around and saw shocked looks on the faces of Nox and Link. Everly, Nox’s mate, had come into the room at some point in the conversation. She looked aghast.

  “Never laugh again,” Everly said softly. “Like, ever.”

  Behind her on the screen, Lola and Maddie were nodding and pointing at the Alpha female in agreement.

  Gage shrugged. “Sorry,” he said into the phone. “But you just made a funny.”

  “Made a funny?” Everly mouthed. “Who are you?”

  “Are you quite well?” Azure sounded as confused as the KOF Alpha female looked.

  “Nox has the females marked for your kingdom, fifteen so far, though not all of his animi have gotten their tattoos yet, so there may be more.” Gage didn’t answer the snake king. “So, you’ve got ten million dollars to work with. I’m sure you and Nox can come to an agreement on a fair amount for the exchange of the women who wish to come to New Orleans.”

  Gage could practically feel Azure’s rage coming through the phone. If he’d been standing in front of Azure, he wondered if the snake king would have tried to kill him.

  “Fifteen?” Azure finally said after at least a minute of silence.

  “Crazy, right?” Gage sure as hell was feeling crazy. His beast was about to lose his mind. Gage needed to be on a plane and headed in Katy’s direction as of ten minutes ago.

  “How much do you want, Nox?” Azure knew the Alpha wolf would have no problem hearing him.

  “Ten million.” Nox smirked.

  “You’re willing to trade me fifteen females for one little wolf?” Azure asked incredulously, as if it was the most absurd thing.

  No, Gage mentally responded, I want to trade you fifteen females for my mate, then strangle you with your intestines, and then feed you to the sharks in the Kingdom of Tides.

  “No,” Nox answered. For a split second, Gage considered that the Alpha might make a similar threat. He hoped Nox remembered they had to keep things cordial while Azure still had Katy. “I want to send you your animi because the Creator has seen fit to bless your males with mates. And I want you to send Katy home to us so she can meet her mate.” Nox met Gage’s eyes. The pain in the Alpha’s gaze was a gut punch. He genuinely hurt for The Dire. Nox knew how hard this was for him and his beast to stand here negotiating while they should be storming the KOV stronghold.

  “Fine,” Azure snapped. “Send the females. Gage, come get Nox’s little wolf. She’s making Otto soft. I need her bad influence away from him, anyway.” The call ended.

  Gage was moving before he even considered the fact that he should plan something. All he could see was Katy’s face. He needed to get to her. Nox’s hand came down on his shoulder, and it took every ounce of his control to keep his wolf from ripping it off.

  “I’m going.” Gage’s tone dared anyone to challenge him. Then he sidestepped to get out from the Alpha’s touch.

  Nox simply nodded. “I want regular updates on Katy’s situation. The Kingdom of Fangs stands ready to intervene if needed. Link will join you with the KOV animi.”

  “Noted,” Gage said coolly, “though I work alone.”

  Nox’s eyes glowed emerald with the force of his wolf spirit. “She bears the mark of a wolf. That makes her pack. And we protect our own.”

  “She bears my wolf,” Gage reminded Nox. The Alpha’s possessive claim rankled Gage’s own wolf. Katy belonged to him and him alone. But he was pragmatic enough to use whatever resources he must in order to save her, including these mangy mutts if necessary. “Point taken,” Gage conceded. “I’ll keep you updated on any changes.”

  Lola still looked troubled, her fingers worrying the hem of her shirt. Callon pressed a kiss to her temple. “All will be well, Sazzi. We must have faith.”

  Faith had never come easily to Gage, not after the horrors he’d endured. But for Katy’s sake, he wanted to believe that she would be spared any more pain. He had to reach New Orleans ahead of Azure’s dark scheme in case the snake believed Katy. Gage’s wolf strained inside him, desperate to have their mate safely in his arms. His beast was pissed that they had to deny their claim on her and that she would hear those words because Azure would repeat them to her. Gage would hurt her, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.