Odessa Creed's brawny arm was wrapped around my waist, his hand firmly planted on my side while we walked to the arena. The crowd roared with excitement. Faes, fairies, and some of Willa's siren family were to attend the festivities if you could call it that.

The suns were high in the sky; the orcs followed obediently, leading up to the royal viewing area. Their large bodies had difficulties going through the opening of the door, having to move their shoulders to squeeze through.

"This looks like another world," Thorn whispered to Sugha. Sugha had been quiet since landing, his eyes on everything but his orc brothers. While walking to our royal viewing box, they gave us a brief history of themselves, being brothers by the same mother but different fathers. Females were so few and far between hundreds of years ago, women had harems of men to help produce a variety of different genetics to their tribes. Everyone was born a boy and with each passing birth, the females became weaker and weaker until they could not survive.

"We orcs treat them like goddesses, we loved them," he choked. "We were not allowed to have a female or be part of a harem since we were so young, only the eldest could partake in a woman's body. The elders showered them with gifts, brought food, made medicine to heal them as each birth came, but to no avail did it help. The women continued to try and give us daughters for the younger orcs, but failed ultimately. They wanted us to feel love too, they did it for us." Valpar rubbed his large green chest, speckled with dark hair.

"This gives us hope, if King Orion and this Princess Sadie agree bringing down the wall," Valpar mentioned. "A war to give us love again. We will fight until our last breath so all of our kind can experience it." Willa took the largest orc, Sugha's, hand, and patted it gently.

"You guys are just big green softies. You are going to have some lucky mates." Orion pulled Willa away, eyeing the orcs.

"You've got a mate, darling," Orion warned, pulling her to his lap on the largest throne overlooking the arena.

"I know that, my sweet fae," her finger trailed his jawline, causing Orion to turn into putty. "They just look like little candy apples ready to be eaten by some lonely wolf." Satisfied with Willa's answer, he waved his hand for Creed and I to sit beside him. Creed's parents stood behind us while we watched the bags be emptied of Duke Mortus' body.

Piece by piece he fell into the sand. The guards surrounding him gave enough space so all could watch the body slowly pull together. Bright lights, caused by large mirrors positioned carefully to catch the suns' rays, hit right on Mortus' body, heightening the potency of the light.

"This is so gross." I looked on in horror. It was a scene where you didn't want to look away, just like a terrible car accident while driving down a highway. You couldn't help but look and watch. Creed's arms tightened around me, his growls going deep in his chest could be felt straight between my legs.

"Creed," I nudged, trying to get him to stop. He only chuckled, kissing my forehead. "Trying to keep your mind off of things." My lips caught his neck, kissing him softly. "Keep watching," Ondi warned. "Watch as the seams melt together."

Like magic, or some unexplainable natural law of the supernatural, had parts roll to areas where the body could be laid out flat. His body was naked, with no clothing to cover himself as the broken pieces were welded together. Using my dragon's eyes, they sealed quickly until groans from Mortus broke us from the trance-like state the entire arena watched.

Fae warriors picked him up, only to strap him to the gigantic stake. His head fell forward and backward, not fully awake from his broken sleep, his hair covering his eyes. Whines of unpleasant proportions became louder. "Kill him!" A fae from the crowd roared from afar. "Burn him!" Another fae cried. Soon the entire crowd, screaming profanities such as traitor, scum, and demon, burned their lips.

Head lulling back and resting on the wooden stake, the wind blew the once perfect hair from his eyes. Blood red irises stared right at me, his brows heightened touching his hairline. "Odessa," he spoke. "Odessa!"

My eyes didn't waver. I clutched Creed's leg with both hands. I was strong; I could do this, he couldn't harm me, not any longer and after today, I could live in peace and moved on. That was what I hoped and prayed to Hecate. "Help me, my lovely! Tell them who you are to me!" Eyes were pleading. The sickness in his heart only made my own body turn in disgust. How could he say I was his mate when I obviously didn't care? I had my mate. Creed held my heart in his hands and this vampire tried to forcefully take it from him.

"To the people of the Light Kingdom and visitors from Queen Willa's home of Atlantis," the crowd roared again, throwing stones and sticks into the arena.

"Oy! I think you are missing something!" One warrior held up Duke Mortus' appendage. He waved it about, smacking it on a nearby rock." Mortus growled, his fangs lengthening while he hissed at the men to stop. "Odessa! Save me! Please!" Looking away, not able to hold those pleading cries that called me, Creed's fangs lengthened, growling at the villain.

"I give you a traitor of Vamparia, Duke Mortus." Orion's words had to be quick and informative, there wasn't a time for him to give a long lengthy lecture, the crowd was livid, angry and my worries of supernaturals storming the arena to kill him themselves had me clutching Creed tightly.

"Settle down and let me read you his wrongdoings," Orion then stood, sitting Willa carefully on his throne. Annan held a parchment in his hand, a completed list of every sin he had ever done.

We sat for ten minutes, Mortus screamed they were lies and his head thrashed about. "Odessa is my mate!" He cried again, pulling at the ropes. Mortus' power had weakened substantially, to nothing more than a human. The ropes didn't budge and the stake did not shake.

Orion continued to read from the parchment. A fae female warrior entered the arena, bringing in a large bag. Setting it down just underneath our viewing box, Mortus' cries halted, his eyes now on the woman setting up the table. "And for the most heinous crime of all, the force of a mating bond." The crowd booed, yelling in protest. Children even screamed for blood as Mortus now stood still like he was being yelled at. His eyes were pinned on the warrior fae that had yet to look at the vampire strapped to the stake.

Tugging on King Orion's robe, I sought his attention. His normal golden eyes turned into a dark amber and his wings turned dark. He was going into his warrior mode, the darkness he could carry covering his light. "He keeps staring at her," I mouthed, trying not to catch the attention of anyone else. Orion's fierce gaze landed on the fae and back to the Duke. An evil smirk landed on the Fae King. Stepping forward, his fingers snapped. The fae warrior now held his gaze. Tapping his head, the fae guard stood at attention, nodding and crossing her arm over her chest with a bow. A silent conversation passed between the two. Her eyes went bright with the shock of darkness invading her beautiful features. Her wings lowered, shaking her head to look at the King again. Orion tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

Her eyes closed, a tear traveled down her cheek, grazed her nose only to drop off her sharp chin. Taking a long breath, her body turned to face the vampire. Wings fluttering, lifting slightly, their eyes locked.

"Beloved," Mortus breathed. Orion only chuckled, rubbing his chin, watching the two interact. His eyes lightened considerably. The crowd's roar came down to only small children cooing at their parents. The female warrior stood, weaving her stance side to side as the people of the crowd watched.

"Listen," Creed barely breathed in my ear. "Use your hearing, concentrate and you can hear the smallest of whispers this far away. My shaky breath became uneven, Creed's fingers entangled around my hands. "Just listen."

Slow, calculating steps she took, she was regal, the epitome of bravery as she walked toward the enemy. His eyes were wide, brimming with tears, while his naked body shook in the light. All I could see was the back of her body. Her wings stiffened until she stood just inches from him.

"You are my destined, my mate," she uttered. Mortus stood, awe struck, his arm, tried to rid the rope tying him to the stake. Slowly, carefully, taking premeditated steps, she circled him, her eyes never leaving Mortus' head as if not to disrespect him in his nude form. Once she stood back in front of him, Mortus' sweat dripped to the ground pearling into the sand.

"Beloved, I did not know," he whispered. "I... I did not know you were here, alive. I would have searched harder for you..." tears rained down his face, the red stains on his cheeks reflected in the light giving a bright hue. "I am 534 years old and I waited for you," her velvety voice hung low in the air.

"Let me change, let me prove myself," Mortus pleaded, his shoulders trying to wiggle free from the bonds. "I will do anything, anything you wish. Please, please, I've waited for you so long. To love and be loved!"

Salty tears could be smelled throughout the arena. She was crying silently like a proper soldier would. "Please, tell me your name?"

"Scorpia." Mortus said her name several times to marinate it on his tongue. Scorpia, taking several steps back, had Mortus pleading again.

"Please, please come back. I'll do anything for you." Scorpia's eyes never left the ground, Orion rubbing his head and continued to look straight at his warrior. Willa stood, clinging to Orion's robes.

"Let her choose," Willa whispered. Orion only rubbed the back of Willa's back, giving her a smile.

"What will you give me?" Scorpia spoke louder. "You have crimes stacked against you. I can only do so much even if you are my mate," she choked back a cry.

"Anything you desire. I'll work the soil to produce crops, I'll sweat in the days light sources tending to animals, anything, Scorpia, anything." The back of Scorpia's fingers ran down Mortus' face. Shocks of pleasure ran through him, leaning closer to the small area of skin gracing his face.

"I want names. I want every dirty detail the rogues have planned."