Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

63. Baddie vs Badass

RILEY 

I stood there dumbstruck, unable to believe what Markolf's assistant had just said. Yet, deep down, I knew it was true. I should have figured it out earlier.

Her familiarity.

Her eyes.

The eyes that I had stared into countless times, as both Rafe and Natalia had their mother's eyes.

How was she here though? How was she alive? And why was she working for Markolf, like she had no idea that he was the reason why she was separated from her family?

Her words played in my head over and over again but one particular sentence got to me.

"In a way, Mr Mark is like the son I never had."

My heart broke for her but also for my mate and his sister. If Rafe knew that his mother not only did not seem to remember that she had a son but considered the cambion as the closest thing to having one, he was going to be devastated. It was going to be like losing his mother all over again to the same man who took her away from him.

The pain and the anger inside me had intertwined and were slowly wrapping around my heart like tentacles. Markolf's sick, twisted games made my blood boil so much that I could not stop myself from storming out of the room on the hunt for cambion.

"Markolf, where the fuck are you?" I shouted as I made my way down the corridors.

I went through every room that I came across but he was nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to enter yet another room, an elegant older man appeared on the other end of the corridor, clearly heading towards me. The butler, I presumed- there were not many people who would wear a suit with tie and suit-vest, as well as white gloves, out of their own choice.

"Miss Moreau, Mr Mark would like to inform you that he is outside in the garden. He doesn't want you to keep going around shouting."

He didn't want me to keep going around shouting? Fucking prick!

The butler's words only spurred my rage on. I bolted towards the garden and sure enough, I found Markolf relaxing on a sun lounger with a drink in hand. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world, simply savouring the sunny day. Death and misery followed him wherever he went, leaving others to suffer, and yet, here he was, enjoying life. I was livid, even if I knew that there was not much I could do about it....for the moment.

"You twisted son of a bitch!"

He lowered his sunglasses and looked at me with a grin. "Hello to you too, Aurelie. I must admit that I am a bit unsure of what I have done to deserve such high praise from you this time."

"Your assistant."

His smile only grew wider at the mention of her. "Ah, yes. Michelle- she is lovely, isn't she? I have become quite attached to her over the years."

"Attached? You had her wolf extracted and now you are keeping her like some slave here to do you bidding! You really are sick, Markolf."

"Calm down, darling. Don't jump to conclusions, although I must admit that I wish I had actually come up with this from the beginning. Alas, it kind of happened spontaneously." He got up and walked over to the garden bar. As he began to mix spirits and ingredients, his eyes met mine and I could see them sparkle with enjoyment and satisfaction- he thought he was winning and was loving every minute of it. "Drink?"

I didn't even think twice about what I did next. I took a few steps towards him, getting right up in his face when I reached him before I grabbed the tumbler in his hand and threw it across the garden, smashing it as it hit the nearby fountain.