The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 70

I was not able to ask Hermes why I could read the book because as soon as he caught my look, he made some excuse and sent me back to my house with more of the drink that he tried to get me to drink.

I was annoyed, to say the least, but I dropped it only because I had other stuff to worry about since the battle was still in two nights, and I needed to get the groups and me ready for the possible long night ahead.

The whole clans were on edge for the remainder of that day and night and the following day. They prepared themselves for what was to come, knowing that there were going to be lives lost during this battle and rescue.

And so, as the sun started to set on the night of the battle, the warriors and rescuers were as ready as they could get and waited for my command to move, including those from the tiger clan that Shardul had let in on our little secret.

I was in a tree, watching Marcus's house, and waited for him to appear. I had a feeling that they would call him for whatever reason and had a feeling that they would try to use him against us. I knew that would get him killed if not injured, and I did not want that to happen.

"Any sign yet?" Matt asked over the talking devices we had. He was a couple of houses over in a car that would take me to the main part of the battle when I was done with him.

"Not yet," I replied.

"Why don't you just take him out now?" Brody asked. "Why do you have to wait for him to come out of the house?"

"Because I need to see him," I replied. "I want to see what he is like when they are in full control of him. If there is a way that I can make sure that they can't take full control of any longer, then I'm going to take it."

"Just be careful, and don't get injured," Shardul said. "I have a feeling that we will need you to get my daughter out."

"D-"

"Shhhh, the door is opening," I said when I noticed the door to his house open. I ducked further into the tree and watched Marcus walk out of the house. I stayed tense while he looked around the yard before he walked out, unaware that he was being watched.

"Do you think that they know?" Brody asked, and I had a feeling that he was talking about the Dark Forces and him.

"Don't know, so shut up," I replied and hopped out of the tree before I started to follow him down the path.

The plan was simple, as soon as he crossed into the woods on the other side of the road, I was to attack and make sure that he did not get far in them. I had to put him through his paces and see what I needed to see before I knocked him out and then go to the old warehouse where the battle would take place.

Marcus didn't disappoint and walked into the woods like I thought he would. His whole walk was mechanical, and it looked like he was controlled by someone else, for it was not normal at all.

I followed him into the woods, where I had two tiger shifters waiting to take him back in and help me if needed. My whole body was tense, and I took a small deep breath before I let it out, knowing full well that the male before me would hear it.

Marcus paused and turned his head slightly to the side with his back facing me. "Come out, come out, wherever you, Almair," he said, and his voice sounded creepy and sent a chill running down my spine. "I know that you're there."

I sent a silent prayer to the Gods and walked out from where I was hiding. "That's because I wanted you to know," I replied and shrugged. "If I didn't want you to know, then I wouldn't have taken that deep breath."

Marcus chuckled, and another chill went down my spine because it sounded so dark and did not have any life in it. There was no hope, nothing, and I had to remind myself that it wasn't him but the people that controlled him. "You know that you can't win, correct?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "You can't win this nor the greater battle."

"Ya, and who says?" I asked and raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean you? Is that why you are stalling and not attacking me yet?"

"You aren't attacking me either," Marcus pointed out, and I shrugged.

"We both know why I am not," I replied, and he chuckled and nodded.

"I do," he confirmed. He looked at his hands. "Funny how you can care about someone that is so closed minded," he said, moving them back and forth as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "I should be doing you a favor and killing him, but he is a good little servant, so I'll let him live. You can't get him back, anyway."

"Not yet," I replied, "but we both know that one of these days, I will be able to get him back."

Marcus paused in staring at his hands and looked at me. He sneered, his eyes turning a darker black. "Maybe," he said, "but today is not your day, and neither is it his."

And with that, he attacked me with such speed and strength that it almost left me completely baffled and shocked. However, it did not leave me that way for long, and I attacked him with just as much force as he attacked me with.

I did what I wanted to do and put him through his paces while he was controlled, and I had a feeling that he was stronger while he was like this and not when he was not controlled. So after roughing him up, I kicked his ass onto the floor without saying a word and wiped my nose.

I looked at the back of my hand and noticed the blood, and bit back a sigh. "Well," I mumbled and tested everything to see that nothing was broken and that I was left with some bruises and cuts. "At least this wasn't the worst battle I had faced."

And with that, I limped to where Matt was waiting for me, letting the tiger shifters to take care of the bruised male I had left behind.