He looked down at his mate nestled against him, peaceful in sleep. Gage silently renewed his vow. He would walk through fire and blood to see her bright spirit protected and, Visata willing, even help rekindle another’s inner flame grown dim. Gage watched Katy sleep, her body curled trustingly against his. Color had returned to her pale cheeks, the dark circles under her eyes fading. His brave mate looked peaceful at last after endless days of torment. It seemed a miracle that their mingled blood had worked to strengthen their fledgling bond and restore her vitality. Gage knew it was no mere chance, but a gift from the One who had ordained them for each other.
Two nights had passed since Visata had first come to Gage in a dream, promising there were still paths to freedom if Gagecontinued to walk in faith and wisdom. He had not understood the Creator’s cryptic words then. Now, with his Creator’s second visit, clarity dawned along with the rising sun.
Katy stirred, blinking up at him drowsily. Gage’s heart swelled, and he brushed a tendril of rich brown hair back from her face. “Good morning, Little Wolf.”
Her smile never failed to make his ancient spirit feel young again. “Hey, you.”
His hand lifted to curl around the back of her neck, his thumb idly stroking over his bite mark from the night before. It had already faded, but the memory still spiked his pulse. Surely Visata would not gift them with such a profound bond only to allow it to be torn asunder now. They would find an answer without sacrifice or sorrow. Gage had to hold on to hope.
Propping herself up on one elbow, Katy regarded him curiously. “You look very serious this morning. Everything okay?”
He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her wrist where he could feel her heartbeat. “Just thinking about you. About us.”
She cocked her head. “What about us? You better not be getting cold paws,” she warned, pointing a finger at him. “If you have some sort of commitment issues, we’re going to have problems.”
“You couldn’t chase me away even if you tried,” he told her, and then Gage hesitated, unsure how she would take Visata’s direct revelation to him. But he could not keep secrets from his mate.
“Do you remember the vision I told you of, where Visata said you have a generous heart?” At her nod, he went on. “The Creator came to me again in a dream last night.”
Katy’s eyes widened, and her hand tightened on his. “What did He say? Does He have a way to break the spell? I mean,He’stheCreator of the Damarians. A god. Can’t He just snap His fingers and make it all right?”
“That’s not how it works, Katy,” Gage said gently. “Is He powerful enough to do just that? Yes. But, if He did, then what have we learned? How have we grown or evolved in our character and integrity?” The words poured from his heart as he felt his animal spirit rise at the rightness of his convictions. Yet, how many times had he felt just as Katy did? How many times had he wanted to shake his fist at Visata and ask why? Why didn’t you spare them? Over the decades and centuries, Gage had ached inside, wondering why the Creator allowed such things to happen. Now, his heart was open, and his mind was willing to learn.
“Growing is overrated,” Katy grumbled, looking too cute for her own good.
Gage chuckled. “Sometimes it feels that way, but while Visata might not be snapping his fingers to fix all our problems, He is helping us. He said there is one who can aid us, if we can find her.” Gage’s jaw tightened. “Azure’s mate.”
Katy recoiled slightly. “The snake queen? Why would she ever help us? Because the vibe I got from her was more like, ‘Turn your back on me at your own peril.’”
Gage smoothed his knuckles along her cheek. “According to Visata, she is not as loyal to Azure as it seems. But her heart has been closed off by centuries of cruelty.” His gaze grew thoughtful, fingers still trailing gently over her face. “Sometimes the light in a person can grow so dim they forget it was ever there.”
When he focused on Katy again, her eyes were luminous with understanding. She turned her head to press a kiss to his caressing hand. “You would know better than anyone,” she said softly.
Gage’s throat tightened. In his long, dark years, exiled alone, only his faith had kept his own inner light from being snuffed out completely. And even that had been weak at times. Everything changed when Katy reignited the torch anew simply by being who she was.
Clearing his throat, he said gruffly, “Perhaps Zeena also walks in shadows not entirely of her own making.” He curled a lock of Katy’s hair around his finger. “We cannot know her heart. But we should try to find her. Visata mentioned chaos, which leads me to believe we will find her in the Kingdom of Chaos.”
Katy chewed her bottom lip, glancing down at their entwined hands. “I want to believe she could be an ally,” she said slowly. “But if we’re wrong…”
“I will let no harm come to you.” Gage tilted her chin up, seeing both hope and trepidation in her eyes. “But this may be our only recourse. If you do not wish it, I will think no less of you.”
Her lips twisted wryly. “Pretty sure Visata’s vision was meant for you, oh great Dire Wolf. Not really my place to refuse.” She searched his face. “You trust your Creator to lead us down the right path?”
“With my life,” he vowed. “With our future.”
Katy took a deep breath and then nodded firmly. “Okay then. We’ll seek out the snake queen and hope she chooses mercy over malice.” A teasing light entered her eyes. “Maybe I can convince her you’re not so bad once she gets to know you.”
Gage nipped her neck in retribution, satisfied when she squealed. “Perhaps it is you who will sway her sympathies.” His voice dropped lower. “Few can resist you for long. You even won over Otto. He’s even grumpier than I am.”
Katy flushed beautifully as she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m kind of like a fungus. I grow on you.” Her smile faded. “So where is this Kingdom of Chaos located?”
“That’s going to be the hard part. They aren’t necessarily all gathered in one territory like the rest of us.” Gage considered the several locations that the kingdom’s members inhabited. “They tend to prefer places where they won’t stand out. The Kingdom of Chaos members aren’t fully human looking. They can use glamour, but when someone like you sees through it, they can’t hide any of their animal nature. And they don’t look like just one animal. Most of the time, they have two or more different species.”
“Hence the term chaos?”
“Exactly,” Gage nodded. “Places like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington DC, essentially places that are very crowded and where oddities are ignored or celebrated.”
At Katy’s worried look, he squeezed her hand. “We will find her. We can do this. Visata wouldn’t put us on a hopeless mission.”
