Marcus wiped his mouth and narrowed her gaze. “We will win, because despite all that she is, she’s alone. We have each other, plus Orion and all our friends. More will join to help fight her. There is strength in unity, not weakness.”
Ella listened to his words, letting them sink in. The Morrigan believed love was weakness, but she was wrong. She was determined to show her just how wrong she was.
Several hours later, they stood under the shaded trees about half a mile away from Tregowen and the Temple of Gods in Wales, ready to meet the Morrigan. The team crowded around as Marcus relayed orders.
Ella lifted her head. The afternoon’s sun was hazy on the horizon and dust filled the air, blocking the view. But the ground beneath her shook and she grasped Marcus by the arm.
“Look.”
Hundreds of people marched toward them, dressed in striking war paint and leather outfits, ready for battle. Men, women, even children marched with swords strapped to their back, knives in their hands. Heavy boots thumped into the earth. Animals the size of elephants with horns and tusks stood as tall as any great oak, pounding the ground. But as amazing as the sight was, what stood out right at the front was an impossible figure. Ella squeezed Marcus’s arm, unwilling to say a word. Surely, the spectacle was part of some kind of dream or vision. But another spoke her thoughts.
“Am I fucking dreaming? Is that who I think it is?” Jake asked.
“That old bastard. I always knew if any of us would be born again, it would be him,” Bear shouted.
Their words confirmed she was not the only one seeing her old boss. She shifted her head to look at Marcus; he stared ahead in silence, his face rigid like the rugged mountains in Maine. The sounds of the approaching crowds got louder until the leader raised his hand and they halted, a few feet away. There was a moment of complete silence before Marcus charged at Steel.
Ella wasn’t sure whether he was going to hit or embrace him and held her breath, waiting. When her husband reached his mentor, there was no hesitation; he clasped Ben Steel in a tight embrace and slapped his back. Bowing her head, she sighed. When she glanced back at the hordes, Raine stepped out from behind Steel, and she realized why the witch had been absent all this time. Ella raced over, ready to give the pair a mouthful, but Marcus grabbed her hand.
“We don’t have time to fight over this. Before you ask, I’m as shocked as you, but I never accepted Ben’s death…never,” he said.
Flicking her gaze toward the man who was more family than anything else, she nodded before sliding around Marcus to hug her boss. “You have no idea how good it is to see you right now.”
“I think I do. I’m sorry…I couldn’t let anyone know. After the attack at the wedding, it was clear the Morrigan wanted me out of the way, so being dead seemed the best solution. It allowed me to slip away unnoticed. Together, with Raine’s help, I traveled to meet all the various factions of the Assembly in secret. To places I’ve never been before, gathering an army, because I knew we needed one. These people are a mix of species, some whose names I cannot pronounce, but they are united in wanting to defeat the Morrigan. We’ve been waiting since Zephra instructed us there would be a battle at the Temple of Gods. As soon as she discovered the location, we made camp not far from here. My spies inform me the Morrigan and Gabriel are already at Tregowen with vampires and her horde of undead.”
Marcus pulled off the signet ring from his hand, “This belongs to you,” he said.
“Thank you.” Steel replaced the ring on his finger and pointed at the crowd.
A large mountain of a man broke through. He loomed above Ella, with his dark eyes and thick, ratty hair tied away from his stern face. Trent Le Var, the leader of the werewolves. A man she never expected to see again.
Trent Le Var turned his head and dragged a slim woman from behind him to the front, placing his hand on her shoulder. “This is Ripley, my mate. She’s the reason my pack are here to assist in any way we can.”
Marcus shook his hand and Ella smiled at the tiny woman with striking blue eyes and slashed hair, who scowled at the man. “I thought your wife had died?”
The leader of the werewolves scowled, “That she did, Ripley here is my…”
“I’m not your mate.”
“Hm…” Trent Le Var growled.
Always a man of few words. Ella wondered what their story was. But as the woman slid back into the crowd and disappeared, so too did the were. Would these numbers be enough?
“I have to be at the stones by sunset,” she said.
Steel rested his arm on her shoulder. “She won’t win. The Fae are stationed around the perimeter of the manor house. They’re ready as soon as we give the signal. The rest we have here. We’ll do all we can to support you.”
“Thank you. Once Marcus has Nate, it will be down to the Morrigan and me. I don’t know how this is going to play out. She likes to play games, but hopefully she won’t have anticipated this.” She gazed at Steel, afraid his being here was a dream. Would any of this help? The Morrigan held all the cards, having Nate.
