The Life, Love, and Death of Adara Marshall

by Phoenix Williams

  I glanced towards the clearing and Daniel chuckled.

  “They're a little busy right now,” he said, walking down my porch steps. “You denied me what was rightfully mine. You disrespected me in front of my Pack. You declared war. You’re just as defiant as Sophie Mashall. For that, just like your beloved grandmother, you must die.”

  Spinning on my heel, I ran towards the Pride. Yeah, they were embroiled in battle, but my mate wouldn’t let Daniel do anything to me. He would protect me until I was able to defend myself. Without my blades I was vulnerable.

  I heard the telltale signs of a Change behind me, and I ran even faster. I could damn near feel the breath of Daniel’s wolf on my back. His snarls of bloodlust rang in my ears over my screams for help.

  Up ahead, my Lion tried to turn in my direction. Before he could take a step, a wolf blasted into his side, teeth aimed for his neck.

  A dove gray wolf broke away from the battle, running straight towards me. I swerved to the left, and both wolves followed.

  I’m going to die.

  I locked eyes with Alonzo as he shook off another wolf. I would not scream. I would not cry. I would not let my last moments on this earth haunt my mate. I would die the way I lived, as a warrior.

  The dove gray wolf barreled towards me. Bracing myself for impact, I watched as the gray wolf leaped over me and landed directly on top of Daniel. For three stunned seconds, I watched as the dove gray wolf tore into the large black one.

  Everything inside me screamed that this was Trevor.

  Poor, sweet Trevor had just saved me from impending death.

  CHAPTER 35

  ADARA

  Running towards my Lion, I heard a sharp whine of pain. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Daniel licking his own brother’s blood off his muzzle before he turned his sights on me. A long low howl ripped from his bloodstained lips, causing a wave a fear to slash through me. And then, he was off.

  Faster than before, Daniel was chasing me.

  My lungs burned for air.

  My heart thundered in my chest.

  Sweat soaked my body.

  My legs were beginning to feel heavy from exertion.

  I could feel Daniel nipping at my heels. He could have quickly pounced on me and killed me, but he didn’t.

  Understanding illuminated the confusion in my mind. He wasn’t trying to kill me quickly. No, he wanted to Turn me. If I survived, I would always belong to him. If I didn’t, he would get the death he desperately wanted.

  Psychotic wolf.

  Determination flowing through my veins, I locked eyes with Alonzo.

  “Give her to me!” I called out. His eyes filled with indecision but we didn’t have time for that shit. “GIVE HER TO ME NOW!”

  Power and steel laced each word, causing him to move. He ran towards me, ducking and dodging wolves as his paws pounded against the ground. I ran faster, pushing my legs to move.

  If I were going to die, it would not be by Daniel Farrell.

  Time slowed down as Alonzo came closer. Both he and Daniel sailed through air, teeth, and claws aimed towards me. I saw D’Mitri appear out of fucking nowhere, shoving Daniel away as Alonzo landed on top of me.

  Then, doing the one thing he promised to never do, Alonzo gave me his mark.

  CHAPTER 36

  ADARA

  I was dying.

  That was a fact.

  There was no way that anyone could survive what was happening to me.

  Flames licked my heels while ice ran through my veins. Air came in heavy gasps as blood dripped from lips. My fingers gripped the damp ground desperately, soil caking beneath my fingernails.

  I was dying.

  Fuck!

  It wasn’t like I didn’t think I would die young. In fact, at twenty-five years old I was four years over what I had determined was my expiration date. You didn’t live the way I did without making many powerful enemies. Eventually, everything you did, every blade you drew, every life you took--and I had taken a lot of them--came back to haunt you. Everyone, no matter how powerful, wealthy, or deadly, always answered to Karma.

  I was no different.

  My only regret was dying in this one horse, backwater town. I had trekked through the deserts of Afghanistan, hiked the mountains of Japan, and ran through the jungles of Borneo. I had smiled in the face of devils that made most grown men shit themselves. I had lived more in my twenty-five years than most did in a lifetime.

  And, now, I was dying.

  Pain ricocheted through my body, causing it to pitch forward. Screams of agony left my blood-stained lips as I felt the last bit of life, my last bit of humanity begin to leave my body.

  I felt my heart breaking along with my body. I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for my death.

  I came to this sleepy ass town to bury my grandmother and shit went crazy.

  I should’ve left once I realized the terms of her will.

  I should’ve left once I realized things in this town were out of control.

  I should’ve left before I met him.

  My blood was on my own hands.

  “Let go,” he gritted through clenched teeth, eyes blazing.

  I smiled despite the pain. At least I had this moment. At least I would be able to die in his arms.

  The man I loved.

  The man I let kill me.

  CHAPTER 37

  ADARA

  Fire roared through my veins, but all of that was surpassed by what was going through my mind. Memories I had long suppressed flowed freely. No blinding headaches. No crippling pain. Just snippets of time passing before me.

  Is this what they mean when they say your life flashes before your eyes?

  Like the pages of a photo album of time being flipped backward, I saw the memories starting from today all the way back to the day I was born begin to play in my mind.

  What shocked me was that the memories did not stop. They went further than my lifetime and flowed smoothly into another’s…and then another’s…and then another’s.

  Visions of women, all sitting on thrones, played in my mind’s eye.

  Greek.

  Roman.

  Russian.

  Egyptian.

  Mongolian.

  Spanish.

  Dozens of women’s lives played before me. All of them queens. All of them holding the same beast that was now growing inside of me.

  Oh, I was going to live. I could feel that with every fiber of my being.

  The only question was would everyone else?

  CHAPTER 38

  ALONZO

  I watched in utter worry as the woman I loved arched her back in agony. She was fighting the Lioness. And, she was losing. I had to help coax her out before the she-cat hurt Adara.

  “Baby please, let her out.”

  My family gathered around us, protecting our newly Turned Lioness.

  A low growl rattled her chest, and we all watched her. My breath caught in my throat, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.

  “Did you feel that?” Luke whispered.

  Yeah, I felt it. How could I not? It felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. The atmosphere was so fucking dense.

  “She’s a fucking dominant,” Keenan mumbled.

  Lion watched through my eyes, head lifted in triumph. The stupid beast was beaming with pride while everyone around us was trembling with anxiety. Something was off.

  Dad had finally fought off Daniel, pushing him back towards the woods. The wolves had gathered around their Alpha, regrouping. Time was of the essence. The wolves wouldn’t back down that quickly.

  I needed my mate to fucking Turn already. The Pride would not leave her. We would all be willingly slaughtered to protect her. We were loyal like that.

  Another growl ripped through Adara and Dad glanced at me with worry-filled eyes. “Step away from her.”

  The Pride, most still in lion form, listened immediately, taking several steps away from my mate while still maintaining t
he circle around her.

  “You too, Alonzo.”

  “Fuck you, old man. You’re not my Alpha anymore.”

  “No, but I’m still your daddy. Get away from the girl before you get hurt.”

  My eyes snapped down to Adara. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain. Her body bowed in anguish. The growling in her chest was constant now. My human instincts were telling me to run as far from her as possible. Lion only wanted to get closer.

  “Alonzo!”

  “She needs me, Dad,” I exclaimed, my voice breaking on the last syllable.

  “The Prophecy—”

  “Fuck the Prophecy!” I screamed. “She is my mate, not some damn vision.” Ignoring the old man’s rambling, I focused on Adara. “Adara Akame Mashall! Let out the fucking Lioness!”

  Her chest heaved as she gulped in breaths. She gripped my hand, and I flinched. Her flesh was so hot it felt like it was burning me.

  “It’s not a lion.”

  She roared, and the ground began to quake and the two old trees at the edge of the clearing fell.

  Opening her eyes, I gasped. She was absolutely beautiful. Completely captivating. Now I understood.

  The sound of the wolves was growing closer as they ran towards us. Our time was up.

  Staring at my mate, I gave her a smile. “Do it, Adara.” The roars of lions and wolves echoed across the clearing. “CHANGE NOW!”

  Standing, I took several steps back and watched as my mate Changed for the first time.

  CHAPTER 39

  ADARA

  Let me out, the beast inside me said, drowning out Alonzo’s pleas.

  I don’t know how.

  The beast huffed in response. I could almost see her rolling her eyes. Give me control, Adara.

  Will you hurt him, my…our mate?

  The beast hummed low, love flooding through the both of us. I’ll hurt him the way I’m supposed to.

  That was good enough for me. My body was breaking the more I kept trying to hold her back.

  “Adara Akame Mashall! Let the fucking Lioness out!”

  Gritting my teeth, I finally responded to him. “It’s not a lion.”

  Fear and anxiety swirled through my veins. I was about to dive head first into the unknown.

  Reaching for my beast, I roared loudly. I opened my eyes and felt her rushing to the surface to look at her mate. His eyes were filled with awe. Staring into Alonzo’s glowing eyes, I allowed his smile to soothe me and give me a boost of courage.

  “Do it, Adara.”

  The roars of lions and wolves echoed across the clearing.

  “CHANGE NOW!”

  Screaming in pain, I allowed her to take over. Bones broke and reshaped. Muscles ripped and reformed. Power pulsed through every vein as my beast tore out of me.

  And.

  Everything.

  Stopped.

  No animal moved a muscle. All eyes were trained on me. Opening my mouth, I roared a prehistoric sound that caused cracks in the ground.

  I was power.

  I was strength.

  I was death incarnate.

  I was a fucking dragon.

  CHAPTER 40

  ADARA

  Joy.

  Pure unadulterated joy flowed through me as I stared at the world through Dragon’s eyes. I finally felt like myself…like a missing part of me had finally been returned.

  Looking down, I hummed a happy sound. Scales ranging from lime to forest green gleamed in the sunlight. Stretching my wings, they were each at least fifteen feet across. My claws were several inches long and pierced the ground with precision. Turning my head which had to be the size of a pickup truck, my gaze lingered on the spikes that lined up perfectly from my back down to the tip of my tail.

  I’m a fucking dragon!

  The spirit inside me, the one that housed this beast while in my human skin, moved. We’re more than a mere dragon, Adara.

  Raising my head to the sky, a sense of freedom flowed through my veins. There. That was where I wanted to be.

  Taking a tentative step forward, I began to walk. Picking up the pace, I flapped my wings several times. The force of it sending lions and wolves scrambling for purchase. After several tries, I was finally air born.

  This was freedom.

  This was joy.

  This was ecstasy.

  The wind caressed my large frame as I coasted on the currents. Delirious with pleasure, I let go of all my concerns and flew through the sky like I was born to do.

  You were, Adara. I’ve always been here.

  The sounds of wolves and lions battling brought me back to the here and now. This was not the time to get caught up in my own world. There was a battle still raging below.

  Moving lower to the ground, my eyes locked on Alonzo, his body covered in wounds. Fury consumed me.

  Kill them!

  With a death screech, I swooped downward with open jaws. Intense heat erupted from my mouth as flames spewed over the pack of wolves. Their screams were the most beautiful song I had ever heard.

  A lone wolf ran from the pack, aiming for the trees.

  Daniel!

  Acting purely on instinct, I held the hot gases in the pit of my stomach as I flew straight for the black wolf. The flames in my belly grew hotter. Opening my mouth, I blew a ball of fire towards Daniel. It scorched him and the surrounding earth.

  Out the corner of my eye, I noted a dove grey wolf running through the clearing.

  Trevor.

  He was good. He could leave.

  Needing to check on the Pride, I moved to turn left but was immediately blown back to the right.

  What the hell?

  I tried again, but the same thing happened. I decided to fly up but was immediately pushed back down. Panic seized my heart as my large frame rolled through the air and understanding finally settled in.

  Stop, I commanded.

  No, Dragon drawled. He tried to hurt our mate. He must die

  He saved us from Daniel.

  So, she responded. He has Daniel’s blood running through his veins.

  Pushing for control of the beast. I tried to turn us away from Trevor. Stop!

  You’re too soft. I’ll take the lead from now on.

  Like hell, you will. Bitch, I don’t take orders.

  You used to. I’ve seen you, Adara. I’ve been with you the entire time. Now that I’ve awoken, nothing will ever hurt us again.

  Dragon and I fought for dominance. And, she was winning. She had twenty-five years worth of anger and bitterness stored up. I was no match for her. And now, I was trapped in a fire-breathing death bringer.

  Fuck!

  CHAPTER 41

  DRAGON

  Twenty-five years.

  For twenty-five years I had been trapped.

  And now I was finally free.

  Love and war had awoken me. But, that was always the case with shifters. It had been like that since the dawn of time.

  Humans thought we were immortal beings. We weren’t. We were just long-lived. Most shifters lived for an average of one hundred and fifty years, but dragons could live to be eighteen hundred. But, anything with a pulse could be killed. We were no different.

  Soaring through the clouds, I ignored Adara’s pleas as I locked my sights on the gray wolf.

  Love had made Adara soft. I missed the old her. The ruthless killer. It was that version of Adara that made life locked inside of her interesting. It was that version of Adara I wished had awoken.

  I had almost pushed through once in the past. Adara was running through the wilds of Australia. Her back literally against the wall. She was going to die. It was that panic, that realization of mortality, that had allowed me to begin to break through. Then it happened.

  Someone set off an explosion. Even I couldn’t sense who it was and where they were. Adara was able to regroup, and I was once again locked away.

  And now, I was free.

  And.

  I.

  Was.

&nbs
p; Pissed!

  I had witnessed all the atrocities that had happened to Adara over the years. The humans had been unfair to her. If only they knew what she held deep inside. If only they knew the hell on earth that they were fueling. If only they knew that Adara was the biggest, rarest monster to grace this fucking planet.

  They didn’t know then, but they would know now. I was free. Nothing, not even the human spirit I shared a body with, would change that. I would give Adara back her human skin when I was good and ready.

  And now, I wanted to set the world on fire.

  CHAPTER 42

  ADARA

  Dragon was a bitch.

  Trying to fight her for dominance was proving impossible. The dumb beast wouldn’t listen to me. Locked inside with her, I felt small and unimportant.

  I was going to kill Trevor. I could feel it in every atom of my being. Dragon’s intentions were clear.

  Kill Trevor.

  Eat his ashes.

  Burn the world.

  That was the plan, and I was powerless to do anything against it.

  “ADARA!” Alonzo’s voice rang clear through the chaos. “STOP!”

  Do it for him, I pleaded with Dragon.

  The clicking of our fire starter was the only reply.

  YOU FUCKING BITCH! You’ll hurt him if you do this. You said you wouldn’t hurt him.

  “DRAGON! COME BACK TO ME!”

  Momentarily distracted by Alonzo’s voice, I was able to finally take control of Dragon. Oh, I knew it wouldn’t last. The bitch had a plan and wasn’t ready to deviate from it.

  Pain I had never felt before ripped through my frame. It felt as if I was breaking in two. Dragon and I were two connected spirits inside of one vessel, and we were at war. Balance and harmony were nowhere to be found.

  Turning towards Alonzo, I felt Dragon ease back. Love and devotion flowed through my veins.

  He was the key.

  He was the answer.

  He was the common ground between the monstrous bitch I was now forced to live with and me.

  Swooping over the clearing, I gave into one of Dragon’s demands and ate the ashes of the dead wolves before landing in front of the lions.