by Renee George
“I won’t talk to you about this, Adam. I won’t.”
“I rescued you, Adelaide.” He held out his hands, hoping that somehow she would come to her senses. “I saved you.”
The blonde lioness snorted her derision. “You saved me? YOU saved me?” Her grip on Maddie tightened. “You ruined me, Adam. You took everything away from me. My home, my pride, and my mate. I was a queen, brother. And you took it all away with one misguided power play.”
“What are you talking about?”
Adelaide’s eyes widened, wild and angry. “I. Was. Queen,” she said.
The blood drained from Adam’s face, leaving him cold. “You can’t mean...”
“Zaria would have been queen, too. She still could have been if you hadn’t fallen for another human.” She almost spat the words. “She could have been your queen.”
“She’s my niece. She’s kin. It would have been impossible...”
“What’s blood between mates?” Tears streaked Adelaide’s face.
A dawning awoke in Adam, and an awareness he’d never suspected. Pity took hold of him for his sister. He’d always felt he’d failed her, but now he knew the entirety of his failure. His father had damaged Adelaide in unspeakable ways. He’d claimed her, making a revolting spectacle of their kind’s true mating. Perverting it to suit his gruesome desires. Zaria had been the result. Adam’s gut churned. He glanced at Cage, and he could see his co-ruler was having the same cavalcade of thoughts going through his mind.
“You were a child, Adelaide.”
“He was there for me when you weren’t. You left me behind, Adam. You left me to my fate. He was my fate. He made me a woman.”
“He manipulated you. He made you his victim.”
“He made me his queen.”
He stared at Adelaide, unable to recognize her anymore. Had he ever really known her? Maybe when she was seven, but certainly not now. The past decade had been an elaborate charade. “Did you really think I’d take Zar as my mate?”
“You are your father’s son,” she said.
The sick feeling punched through Adam again.
“You are not your father, brother,” Cage said, breaking his silent vigil. “You’re nothing like him.”
Adam had slaughtered his father to get to Adelaide. He’d also killed others in the pride. He’d been swift, brutal. Could he really boast that he was much different? Yes, he thought. In this way, they were very different. His father was an abusive bastard who’d exiled his only son, killed his first two mates, and stole his own daughter’s life. Adam could be cold, maybe even ruthless, but always in defense of the people he loved. Adelaide had been one of those people.
“Go get Zaria now,” she said, punctuating her words by raising the knife to the soft part under Madeline’s chin. “Or I swear you’ll find out what it’s like to lose a mate.”
MADDIE watched the exchange between brother and sister, aching for Adam as he found out about Adelaide, his father, and Zaria.
“I’ll go,” Adam said. “Just don’t do anything to hurt, Madeline.”
“Both of you go,” Adelaide said. “Cage can get the car, and you can bring my daughter to me.”
“No,” Cage said. “I won’t leave Maddie alone with you.”
“You will if you value her life.”
Maddie tried not to cry out against the gag when the point pierced her again. Instead, she put all of her effort into meeting Cage’s gaze. She blinked and gave a slight nod to him. She wanted him to go, to do what Adelaide asked. The blonde had been less guarded when the two brothers hadn’t been around. Once she’d tied Maddie’s hands and put in the gag, she’d been hands-off until they’d arrived.
Cage narrowed his eyes then nodded.
Adam nodded as well.
“I swear to God, Adelaide, if you hurt her, we will make you pay in ways you haven’t even dreamed of,” Cage said.
His threat had Adelaide snarling. “Get my daughter. Now.”
Adam and Cage both looked at Maddie, and she saw the reassurance in their gazes. She knew they would do everything possible to save her.
But she knew Adelaide could not be saved.
The ache of her mates’ departure rivaled the ache of sympathy she harbored for Adelaide. Maddie had seen the claiming between father and daughter in her vision, but still, hearing it confirmed with Adelaide’s own sick words was almost more than she could take. She wanted to hate Adelaide, but instead, she felt sorry for her. She’d seen the young girl of fourteen being led away from her dead mother, so Maddie had recognized Adelaide’s father during the mating ritual vision. The man had beaten his mate to death, and he’d made his daughter her replacement.
Her neck stung where the tip of the blade bit in, but to Maddie’s surprise, she didn’t feel jumpy. A little scared, yes, but when Cage and Adam walked in, a sense of calm had poured through her. Their presence gave her strength and courage. Besides, she’d worried that if she freaked out, Adelaide would do something stupid—even more stupid than hold her hostage—and all hell would break loose. She swallowed hard. The gag in her mouth absorbed her saliva and made her throat dry. She’d carefully worked the ropes binding her hands, and she could feel them loosening some, but she’d never free herself with Adelaide’s arm wrapped around her chest. Her palms burned with the effort of slow tugging and twisting. She bunched the loose shift of Adelaide’s dress in her hands. The cool cotton fabric gave her something to concentrate on rather than the blade against her skin.
A tingle began to build, and she cursed inwardly as a new vision took hold at the worst possible moment, and the day faded into night.
I DON’T have Cage and Adam’s night vision. While my abilities give me the gift of sight, it doesn’t extend to actual eyesight. The note from Adelaide said to come on my own. She has asked me to meet her at a quiet place away from the trailers where we won’t be overheard. She says it is a matter of life or death. I am uncertain if Adelaide is really in trouble, but the vision, the one where she tells Zaria she will be queen, has disturbed me enough to agree to meet with her. Shifters have excellent hearing, and I don’t want our conversation broadcast, so, I agree, but I am apprehensive.
Marlena and Darren’s shouts cut through the stillness of the evening when I pass by their trailer. Warmth creeps into my cheeks in a slow flush. They aren’t fighting. When I get to the parking lot, Adelaide is waiting for me at the edge. She beckons me closer.
“Thank you for coming,” she says.
I want to talk to her about Zaria, but first, I need to find out what has frightened her. “Tell me what’s wrong. Has someone threatened you?”
“Not yet,” Adelaide says. She wrings her hands, her anxiety palpable.
“I want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t share your worry.”
“I’m scared.”
“Why, Adelaide?” While I’m not empathic, I can tell her fear is genuine. “Why are you so afraid?”
“I’m afraid what Adam will do if you tell him what you’ve seen.”
Now, I am confused. “What do you think Adam will do? He’d never hurt you, Adelaide. You’re his sister. He loves you very much.” I can see she is carrying a weight, a burden she can barely manage. “You should tell Adam yourself.” Adam will know how to take care of her.
“No,” she says. She grabs my arms and shakes me hard enough to rattle my teeth. “No. Adam can never know. Never. He wouldn’t understand!”
“You’re hurting me.” I try to pull away, but Adelaide is strong. Shifter strong. “Let go of me.”
“Please, Clary. You have to promise me. Promise me you won’t tell Adam about Zaria.”
The rise in her panic is causing her to speak faster, and she continues to shake me to make her point.
“If he knew he’d kill me. Maybe kill Zar. You can’t want that, Clary. You can’t.”
“Adam would never hurt you or Zaria,” I say. I throw all my weight sideways to get out of her grip, and it works. My body pitches to the right, and I
stumble over a large rock that sends me tumbling into a ditch. In the darkness, I hadn’t known it was there, but lying at the bottom, I can see Adelaide’s silhouette against the night sky.
“Help me,” I tell her. My head hurts, and I can’t sit up. Rocks and gravel bite into my skin. I feel sick to my stomach. “Help me,” I say again. A numbness creeps in, and my head hurts less.
Adelaide jumps down to me and kneels. “Clary?”
“Help me, Adelaide.”
It is getting darker. The vision in my right eye has nearly gone black.
“I didn’t plan to hurt you, Clary.” She makes no move to leave. “I’ll stay with you. I’ll stay with you like I stayed with Mamma. I won’t let you die alone.”
I feel her take my hand and give it a gentle squeeze. My last thoughts, as her other hand closes over my mouth and nose are of my men, my loves... my lion kings. At last I understand. In one last effort, I reach out with my mind and latch on to the girl who I’d connected with earlier in the day. The one I’d watched make love to Cage and Adam, the one I’d seen carry their children, and grow old with them. It had been a vision like no other. Both real and dreamlike as it skipped through time. She is their true mate. But what had been her name again? Ah...yes, I think, as the world disappears… Madeline.
MADDIE came out of the vision. Adelaide had placed her on one of the tables and had taken the gag off her. She pinned Maddie’s shoulders, making the strain on her arms and wrists almost unbearable.
She couldn’t hold back the tears as Clary’s death flooded her thoughts. “You’re hurting me,” she told Adelaide.
“Thank God,” was her unexpected response. She let go of Maddie. “You’re my only leverage. I need you to keep it together.”
“You didn’t have to kill her.”
Adelaide froze in place. “What are you talking about?”
The heat of grief stole Maddie’s breath for a moment. She regained her composure. “Clary didn’t know about you and your father. She didn’t know about Zaria. You killed her for nothing. Her death was for nothing.” But it hadn’t been for nothing. Without her death, Maddie wouldn’t have found her way to Cage and Adam. Clary’s last act had been to reach out to her. To draw her to the lion kings. Her last act had been one filled with love and compassion. She might not have been their true mate, but Clary Sage had loved them unselfishly.
She turned her head away from Adelaide, unable to meet the blonde’s desolate stare, and saw the knife on the table above her shoulder.
“You’re lying.” Adelaide’s hand closed over her throat, but her grip wasn’t hard enough to choke—more a warning. “You don’t know. You can’t know.”
God, Maddie realized, she’d revealed too much. Adelaide would have no reason to keep her alive now that Maddie knew all her secrets. Carefully, she worked the rope around her wrists now pinned between her back and the hard table top. She ignored the pain and concentrated on distraction. “I know it wasn’t your fault,” she said, back peddling on her earlier accusation. “Clary fell into the ditch by accident. You didn’t mean—”
“Shut up,” Adelaide hissed. “Just shut up. I need to think.” She let go of Maddie and started pacing.
Maddie wiggled her fingers and her wrists with more vigor every time Adelaide looked away from her. She could almost pull out her right hand. She just needed a little more time to stretch the opening. She had to keep Adelaide distracted.
“Clary didn’t hate you. She didn’t blame you in the end. She was just confused. She thought of you like her own sister.” Maddie would say whatever she thought Adelaide needed to hear. Because of her vision of Clary, she knew she was supposed to have a long and happy life with her kings. She would have their babies, and the idea of giving them children, focused her strength. When her right hand came free, she inwardly rejoiced.
The element of surprise was her only advantage.
CAGE and Adam moved far enough from the tent to keep Adelaide from detecting them. Neither of them had any intention of meeting her demands. Cage’s rage simmered with no productive outlet. He wished he could rip someone apart, starting with Adam’s sister.
There was no fucking way in hell he or Adam would let Adelaide leave with Maddie or Zaria. The woman had lost her damned mind, and Cage didn’t trust her for a second. He would spare Zaria the pain of her mother’s betrayal if he could. Learning the truth had been awful and horrifying, but Zaria was an innocent regardless of her origins.
“What now, brother?”
Adam shoulder’s bunched with tension. “I want to fucking cut her heart out.” In the next moment, he sagged. “Why didn’t I see it before? How could I be so blind?”
“I didn’t see it either.”
“I’m the leader of this pride,” Adam said, in a way that made Cage flinch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”
Cage shook his head. “No. Don’t apologize. I’ve been broken for a long time, and you’ve had to shoulder most of the burden. Those days are over, brother. I am with you now. One-hundred-percent. But still, what’s happened with Adelaide, it isn’t your fault. No more than the sun setting in the west is your fault. You can lead, but you can’t control. Besides, we don’t have time for recriminations. We need to rescue our girl.”
Adam nodded, his expression forlorn. “You’re right. Absolutely.” He reached out and grasped Cage’s arm. “Thank you, brother,” he said. “You’re the only thing keeping me from losing it right now. Thank you for being strong enough for the both of us.”
They both froze when they heard voices coming from the tent. Adelaide must have taken off Maddie’s gag, and they were having a heated conversation. Cage wished there was some grass nearby he could rub on his skin to mask his scent, just enough camouflage to get him closer without being detected.
“We have to get in there. I don’t know why she’s taken the gag off Maddie, but it won’t be for a good reason.” Cage fell to his knees and began to rub his hands on the dusty ground. He smeared the dry dirt over his skin. Adam immediately dropped down next to him and did the same.
When they’d covered every surface they could reach, Cage and Adam looked each other over.
“Good enough,” Adam said. “I think it will mask us, at least until we’re on her. I’ll approach to the back. You go in from the front. Let’s stay out of sight though until one of us has a chance to take her down when she’s not in reach of Madeline.”
Cage nodded his approval. “It’s a plan.” He prayed it would work.
ADELAIDE paced, wringing her hands, much like she had in the vision with Clary. Madeline bided her time, waiting for an opening to escape. She didn’t think she could out run Adelaide, after all, the woman was a lion shifter, but it wouldn’t stop her from trying. She couldn’t let Zaria go with her mother. Adelaide’s dreams for Zaria would destroy the little girl, and while Maddie didn’t want to die, she’d fight to keep Zaria from having to live that pain.
The knife next to her head was a tempting grab, but she hated the idea of using it. She didn’t want to hurt Adelaide, but she wouldn’t let the woman hurt anyone else, especially her mates. She knew there was no way Cage and Adam were going to get her car or Zaria. They would come for her.
A renewed determination set in, and Maddie decided to take the knife. She waited until Adelaide walked to the end of the table farthest from her head.
“What is taking them so long,?” Adelaide’s frustration was apparent as she stared at the front of the tent.
Maddie made her move. She rolled to one side to free her hand from behind her back, and preternaturally fast, she snatched the knife. The speed with which she moved startled her, causing her to slow for a moment. She was armed now, but Adelaide was already shifting, growing larger and more terrifying. Maddie jumped to her feet and held the blade out. She didn’t stand a chance against this lioness. Adelaide would tear her apart, but she couldn’t run away from the challenge.
Inside Maddie, recklessness took over, a wildness born in de
speration and determination.
Adelaide stalked closer. A fine golden fur, satiny in its sheen, covered her skin. When she spoke, her voice was rough and gravelly. “This will not end well for you.”
Maddie flexed her arms. She swallowed hard as she found herself staring at Adelaide’s thick, sharp claws. Claws that could easily tear her to shreds. The mating may have enhanced Maddie, but she was still human—not a shifter.
Just then, Adam roared in from the backside of the tent, and Cage came in the front a split second after. Adelaide was startled, but her attention immediately went back to Maddie.
“I will kill you,” she screamed, her body twisting as she lunged toward the top of the table. Fur broke through her skin as her nails turned to sharp claws. When she made her grab, Maddie dropped to her knees and thrust the knife under Adelaide’s ribs and shoved upward, praying she pierced the lioness’s heart. Adelaide screamed, the sound hauntingly animalistic. Maddie ignored the slashes across her arms as she held the blade in place with both hands until Adelaide slumped over.
Cage and Adam were there in the next second, dragging Adelaide back from Maddie. It took a moment for them to realize that Adelaide wasn’t fighting them. The fur receded from her skin, and her chest was covered in blood. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I...”
Before she could say another word, Cage snapped her neck.
It was a merciful death.
Adam shuddered as Cage took the only action they could—one that would protect not only Zaria, but also the pride.
Maddie stared down at her shaking hands. She held the knife so tight it danced like it had a life of its own. She’d reacted quickly, without forethought. “I didn’t mean...” She dropped the blade. “I didn’t want...” She had such a rush of strength when Adelaide came at her, and her survival instinct had kept her focused on taking her down.
Adam and Cage were now beside Maddie, their hands roaming her body checking for deeper wounds.
“Thank God,” Adam said in a ragged whisper. “Oh, thank God you’re safe.”