Attack (The Aurora Marelup Saga Book 4)

For thousands of years I have watched over the mountain ranges throughout what is now called Eastern Europe. Conquerors have come and gone, civilizations have risen and crumbled like dust in the wind. Oberon came to me earlier this year and told me of the ascension of a very special hybrid. This time a female was born, and she appears to be a welcomed balance between her species. If I was being called to put down another Elven creation, I don’t know what I would do.

I lie in my cavern at the highest peak of the oldest mountain hidden from human view. I close my silver orbs and reach out, feeling the different life forces out there. The hybrid has changed and had almost died. Self-preservation kicked in, and her dragon side kept her alive. Lucky for her, she had a Mystic in her group that knew what to do. Oberon had paid her a visit and now stands before me.

“Old friend, mentor, I need your help one last time.” The sadness in Oberon’s eyes tells me something is going terribly wrong.

It’s been years, maybe centuries, since I last shifted to a human form. “What do you need, child?” Even being thousands of years old himself, Oberon is barely a quarter of my age.

“Aurora’s wolf side is dying even after healing. Is there anything you can do to save her and her wolf? She must live and exterminate the blight called the Strigoi.” Oberon’s eyes are pleading with me, begging me for the one thing only I can give.

“She may not be able to survive what will happen to her if I do as you ask,” I say as I slip my arms into the silk robe Oberon offers me.

“I admit, I may have made an error when I chose her bloodline.” Oberon gets a very mischievous look in his lavender eyes. “Her grandmother is the Blood Queen. I believe she can survive, but what would she be after you change her?”

I shake my head at Oberon; his mistake inadvertently just made his request possible. “It depends on how strong her dragon side is, she would be more Force Dragon than Ice, but she would wield the powers of both.” I run through my abilities in my head: invisibility, able to breathe water, strike terror like mania into my opponents, my breath weapon means utter destruction, pure force unbridled.

I pace my cavern more, then look back at Oberon. “I will call her to me. If she survives, there will be nothing left alive strong enough to kill her—besides Odin himself.”

Oberon approaches me and wraps me up tightly in his embrace. “Thank you, old friend. I will see you in Elysium.” Blasted Fae flitted away in his glittery freaking mess.

Carefully, I remove the robe that Oberon had given me, and I lay it across a rock in my cavern. I return to my dragon form for the last time and bellow out my call for the one called Aurora. My tone is rich, deep, and haunting as it carries over the miles that separate us. Only dragons and other dragon-kin will hear me; it’s part of my gift and curse.

In what feels like minutes, a call is returned. It’s her, and she does vocalize like a dragon. The wolf in her is dying or at the very least, dormant. Tiny black dots break free of the cloud cover and are heading my way. It appears the girl is riding on a War Dragon with her swarm behind her. But where is her dragon mate, I sensed?

The dragon swarm is halfway here when a white and gold dragon hybrid breaks through the clouds and speeds towards the War Dragon. I see him line up under the War Dragon and the female leaps from one dragon to the other. The War Dragon falls back, and the Hybrid takes point. It appears that the mate has arrived after all. Upon arrival, the female stands behind his crown of horns. She gives orders to the swarm. They quickly obey and begin to glide circles around my mountain, protecting the female and the male dragon.

The dragon lands, and against his orders, she leaps down and strides over to me. She’s beautiful in her human form, but I can feel the pain of loss in her soul. Little one, do you know why Gallus has summoned you? I speak within the bond that all dragon-born share.

Her pale-grey human eyes shift to her dragon’s, and she looks between the male dragon behind her and me. She drops to her knees before me and sits upon her heels, and places her folded hands in her lap. For one so young, she’s showing me the utmost respect.

 No, ancient one, I can only guess it’s because of what has happened to me. She speaks softly with a sense of sadness through the bond. Which prompts her dragon mate to shift and kneel behind her, then rest his forehead on her shoulder to comfort her.

Aurora, is it? I whisper through the bond so as not to add to her stress. I called you here for two reasons. One is selfish on my part, and the other is to aide you. Cautiously, she looks up to me, and her eyes hold a curiosity and innocence I haven’t seen in what seems like forever.

If it’s within my power, ancient one, I would be honored to help you. Again, she speaks softly. A few tears roll down her cheeks, and her mate moves alongside her. I can tell she’s tired; the loss of her wolf is taking its toll on her.

Fear not, little one. Gallus shall make everything better. You need not fear losing your mates or your wolf. Come closer, and we shall begin. Your mate can assist you, but once you make contact with my scales, he must release you. I look to the young, virile male beside her, and he nods and bows his head gently, acknowledging what I said through the bond.

The male stands first and assists Aurora to her feet. She stops and stands before him and presses her nose under his jaw, then kisses his lips before walking to me under her own power. Her dragon’s eyes look up to me curiously before she extends her hands out.

I look to her mate then move my head forward till my cheek comes in contact with her. I move my wings forward and encase her in them. Her much weaker dragon is frightened of mine, and that’s completely understandable. I croon and soothe the young dragon, and she opens her astral plane to me. Within, I find my old friend Nicodeamus and two hatchlings. Ah, our girl is strong enough to bear live dragon young. I reassure her father I am doing what needs to be done to ensure her a long, healthy life. Nicodeamus bows lightly and fades into the background, taking the babies with him.

I assume my human form in the astral plane, and I look like a cross between Father Time and Saint Nicholas. Aurora smiles, studying me intently. I watch her just as intently as she tilts her head left, then right, then back to the middle. My time is coming to an end, Aurora—prematurely— and so is yours because of Vladimir’s poison. Without your wolf, the power your body contains will rip itself apart. I must heal your wolf and strengthen your dragon.

I watch the gravity of the situation hit her, and she lowers her head. I’m not ready to go yet; I have babies and my father and mates need me. I can’t let Vladimir live after all he’s taken from everyone. Her eyes flare, and the ghostly essence surrounds her eyes, and even here, the temperature begins to drop.

To Aurora’s surprise, I smile and clap my hands. There’s the fire I was waiting to see! You are strong enough to hold the gift I am about to give you. You must promise me two things before I bestow this great boon to you.

I raise my hand, holding up one finger, and smile gently at Aurora. The first, only your mates and immediate family can know the full extent of what I have done, that is until you go to war. Only let your most trusted allies have a clue about the power that you hold.

Next, I raise another finger. Second, I know your mother’s castle has been a priority to you. You must search it and completely remove all the tombs to exterminate all the evil bore there.

I watch her closely, making sure she understands what I am asking of her. When I leave you today, you will have enough power to bring about Ragnarok if you desire it. I hope not, by the way. That causes Aurora to giggle a little.

I understand your wishes, and it shall be done. Time and the Strigoi have destroyed my mother’s castle to the point of ruin. It may not be safe to raise children in; I was planning on possibly destroying it and rebuilding on the site. She smiles and offers her hands to me, palms up. I’m ready for whatever may come, Gallus.

Gently, I take her hands and look deep into her eyes, searching for any fear or regret. I find none. I’m going to miss being alive to a point; I won’t miss the isolation of being the last of my kind. I bend over slowly and press my lips to Aurora’s forehead and begin to cycle our energies together. If I do this properly, it will be painless for both of us. I feel the tingle of my energy move over my flesh, and I crack an eye open to see the familiar purple current pulsing. I look to Aurora. Her flesh is covered in frost; her power’s pathways are completely open, so I begin to guide my energy into her.

I concentrate on my living form and fold my wings back at my side so that Aurora can leave easily when I’m gone. Her mate would be watching his mate beginning to glow faintly with my power and slowly increasing with time in the real world. He would also notice my scales slowly starting to turn dull and stone-like. When I’m done, I will be a large, stone statue; a monument to my sacrifice today.

My energy moves over and through Aurora slowly in gentle pulses, making sure it seeps deeply into every fiber of her being. In my mind’s eye, I see her dragon basking in the glow of my power—becoming stronger and evolving to be more like me. I find her Lycan curled up under the wing of her dragon. It’s in a deep slumber and weakening by the minute. I start focusing my life force on the Lycan, and bit by bit, it starts to move and awaken. Eventually, it stands erect and looks healthy again. My final move before I expire, I join the two on the mythical level, both able to access all of my gifts and powers. She’ll never know flight, but she’ll never know defeat either. I’m feeling tired, and I pull back so that Aurora can look me in the eyes before I expire. Her eyes glow now with the purple energy of my dragon’s power, and I am so incredibly impressed with the woman before me.

I feel the last of my power draining from me. Remember your promise, Aurora, remember your mission. I will always be with you. Remember me. I slowly draw in my last breath and gently press a fatherly kiss to Aurora’s temple. My final words echo in the astral plane just as my time on the earthly plane expires. The last of my life force enters Aurora. I feel my body becoming harder to move as my limbs turn to stone. It’s harder to breathe as my muscles seize. My last conscious thought is that Aurora remains safe.

~Aurora~

I awaken from what feels like a dream, but I know it’s not. The Great Wyrm Force Dragon has given up his life so that I could live. He bestowed thousands of years of knowledge upon me in mere moments. I look at the sleeping giant before me and place a kiss on his cheek. “I remember my promise, Gallus; I won’t let your sacrifice be in vain.”

Alaric runs to me and quickly scoops me up, hugging and kissing me. “I’m healed fully, love. Gallus sacrificed his life so that I may live and finish the fight.” I kiss his full lips to punctuate my joy.

“Are you sure, Aurora? You feel better and different,” Alaric says as we walk to the mouth of the cavern.

I shift my eyes to that of my dragon, call out to my swarm, and send them home—no noise, no call, just my will alone. “There’s something I need to show you and the others. I made a promise to keep my new gifts a secret for a while longer.”

Alaric tilts his head several times, looking me over as I watch the other dragons leave. “Why just us?” Alaric’s panic is palatable in the air. “What happened?”

I draw in a slow, measured breath and reach deep within me, searching for my beast. There she is—healthy and stronger than ever. Slowly, I shift my form allowing every bone to break and reshape. My Lycan hybrid is still about ten feet tall, snow-white, and sits about an even half-ton. I hold my arms out before me, looking at my gauntlets and talons. My scales look more like Gallus’s, chromatic in nature, still serrated and heavily armored. My talons are still white but have a streak of silver running along the talons’ top half, I guess, to hide them better. My thick fur now covers my scaled body armor. I’m back to looking more wolf than dragon. The greatest advantage is not being known as a weapon. Slowly, I walk over to the cliff edge and click my ignitor; my breath weapon is Gallus’s force attack. I hear the gasp of shock from Alaric as I rein in my newfound ability. I turn and test my frost, and the ground freezes before me. Everything is back to the status quo for now.

“I think we should head back, love. The others are in a tizzy with us being gone so long,” Alaric says calmly.

I shift back to my human form, nod, agree with him, and wait for him to shift and lie down. Quickly, I climb onto his back, and we drop off the ledge into a freefall. I squeal with delight at the speed he achieves before he opens his wings and levels out. It’s time to see my mates again and my growing swarm that waits for me back at camp.

As we fly home, I ponder everything that has happened to me since the beginning. Initially, I believed I was just an oddball white Lycan. After my ascension, I gained access to some of my father’s dragon’s abilities. Now, having almost died, I’ve been given the power of the ancients. What the actual fuck! I mean, seriously, I have a horrible temper at times, and to give me the powers to bring about Ragnarok is kind of insane to do. I shield my mates from my present emotions. I have mixed feelings about all of this. One being shouldn’t have this much power. But I do, and thankfully I was blessed with some level-headed mates to keep me from going off the deep end. Hopefully.

I run my fingers over the scales on Alaric’s dragon’s head, and I’m reminded how much I love them all. They are why I fight. My children’s future is at stake, and if I’m the only one strong enough to protect it, then so be it. Tomorrow, I set my plans in motion.