Page 4 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

The Elder Dame comes forth with a magical potion and a very sharp dagger. “I must bind her to one of you; otherwise, without a pack she will be amongst the lost ones—insane from the lack of a pack.” Her eyes dart between Andre and I then settle on me. “You’re a predator like she is; a beast. You will be the best candidate! Give me your arm, Dimitri!” Such authority from a little old woman almost frightens me. I hold out my left arm to her. She dips the blade into the magical elixir, then makes a swift cut across my forearm. The wound stings then turns to a warm tingle as the flesh begins to knit back together.

Her amber eyes turn to the pup still in Vlad’s arms, pulling out her tiny left arm and repeating the process. Instantly I feel her like she’s a part of me. I feel such a sense of wonder as I am handed the pup. This tiny cherub looks like a mini version of her mother, right down to the gunmetal-gray eyes and ruby lips. Hands grip my shoulders and turn me, snapping me out of my inner thoughts. “You must go!” the Elder Dame shouts at me, then pulls out a gnarly, twisted stick from her robe and flourishes it in the air. Energy explodes into the room as a rip in the fabric of reality opens before us. “Go! My sister Elena will shelter you in the new world. Go now!” As soon as she finishes imploring us, a harsh pounding starts coming from the direction of the door. The cracking sound of the wooden door startingto give way dispels any hesitation we had. Without a second thought, Andre, the pup, and I venture into the unknown.

Vladimir

Wood splinters fly everywhere as a dozen Strigoi break into the room, remnants of the door littering the floor. The metallic tang of blood and the scent of spilled birthing fluid mixed with magic lie heavily in the air. The Elder Dame and I remain in the room, looking without fear at the monsters beginning to fill it.

The Strigoi are a vile bunch; ashen skin, long, pointed, bat-like ears, and dozens of needle-like teeth fill their mouths. Their noses are the most disturbing part of them. They are a larger version of a bat’s flared and rippled nose. On the tips of their long, boney fingers, sharp, hooked claws glisten with the blood of my people. These horrid creatures reek of sulfur death and decay and look as if they had freshly risen from the grave. They stand there as Tomas moves through the gathered horde to stand before myself and the Elder Dame.

“You shouldn’t have tried to exile us forever, Vladimir, we are many.” He flourishes his boney, clawed hand towards the door. “Your kind is dying off.” I face off with the Strigoi Alpha showing no fear. Tomas’s needle-like fangs glisten in the candlelight, fresh blood staining his chin and chest. “Once our pets, now our wardens... Wardens no more! Now you are food for the horde.” Tomas steps forward. Slender, clawed hands flexing as he tries to bait me. “Your kin lay dead at the feet of my kind. Your allies run in fear and die before me. You are king no more.” As he speaks, droplets of blood fall from his mouth and onto his chest. Tomas’s black eyes drift to the sheet-covered body on the bed and smiles. “Shame, I wanted to dine on the blood of your pup.”

That made my blood boil. That creature wanted my daughter, my only heir. We lost the pup’s mother in childbirth. I would not let anything happen to alert the Strigoi that my daughter had survived. “You want the crown, come for it...” I know this fight could mean my death. My eyes drift to the Elder Dame, a slight nod tells me my precious cargo is safe. My last thoughts are of the daughter I would never get to know as I charge into what may be my final battle.

Nicodeamus

On the far side of the castle, I fall from the sky the moment my mate died. My chest feels as though the weight of a thousand worlds lay upon my heart, smashing it to dust. My dragon bellows his grief into the night; its mate is gone. Slowly, he releases his hold over me and allows me to return to my human form. By some miracle I feel the faint thread of life that is my child. Somehow, even though my mate had perished, she lived long enough to deliver our baby into this world. This small joy spurns me on to seek out what’s left of my mate and my surviving child.

The battle wages on throughout the castle as I barrel through Strigoi and Dires alike. Reaching the demolished birthing chamber to find the Elder Dame in a magical sphere, where a lone Strigoi attempts to attack her. My hands shift into my taloned gauntlets, and without a second thought I cut the Strigoi's head free from his shoulders. A satisfying, wet thud resounds through the room when its body hits the floor.

My eyes drift to the blood-covered sheets before me. Slowly, walking to the edge of the bed, I lift the corner of the sheet. I have to see my Anca one last time. Her abdomen is shredded,a hole was created where it looked like something punched its way out. My eyes go wide, horrified at what's left of my beloved mate. Silent tears stream down my cheeks and drip onto the floor. My heart sinks further as I begin to mourn the death of not only my mate, but also my hatchling too. I turn slowly, looking at the destruction around me. The Elder Dame approaches and squeezes my shoulder. “I couldn’t do anything for Anca, M’lord. The baby was partially shifted during the birth and ripped her way out of her mother.” The Elder dame moves forward and motions to the hole in Anca’s abdomen. “She’s a powerful one, the strongest I’ve seen in generations.”

The Elder Dame lowers her head and sighs. “I sent the baby to my sister, where she will be safe. The Strigoi have yet to cross the ocean, so she will have time to grow strong. They won’t be able to find her until she ascends.” She lifts her eyes to lock with mine, hoping to give me some comfort.

I turn back to look at Anca; carefully, I close her eyes and kiss her lips one last time. Slowly I pull the sheet back up and over Anca’s body before turning to the Elder Dame. “Leave now. I will cremate my love and send her to the great beyond.” I wait for the Elder Dame to leave before breathing my frost flames upon my love. I watch as the bed ignites and begins to burn as I back into the hallway, watching the fire burn my beloved mate.

That was my fatal mistake; once outside the door, a broadsword comes down and lobs off my left arm. My remaining hand shoots up, burning white-hot to stop the bleeding and cauterize the wound. I whip around quickly to find the Dire’s Beta, Lucian, holding the sword's point to my throat. “Surrender and live; fight, and I’ll take your head where you stand.” A sinister sneer crosses his thin lips as he stares at me. His cold, hazel-green eyes bore into me, challenging me to make a move against him.

For now, I have to bide my time and make sure to live long enough for my child to find me. Even though my dragon fights against my decision and wants to rage for what has been done. I must surrender so we could live to fight another day.

CHAPTER 4

Aurora

Present Day–

Heavy tones ring out from my amplifier as I jam out on my guitar. The main riffs from Avenged Sevenfold’s “Hail to the King” fill my room and probably most of the house and yard. The tones make the glass in the windows vibrate with each cord I hit. The song speaks to me about things to come, about things that could have been. Playing music is how I work through the vast span of time that I’ve lived through. For the lasttwo hundred and twenty-eight years,we’ve always been on the move. Never have I been able to call a house a home or a section of woods my territory.

My wolf grows restless as time goes on, feeling more like a listless rogue than the Alpha I am meant to become. My guardians keep me isolated from most of the world for my own safety because of who I was born to be. I am the last Lycan Princess destined to reclaim my mother’s throne from the Strigoi. No pressure, right? Music has always helped me work through all the anger that has built up over the past decades. Why am I so angry? One may wonder. Well, let’s see here. An ancient evil murdered my family, took over my kingdom, andbecause of that, I’m stuck in some fucked up witness protection program.

The last hundred years have been the most difficult. Not only do I have dreams of battles I’ve never fought in, but I’ve also started dreaming of a man that looks like a Viking, who has been teaching me how to fight in my dreams. The man in my dreams has long white hair as I do, and his eyes are the same steel-gray as mine. I believe him to be a relative or an ancestor of mine. His lessons are in images and actions; I never hear his voice, but instinctively I know what he’s trying to convey. From the descriptions Dimitri has given me, I believe the man in my dreams is the lost Dragon King. But why would I be dreaming of him? The lessons I’ve learned are quite useful. Hell, I’ve used some of this new knowledge against Dimitri in some of our sparring sessions.

I stop playing as Andre drops off a new cup of tea from Elena. Something about this tea takes the edge off of everything. Sipping my tea slowly, I start thinking of Dimitri; I have a major crush on him. Like really bad. My wolf is convinced he’s ours; though, I’m not so sure. Shouldn’t I feel something towards him as well? I mean, I do love him, and that love has changed from father-figure to friend; and with the urging of my wolf, it’s a little more than it used to be. If he were ours, he wouldn’t go out to be intimate with other females. Maybe it’s just a first love crush that eventually I’ll forget ever happened. Then again, I admit it; I’m jealous. Angry even... Though honestly, I’m not sure if it’s just the mystical bond that makes me think I love him. It’s probably because I’m always so lonely. Sighing deeply, I switch songs to something a little sad to fit my heartache.

My fingers trace the length of the scar that, over time, seems to have stretched as I grew. I find myself staring at this mystical lo-jack. What male in his right mind would want to be bound to a baby? Dimitri is kind of stuck with me because of the ElderDame’s magic that binds us. Dimitri’s and Andre’s lives are directly tied to mine, thus extending their lifespans far beyond what it should have been. Andre, I had found out, was attached to Dimitri because of their jobs. So when Dimitri was bound to me, Andre had been roped in—to a lesser extent. How fucked up is that?

I wonder what will happen to them when I choose my first mate and the bond is broken. Will they instantly die? Or will they slowly age like ordinary people? Lost within a sea of emotions, I almost miss feeling Dimitri coming closer before I see him. He must be sensing the turmoil within me at the moment. Sometimes I can’t stand to look him in the eyes. I know he sneaks into town to take care of his needs, Ifeelit—probably the cruelest part of this binding. He gets to share my lifespan, and I get the eternal pain of knowing when he gets laid.

Speaking of the bear, there he is in the doorway; looking at me, sipping his tea, and trying to discern my mood. “Aurora, are you okay, love? You feel like a maelstrom of emotions.” He tilts his head to the left and studies me more. His eyes glow a gold-tone, signs that his bear is flaring to the surface. Honestly, lately, I’ve enjoyed the bear’s company more than his. Dimitri is a rather large man in stature in comparison to Andre. Think of the guys from the strongman competitions, and that’s D. His honey-brown hair and matching hazel eyes make him appear as if he’s very approachable. His current expression betrays his concern because of my mood. The air shifts slightly, and a new scent is blown my way. Instantly my beast becomes a raging mess; it’s another female in her territory. I sit my guitar down and stand up. Slowly, stalking towards him, sniffing the air. Panic streaks across his face; he knows what I smell, and a deep guttural growl escapes my curled lips.

My wolf makes her presence known as my canines lengthen while I assess him. I see Andre coming over his shoulder,running towards us before he skids to a stop halfway down the hallway. Slowly, turning my attention back to Dimitri. I find myself not even a foot away from him, my nostrils flaring.

“How dare you!” Baring my canines at him, “Entering my den smelling of some whore!” I growl. I am literally shaking, trying to keep from ripping him apart. My snow-white fur ripples up and down my arms as my beast demands retribution. “It’s bad enough I fuckingfeelevery time you get off. I don’t need to smell her too,” I seethed through clenched teeth. “My wolf wants her head and her blood on our talons. You may have signed that bitches death warrant just ’cause you wanted to get your dick wet,” I snarl and feel my hands shift and lengthen into talons. Flexing my hands several times, my eyes are fixated on my talons’ sharp planes, imagining them covered in blood. Raising my gaze slowly, I watch his face visibly pales as he takes several steps back with his hands up in a pacifying manner.

“I didn’t know Aurora…” He gulps, eyes wide as saucers. “I didn’t know you could feel that?” He looks honestly horrified and remorseful at his actions. Shaking his head slowly, a single tear breaks free from his left eye and rolls down his cheek. I’ve never seen a sign of weakness from the big guy. Hell, he’s six foot five and over four hundred pounds of solid muscle. I’ve never seen him cry. Hell, I never in a million years thought I’d see him cry.

“I’d love to say it’s fine, but it’s not. I’ve been dealing with this for the last hundred years.” I take a deep breath and push my wolf to the back of my mind as I turn and walk to the other side of my room. “Please, leave... go shower, burn those clothes... Fuck... just please leave... I can’t deal with this right now.” My voice breaks as I utter the last half of the statement. My heart feels as if it’s in a vice being crushed.

Fuck,Iwas ready to cry. I hate fucking crying. I wipe my eyes, trying to hide my pain. How many times can my heart getbroken before my damned wolf will give up on the bear that honestly doesn’t want us? After a few moments, I hear a sniffled “sorry” and listen to Dimitri walk off. I remain standing rigid, trying to show no signs of weakness even though I feel my world come down around me. A softer set of footsteps enter my den and slowly approach. I know it’s Andre, and I lower my head in defeat and relax my stance considerably. “Hi, Andre,” escapes my lips far softer than I anticipated.

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