“Destroy that and you doom not only their spirits, but those of their progeny. Your mate, his brothers. All will cease to exist if you destroy the vessel. That was the price Tsvetok’s parents agreed on to keep them safe.”
“You lie,” Casey snapped.
***
Sev listened to Elizar argue with Casey, who clutched the vessel close to his chest. He knew his mate would never do it. If there was even the slightest chance Elizar was telling the truth, Casey would refuse, and the love he felt for his mate grew. But he couldn’t allow Elizar to continue. He hurtled forward and snatched the pot from Casey’s grip.
Elizar held up his hands and began pleading. His voice low, as if he was speaking to a child. “Tsvetok, don’t do this. You doom your brothers to nothing. They will never know the joys of life. I swear to you, I will let them go. You can take them and leave the enclave with your mate.”
“You’re mistaken. I have no intention of going. Despite our past, the people of the enclave are my family. I would no more abandon them to you than my brothers. If what you say is true, and we do cease to exist, it’s a price I’m willing to pay to see you destroyed.” He cast his gaze toward his mate, who stood silently pleading with shimmery eyes. “In his arms I found a greater love than I ever thought possible. It will be my only regret leaving this existence, but I know Casey will be proud of me when he has had time to mourn our loss.”
Elizar struggled forward, stumbling as he moved toward Sev, who could see bloody bite marks that ravaged the body Elizar inhabited. Casey turned and launched himself, knocking Elizar to the ground. “Do it, Sev. Do what you have to. And know that no matter what, I will always love you.”
Sev smiled as peace came over him. He lifted the vessel in the air and smashed it onto the floor. Instantly all noise was sucked from the room, then the shrieks of hundreds of tormented souls exploded out, rising to deafening levels. They were angry, and they could sense their tormentor. Elizar struggled, pleading for his life, when the first one struck. His screams were nearly as loud as the spirits when his essence was ripped from Jake’s body. So much anger and pain, their presence was palpable. Casey grabbed Jake and pulled him away, then lay atop his friend to protect him. Sev was so proud of him.
It began as nothing more than a niggle. A deep down feeling that something wasn’t right. Sev glanced at his hands, surprised to find out that what Elizar said was true. He was being tugged out of existence. He should be afraid, but all that he felt was a deep peace. He’d protected his mate, and to die after that would be something worthy of moving on to the next life, if such a thing were possible. He would miss Casey. How much the man had come to mean to him shocked Sev. It hadn’t been that long. Weeks at most, and Casey was already firmly buried in Sev’s heart.
“Casey?” he cried out, hoping to be heard above the din of Elizar’s punishment by those he’d kept captive. “Casey!”
Casey turned his head and his eyes went wide. He struggled to stand against the onslaught of the spirits, trying to make his way to his mate. Sev wanted to run to him, touch him one last time, but found he couldn’t move. He no longer had control over his body. Casey battled the rage of the spirits, which continued to increase, as it blew the room apart. Years of being locked up by Elizar had made them thirst for revenge.
Sev couldn’t see anymore. Nothing seemed real. His mind floated, free of the shell his body had provided, but even that was weakening. Instead of fighting, he decided to give in, allowing the all-consuming peace to take him. When a warmth filled his heart, he knew that Casey had made it to him and was clutching him tightly. It felt so good, and Sev held on for just a bit longer.
“You’re my heart, Tsvetok. Without you, I don’t want to live.”
“You will live, my mate. Our people need their shaman. Without you, they would be lost. You are their guide in life and their guardian in death. You don’t know how proud I am of everything you’ve accomplished. I cannot express the feelings my heart holds for you, and I go knowing that no matter what else happens, my love will always be safe with you. Think fondly of my brothers and me. Know that we love you, too.”
Casey gasped and tried to speak. Sev knew his mate was hurting, but there was nothing he could do. He could no longer hear the words, and he could not feel Casey’s touch upon his skin. His mind was adrift in a haze, and he swore he could hear the voices of his parents and brothers.
Then, as he finally let go and his mind winked out, Tsvetok felt nothing at all.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rage drove Casey. He dragged Jake out of the room, and, man, the dude was a lot heavier than he used to be. He wrapped them in furs to keep them from freezing. Elizar had an abundance, even though Casey didn’t want to know where they had come from.
“They’re the shifters,” Jake groaned.
“Jakey? Oh my gods, I’m glad you’re alive.”
“I must be. I hurt too much to be dead, though that might not be a bad thing. Zak is scared and he’s bitching me out big time. What the hell happened?”
“What do you remember?”
“Bits and pieces mostly. Elizar was in Mikhail’s body and he was laughing at us.”
“Ask Zak if Mikhail is okay,” Casey pleaded, dreading the answer.
Jake was quiet for a moment. “He said that Mikhail and Vadim are…gone.”
“Sev, too,” Casey sobbed. He buried his face into Jake’s chest, trying to draw comfort from his friend. Strong arms wrapped him in tight, but Casey could only feel the gnawing empty cold in his chest. His mate was gone.
“What are you going to do?”
“What I couldn’t do before. I’m going to destroy Elizar forever.”
“I thought the spirits did that?”
Casey coughed. “No, they yanked his essence out of your body, but he was within Mikhail. I think he gained enough energy from you and everyone in the enclave that they couldn’t do anything but force him back into the spirit realm before they dissolved. I’ll know more when we get home and I can get some stuff to take with me.”
“I’m going,” Jake stated, his tone showing he would brook no objection. Then he hissed under his breath, “Shut up, Zak. I’m going with him.”
A nervous laugh bubbled up out of Casey. “No, you’re not going. This is something I need to do on my own.”
“You couldn’t beat him before, what makes you think you can now?”
“He’s weakened. I shouldn’t have any problem with him.”
“I’m still going.”
Casey poked at one of the slashes in Jake’s skin, and got a cry of pain in return.
“Yeah, no. You’re in no shape to go. Even the way you heal, those are going to take some time.”
“Yeah, what the hell was that thing I fought?”
“That was Kell’s son.”
“He was a shifter?”
“No, he was the result of a shifter having sex with a wolf.”
“I didn’t know that was possible.”
“I have a theory about that. I think Elizar’s shaman did something to make it happen. Elizar wanted to create a better, more destructive thing than Kell, and he wanted it completely loyal to him. That wolf was the result. What did you do to him?”
“He’s around somewhere. That was the point Elizar started losing control. He couldn’t fight back, and the wolf was destroying him…me. Then he just…stopped. He ran, howling like someone had torn his heart out.”
“And what did you mean they’re the shifters?” Jake twitched and Casey realized what the problem was. “These furs?”
Jake nodded. “I can feel the energy in them. I see their story every bit as clearly as my dreams back at school. They were the shifters that Elizar brought up here for his amusement. When he tired of them, he—”
“Don’t, please,” Casey beseeched. “I don’t want to know.”
Casey pushed the furs off him as Jake did the same.
“You need them, Case. They’re not going to mind.”
> “That’s disgusting. I’m not wearing a person’s skin. They were…they were children. Kids he brought up here and violated. I’ll walk back naked before I even think about having them touch me.”
“From what I remember, it’s a long way back. If you freeze to death, who is going to fight Elizar? Who will be a shaman for our people? They need you every bit the same as they need Zak or me.”
“I’ll find something here. I don’t care if it’s a rug or rags. I want to leave here and burn this place to the ground, and give their souls a righteous burial.”
“It’s rock. Can’t burn it,” Jake muttered.
“You’d be surprised what I’m learning I can do. Hakiim helped me understand some of my potential.”
“Hakiim? I thought you couldn’t contact him?”
“Elizar had him trapped in the spirit world. When the fighting started, Hakiim was able to contact me. He and Sev—”
Speaking his mate’s name tore the wound wide open again. Casey was devastated. When they spoke of heart mates, they weren’t kidding. Half of his was now missing, and he knew he’d never be able to love another person again.
Jake pulled him into another hug. “Zak is sending some people to come for us. They’re bringing clothes and your supply bag. They’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good. I want to gather these furs up and torch them.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
A whimper from across the room caught Casey’s attention. The wolf padded into the room, looking forlorn. His tail and ears drooped, and he wouldn’t lift his head. He clambered over to Casey and lay down next to him.
“Hey, boy. I didn’t expect to see you again. I know you can’t understand me, but Elizar is dead. He won’t be coming back. You can run free like you were meant to. The other animals, too. You don’t need to guard this place anymore.”
The wolf placed his large head into Casey’s lap and gave a deep sigh.
“What the hell? That’s Kell’s son? That’s Elizar’s vicious animal? He reminds me of a puppy.”
“He was vicious when we arrived, but for some reason he turned totally docile. He protected us from Elizar. There’s something different about this fella.”
Casey rubbed the tips of the wolf’s ears, and when he stopped, the wolf nudged his hand. He seemed to be in mourning, just as Casey was. Casey thought the wolf had bonded with Sev for some reason and knew the moment he died.
“Tomorrow we’ll set you free. You can roam to your heart’s content. How does that sound?” he whispered to the wolf.
A low moan was his only reply.
Yes, the wolf definitely missed Sev. Casey wrapped his arms around the large neck and nuzzled the fur, trying to keep from crying.
***
Deep snow hampered the trek home. Drifts and blowing winds forced the small group Zak had led to take shelter in the mountain for the night. Tomorrow they would set out to find their way back, weather permitting. Zak had taken one look at Jake and commanded him to rest, despite Jake’s protest. When Jake had finally drifted off to sleep, Zak came over to where Casey sat on the floor, consoling the wolf.
“You did a good thing,” he began.
“Sure, and it only cost me everything.”
“Tsvetok was aware of the risk. He did the only thing he could to ensure the safety of the enclave. He sacrificed himself just as you, Jake, or I would.”
“Then it should have been me. Vadim and Mikhail hadn’t even begun to live, and Sev found the place he truly belonged. When I get back, I’m going after Elizar. There isn’t a place in the spirit realm he’ll be safe from me.”
“No, this I will not allow. Your vendetta is over. Elizar is no more, and you must once again tend to the living people.”
“Fuck you, Zak.”
A collective gasp rose from those who had accompanied their Alpha. Casey leapt up, and the wolf stood beside him, his teeth bared.
“If it was Jake, you’d be clawing at the gates of the spirit side, demanding entrance. Nothing would keep you from getting revenge.”
“I would not. I would mourn, as you must, but Jake would know that my first responsibility is to our people. This is something you must learn as well. They are of paramount importance now. They have suffered a great deal—”
“Suffered?” Casey snapped. “They don’t know what the hell suffering is. Holding the man you love while he disappears and knowing he’s gone? That’s suffering, Zak. Knowing you couldn’t save him or his brothers? That’s suffering.”
Zak grabbed Casey by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall. “Tell that to Mrs. Riley whose twins died because it amused Elizar to see them suffer. Or to Mr. Adamczeski, who Elizar dictated was too frail to be of use, and was torn apart by a pack of his own people. I will not deny you have suffered, but do not think you were the only one.”
“The twins? Bambi and Thumper?”
“Elizar forced Mr. Riley to—”
“No. No, no, no. I don’t want to hear this. Don’t make me listen. This is what you don’t get. Elizar isn’t gone. He might be in the spirit realm, but he still has power there. He’s keeping Hakiim and others and using them like batteries. The people he killed while he was in the enclave? They’re there, too. These are your fucking people, Zak. Alive or not, you owe it to them to put them to rest.”
In the time since they’d been at the enclave, Zak had always carried himself as the Alpha. He made decisions that were for the good of their people, but at the moment, he seemed shaken. His skin had paled as he considered Casey’s words. Casey knew he’d been harsh, but he didn’t care. He had lost it all, and until he faced Elizar and destroyed him completely, he could never know peace again.
***
Morning broke to clear weather. The storm of the previous day was only a memory, but it had left its imprint on the landscape. Piles of snow had been whipped into drifts ten to twelve feet deep. It would be slow, treacherous going to return home, but Casey was eager. The sooner they got there, the sooner he could make Elizar pay.
During the evening, they had explored the fortress. Zak’s people—Tolo, a bear shifter, and Minea, an elk shifter—had located the other animals that Elizar had kept there, herded them outside and released them into the wild. The wolf refused to leave Casey’s side, despite his insistence. Casey didn’t have the heart to force him, so he simply accepted his presence, assuming that when they went back to the enclave he would shy away from the people there.
They gathered the furs as well as remains of those he’d fed to the beasts. Everything was placed into a pile. The sheer size of it and the immensity of the loss stunned Casey. There was too much to have come from just the enclave. At some point, Elizar must have brought others here. Molten lava burned in his veins. With a word, fire leapt from Casey’s outstretched hand and immolated everything.
“I did not know you could do that,” Zak said, a hint of fear in his voice.
“There are a lot of things I didn’t know I could do. Maybe one day I’ll be able to bring this place down. I understand now how Elizar did it. Those he brought here were slaves. He used their bodies in a variety of ways, forcing them to carve their way into the mountains and complete the work that his shaman had been doing until Elizar killed him. Sev had said it would take several lifetimes, and it did. The short lives of people Elizar used.
“I tried to understand why some people—like your mother and father, Zak—escaped being caught in the clay pot, and others didn’t. I think those who lost hope, like Hakiim when Elizar killed his family, were easy prey. Yours and Jake’s parents never did. They knew you would come back one day to save everyone. Those kids Elizar took? They were so full of energy. He broke their will, used them, and then even after death they weren’t free. It’s not just what he did to Sev, Mikhail, and Vadim. He is raping their spirits every bit as much as he did their bodies. I can’t let that continue. You need to know, I’m going to do this with or without your permission.”
Zak s
ighed and sat down, cupping his head with his hands. “I understand. You see things I do not. In my life I believed a person died and that was it. There was nothing after. My guardians tried to tell me about spirits who guided us in life, but in the modern world, it seemed that held less importance. I had not considered that my people were being brutalized when they should have been at rest. Of course you must do this, and I, as Alpha, will accompany you.”
“No offense, but you aren’t Jake. He strengthens me. I can’t keep the connection necessary with you. I can take you on short jaunts of the spirit realm, but it taxes me too much to do more than that.”
“Jake will not allow you to go alone, you know. He is very protective of you, and I can understand why. It is difficult for me to believe I have known Jake for less than a year. Every fiber of him is ingrained within me, and I find I do not remember a time when he was not a part of my life. I do understand how you feel about Tsvetok. His loss will be mourned by the enclave forever. I will see to that.”
“No. Sev wouldn’t want to be mourned. He was a bright person, full of life. He would want to be celebrated. His parents made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives to save his. I wish I could have known them, or at least had the opportunity to thank them for keeping my mate safe.”
“You say those words so easily now.”
“I won’t deny my ignorance when we got here. I thought that attractions were immutable. You were either for boys or girls, or both if you were bisexual.”
“And now? What is it that you believe?”
“I think there is too much of a rush to label things. I’m not gay, but I’m not straight. I’m Casey, and Sev was my heart. That’s all that should have ever mattered. Everything else was just words.”
***
The moment they passed beyond the boundary of the enclave, the wolf still at his heels, the weather took on the more temperate climate they were used to. Temperatures were in the fifties, and a gentle breeze rustled the trees. You could stand at the edge of the enclave and see the snowdrifts still piled high. It was something that always frustrated Casey. He could see the results and always considered it in terms of previous shaman proving their superiority over nature. Now he knew that wasn’t the case. They blended with nature in harmony, never trying to overpower it. Hakiim had once again shown him the error of his ways.
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