Page 216 of Moonlit Fate

Aria.

I turned, meeting her stare.

“Atticus,” she said over the din, “will you marry me?”

“Absolutely,” I answered without hesitation. I had no idea where she was going with this, but the resolute look in her eyes convinced me there was a purpose behind her timing.

Our hands stayed clasped, the world narrowing to just us two. The battle raged on around us, but in that moment, it was only Aria’s voice I heard, her touch I felt. Lorian’s words were white noise, a distant hum I couldn’t decipher. It didn’t matter. I trusted her. And I’d follow her lead to the ends of the world.

The world blurred into a vortex of movement and sound as Lorian’s chant cut through the unrest. Words tumbled over one another, tripping in their haste. The ancient rite condensed into mere seconds.

“Done,” Lorian declared.

A strange sensation washed over me, like a ripple across still water. I turned to Aria, finding her eyes burning with somethingwild and untamed. She was reaching for something within me, tendrils of her essence intertwining with my own.

“Can you feel it?” she asked, a smile touching her lips.

There was a pull, a rush of energy that flooded my senses. Power. It pooled within me, vast and deep, born of bonds newly forged. A silent acknowledgment of a union that transcended the physical.

“Let’s use it,” I said.

We stepped forward, united, ready to face whatever came next.

I locked eyes with Aria, feeling the electric charge of our silent conversation. We were one in purpose, and it was time to show Caius the truth of his folly. I turned to face him, my stance broad and unwavering.

“You have underestimated my mate for far too long.”

The air hummed with tension, a prelude to the tempest about to unfold. Aria’s hand let go of my hand as we braced for the onslaught.

“Ready?” I whispered.

“Always.”

We stood at the center, an oasis of calm in the midst of bedlam. Our enemies circled, but they seemed like phantoms, inconsequential and fleeting against the unity we wielded.

“Strike now,” I commanded, and as one, we unleashed our power. Her magic lashed out, mine followed. The choreography was instinctive, a dance where each step spelled doom for those who dared approach.

Caius’s voice rose in a futile attempt to command order, but his words lost in the roaring cacophony. His followers hesitated, glancing toward their leader, only to falter under my gaze.

“Your fight is with us,” I said, drawing his attention away from the ranks he so desperately sought to control.

Caius snarled, rage contorting his features as he conjured dark tendrils of magic and hurled them toward us. For every shadow he cast, I countered with my own, my tactics as precise as they were lethal.

“Atticus, now!” Aria called out.

I nodded, stepping forward to meet Caius’s attack head-on. My shadow manipulation flared to life, weaving through the darkness like a blade through silk. I anticipated each of Caius’s strikes, met his maneuvers met with equal force, like two sides of a coin, spinning endlessly.

“Is this all you have?” I goaded him. Desperation crept into his eyes, his forces dwindling under my and Aria’s combined assault.

Aria’s laughter rang clear, a bell-like sound that signaled the turning tide. We advanced, side by side, an unstoppable force that left Caius reeling, his power waning beneath the weight of our bond.

Aria’s silhouette blazed against the furor, magic pouring from her like a tempest unleashed. With a flick of her wrist, lightning arced through the air—brilliant, jagged lines of power that struck with precision. Some enemies dropped, stunned into submission; others lay still, their fight ended.

“Look at them fall,” I muttered. What a force my mate commanded.

She didn’t reply, too focused on her next move. With her free hand, she wove another spell, tendrils of light spinning from her fingers. They fanned out, a net to catch the men advancing toward us. They stopped mid-stride, confusion etched on their faces as they found themselves unable to continue fighting. She didn’t break them, just held them there, caught in between battle and peace.

“Can’t resist her, can you?” I smirked at the ensnared soldiers. Our dance of destruction continued, every step measured, every spell cast with deadly grace.

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