“Time is of the essence,” Gage said briskly.

  He moved to leave, but Lola’s voice stopped him. “Wait. Can you take her a message? From me?”

  Gage paused. He knew it would mean the world to Katy to hear from her friend.

  “Tell her…” Lola’s voice grew thick with emotion. “Tell her I love her. And that I approve.”

  “Me, too,” Maddie spoke up. “Tell her the same from me.”

  Gage’s chest tightened at the worry in Lola’s eyes and at the thought that Katy’s two best friends had just signed off on him as her mate.

  “She’ll know you love her, and she won’t believe that you approve,” he promised gruffly. With a final nod, Gage left to make preparations for his departure. But Lola’s parting words stayed with him.

  They stirred an unfamiliar protectiveness in his weary soul. Perhaps after a lifetime alone, Gage was ready to be part of something beyond himself—a family, a home. If he could just get Katy back safely, he vowed to try. For her, he just might find the faith to believe again.

  Katy refused to let herself shutdown simply because her feelings were hurt by a guy she barely knew. It didn’t matter that they were supposed destined, or fated, or mates, or whatever. The point was, she still had a job to do. And she was going to do it. She knew Gage had a reason for denying her to Azure, and it was most likely an attempt to protect her. The silly wolf would learn that she was just as willing to protect others as he was.

  “I can prove it,” she blurted out.

  Azure turned to look at her, his brow raised. “Oh? And how could you possibly do that?”

  Katy jutted out her jaw. “Have Otto bite me.” She’d been paying attention even though Myron had been attempting to brush off what the lizard had been saying. Otto had said it wouldn’t matter if he bit Katy because she was Gage’s mate, which meant she was a dire wolf. It was in her damn name, for goodness’ sake. That couldn’t be a coincidence. No, she had no idea how her last name being Dire had anything to do with her actually being a dire wolf, but someday she’d figure it out. She just needed to live long enough. “If I’m a dire wolf, his bite won’t kill me.”

  Azure walked toward her. “Did Otto put this idea in your head?” Slipping his phone from his pocket, he tapped the screen. “What’s that little fool up to? You must have really bored him if he’s trying to use you to annoy Gage.”

  Don’t spit in the Snake King’s eye, Katy chanted in her mind. Spitting in his eye wouldn’t help anything. Except it would. It would help me feel better. Like soooo much better.

  The door creaked open, and Otto staggered in, the scales on his face turning pale green. His eyebrows were scrunched together as he clenched the fabric of his shirt in his clawed hands. Otto’s anguished-filled eyes, red-rimmed and glassy with tears, met hers. “My King,” he said, softly. “She not.”

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Otto,” Azure snapped. “I commanded you to do as she asked. Prove it. Bite her so I can get on with my day.”

  “Even if she is dire, could still die,” Otto told him, but his eyes were still on Katy. “Bond not complete.”

  Oh, hell. Well, Katy hadn’t considered that part of the equation. She stiffened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’ll be fine, Otto. I know who I am. I’m Katy-freaking-Dire. Bite me, or I’m going to tell everyone just how cute you are in your beastwalker form.”

  Otto’s jaw trembled as he walked toward her. He looked as if he was being asked to beat a puppy with a hammer. Katy hated that she was putting him in this situation. She was hurting him by asking him to do this. But they were leaving her no choice. If Azure used her for his voodoo spell, she’d be able to tell the Shaman Council. And he’d be punished. She wasn’t sure what Damarian justice actually looked like. Do they have the death penalty? Surely, they have the death penalty.

  Katy knelt down when Otto reached her. She held out her hand to him. “It’s okay if you want to bite me hard. I won’t hold it against you.”

  To her shock, a tear rolled down his leathery, scaled face.

  “Touching, to be sure,” Azure said dryly. “Otto always did have a tendency to get attached to our weak little pets.”

  Katy ignored the snake and kept her eyes locked with her friend’s, willing him to have the strength to stand up against the king who’d tortured him all of his long life, hoping she could help him see that this could help more than just them. It could help all the innocent women Azure had taken and would take if he wasn’t stopped.

  Otto grabbed her hand and quickly bit down on her palm. She felt a sharp sting, and then something burned into her veins, as if she’d been injected with fire.

  “Mother of toadstools.” Katy formed a fist around the bite and then stood. She felt dizzy but forced herself to take slow, deep breaths.

  “The bite weaken her, even if she live.” Otto put a hand against her leg, as if to steady her. That made her want to laugh. Then again, what did she know? He was a beastwalker. Maybe Damarian lizards had super strength.

  Azure glanced at Otto, but then his eyes examined Katy. He scrutinized her from her head to her toes. What was he looking for?

  “His bite would kill you in seconds.” Vreene’s voice filled Katy’s mind as she remembered the conversation she’d had with the KOV member. She should already be dead. Now, she had Azure’s attention. Not just his attention. He was up in her grill, his nose nearly touching her neck as he took a deep breath. Was he sniffing her? Eww. “I think I’m going to puke.” Though she wasn’t really, Katy hoped it might cause the snake king to back away. Thankfully, it worked, and he took a step backward.

  “You should be dead,” Azure told her. “So why aren’t you?”

  “I already gave—” Katy started, but then swayed on her feet and stumbled. “Whoa.”

  “Sits, stubborn, stupids female.” Otto tried to push her in the direction of a chair.

  Katy caught the arm of one and managed to keep her balance enough not to faceplant. Considering the room was spinning, she thought that was impressive.

  “I’m Gage’s mate.” The burning that had been in her veins moved into her lungs, and her breathing became shallow. Fire. She was breathing fire. Note to self: get teeth caps for Otto.

  “I don’t see how that’s possible,” Azure said absently. But then he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. “No matter. Whatever you are, you are something. And that means you’re of use to me. I’m not sure why you decided to tell me this made-up story about Gage. Perhaps you hoped it would curry you some kind of favor in my eyes. Or maybe you thought I would simply let you go since he works for me. Or that he would offer me something for your release? Who knows? Humans have the strangest thoughts, but they are all foolish. I hate to break it to you, Katy, but Gage lives for one person and one person only. Himself.”

  Katy stumbled along behind the Snake King with a scurrying, terrified-looking Otto beside her. He had his phone out and was tapping away. Thankfully, Azure was too preoccupied to notice.

  “This is a happy turn of events.” Azure pushed through a door and out into the night air.

  How many days had she been at his mansion now? Three? Four? She couldn’t remember. Her mind felt fuzzy and her feet… Wait. “Where are my feet?” She looked down and blew out a breath. “There you are. Happy feet.”

  “Make a note, Otto. The poison makes her drunk. And she’s a goofy drunk.”

  “Was that you attempting to be funny? Because you’re bad at it. Probably just stick to being an ass king.”

  “Katy, no.” Otto hissed, like seriously hissed, at her.

  “What?” She shrugged, or at least she thought she did. “The truth hurts.”

  “Drunk and bold.” Azure pushed open the door to a dark building. There were no lights on, and Katy had to trust that the Snake King wasn’t going to let her trip over anything because she couldn’t see a foot in front of her. “That’s better than a crybaby. Those are annoying.”

  Katy couldn’t disagree, even if she hated to actually have the same opinion as Azure. Crybaby drunks were annoying.

  Suddenly, the lights came on, and Katy’s hand flew up to block her eyes. She got a quick glimpse of a room full of cages. Actual cages, and there were people in them. She squinted and then dropped her hand. Women. There were dozens of women in this vast room filled with cages. Katy tried to count, but her brain was muddled by Otto’s poison. It might not kill her, but it was seriously messing with her nervous system. It looked as if at least twenty-five of the cages contained women, but several housed more than one woman. How was this possible? Did Myron and Slick know? It’s a building right behind the mansion. How could they not know? Did Otto know? Her head turned trying to find the lizard, and when she finally did, she was reassured to see him staring frozen and wide-eyed at the cages. He hadn’t known.

  Azure pulled her over to a table that was swiveled into a standing position. He maneuvered her so that her back was against it and then began to strap her down.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Katy asked as her mouth caught up to what her brain was registering.

  “You’re still alive. That’s a good sign. Also, I’m beginning to wonder if Gage was being entirely honest with me.”

  “It’s late,” a woman’s voice reached Katy’s ears. The sound was startling because, despite the number of women in the room, it had been quiet. All the captured women looked healthy and whole. None had been harmed, that Katy could tell. But through her stupor, Katy could see fear and anger in their eyes.

  “Oh, I don’t think you’ll mind the interruption to your beauty sleep when you see this one,” Azure told the woman.

  “Cover her eyes,” the woman said.

  “She won’t identify you.” Azure sounded put out as he took a cloth and wrapped it around Katy’s eyes.

  “I don’t take chances.”

  “What about all these other women?” Katy was unable to keep from pointing out that they could surely identify this mystery woman … unless Azure planned on killing every one of them.

  “They can’t see me, child. I am a voodoo priestess. If I have time to make a spell for someone, I can make it so they can’t see me. I didn’t have the time to do that for you.” The woman clucked her tongue. “Now, why is she sweating? Is she sick?”

  “Otto bit her,” Azure answered coolly.

  “Otto?”

  “Her guard.”

  “His venom is dangerous?”

  “Deadly to everyone,” Azure answered. “Except the Chosen of Visata. The dire wolves.”

  “So, how is she alive? I thought Gage was the only remaining dire wolf.” The priestess’s hands were cool against Katy’s hot skin as she pressed them to her forehead.

  “She claims to be his mate. If she is, then she will live,” Azure explained. “Also, if she is the dire wolf’s mate, she should be able to help make quite a few animi.”

  “Even under the influence of the poison?”

  “Well, the strain of both might kill her.” Azure shrugged, as if he wasn’t terribly concerned about her impending death. “Maybe just make sure the spell is complete before she dies.”

  “Wow.” Katy’s voice sounded flat to her ears. “Way to make my life feel meaningful and meaningless all at the same time.”

  “Little Wolf.” Azure almost purred. “Your life is most definitely meaningful. And you could selfishly be the mate of one Damarian, or you could help give a dozen Damarian’s mates. What kind of person do you want to be remembered as?”

  “The kind that kicked the Snake King’s ass.” Snap. Did she say that out loud?

  The woman, apparently a voodoo priestess who could “make spells,” whatever that meant, laughed. “She’s funny. I hope she doesn’t die.”

  “Thanks for your vote,” Katy told the woman.

  “Though if you are Gage’s mate, it would be better for all our sakes if you do die.”

  Damn, that was depressing.

  “Drink up.” The woman pressed a cup to Katy’s lips.

  Katy automatically complied. She sputtered when the warm substance poured down her throat. The tangy, metallic taste hit her nose and taste buds. She tried to spit it out, but her mouth clamp closed against her will when the woman started to chant. Katy’s body pulled taut against the ties that held her to the table as the voodoo priestess spoke in an odd language, chanting the same words repeatedly.

  The room seemed to spin. Even though Katy couldn’t see anything, the sensation was there. Then it suddenly seemed that there was a force inside of her, and it was searching for… something. But what? Katy didn’t know. A sharp tug made her gasp, and then something snapped into place. This happened ten times. And with each new connection, Katy felt weaker. Breathing became difficult, and her body seemed heavier.

  “What have you done?” she asked when the chanting stopped. The words were lead weights coming out of her mouth.

  “I’ve linked your life force to ten other females,” the woman explained. “The magic inside of you that has made you an animus is now being shared with them. You’ve definitely met your mate. There’s already a bond forming. It fought every bond I made.”

  Katy could still feel it fighting. It didn’t like sharing the space with these other bonds. It was wrong. Not natural. Katy took a breath, and it seemed like she was lifting bricks as her chest rose and then fell. Azure had been right. With the poison in her system, tying her life to these women would be her death. She could feel it, as if the grim reaper were knocking on her door, beckoning her closer to death’s stoop.

  Katy’s consciousness began to slip away. She didn’t want to pass out. She didn’t want to be that vulnerable. You’re tied to a table with your life force tethered to ten other women. Tell me again how you don’t want to be that vulnerable, Katy chastised herself.

  “You are a riot,” the woman said.

  Had Katy said all that out loud?

  “Yep, and you’re still talking. Wish I could stick around and listen. But I’m gonna need rest for this spell. And you⁠—”

  “Don’t point your finger at me, Priestess,” Azure barked.

  “You might want to get ready for incoming. If you think Gage isn’t coming for his little wolf, then you’re dumber than you look.”

  “I’d like you if you weren’t an evil priestess voodoo bitch trying to kill me,” Katy told the woman.

  “Yeah, well, nobody’s perfect. We’re all a work in progress.”

  Katy snorted. “You’re a human trafficking murderer.”

  “Harsh.” The woman huffed. “Aren’t you going to pass out?”

  “Not until you leave.” Katy took slow breaths and tried not to panic when barely any air made it into her lungs. She was going to suffocate to death. No. No, she wasn’t. Gage would come for her. And if he didn’t, Lola would make Callon come save her stupid ass. Katy just had to hold on. One breath after another.

  The room was quiet for several minutes before Katy realized she was alone. Or at least the woman and Azure had gone.

  “Katy.” Otto’s broken voice reached her, and then she felt him collapse on her stomach, his small body shaking as he sobbed.

  Tears burned in her eyes and throat as they ran back, wetting her ears and hair. Her own shoulders trembled as Otto’s emotions seemed to be tethered to hers, and he was jerking on that tether. The harder he cried and pushed against her, the worse Katy felt. Because she made him do this. She’d put him in this position.

  “Don’t die. Can’t die,” Otto said, over and over, his head shaking back and forth. “My friend.” Then suddenly, he was gone.

  “OTTO,” Katy called out. Something warm touched her neck. He’d changed to his beastwalker form and tucked himself between her neck and the pillow. Occasionally, his small form would shiver, and she wondered if he was cold or if he was trembling because of his emotions. Katy turned her head, attempting to completely cover his small form. Somehow, she’d get out of this, and she’d make this up to him. Katy would be as good a friend to Otto as he’d been to her.

  “I’m so sorry, Otto,” she whispered. “I’ll fix it. I promise.”

  Chapter 15

  Dead Bodies Are The New Diamonds.

  “Brave, stupid, female. I bites her again. After she doesn’t die. Master Gage must understand. She not die. Only friend.” ~Otto

  Otto: Azure make me bite Katy.

  “Shit.” Gage growled and tried not to crush the phone in his hand. The plane, full of females, raced down the runway. Thankfully, they were in the rear cabin, and Gage could sit up front in a separate seating area by himself. He had no desire to be cordial with anyone. He wanted to kill Azure. Then he wanted to bring him back from the grave and kill him all over again. It could be a nightly routine. Like a workout. Or brushing his teeth.

  “What?” Link’s voice was full of worry as he came through the curtain that separated the two areas.

  “Azure is making Otto bite Katy.”

  Link froze. He understood what that meant. Azure would know he’d lied. He’d know that Gage would be coming for his female. There would be no element of surprise.

  Gage: Tell me what’s going on, Otto.

  He wished he could talk to Otto on the phone and have Katy in the same room, so he might have the chance of hearing her voice. He just wanted to hear it one more time. Gage waited for the dots to appear, but the screen remained painfully blank. He set the device on his lap, when what he wanted to do was launch it across the room.

  Link’s phone vibrated, and he looked at the screen. His lips tightened across his face. “Azure wants to know if I’m on my way.”