Chapter 31 Continuation
They scattered like ants. Within minutes, most of the rogues were gone. Only Ronan and about twenty loyal followers remained.
"Now," Mara whispered.
She and her team rushed the camp. They moved fast and silent.
Ronan saw them coming. "Ambush! Defend me!"
His followers attacked. But they were no match for Mara's team. Luna, Riven, Kira, and Shade tore through them easily.
Mara focused on Ronan. She lunged at him, jaws snapping.
He dodged and transformed into his wolf form. His red eyes blazed with madness.
"You think you can capture me? I am more powerful than you can imagine!"
"Then prove it!"
They crashed together in a tangle of fur and teeth. Ronan was strong. Stronger than before.
The Shadow's Blood had changed him. Made him faster. More vicious.
But Mara had something he did not. Balance.
She used her light to defend. Her shadow to attack. The two powers working together made her unpredictable.
Ronan could not keep up. He made a mistake. Left his throat exposed for just a moment.
Mara took it. Her jaws closed on his neck. Not hard enough to kill. Just hard enough to control.
"Surrender," she growled. "Or I bite down."
Ronan struggled. But Mara's grip was iron. Finally, he went limp.
"I surrender."
"Good." Mara released him but kept her teeth close to his neck. "Transform back. Now."
Ronan transformed to human form. His followers had all been captured or killed. He was alone.
"Chain him," Mara ordered.
Riven brought silver chains. They wrapped them around Ronan's wrists and ankles.
"What are you going to do with me?" Ronan asked. "Execute me like you executed my father?"
"No. I am going to give you to someone who wants revenge even more than I do." Mara transformed back to human. "Selene is waiting for you."
Ronan's face went pale. "No. No! You cannot give me to her!"
"I can and I will. You murdered her. Now you will face her judgment."
"She is a ghost! She will torture me!"
"Probably. But that is what you deserve." Mara grabbed the chains. "Now walk. We have a long journey ahead of us."
They started back toward where they had last seen Zevran and Selene. The possessed body. The dual voices.
Mara's heart ached with every step. Soon she would see Zevran again. But he would not really be Zevran. Not yet.
Not until Selene got her revenge and moved on.
As they walked, Ronan kept trying to bargain.
"I can give you information! About Morgana! About the Shadow King!"
"I do not want your information."
"I can lead you to treasure! Weapons! Ancient artifacts!"
"I do not want those either."
"Please! I will do anything! Just do not give me to Selene!"
"You should have thought about that before you poisoned her."
Ronan went quiet after that. But his red eyes still burned with hatred.
They walked for two days. Following the mate bond that pulled Mara toward Zevran.
Finally, on the third day, they found him.
He was sitting by a waterfall, staring at the water. His eyes were still black. Still dual voices when he spoke.
"You came. We knew you would."
"I brought him," Mara said. "I brought Ronan."
The possessed Zevran stood and turned. When the black eyes saw Ronan, they blazed with fury.
"You." Both voices spoke as one. "You killed me. You stole my future."
"I did what I had to do!" Ronan backed away. "For the kingdom! For the throne!"
"Liar. You did it for yourself. For your own greed and jealousy." The possessed Zevran walked forward. "And now you will pay."
"Wait," Mara said. "Selene, you promised. If I brought you Ronan, you would release Zevran."
"I said I would find peace. Not that I would leave immediately." The black eyes looked at her. "First, I get my revenge. Then we talk about release."
"That was not the deal!"
"Too bad. You should have negotiated better." The possessed Zevran grabbed Ronan by the throat. "Now watch. Watch what happens to those who murder the innocent."
Selene's ghost emerged from Zevran's body, still holding Ronan by the throat. Zevran collapsed, gasping.
"Zevran!" Mara ran to him.
"I am fine," he wheezed. "Just give me a moment."
Selene dragged Ronan toward the waterfall. "You wanted power. Wanted to rule. But power comes with a price."
"What are you going to do to me?" Ronan struggled but the ghost was too strong.
"I am going to show you what you took from me. Every moment. Every feeling. Every lost dream." Selene's black eyes glowed. "And then I am going to trap you in your own mind. Forever. You will live with your guilt. Your shame. Your crimes. For eternity."
"No! Please!"
"It is too late for please." Selene placed her hand on Ronan's forehead.
He screamed. It was not a physical scream. It was something deeper. His soul screaming.
His body went rigid. His eyes rolled back. He collapsed to the ground, still breathing but unresponsive.
"What did you do to him?" Mara demanded.
"Trapped his consciousness. He is in there. Aware. But unable to move or speak. He will stay that way forever. Living with his crimes. That is my revenge." Selene's form started to fade. "And now, I can finally rest."
"Wait! You promised to release Zevran!"
"I did release him. Look."
Zevran was standing now. His eyes were normal again. Ice pale and clear.
"Mara," he said in his own voice. Just his voice. "It is really me."
"Zevran!" Mara threw herself into his arms. "You are back! You are really back!"
"I am back." He held her tight. "I am so sorry. Sorry for leaving you. Sorry for making that choice without asking."
"I am sorry too. For being angry. For not understanding." Mara pulled back to look at him. "Are you okay? Did Selene hurt you?"
"No. She was actually kind. In her own way. We talked a lot. About what happened. About regrets. About moving on." Zevran smiled sadly. "She was not a monster. Just someone who died too young and could not let go."
"And now?"
"Now she is at peace. I felt it. The moment she got her revenge on Ronan, something in her changed. She let go of the anger. The pain. And she moved on to wherever good souls go."
Mara started crying. Happy tears this time. "I thought I lost you. I thought she would keep you forever."
"You will never lose me. We are bonded. Mated. Married. Nothing can separate us. Not even death." Zevran kissed her. Long and deep and full of love.
When they finally pulled apart, Mara noticed everyone was staring at them.
"Sorry," she said, wiping her tears. "We had a moment."
"Take all the moments you want," Riven said, smiling. "You earned them."
They looked down at Ronan's unresponsive body. He was still breathing. Still alive. But his eyes were empty.
"What do we do with him?" Luna asked.
"Leave him," Zevran said. "Let nature take him. Or let him starve. I do not care anymore. He is already dead in all the ways that matter."
"But he still breathes."
"Then his body can rot while his mind suffers. That is punishment enough."
They left Ronan there by the waterfall. Left him to whatever fate awaited.
As they walked away, Mara felt lighter. Free. One problem solved.
But she knew more problems were coming.
The Shadow King was still out there. Still hunting her.
Morgana still had her deal. Still expected payment.
And the war with Brutus was still brewing.
But for now, for this moment, Mara had Zevran back. And that was enough.