I smirked. "Trust me, if you hadn't blasted the place into oblivion, I was going to come back here with a sledgehammer and do it myself."
That earned me the tiniest of smiles from Animus.
"What're you gonna do with that piece of crap?" I asked, nodding at Santino.
"I have quite the plan for him."
Quinn frowned. "You're not going to…?"
Animus examined his long claws. "No. Pigs belong in a sty. Let's just say Mistral could use some assistance in his home. Maybe then this pig will actually learn some manners."
I snorted in amusement. The old me might've thought Santino was getting off the hook easy, but then I realized he had to live with Mistral's annoying ass. That was a punishment worse than death.
And if I had learned anything from Quinn, and David too, it was that sometimes people could prove themselves better simply when given a chance.
Animus suddenly coughed. Unable to hold himself up any longer, he fell to one knee on the ground, scowling.
"Are you okay?" Quinn asked.
"Oh, good. Now the mortals are pitying me," Animus muttered, refusing to look at us.
"Animus," I said. "I don't pity you. In fact, I want to thank you for destroying the Society."
He turned one icy eye towards me.
"I don't know what kind of drama happened with you and the other spirits," I went on, "but I don't think you're as bad as everyone makes you sound. Without your help, I might not have been able to help my people. So thank you, sincerely."
Animus regarded me for a moment, then closed his eyes and carefully got to his feet. "You two. You’re fated mates, is that right?"
Quinn grasped my hand. "Yes."
“We are," I agreed.
Animus drummed his claws on his arm. "Maybe there is a way you can thank me…"
"Sure. What is it?" I asked.
"Meet me at Mistral's house," Animus said simply.
And then he snapped his fingers and disappeared into a black plume of mist.
* * *
As we madeour way back to Mistral, I noticed Quinn bristling with a mix of anticipation and nerves. This whole time, he had been counting on the air spirit to bless him with a pair of wings. That was how we met in the first place. Now that he had completed his task, Mistral had to keep his word.
I put my hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay."
"I hope so. By the way, why do you think Animus wanted to meet us here? Didn't we basically agreed to keep himawayfrom Mistral?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, but the guy’s overly paranoid if you ask me. If we’re being honest here, I think Animus has a better head on his shoulders than Mistral does."
"I agree." Quinn sighed. "Maybe I should've asked Animus for help instead of Mistral. At least he actually went out of his way to help us, unlike Mistral, who told us to go away and slammed the door in our faces..."
I thought about Animus and his fatigue after destroying the Society. "He's not as powerful as the other spirits, is he?"
"I don't think so," Quinn murmured. "When Zak told me about him, he said Animus was draining energy from his grandfather Nautilus, a water spirit. Maybe he can't make it on his own for some reason?"
"Who knows." I hugged Quinn closer. "The spirits can solve their own damn problems. As long as you're happy, that's all I care about."
