Chapter 35

Zeke let out a breath as the shifters around him stood still.  It wasn’t that he was happy the time had finally come for them to surrender.  It was more of the fact that having Charlie so close to the battle was making his nerves knot in his stomach.  Every time a shifter would come close to her, he would panic for a moment before letting his instincts take over.  She was lucky that he had trained before he became to rely on his powers.  If he hadn’t, they would most likely be dead by now.

It was odd, but strangely soothing, not hearing anyone around him.  He doubted he could live his life like this.  He couldn’t deal with not knowing what was happening. It was one of his downfalls.  He needed to know what was happening next; which was why at that exact moment, he was annoyed as hell. 

Ally was planning things behind his back, doing anything she could to keep the plans from him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was trying to protect him; she was trying to keep him alive.  What she didn’t know was that someone needed to die.  She couldn’t keep everyone alive, no matter how hard she tried.

Glancing over his shoulder, he stared at her.  Her face was drawn with worry, but the hardness was still evident.  She was pissed, and nothing was worse that an angry Leopard Queen.  She shifted on her feet, and Zeke watched the movement.  There was something that she was hiding from him, something important, and he planned to figure out exactly what it was.

“Zeke!” Ally called out, her eyes wide. 

His eyes snapped away from her and looked forward.  The shifter jumped towards them, a knife aimed for Charlie’s back.  He grabbed her arm, knowing that the only way to save her was to protect her with his own body.  He would heal faster, wouldn’t take as much damage.  Pulling her away, he flipped them.  His body stayed relaxed even as he waited for the cold blade to pierce his back.

When nothing happened after a moment, for the second time today, he glanced over his shoulder.  The shifter lay on the ground, covering other bodies from the battle.  Zeke released Charlie as he studied the shifter behind him.  A knife, the same knife that had been aimed at Charlie’s heart, was now in the shifter’s.  Turning, he stared at Ally until she finally looked his way.

“Thank you!” he called out.

She glared at him.  “Be careful, dammit,” she hissed before turning her back on him. 

He shook his head, knowing that she was hurting on the inside.  There was one thing that Ally had told him she would never do, and she had just broken that promise to herself for him.  She had told him that using her control over leopard shifter’s to make them stand still was one thing, but if she ever used it to make them kill themselves, she was crossing a line.  It looked like she had crossed a line, and he had been the one to push her. 

“She’ll be alright,” Charlie mumbled.

Looking down at her, he nodded.  “I know.”

Her hand caught his, gripping it tightly.  Her eyes shone with worry, and he knew the time had come.  With all the minor dangers taken care of, there was only one person that they needed to worry about.  Even with Charlie blocking his powers, he could feel the air shift as the man stepped out of the forest.  His eyes shined brightly with power as they scanned his fallen people.  There wasn’t a sign of remorse on his face, just acceptance as if he knew this was meant to happen.

Zeke growled under his breath as the man took a step closer to them.  The sound must have been heard from the distance, because Marcus turned towards him.  His eyes scanned Zeke’s body before stopping on his handcuffed hand.  A laugh escaped the man’s mouth.  “It looks as if Alexis has finally put a leash on you.”

He stepped towards Marcus, but was brought short when Charlie stayed where she was.  “Let me go,” he growled.

Charlie yanked on her arm with more strength than he knew she had.  “Stay here,” she answered in a growl of her own.  “This is not your fight, Zeke.  For once, let what needs to happen happen.”

“I can stop it,” he promised, desperation coating his voice. 

She yanked on their connected hands again, making him turn towards her.  “If there was a way to stop it, don’t you think Ally would have done it by now?” she whispered.  Stepping closer, she stood on her toes.  “What you think is going to happen, isn’t.  Okay, Zeke?”

His head snapped in the direction of Ally.  She stood just as she had in his dream.  Sebastian stood beside her while Blake stood behind her on one side and Adam on the other.  They were the strongest together, Zeke knew that, but he also knew that one of them was going to have to die.  It was the way of the bonds.  If too many people were bound to one person, one had to die.  He had tried to warn Ally, had told her to do something with Adam, but it was too late now.  There was nothing he could do but stand here and watch as all their lives changed.

Ally took a step towards Marcus.  Her head tilted to the side, but no emotion showed on her face.  “You always were a coward.”

“Alexis,” he chided, with a smile that looked caring.  “When have I ever been a coward?”

A laugh escaped Ally’s lips, but her face still stayed as blank as her eyes.  “My name isn’t Alexis; it’s Alexandria.”  Her laughter ceased as she stared at him.  “You sent them in, hoping that they would do enough damage to us that you wouldn’t have to lift a hand.  Tell me, when Zeke saw you all beaten up, what happened?”

“That?”  Marcus shrugged.  “It seemed as if a select few of my people did not agree with my plans.”

This time, Zeke could see fury flash in Ally’s eyes.  “Who would agree?” she spat.  “They’re just children.”

“They are abominations,” Marcus snarled.  “Your children will ruin our future.  They will taint the bloodline.  I cannot let them do that!”

“Bloodline?” Ally shouted, her eyes glowing in anger.  “It is my bloodline.  What I choose, and what my children choose to do with it is no matter to you.”

Marcus took a couple steps towards Ally, making them only twenty feet apart.  “It is,” Marcus said, his voice lowering.  “I promised your mother that I would keep your bloodline pure.”

Ally froze, her eyes dimming completely.  She shook her head in denial, and Zeke wanted to close his eyes as devastation flew onto her face.  The emotion quickly disappeared as she took a step towards Marcus.  “You’re lying.”

“Really?” the man asked with harsh laughter.  “Is that why she told me the only reason why she mated with your father was to keep her bloodline pure?  She loved me, Alexis.  She even named you after my grandmother.”

“You’re lying,” she repeated.  “My mother loved my father.”

Marcus shook his head in a pitying way.  “If that is what you believe, I will let you die continuing to think so.”  Marcus raised his hand, holding a gun in his hand.  Shaking it, he smiled.  “Silver bullets.”

“Put it down,” Ally demanded.

His hand went down an inch, but snapped back.  “You’re getting stronger,” Marcus whispered in a proud tone, “but you’re just not strong enough.”

His finger tightened on the trigger.  The sound of the gun firing echoed through the air.  Zeke looked towards Ally.  Her eyes were closed as if she was waiting for the hit, but when all three men stepped in front of her, she opened her eyes.  Ally’s scream flew through the forest as one fell to the ground.

As she dropped to the ground, pushing the other two men out of her way, another shot echoed.  Looking beside him, he saw Charlie drop her gun as Marcus’s body fell.  Looking towards him, her eyes filled with tears.  “I had to wait,” she whispered.  “One of them had to die.”

He pulled her into his arms even as Ally’s cries reached his ears.  “I know,” he whispered to Charlie as silent tears ran down her cheeks.  “I know.”