Scarlet Dawn (19 page)

“In Fang’s defense,” Serena offered, pointing a thumb back at Axle, “this one wouldn’t let him keep the secret! Fang tried; I saw!” She nodded, “I say if
anybody
deserves to be punished, then I’d say it’s
him
.” She smirked and knelt down, “And I’ve
always
believed that the best punishment is to return the crime that earned it, which is why I propose…” Serena stood and pointed at Axle, “… DEATH BY TICKLES!”

There was a sudden hush inside of the room, and Serena watched as the combined auras of all the children swelled into a
technicolor singularity that shifted towards Axle like a tidal wave before each and every child charged forward, issuing their playful battle cries as they attacked.

Despite all the skill that Serena had seen Axle exhibit in the time she’d known him—despite all his wit and cunning and speed and claims to be elusive and uncatchable—and despite the fact that his opponents were only small children, Axle was unable to remain standing under the onslaught.

A moment later, Sierra stepped out, blushing at the sight of the mountain of kids and joined Serena at her side.

“It was nice of you to arrange this for the kids,” she blushed, looking down and stammering as though she were addressing royalty. “It really means a lot to them, and… to me.”

Serena smirked and bumped Sierra with her hip, “Come on, girl! You’re
way
too tense! You’re allowed to show excitement once in a while,” she nodded towards the kids. “Just look at them, they aren’t all quiet and reserved! They’re loving on life!” Serena smiled, “And they’re loving on life
because
of what you’ve done for them. You’ve done more for those kids than most people—no matter how long they live—can do for
anybody
in their lifetime! Have some pride in your work and in yourself.” Serena leaned against the wall, “Besides, Axle’s pretty much a giant, parkour-practicing five year old, so you’d better be ready to babysit that boy for, like, ever,” she smirked.

Sierra blushed and shrugged, “Aw, what the hell!”

With that she pulled her hair out of the tight bun over her head—letting her gorgeous black mane cascade over her shoulders—and joined the kids in the dog pile to tickle Axle, the first sincere laughter rolls of laughter beginning to issue from her lungs.

It was nearly twenty minutes before Serena had even
tried
to dig Axle out from under the tickle-happy kids. By the time she and Sierra had successfully exhumed the beet-red and panting therion, he’d completely drenched his face in tears and his voice was raspy and hushed from laughing so hard.

At that time, Serena nodded to him and began to herd the kids into the other room, asking them to show her their toys so that Axle and Miss Sierra could have a moment alone. As the last of the orphans waddled into the other room, Serena leaned in to close the doors and offered a wink to the already nervous and panting Axle.

No sooner had the latch on the door sounded then their lips collided in a passionate frenzy that made up for every day they’d been apart with the sheer intensity of the moment. There was no question of morals or obligations or priorities; Serena—nothing short of a princess from a fairy tale—had appeared at their doorstep at their darkest hour and offered the orphans the lives they deserved.

Axle’s record.
Sierra’s debt. All of their anxieties.

Gone.

And with that combined weight lifted from their shoulders by Serena Vailean, their kiss was free to rise to levels of passion and euphoria they’d have never thought possible.

It was only when their combined need for air finally became too urgent did they finally pull themselves from the other; both looking momentary lost with the sudden shift.

That was when Axle lowered himself to one knee.

Serena winced as the sharp cry and elongated wail carried over from the other room.

“Is that Miss Sierra?”

“Do you think she’s hurt?”

“It sounds like she’s yelling at Mister Axle…”

“Oh you’ve
gotta be—” Serena caught herself for the sake of the kids and smiled, “It’s alright, kids. I’m going to go check on them, okay?” Starting towards the door, Serena held back the wave of obscenities that bubbled within her.

He’d
botched
it?

She’d practically handed a successful proposal to the
doofus on a silver platter and he
botched
it?

If he wasn’t already dead from embarrassment, she was going to kill him.

Stepping through the door, Serena felt her fists already clenched at her sides and spotted the two of them locked in an embrace; Sierra sobbing—her aura rolling happily over her—and Axle holding her tight enough to make her excited cries come out hoarse and, from the other room, sound like wails of misery.

Serena smirked.

Maybe she’d let him live, after all.

“You have to leave so soon?” Sierra pouted.

Axle nodded, biting his lip, “There’s something I have to help Serena with before we can get you and the kids moved over.”

Though it was clear Sierra didn’t understand, she offered a nod and absently began rubbing her left ring finger, where the wedding ring now rested happily.

Serena smiled reassuringly and gave Sierra a tight hug, “It won’t be long. Just a few final renovations and such.” She smirked, “You and the kids might want to start getting packed.”

“
Z
-Zane?” Serena whispered, seeing Axle’s eyes open, “Is that you?”

“I’m… I’m back?” He looked around and frowned.

Serena’s eyes widened—tears already streaming down her face—and she threw her arms around him, “Oh my god! It’s really you!” She sobbed, burying his face in his shoulder and hooking her fingers into his back, “I missed you… I missed you so much, Zane… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to let her take you! I’m sorry… I just missed you so much!”

“Whoa, hey! It’s okay, babes. I’m here now. It’s alright,” Zane put his arms around her and held her close, whispering in her ear. “It wasn’t your fault. You did great.” As he looked around the room, his eyes fell on Raith, who was standing nearby in his body, “What the fuck?”

Serena, tears still running down her face, glanced over her shoulder and, when she saw what he was confused about, let out a fractured giggle.

“It’s me, buddy,” Raith grinned, “And if you don’t recognize this Aussie accent then you’re just as thick-skulled as you’ve always been,” he smirked, “Even
with
somebody else’s skull.”

“Raith?” Zane’s eyes widened and he grinned. As Serena stepped aside for the reunion, Zane rushed in to give Raith a tight brotherly hug, “Oh man, I thought you were dead! I didn’t mean to freak out there, I’ve just never seen you looking so good.”

They laughed.

“No. Not dead, my friend. Just inside you!” Raith laughed.

“That sounds way dirtier than it should,” Nikki laughed.

“Though, given the gathering, not entirely unexpected,” Zoey chimed.

Isaac chuckled, “I wonder if he’s still got any jokes in him now that he’s in a therion’s body, himself.”

Serena bit her lip and stepped forward, “Zane… How
did
you end up in Axle’s body?”

“I…” He frowned, “I’ve been in his body for quite some time…” He shook his head, his eyes showed his growing confusion.

“It’s alright.” Serena smiled, “you’ll remember soon enough.”

“That’s why you felt drawn to him, Serena! You
sensed
Zane’s aura in him after the shift was made!” Zoey smiled.

“Holy shit! You’re right…” Serena’s eyes widened. “When I caught Axle for the second time, he seemed different—the way he moved and the way he stood! And
that’s
when I started to feel differently about him!” Serena turned to Zane, “Your aura must’ve gotten inside him somehow!”

“Speaking of which,” Zoey smiled and stepped over, “Now that both your
aura and body are in one place, I can put you back in your rightful body, Zane.” She smiled over at Raith and nodded, “And I can transfer you into Axle’s body.”

“You can?” Serena’s eyes widened.

“I delved in some magic,” Zoey grinned, “And with Nikki at my side the energy swap will be a snap.”

Nikki smiled and wrapped her arms around Raith, “Did you hear that? You’ll get to be a therion again!”

“And none too soon, either,” Zane groaned, patting his crotch. “This things making me feel like a damn tripod!” He scoffed at Raith and Isaac, “I honestly don’t know how your kind can even stand with these ridiculous things

“Well, then…let’s
begin!” Zane smirked.

Zoey smirked and nodded, “Yes! Let’s!”

Zane frowned, “Wait…”

Everyone looked over.

“What about…” he touched a hand to his chest, “I mean, I’m glad I’m back—and I’m goddam
thrilled
to hear that you guys can make everything right—but what about Axle? What’s going to happen to him?”

Serena bit her lip and turned away, a small whimper seeping past her lips as she fell against Zoey.

Sighing, Zoey wrapped her arms around her friend and looked up at Zane. “He didn’t make it back,” she explained. “Serena took him to see his fiancé and the orphans that he’d been caring for—she was hoping that there might be a chance to save both of you, but decided it would be safer to offer them some sense of closure in case something
did
go wrong—and, on the way back, he fell asleep. By the time Serena got back with him and brought him to us, his orange aura was gone; replaced by yours.”

Zane frowned, “He… died?”

Zoey nodded, “Whatever happened to him—whatever put you inside him—did a lot of damage to his aura in the process. When your dormant aura found Serena, you began to wake up and, as your aura grew stronger, it began to consume and merge with Axle’s. Eventually, you two were more a single mind than two, and as things went on it became that much more vague of where ‘Axle’ ended and ‘Zane’ began…”

Nikki nodded, “You’d nearly completely taken over to the point where even
Maledictus
could sense you in him.” She motioned to Raith, “Soon as you two were close enough, that crazy bastard came out of hibernation and went into a frenzy to try and take you back so he could be whole again.”

Zane sneered, “
Maledictus
? He’s still alive in there?”

“He never stopped,” Raith confessed, “But without your aura to fuel the process, the curse lay dormant.”

“So why isn’t he going crazy now? I mean, he’s here, I’m here; shouldn’t things be… you know, crazy?”

Serena sniffed and shook her head, glancing back, “I knocked him out when he started to go crazy.”

Zane raised an eyebrow, “You knocked out
Maledictus
when he woke up?”

Raith laughed and nodded, “You bet your ass she did!” He rubbed his head, “And you’ll have the lump to prove it soon enough!”

“No…” Zane shook his head.

Serena frowned, “What do you mean ‘no’?”

Zane backed away from Raith, “I mean I’m not going back in there if that thing is still alive! I… I can’t; I won’t!”

Serena bit her lip, “But—”

Zane looked at her, “Baby, I’m… I’m sorry. You know I’d do anything—fucking
anything
—for you! But what’s in that body… it… it’s done things—made
me
do things—that can
never
be undone! You can’t ask me to just climb into a cage with that sort of monster…” He sat down on the chair he’d woken up in and shivered, scratching at the phantom tattoos that had begun to burn on his shoulder.

Nikki narrowed her eyes at the gesture before looking at Raith’s arms—studying the intricate tribal tattoos of her people that had bonded the
Maledictus
curse to him—and, finally, she looked back at Zane.

“If I can get you your body to you
without
the curse, would you go back to your body?”

Zane looked up at her, “What are you saying? There is no cure for the
Male—
”

“I’m not talking about a cure,” Nikki smirked, “I’m talking about the chance to be rid of that monster once and for all, and the chance to
kill
it with your own two hands.”

Serena blushed, “Nikki?”

Nikki nodded to her, “Get me a body, Goldi-fucks. And make sure it’s ugly enough to hold what I’m going to be putting in it!”

Serena frowned, waiting by the door as Zoey and Nikki worked the ceremony.

“Serena?” Zoey’s head popped out of the door and she smiled, seeing Serena’s look of concern. “It’s fine. Zane’s out in the back, waiting for you.”

Serena nodded, not wasting any time as she jumped into overdrive and rushed towards the forest to find Zane.

Spotting him—the
real
him; standing and waiting in his own body—leaning against a tree, she couldn’t bring herself to drop out of overdrive or stop.

Instead, she allowed herself to crash into him at full force.

The momentum carried them both off their feet—a deafening roar echoing as a shockwave emanated from the site he’d been standing and tore several of the trees from the ground—and they slammed into the ground with enough force to skip and roll and dig up the earth like a bullet had been shot into the dirt. As their bodies crashed and slammed across the forest floor, they wrapped their arms around each other and kissed one another with an intensity that put their careening bodies to shame. When they’d finally skidded to a stop, Serena pulled back briefly.

“Are… are you hurt?” She asked.

Zane shook his head.

Serena beamed, “Good. That means I can be rough with you.”

As he looked up at her, his mismatched gaze—the brown and blue she’d come to recognize over the past few months; a sign that the
Maledictus
curse was truly gone—glimmered with his familiar charm and he pulled her back to him.