Page 28 of Rogue If You Want To
Lutris screamed, and blood flowed over his fur. Wow, otters did have a variety of vocalizations. Despite the sound coming from someone who wished harm on my mate, I didn’t celebrate. It could easily be Otto in pain before this battle ended.
Lutris tried to fling off his brother by spinning, but the movement had both tumbling over the grass until he broke free of Otto’s grip. The newly cut grass was now stained with blood, and the air was awash with the stench.
While Lutris’s wound was deep, Otto had scratches across his flank where his twin had clawed him.
My mate ignored his wounds and his brother and charged for the stream.
What is he doing?
Maybe trying to stem the blood flow. But Otto wasn’t bleeding badly. I worried my mate had internal injuries and this was the beginning of the end. I had to stay out of it, but knowing if Otto were to breathe his last breath, I had to be holding him.
I begged the universe to save him and to give him the strength to continue the fight. But as soon as he hit the water, my confidence increased. He was home, but then his brother would be equally at ease in the water and my anxiety level rose again.
But when Lutris dived in, it was hard for me to determine who had the advantage. Shit. The crowd edged closer to the stream, with me, Creven, and Auden at the front.
“Your mate’s beast is no slouch in the water.”
Maybe I nodded or grunted, but my focus was on Otto who now dived below the surface. I expected Lutris to do the same, but he thrashed around trying to track him. Perhaps if he had not spent so much time plotting revenge and refined his fighting techniques, he might be doing better. I was glad he wasn’t, though.
The water was clear enough that I could see Otto clamping his teeth on Lutris’s tail. His twin screeched, and some of the pack members put their hands over their ears. My mate dived deeper, and I lost sight of him.
Lutris was thrashing, but my mate struck again, making darting movements as his teeth and claws made contact with his brother. I sensed Otto's attacks had disoriented Lutris, as his movements were uncoordinated and he was making little squeaking sounds.
Make it stop, my beast begged.
The water was stained with blood as Lutris thrashed, and the crowd oohed and ahhed. Creven glanced at me, his expression more hopeful than before the fight began. I peered into the murky water, and though I didn’t see my mate, Lutris’s body jerked as jaws locked around his throat.
The pair rolled over, churning the water. I quivered at the sounds Lutris was making and sensed the fight was almost at an end. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up and jinx my mate. This might be one of Lutris’s tactics where he pretended to belosing, only to overpower his twin. I hoped Otto was aware of his brother’s ploys.
But as they tussled, Lutris went limp.
No one on the bank said anything, but there were sharp intakes of breath. I didn’t breathe, just counted the seconds, waiting for Lutris to pounce on his brother.
Otto’s beast didn’t let his brother go. Like me, maybe he was counting. But finally, he released the body, and it floated on the surface. My mate stared at the body. Gods, he’d experienced so much trauma since we met and now he’d killed his twin. It was a legitimate kill, one any shifter council would recognize.
He swam to the bank, covered in his brother’s blood, and shifted while still in the water. He was spent, and his agonized expression told its own story. No one should have to kill their kin.
"It's over.” He blinked and rubbed his face.
I tumbled into the stream, and he collapsed in my arms as Creven shooed everyone back to work. Otto and I stood in the water as his body shook, and he shivered.
"I killed my own brother, my twin,” he whispered.
"You defended yourself. His purpose for whoever knew how long was to kill you, and you stopped him.”
I got out and hauled my mate onto the bank. His energy was spent, and Creven handed us blankets, saying this was a legitimate fight.
“We’ll have to notify the bevy.” Auden ordered two men to retrieve Lutris’s remains before it drifted away. “They’ll want to collect the body, and they’ll want an account of what happened.”
That would be on Otto. It was one more torturous step, but it would be the last.
Creven dealt with the logistics while I took Otto back to the cabin. He was too exhausted to stand under the shower, so I got in with him and allowed the stream of water to wash away the blood. How I wished it could remove the memories too.
“I remember when we were kids.” My mate was in bed with a steaming cup of tea. “When we were very little, before he hated that I existed. We used to catch fish together.”
“You can mourn him. He was your brother.”
“Yes, and if I hadn’t killed him, he would have ended my life without a qualm.”
