Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

69. Stronger as One

Both of them followed my lead and placed their palms next to each other. I raised the bloody dagger and wiped it off in my shirt. It was not a classy move but I did not want the cambion's blood to mix with that of our triad, if I could help it. 

Once I was satisfied that it was clean enough, I made a small cut on each palm. Small enough not to cause any unnecessary bleeding- even if the wounds were going to heal quickly with the shifter abilities- but big enough to get enough blood dripping to cover the angel blade. I watched as the thick red liquids mixed and trickled over the silver edges of the weapon.  The dagger burst into a blue flame but it didn't burn or harm me as I held it. The energy that it gave off ran through my body like an electric current. 

I was ready.

"You little bitch," I heard Markolf shout behind me, once again back to his feet. "And here I was ready to give you the world."

I turned around and glared at him, although I pitied him. He was delusional but it was his desperate need to feel loved and to fit in that drove his insanity. Still, he had a chance to achieve those without sowing destruction and death along the way, yet he chose the easy path instead- the one of hatred.

Reasoning with him was futile but I owed it to conscience to at least try. "This could have all gone so differently, Markolf. But you decided that if you could not make the world love you, you would make it fear you."

"Oh, Aurelie, you think that they will accept you, the broken shifter that you are? You are deceiving yourself, sweetheart."

I looked at my mates and I could my skin crackle under their gaze from the electric charge of our bond. Their smiles and the love that radiated from them told me everything that I needed to know.

"I don't have to wonder, Markolf-- I know." I gave him a pitiful smile but it only made him more bitter.

"Fine, you die with them then." He spat out the words with so much hate that it was difficult to believ he wanted me by his side moments earlier. He then looked up to the sky and began to mutter some strange an incantation that made the ground tremble.

My mates and I exchanged knowing glances-- it was now or never.

As if our minds were attuned, Aiden and I both shot Markolf with fireballs which interrupted whatever he was trying to do. I heard Rafe shift next to me and I knew he was going to provide me with the distraction that I needed for my final move.

The silver-grey wolf ran forward while Aiden continued to fire at the cambion. The dual attack proved difficult for the half-demon and he began to move backwards, looking for cover. Kai lunged at him and pushed him down to the ground, giving me the much-awaited opening.

I sprinted over in a flash and, without hesitation, I pierced Markolf's heart with the blood-soaked angel blade.

A stream of light suddenly burst out of the cambion's body which forced me to step back. 

The light slowly disappeared and was replaced by thousands of glowing animal spirits that appeared from the source of the light. Wolves, dragons, bears, foxes, lions, jaguars- countless animals that were separated from their humans and had been imprisoned by Markolf to harness their powers. With each released animal, the cambion disintegrated slowly. 

Little by little, all the spirits disappeared but I knew that they were free now, just like Sol had told me.

I looked back on the ground where Markolf was lying but in his place, I found just a pile of clothes, our enemy having been defeated.

"You did it," someone whispered in my ear and I turned around to face Aiden. He brushed a strand of hair from my face and placed his healed palm on my cheek. I leaned into his touch, having missed my calm and my storm. "You saved us all, Riley."

I snapped my head to look for Rafe and saw him walk towards us with the unconscious Michelle in his arms.

I smiled at both of my mates before I gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. "No. We did it together- at the end of the day, we are stronger as one."

"Did I miss all the fun?" The familiar baritone voice startled me as my dad appeared out of nowhere.

"Dad, you are okay!"

He pulled me in for a hug before I could ask anything. "Of course I am, Auri. Your old man still has what it takes to do some serious damage."

"Caleb?"

His eyes landed on the spot where Markolf had disappeared moments earlier. "He met the same end as Markolf, I guess." 

"What about mum and everyone else?" I asked, alarmed when I remembered that there were many more people involved in the fight than just those of us that were standing in the now destroyed courtyard.

"Everyone is fine, sweetie. We suffered a few casualties but, all in all, our losses were limited. We had a good plan, I guess." My dad smiled at my mates. I had a feeling that there was a whole story behind the glances they exchanged, but I was going to get it out of them another time. "What now, Auri?"

A smile warmed my lips as I finally felt lighter than I had in a while, like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. The sense of calm that took over told me that everything was going to be alright now that those responsible for the suffering of my family and my mates were finally gone. It was finally time to move onto brighter things and to shape my own destiny.

"Now we go home."