Page 136 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

“So, we are basing our future attacks on flying Smurfs?” Ellis asks, sounding exasperated.

“Well, since marshmallows can’t fly, yeah, we are relying on flying Smurfs,” I smirk, looking at him. I can tell I pissed him off. It’s all good; he needs to be knocked down a peg every now and then.

Ellis rolls his eyes and stares at the battle before us. “Fucking marshmallows… When the fuck are we going to live down my fuckup? Fuck, man, it was a bloody example of how bad we stand out here.” Ellis suddenly looks defeated; I guess the nickname hurts him more than we knew. I reach out through the bond and fill everyone in quickly.

“Dude, I’m sorry, I’ll talk to the others about it.” I give him the typical clap on the back and look around the forest, making sure no one is sneaking up on our forces. In the distance, I see movement. it looks like an old Crone moving through the trees.

I reach out through the bond to Alaric and Dimitri. They would be best to help identify the Crone once we’re able to get close to her. It doesn’t take the guys long to catch up to me, and I point in the direction I saw her go. We take off through the woods; Dimitri and Alaric in their human forms, and me back in my Dire Wolf form. The Crone has the distinct scent of patchouli oil and saffron. She’s easy to track, which in hindsight is quite concerning.

Alaric stops short and begins to look around. “It’s a trap!” We’re quickly surrounded by ten Lycans and the Crone on the hill.

How the ever-loving hell did they get the drop on us? I whip my head from left to right, trying to determine my best course of action. Dimitri rolls his neck and draws his sword, Alaric mimics him, and they stand back to back. Me, I bare my canines at the Lycans. They don’t know if I have venom or not. It becomes clear that this was a last-minute attack. Even though the beasts look vicious, their body language screams uncertain. I relay what I see to my bond mates, and we are in agreement. They do not present a united front, and we will use that to our advantage.

Several Lycans attack at once, and Alaric and Dimitri move with fluid grace, using their swords to cut through the attackers. I notice between the attacks that they keep dipping their swords back into the scabbards. Ah, I see it now; they have Dire wolf Venom in the scabbards.

I lunge at a Lycan coming in from the side, going for his Achilles tendon, and rip it out. There’s no running once the tendon is severed. He howls out in pain and tries to chase me with no luck—too bad, so sad. I repeat the process with threemore Lycans, downing them so that Dimitri and Alaric aren’t overrun.

We finish off the Lycans that were sent to attack us. We carefully begin to track the Crone that happened to disappear again. We find an old shack on the edge of the woods, and it looks like it’s been used quite a lot recently. Alaric and Dimitri hang back as I choose to circle the building, investigating it. After two laps around, I come to two conclusions: one, she’s definitely in there; two, there’s only one visible way in and out.

Dimitri charges the door, and Alaric is at his back to shield him if there’s an attack from the side. The door shatters from the force Dimitri hits it with. The Crone screams, and we hear her body hit the ground. There’s a six-inch long piece of the door through her shoulder on her right side. In her left hand, a shattered vial that she was preparing to throw at us.

Dimitri grabs the Crone and drags her up onto her feet. Quickly, he ties her hands behind her back and searches her robes. “Boys, I would like to introduce you to the Elder Dame. She’s the bitch responsible for the hell our mate has gone through.” Dimitri’s bear is close to the surface, and his beast’s growl can clearly be heard in his voice.

“Easy, big guy... Aurora will be ecstatic if we hold this one alive for her,” Alaric says, trying to get through to Dimitri.

I watch as Dimitri battles with his bear, and it seems to be a losing battle for him. “Dimitri, is it? That Lycan whore’s guard? I guess you failed that task, didn’t you? I could have saved the bitch, but what for? She didn’t deserve to be Vladimir’s mate,” the Elder Dame says, venom dripping with every word she speaks.

There’s that moment in time where things just flash before your eyes. Except this time, the world slows down horribly; I can’t move fast enough. Dimitri’s eyes become that of his bear, and I watch the bones in his face shift. The Elder Dame’s handsbreak free of the bonds, and her nails turn to twisted claws. Even in slow motion, Dimitri still moves faster. One hand grips the Elder Dame’s jaw, the other her shoulder. I watch his fingers change and take on the elongated claws of his bear. The Elder Dame’s skin flexes then breaks as his claws sink deeply into the muscles and sinew of her neck. The deep crimson rivulets of ichor stream down her neck, streaking her pale-white, withered flesh. We can hear the tearing of sinew and tendons, snapping like breaking rubber bands. Her eyes go wide as she realizes he is going to end her. Little by little, her last spell’s strength wanes as her life force escapes her flesh. Alaric and I can almost move again, but still not fast enough to stop Dimitri. With an unearthly roar that rumbles the cabin, he rips the Elder Dame’s head free from her shoulders. The spell breaks almost as soon as the Crone’s body hits the floor. Dimitri stands there looking like Hercules holding Medusa’s head.

“Aurora will forgive me,” Dimitri states flatly as he stares into the dead eyes of the Elder Dame’s eyes. He stares at her for entirely too long before he spits in her face. His lip curls up as he growls, staring at her. Shaking his head, he storms out the door ahead of us. Something deep down snapped in him; we can only hope that Aurora can heal whatever is broken within him.

CHAPTER 109

Vladimir

As I standin the tallest tower of the castle, the air carries a chill that seeps through the stone walls, sending shivers down my spine. Despite the cold, my senses are heightened, attuned to every sound and movement in the surrounding area.

With each passing moment, the tension in the air grows palpable, a tangible presence that hangs heavy in the stillness of the tower. I can hear the faint rustle of papers as I slide my hands over the map on my desk, the soft scratch of quill against parchment as I jot down notes.

The map beneath my fingertips is worn and weathered, its surface marked with countless lines and symbols that tell the story of battles fought and victories won. I know every hill and stone for miles around, my mind mapping out potential strategies and defenses with meticulous precision.

But as I switch to a different map, my focus shifts to the courtyard below, where the tombs of the Strigoi lie in silent repose. The weight of their presence hangs heavy in the air, a reminder of the countless lives lost in centuries past.

Lost in thought, I barely register the sound of battling dragons buzzing the tower, their roars echoing off the stone walls. But even as chaos reigns outside, I remain steadfast,my gaze fixed on the maps before me, ready to face whatever challenges may come my way.

“Vladimir?” Tomas says as he leans in the doorframe looking at me.

“Spit it out, leech.” I’m so over having these vermin in my castle—look at it, it’s in ruins.

“The water is being disturbed in the lower chambers as we speak,” Tomas says slowly, stepping into my space.

“Either handle it or ignore it. Don’t you see I have a war to win?” I say, practically growling.

Tomas-

I roll my eyes, make my way out of the office, and start down the spiraling stone stairs. I stand at the opening to the stone wall of the castle. My black eyes scan the forest, looking at all the gathered species battling. Hundreds of my people will die this day, and Vladimir in his ivory tower doesn’t care. Hell, several hundred or so Lycans will die today also. Again, the head honcho still doesn’t care as long as the usurpers are killed off. I head back inside and down the stairs into the bowels of the tower. I gather some of my people’s oldest and leave through a tunnel that we made for ourselves.

Vladimir-

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