Zira ran to Isaiah and pulled him into the tightest hug she could muster. It only lasted for a few seconds when she realized something was missing. She pulled back with a worried look.
“Arias-”
“-is safe,” Isaiah said, running his hands through her hair and down her body, not believing she was actually there. “I sent him home.”
"Thank the Goddess," Zira said, pulling him into another kiss which was soon interrupted by a gasp.
“Percy!” Zira turned to see Niamh moving toward the group hovering over Lana and Percy.
“It’s my fault,” Lana cried. “He jumped in front of me. I…I didn’t see him.”
Percy was lying naked on the ground, unmoving. A scar in the shape of a lightning bolt was etched across his chest as Niamh ran her hands along the edges with tears streaming down her face. Zira placed her hand on his chest.
“I can still feel him,” Niamh said to Zira.
“So you can save him,” Zira asked.
“With your help, we can try,” Niamh said.
"We," Zira asked. "I don't think I can heal someone. I'm not a white wolf."
Niamh only smiled. "But we are one and the same. You can do what I can do, Zira. Just like before, but remember what I said. The more we use our power, the stronger ....”
“I know,” Zira said, cutting her off before casting a look at Isaiah.
She didn’t want him to worry. Niamh went back inside the crystal and it glowed with power. Zira closed her eyes momentarily as her entire body started to glow. When she opened them, her eyes were shining silver/blue. She looked at Percy and pulled him closer to her body.
"Zira?" Isaiah stepped closer to her as she looked up at him.
"Do not worry, Alpha Isaiah, she is fine," Niamh said through her.
She looked down at Percy as her hand traveled over his hair and down his face to cup his cheek. She bent over ever so slowly and placed a kiss on his lips. Percy’s body started to glow the same as Zira’s. Everyone stood back, amazed. Well, almost everyone. Isaiah stood near, shifting from foot to foot as he watched them. He knew she was doing the right thing but she was kissing him and Devon didn’t like it.
“Couldn’t she have just touched his arm or something? This is ridiculous,” Devon growled inside Isaiah’s mind, pacing back and forth.
“Would you just calm down? She’s...saving someone’s life,” Isaiah retorted.
“Yes, that someone who has feelings for her,” Devon said back. “I don’t like it!”
Isaiah didn’t share much of Devon's emotions but kissing went on for a minute too long for him. He watched as Percy’s hand moved slowly to caress the side of Zira’s face. Percy sat up and leaned more into the kiss.
“Okay," Isaiah laughed uncomfortably, trying to keep from growling as he watched them stand up together. He noticed Hunter and Chris were only a hair-breadth behind him. They could probably feel his irritation too and, of course, Hunter only made it worse.
"Am I the only one feeling a bit awkward here or is this like cool with us," he asked as Isaiah growled at him to keep from yanking Percy away. "What? I'm just saying. A kiss is a kiss but that," Hunter said, pointing to the two making out, "is a full-on make-out sesh, man."
Isaiah turned back to see Percy pull Zira closer to him. Seriously? "I think he has enough life to make it through the day," Isaiah coughed up, hoping she would hear him and stop, but the two kept going like horny teenagers fighting for dominance. Isaiah walked over and placed a hand on Zira’s shoulder. She broke away and looked at him with her eyes still glowing. “Zira?”
She blinked a few times before her hazel eyes returned. She looked at Isaiah confused when she noticed Percy’s arms still wrapped around her waist. She quickly removed them and stepped away, moving closer to Isaiah.
“Okay, that was weird,” she laughed nervously while shaking herself. She could feel Niamh’s emotions running through her like a hot flash. Percy was her mate and those feelings never went away. “Um…we should get back on track, right?"
“Agreed, it’s getting a bit crowded in here,” Nina said, a bit annoyed. “Dealing with both of your emotions is like being in a room full of women with PMS.”
“Shut up,” both Zira and Niamh said at the same time.
“Yes, let's,” Isaiah growled, staring daggers at Percy. “I’m glad you’re alive, Percy, but for now let’s keep our hands and lips to ourselves. You don’t want to waste the life just given to you, do you?”
Percy blushed, touching his lips before nodding.
"What about him," Lana asked, pointing to Councilman Faulkner.
"I don't care what you have to do, but you're not kissing any more people," Isaiah said defiantly while crossing his arms.
Zira only smiled at him, shaking her head as she moved over to Councilman Faulkner. Her body glowed once more for a few moments before it stopped. She looked over to Lana and shook her head. He was too far gone for her to do anything. Lana knelt down beside her.
“I couldn’t stand him,” she said, wiping the tears that escaped her eyes, “but he was still like family to me.”
With the help of everyone, they buried Councilman Faulkner under a bed of rocks.
"I am going to kill that fucking monster," Lana growled.
"Don't worry Lana. He will pay," Zira said, "but first I think I have something that belongs to you.”
Zira touched Lana to give her back her power. Lana picked up a boulder and threw it across the room with a flick of her hand.
“I feel like myself again,” she said, hugging herself while stepping away from Zira, making it apparent that she didn’t want to be close to her. “No offense, but your hands have done enough for me.”
Zira couldn’t help but laugh. “None taken. We should come up with a plan to find Finnick and Clary. Does anyone know where he went?”
"I do," a voice said behind them. They turned to see Ezekiel walking cautiously towards them with his head slightly down. Isaiah and Percy both stood in front of Zira to protect her. Lana’s eyes started to shimmer and Hunter and Chris started to growl.
“Stop,” Zira yelled, sending a wave of power through them all and they instantly calmed down. She stepped through to them to see Ezekiel on his knees.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I knew she was taking their powers but she wasn’t killing them and she promised to give them back when this was over.” He looked up at Zira with tears in his eyes. “We’re just…we’re just tired of dying.”
Lana scoffed. “Tell that to Drake and Councilman Faulkner!”
Ezekiel flinched at her tone as tears fell down his face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. I thought she was doing this to give us a better life.”
“I can empathize,” Isaiah said, bending down to his level. “I was once blinded by love to the point I almost lost everything. I was too late in realizing that I didn’t need to save her from everyone else. I needed to save her from herself. So help us help you save her.”
Ezekiel wiped the tears from his face and nodded. He told them where Clary would be and what she was planning to do.
“We won’t get there in time,” Lana said. “Even if we did, how would we stop him?”
“The crystal,” Niamh said through Zira. “We are linked to them, so if you destroy them you destroy us…"
"Easy," Lana interrupted. "I can use my power to snatch it."
"Powers won't work on it," Niamh said. "Remember the training room incident. Besides, it's not that simple. Only I can destroy it. I just need a big enough distraction for me to get close.”
“And more firepower,” Lana said. "We don't know what we're going into."
“Fire,” Zira thought before she ran to the wall with the symbols carved in the stone. “Niamh, can you open this?”
“Of course, cast me inside.”
While they waited, Hunter moved beside Isaiah. “So, should we be concerned about her touching the wall like that?”
“I’m…sure there’s a reason,” Isaiah said, not as confident as he wanted to be. “Um…Zira?”
She held up her hand to quiet him before she heard something sliding out of the way and Niamh telling her to move. Zira ran from the wall, shoo-ing everyone back before the wall exploded into pieces. Smoke streamed out before Blaze walked through steaming and pissed off.
“Where is she,” Rahziel growled through him, looking around with his shining reddish-orange eyes.
“Oh…my…Goddess,” Hunter exclaimed. “Another DRAGON!”
Zira looked into the room Blaze walked out of before turning back to the crew.
“I have a stupid idea,” Zira smiled.