They had decided to simply press on in the hopes that it would help keep them all distracted from grief. She didn't think Daemon and Uzo were as upset as she was, but she was in agony at the loss of the vampires. She couldn't understand why they would just leave her like that.
When she asked Uzo that night, he had sighed and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
"Your magic lost its hold on them, my love. They could run."
It took her a long time to figure out what he meant and when it did finally click, all she could do was cry at the dawning realisation that they had only loved her because they had been forced to by her magic.
Kai now would only love her because she was his mother, but Jaia and Versalis no longer loved her, it had all been because of her magic that had bound them to her and that loss was destroying her.
He held her tightly, rocking her as he let her get her pain and misery out. She didn't know when Damon joined them once more, but he took her hand and they sat in silence, the only two men she had left in her life listening to the quiet sobs of misery.
At least she still had them, but did they only love her because of her magic? She didn't know and the thought that they would soon be leaving her too was like nails down her back, leaving her dreading every started conversation and anxious any time they were left alone, fearing they would be discussing their abandoning her too.
They had set off the morning after their trip to Winter, giving them time to process and her time to wrap her head around everything.
It was decided that by then she would have lost the gifts of Mara and she had indeed, the strength she had come to enjoy being lost to her and making her more than a little moody but they were kind enough to ignore her, at least until she decided that she didn't want to be a woman anymore and it was her turn to ignore them.
Licking her paws, she turned luminous blue eyes on the raging Daemon and simply looked at him with her best condescending stare until Uzo picked her up and settled her into his arms.
"Come on, if she wants to be a cat, let her be a cat," Uzo said, tired of the fighting when she was going to do whatever it was she wanted to do.
Being a cat was exceptionally easier, her needs were simple and she had dulled emotions that meant she didn't have to feel as strongly.
She was small and fluffy, fast and sleek, so it meant she felt safe inside herself for the time being.
"You had better change back just as soon as we get there, young lady," the demon shouted and she looked up at Uzo who was trying not to laugh.
He scratched her ears and she flopped onto her side, basking in the pleasure of the scratching.
They set off and only moved from the human world through to the human world again. After a while of not having any attention from Uzo, she leapt onto Daemon's shoulder and sat there, glaring haughtily at the Fae who only laughed at her attention seeking.
The demon caught her by the scruff and she hissed, curling herself into a little ball and looking at him pitifully as he held her out before him.
"You'll get no pity from me," he said but the longer he looked at her, the more she saw him melting and after she gave a sad little mew, he sighed and tucked her into his arms.
Content there, she curled up and his sharp nails made for delicious scratches.
She purred loudly, making sure Uzo could hear her joy at the attention and the two exchanged a look, amused by her.
Within a few hours of steady walking, they came across a small hidden village in the middle of an unusually dense forest, the trees seemingly packed on top of each other and yet the smell of them told her that they simply grew like that.
It was odd enough that she stuck her little pink nose out from under his shirt and peered around curiously.
"Trees don't grow like that, do they?" Uzo asked and Daemon shook his head, all three on alert.
Etani had never seen an Adlet before and so when she saw something flashing across in the distance, she whipped her head around but it was already gone before she could get a lock on it.
She had the oddest sensation that they had been surrounded and when Daemon began to slow, she was certain he had felt it too.
Without a peep, her nose backed and she readied herself for the need to come bursting out, just in case she needed to defend her friends.
She had not been wrong in her thoughts that they had been surrounded and suddenly the mingled scent of man and dog was everywhere around them, warped and strange.
Daemon hissed his anger at being caught off guard and she had no idea what was going on, only that he was angry and tense.
"State your business." A deep voice said and she felt Daemon turning, facing the one whom spoke.
"We have come for magic," the demon said and there was a very canine growl.
"A demon and a Fae coming into our land demanding magic?" the man scoffed and Daemon snorted his amusement.
"It sounds like the opening of a bad joke," Uzo said and Daemon laughed his agreement.
"This is no joking matter, Fae!" the man shouted and she jumped, making a soft squeak.
"What was that?" the man demanded and Daemon tightened his arm around her.
She slipped free of Daemon's grip and her small body leapt from the shirt, landing lightly on the ground and even as she set her paws down, she began to change before them, her body shifting outwards and drawing on the surroundings to return her mass.
Standing slowly, she found herself face to face with a small, slender man whose eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head.
Of course she was naked, her long red hair shifting in the breeze as she studied him.
He was a man from head to waist, but below his hips there was nothing but a pair of strong canine legs and a long, fluffy tail that was still in his shock.
She smiled slightly at his shock and her eyes trailed down him just as his had trailed down hers.
"It is me who is demanding magic," she said in a soft whisper that made the man swallow.
His fur was a deep brown, matching his hair and eyes while his skin was a softer shade of brown that she supposed would have blended into his fur had he been an actual dog.
"What business do you have here, witch?" he asked and she smiled, the smile making him suck in a breath.
"I'm here for your magic. That's all," she stepped closer to him with a grace she had never felt before, her body moving in a way it was not used to and she wondered which creature had given it to her.
Her fingers lifted and she tugged at his shirt, amused that he was fully dressed aside from shoes.
"Won't you help me?" she whispered and she could feel his heart pounding. She was playing on the werewolf need to please the females and she was doing so relentlessly.
It was working like a charm and he was staring around helplessly for assistance, but none of the others seemed to be able to move either.
She laughed gently and the sound had him looking down at her, his eyes wide in panic.
"Please?" she breathed, drawing him in and her chin lifted, hovering a mere inch from his lips in a silent question.
His growl was low and pained as he bowed his head to meet her lips and magic flooded into her, but he didn't break away from the kiss after the supply was cut off.
Growling softly as pain ripped through her, she felt the wolf inside her howling in agony and when it vanished, so did the need of the Adlet.
He jerked back from her and she laughed, dancing back to join Daemon and Uzo.
"You're not a wolf," the Adlet growled and she grinned, shaking her head.
Daemon slid his arm around her and as spears were lifted, he pulled her and Uzo backwards through the tear and into coldness.
"You're quite the little temptress" Daemon whispered and she shivered, looking back at him and his eyes were burning. Uzo coughed, her eyes tore from the demon even as her cheeks flamed and she had no idea why she was suddenly reacting to him.
She could only assume it was because she was not a demon herself, and as a result his desire had tainted her once more.
He seemed to be enjoying her response to him and she swatted at him, pulling herself free and moving away from him.
They seemed to have come out onto a small lake at night and it was eerie how dark it was as they stepped into the hard grass. Turning slowly, they could just make out the mountains in the distance and trees seemed to be dying.
"Is it winter?" she asked and Daemon grunted a denial, pulling his jacket tight around him.
She hadn't noticed the cold but the demon's breath was coming out in puffs of cold.
Exchanging a smirk with Uzo, the Fae grinned at her and they set off towards the water.
"Anyone home?" Uzo called out to the lake but there was no response, the water still and seemingly empty.
"Go out into the water, it might draw someone up," Daemon said and gave her a shove.
Growling at the shove, she stepped forward into the chilly water and hissed as she stepped on something sharp.
Of course they would send her out, stark naked and with bare feet onto the spiny reeds.
She stepped out until she was knee deep in the water and she squirmed at the slimy feeling of the soil.
The water rippled and she squeaked softly, only barely able to make out something very large heading her way.
She immediately thought of sharks and only managed to take two steps back before something curled around her ankle and she yelped as her leg was jerked out from under her and she was pulled down into the water.
She had nothing to keep her from being dragged down into the depths of the lake and she was already beginning to panic as she used her free foot to press down on the tight grip on her ankle.
Their descent slowed and a face loomed into view above her.
Mermaids were the pretty ones, mermen were not quite so pretty, in fact they were generally terrifying and entirely yet beautifully hypnotising. He was pale white with short white hair and had a row of razor-sharp teeth, his eyes an odd silvery-grey colour. His tail was at least six feet long, if not almost seven and his fingers were webbed.
No one liked to think about it, but they were carnivorous creatures who preferred humanoid meat, but would settle for fish if the opportunity didn't arise and she cursed the demon for setting her out as bait.
The sharp fingers clenched her in a grip that stung, clawing his way up her body until he had her by the arms and his too large mouth opened, showing her just how many teeth he had.
She jerked her arms up between them and curled her hands around his skinny throat, grinning viciously as her fingers clamped down on his gills and he jerked back from her, pointy fingers leaving long gouges on her arms and then her wrists as she choked him.
Her lungs were on fire and she desperately needed air, kicking hard but his tail was far better at moving in the water and he kept her down, realising his advantage.
They were not stupid creatures and so long as he kept her down there, he was going to win.
She let go of his neck and swam up, her choking him giving her time while he recovered and she broke the surface, managing to suck in a breath before his fingers found her calf and she screamed as his teeth sank into her flesh.
She kicked him hard in the face, but the water made it difficult for her to move at full force and she was horrified to see the water rippling in her direction.
One was bad enough but two or three? She was dead, she was so dead.
Kicking him again to make him let go of her, she found herself being dragged down again by her waist and her breath escaped her as sharp teeth found her hip, tearing at her flesh and her blood was thick in the water.
A third found her and he caught her wrists, his eyes wide and grin huge as he breathed in the scent of her blood.
Her mind reeled as she skimmed through what possible escape she had, and an idea ticked over in her head.
She yanked the male closer to her and his smile faltered slightly, confused as she sank her teeth into his shoulder.
He jerked away from her and she screamed at a new bite against her thigh, knowing she was having chunks bitten out of her but there was little she could do.
The merman had released her and was swimming away in jerky, erradic movements as her venomous bite injected him and she smirked, surfacing again only long enough to suck in a hint of air before she was under again.
Cursing the stupidity of the demon and his stupid plan, she reached down and grabbed a fistful of short dark hair, the male bearing his teeth at her and she made a decision.
She allowed him to sink his teeth into her shoulder and she screamed as his teeth grazed the bone, but while he was close, his tail wrapping around her legs and his arms around hers to trap her in place, she bit down on his shoulder in return.
He released her and she was suddenly entirely unsure of which way was up and which was down.
Panic filled her and she spun in the water, trying to see which way she needed to go.
She was certain she would still be sinking and she looked to her hair, thinking the direction was likely going to be up.
Swimming up as fast as she was able, she turned just in time to see him coming for her and her eyes narrowed.
He hit her with enough force to knock the last of her air out of her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, gripping her own elbows and when he thrashed, she slid around and wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezing his neck to cut off his flow of water.
She pointed up and he screamed at her, but it was that or they would both drown and finally he shot them up.
Sweet, cold air filled her lungs and she gasped it down, the male staring up at her but she only grinned maliciously and he realised his mistake.
He thrashed against her but she refused to let go until he went limp and she ducked him back under the water, forcing water back into him and he gurgled, flailing weakly.
She didn't have long and she slid her arm around his ribs and swam for the shore, dragging him up onto the mud with her as far as she could go with her injuries.
"I let you live if you give me your magic," she hissed and his pale eyes blinked at her weakly.
She shook him and he made an odd gurgling sound, his webbed fingers finding her hair and jerking her head down to his.
She met his lips with her own and they were slimy, wet and tasted of her blood and dirty water but even as he went limp, she dragged him into the water once more.
She cursed him as his gills pumped and after a moment of him floating at her side, he flicked to life and was gone.
Panting, she crawled back up to the shore and flopped down onto it, her mood sour as she heard two sets of boots running for her from the far side of the lake.
And she heard her name being screamed as she gave willingly, eagerly into unconscious.