Oh For Mates Sake
Chapter 65

Meryl stood there calmly as her soulless eyes were directed at us. Sion held me tight as he defiantly stood in front of her. There was an eerie calm about her. As if this had all been calculated and planned. As if meeting us here was always the plan. But how? Maybe she intended to meet just me? However, it wasn't just me. Her cold, ruthless eyes seemed greedy and ready to swallow us into their dark. Her head tilted slightly as the corner of her lips curled up. I felt an instant chill rush up my back. I knew we were standing in front of pure evil.

"You do not belong in this world," Sion growled as black wisps of energy emanated from his body. She tilted her head to the other side as she held her position. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

"There are many creatures that shouldn't exist, but they do..." She raised her bony finger to point at me. "That one is the perfect example." With that, Sion let around a ferocious roar. The darkness around her eyes seemed to glow as her lips parted in a happy grin. His roar shook the ground, and it trembled below us. Or at least I thought it was his roar that did it. The tremors worsened, yet Meryl stood there unwavering. A cruel smile rested over her lips as the ground exploded around her. Two large worms emerged out of the earth, directing their fury at the nycrops. Right before they came in contact with her, they froze.

I watched as Meryl's bony fingers wiggled about and I heard two high-pitched screams from the worms. It was agonizing, knowing they were in pain. A moment later, they combusted into nothing not even dust remained. The nycrops let out a raspy chuckle and shook her head.

"A young Anubis... formidable but not yet, pup." Meryl rasped out as she glared at me. Or at least I think she was looking at me. It was hard to tell with her eyes full of the abyss. "I can't believe that you have been kept a secret from me... I mean I suspected... but didn't know. You don't even realize..." She sighed, shaking her head.

"So much preparations and planning... all for nothing. No matter how clever you are or how much you see, it doesn't matter. The board has already been set and the pieces are falling right into place." What was she rambling on about? I had no idea. It seemed like she was gloating, but wasn't it too early for this? She had no idea of the strength of Sion, and I combined. Like hell, she had already won.

"It was all a waste of time. No matter. You have finally been found and within my grasp." The woman's dark eyes gleamed at me as her lips curled up in a wicked smile. "You, after all, walked into my trap willingly. All you needed was a familiar scent to lure you out." I inhaled sharply and narrowed my eyes at her. She was talking about Taylor and Hazel.?"Are they working for you?" I listened as her raspy voice cackled.

"Disposable pawns... idiotic wolf packs. They have been periodically replacing omegas with demons for years now. They are barely even wolves once the demon changelings take effect. They are just a vessel... a host for our demons. And with such a weak wolf... arrogant mutts suspect nothing. Of course, there is a problematic pack we haven't been able to infiltrate... but no bother. I've left them with the ultimate... little bundle of joy." Her grin widened as she appeared to be thinking about whatever it was. "I had to do this since they have the nullifying scales now. A minor bump in the road... just a minor one. It doesn't matter. What is going to happen will happen. And the Moon Goddess' champions can't stop the destruction." She really liked to ramble and brag about the future. My thoughts were on Hazel and Taylor. Were they both demons then? Taylor wasn't an omega. Was she a demon too or did she hate me so much that she teamed up with Dr. Snyde? How did Dr. Snyde really fit into all of this?

"Breanna Snyde..." I muttered and Meryl lifted her head up to look at me. As if I snapped her out of the delusional vision in her mind and she realized she was in reality now. She sneered at me and clicked her tongue.

"She is a child that was part... of my living past. Another... abomination that at least tries to atone for her parents' sins. The product of a werewolf and a witch. She has been giving me the energy and essence to help enhance the nembrant glass. In the end... it wasn't enough. I thought I was going to need... well you." She said as she stared at me. "But it turns out I was able to tap into a greater source. However, you are a dangerous existence to have around. A strange power that needs to be controlled. It is best to keep you at my side."

"Like hell I'd let you touch my mate." Sion growled as Meryl stared at him blankly.

"This match is already over." Meryl said with little interest.

"I am not done with you." Sion's voice was clear and commanding as he held me at his side. "You are the living dead. No matter what you are, you are still a decaying corpse. I have been given command over the dead. As such, I can-"

A black cloud shot at us and something sharp entered my eye. I winced and felt Sion stagger beside me as the nycrops cackled loudly.

"You are right. As Anubis, this meeting would have been different. However, I was able to strike the first blow. This isn't the same nembrant glass..." She gloated as the pain stung my eye. Waves of searing heat sparked through me like lava. A nauseating burning sensation that almost made me numb. It attacked me and my body responded to the foreign invasion.

I reached up to cover my eye and could feel Sion stagger away from me. I could fight this. I saved Stilts from the nembrant glass in his eye, and I could do the same for Sion. I just had to get rid of the one inside of me first. It was trying to pull me into something cold and dark. An incredible evil was just waiting for me, but I wouldn't give in to it. I pushed out my energy angrily as I tried to disintegrate the shard in my eye.

"You are incredibly powerful little sheya. You can struggle all you want, but you can't fight off THIS nembrant gla*s. Not now that it has been infused with the essence of a god. Even a powerful sheya like yourself" I shook my throbbing head as something tried to force its way into my mind. My energy lashed at it, halting it from going any farther. Then slowly, pushing it back. "Interesting..." I heard the grotesque creature mutter. "Oh well... at least I'll claim one of you... No... No! Erebus! You foul disgusting pathetic excuse of a slug... get out of the vessel!" She screeched angrily. I blinked my eyes to see how Sion was doing. It hurt so bad to even open my eyes but what I saw hurt more. Sion was on his knees in pain with his hands on his head. He glanced over at me as his one eye flickered red. His shaky hand reached out to me as his bottom lip quivered.

I fell down to my knees next to him and grabbed his hand. "Keep fighting it Sion. I can help us. Believe in me and keep fighting." His hand was trembling in mine. "I love you, Sion. Just hold on." His eye was flashing back and forth as he stared back at me. "Only you... I'll only love you forever."

I didn't like this. I could hear the defeat in his voice. "Sion." I pleaded as liquid iron poured in my eye. I had to focus for him though. He needed me right now. His lips shakily kissed my hand then he ripped it away and held his head. His eye flickered again and he grunted in agony. He lifted up his head to the sky and roared loudly. I went to reach for him again but he shot a dark cloud towards me.

"My love... I'm sorry..." He gasped out as if it took every ounce of his strength to speak. "Live and be safe." He muttered with such a sorrowful look in his eyes as something dark began to swallow me up. The last thing I saw was Stilts appearing between Meryl and Sion. A blast of power came out of his cane towards Meryl. My eyes were focused on Sion and his eye that now glowed red. Then darkness... I was falling through the worlds. I was fighting off whatever was trying to capture me. This speck inside of me radiated with a foreign poison but it wasn't going to take me.

With Sion's face ingrained in my mind I was ready to explode. I screamed in the dark, forcing a wave of energy through me. Ribbons of power spun around me and swirled in the air. Then a strange sensation burst in my eye.

It was gone. The maddening pain. The waves of control that tried to swallow me. I had won. I was kneeling on the cold hard ground, and I was finally able to look around to see where I was. I blinked as I tried to control my breathing. The dark gray world was a dead giveaway that I was in the spirit realm. Sion had used his energy to send me here trying to protect me.

I had to get back to him. Dam.nit Sion... how could you send me away from your side?! I had to be there to help him. With a shaky leg I lifted myself to my feet. I needed to help Sion. And Stilts... how did he get to the in-between? He could die standing against Meryl. "Wait." A familiar woman's voice said.

I turned my head to see Shiva and Reapus standing not far from me. Shiva was looking at me with concerned eyes, while Reapus looked beyond livid.

"You are in no condition to go back yet," Shiva said as they walked up in front of me.

"Sion-" I began to say and Reapus growled angrily. His arms trembled with a deadly rage as he gritted his teeth.

"We know. I am not happy about this. I am ready to break these da.mn rules. It's not like the demons are playing by them." Reapus scowled, as Shiva placed her hand on his arm.

"Only this time they are. They learned to not directly interfere and that is what is happening now. We can't do anything for Sion."

"We will see about that!" His voice spat out bitterly as Shiva shook her head.

"You can't. Or everything will be ruined. You have to let him go."

I heard Shiva's voice, and I shook my head trying to make sense of it.

"What do you mean?" My voice trembled as the breath of air barely came to me. Her pained eyes moved to me, and she frowned. I felt like my world was beginning to cra.ck. I didn't like this look. It meant nothing good. "Sion has been lost. He is under Marcus's control now... the demon king."

What?! The air wouldn't enter my lungs. There was a large ball in my throat, and I had no spit to swallow. I struggled with fast narrow breaths as I shook my head. "I can help him. I will help him." It was a statement but also a question. I looked at Shiva, who turned her face away from me, closing her eyes. No. This isn't how it was supposed to be. I wouldn't believe it.

"No! I won't believe it. I am going to bring him back!" I stood up defiantly and clenched my fingers together.

"Sion is gone. He is lost to us." Shiva said a bit more sternly and I glared at her boldly. "A deity's soul is merged with the glass in Sion's eye. He isn't Sion anymore. He is Erebus... he is Wicker... not a god... not a demon... a scornful, vengeful soul has taken his body. That is not the man you love, only his body... Sion is lost."

"He isn't lost to me. I will get him back! He is still inside, and I can get him back. I will risk my life to save him. To hell with this world. Without Sion it isn't worth it. I'll risk it all." My voice choked out in painful sobs. "I will use every ounce of energy in my body to save him. I'll either succeed or die trying."

"Are you willing to really pay this price?" Her voice was almost a scoff. "You have a piece of Sion... will you chance losing it? Will you risk the life of your unborn child on a slim to nothing chance?" Shiva's words made me freeze. I was... pregnant?