“Gonna stare at me all day, Leones?”
“That was the plan,” I answered, striding closer to her.
She spun on her toe to face me. Eyes shining with happiness and determination, she unsheathed the sword on her back.
Little monster wants to play.
“You’re going to fight me with two swords?” I asked, incredulity lining each word.
In every movie I had ever seen, knights used one sword, usually more significant than the person wielding it.
“Niten Ichi-ryū,” she responded, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Two heavens as one. That is the style I use.” A smirk graced her gorgeous lips. “Though, I can kill a man with just one.”
Pride filled my chest the way my little monster said that with such confidence. She knew what she was capable of and no longer hid it from me. That was progress.
Things between us were so comfortable. Yeah, we had disagreements. Adara wasn’t used to depending on anyone, and I was used to being responsible for an entire pride. We both had to establish boundaries while trying to navigate the complications of a shifter/human relationship. But the love…that shit just grew stronger every day.
Ripping off my shirt, I kept my eyes on my mate. “Let’s see what you got, Mashall.”
Before I finished uttering the words, she was air bound. Captivated by her grace, I barely missed a blow to my right shoulder. Unfortunately, her other sword sliced across my chest. The scent of iron immediately filled the air.
“Oh shit!” she gasped in horror. Dropping her blades, she ran towards me. “Oh shit!” she exclaimed in awe.
Without looking down, I already knew what she was seeing. The wound was healing. The bleeding had already stopped, and soon the skin would piece back together.
Adara’s eyes snapped up to mine. “But…how?”
“Shifter healing.” Casting a glance at the sky, I noticed how the sun was beginning to set. We had to get moving. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” she asked distractedly, her fingers grazing over the almost healed slash.
Grasping her hands in mine, I kissed her fingertips and was rewarded with her sigh of contentment. I would do horrible things to keep her happy.
Lion purred in agreement.
Fucking pussy.
“I have something for you.”
I removed the weights from her ankles and wrists, massaging her tender skin in the process. My woman worked too hard and worried too much. I had sensed the changes in her. That was the magic of the mating bond for shifters. I was in tune with her emotions. That was why I had planned tonight. I wanted her to have one night free from the thoughts that plagued her.
Though capable of destruction, Adara was in a position she had never been before. For the first time in her life, she had something to lose.
CHAPTER 31
ADARA
Hand-in-hand Alonzo and I walked through my land. I wasn’t sure what surprise he had for me, but I was down for whatever. With just his presence, he could make me even the most mundane experiences life-changing.
Holding my hand in his firm grip, we walked over moss-covered rocks and through thickets of pine trees. The scent of the Tyrol River and wildflowers filled the air.
“Tell me about your swords.”
A smile caressed my lips before I could stop it. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” Pausing to help me over a large fallen tree, he kissed my forehead. “I want to everything about you.”
My heart pounded in my chest. It wasn’t what he said, it was the intensity in which he said it. Alonzo made me feel vulnerable and stripped bare. Even my katanas couldn’t protect me from him. Every single day I found myself opening up a little more to him. That was foreign to me.
He wasn’t trying to leash me to him like Daniel. No, Alonzo was forcing me to drop my burdens so I could be free with him.
And.
That.
Was.
Terrifying.
We continued to walk in silence as I collected my thoughts. I wasn’t used to explaining myself. Alonzo understood that and never pushed me to give him immediate answers.
“This one,” I said, caressing the blade on my hip. “I received it from my sensei.”
“Tsunade?”
“You remembered.”
He snorted as we continued walking through the trees. “I remember everything you tell me.”
Why does that statement make my heart flutter?
“She gave me this one. The one on my back was made by a legend in Japan. I just had it made a year before I came here.”
“Did you name them? In movies, they’re always named.”
I smirked. Alonzo was part of that group of people that believed almost everything they saw in movies.
“My swords were given names by their makers. The one on my hip is Whisper of Wind, and the one on my back is Death of Angels.”
Squeezing my hand, Alonzo led me to the edge of the pine trees. “Thank you for sharing.”
As we walked through the last of the trees, I huffed out a breath of surprise.
Fireflies lit up the field of Bluebells as the setting sun cast the river in an ethereal glow. Near the bank was a large wooden canopy draped in white silk that blew in the breeze. Strings of gold lights were wound around the four posts of the canopy.
My gaze darted everywhere as I stepped closer to the setup.
An oversized white hammock chair hung in the middle of the canopy and was covered with plush silver and blue pillows and two knitted throw blankets. A table filled with snacks sat next to the chair. In front of the canopy was a projector screen.
Glancing back at Alonzo, I blinked back tears.
“How?”
“I have my ways.”
“He had help,” a low voice called out from behind the screen. Whirling around, I faced the man coming from the shadows. My hand automatically reached for my katana. “Whoa there, killer. I’m a friend.”
Holding up his hands in surrender, he cast his eyes downward and exposed his neck.
Shifter.
“Baby,” Alonzo murmured. “This is my best friend, Rio.”
Relaxing, I eased my hand off my sheath while taking in man in front of me. He was a few inches shorter than Alonzo but a lot stockier. His long wavy hair was pulled back in a bun at the nape of his neck. Golden brown eyes that matched the tone of his skin glowed in the waning sunlight.
Alonzo cleared his throat.
Right…manners.
“Nice to meet you, Rio.”
“Nice to meet you too, Adara.” Straightening his stance, he offered me a grin. “I’ve been anxious to meet the woman that stole my Pride’s Alpha.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “If he was so easily stolen by a mere human then maybe he didn’t belong with y’all to begin with.”
Alonzo’s boisterous laughter rang out in the stillness of the clearing. “Come on, baby. Rio, I’ll talk to you later.”
Swinging his arm around my shoulders, Alonzo smiled down at me.
“It’s so fucking weird to see you laughing and smiling this much,” Rio stated, his head canted to the side.
Peering up at Alonzo through my lashes, I scrunched my brow in confusion. “What’s he talking about? You’re always like this.”
“No. He’s not. He’s moody and grumpy and slightly psychotic.” Rio studied me intently. “You sure you want to be the mate of a monster like this?”
I shrugged, leading Alonzo towards the canopy. “We match.”
Rio disappeared through the trees, and I settled into the chair with my mate. With a few taps of his phone, Alonzo had dimmed the lights and started the projector. Handing me a piece of paper, he sat back and watched me as I read it.
3 Ninjas.
Angel’s In The Outfield.
Matilda.
A Little Princess.
The Addams Family.
Tears filled my eyes and dripped down on the handwritten list, smearing
the ink.
“You missed out on a normal childhood, Adara. I don’t pity you. That life made you into the woman you are. The woman who immediately gained the fealty and adoration of my beast. But, I’m making it my life’s mission to give you beautiful moments to make up for what you lost, starting now.”
And, just like that, Alonzo Leones demolished the last of my walls. I had his devotion from the moment he laid eyes on me. And now, he had mine.
CHAPTER 32
ADARA
The blazing sun was setting, casting orange, purple, and pink streaks across the darkening sky. The scent of barbecue filled the air as laughter rang out over Mashall land. It was a sound so foreign that it startled me the first few times I heard. Now, after several beers, it was a comfort.
“So, you took out Alpha Farrell’s eye, huh?”
Taking a swig of my beer, I gauged Mila’s expression. At first glance, I had Alonzo’s mother pegged as a quiet, stand-by-your-man, submissive type, especially when putting her up against the larger than life D’Mitri Leones.
In less than five minutes, I realized I was wrong. Every member of the twenty-four member Pride deferred to her, even D’Mitri at some points. She was the queen of lions, and they all knew it. According to Luke, Alonzo’s brother, her dominance was only surpassed by D’Mitri, making her Beta.
“That’s true,” I answered.
A smirk slowly spread across her face. “And you declared war on him in his own bar?”
I nodded. There was no sense in lying
“I don’t regret it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Good,” she said, respect shining in her eyes. “Now, I know that you’re perfect for my eldest boy.”
Her declaration rocked me to my core. I would have sworn that it would take more than a few meetings for them to deem me acceptable for the almost-king of the Pride.
The other women around us nodded in agreement as I stared at them in shock.
“But…how?”
One of the lionesses, Anna, took my hand in hers. Her blues eyes were bright with conviction.
“You wounded an Alpha. You could have killed him. Everyone knows that. When he tried to intimidate you, you stood your ground. You upstaged his dominance in front of his Pack. You could have easily laid your problems at Alonzo’s feet. Oh, the man would have taken care of them, make no mistake. But, instead, you handled it.
“I needed too. If I would have told him…he would have killed Daniel. I don’t know much about shifters, but I do know all about war. That was what would have happened if I let Alonzo handle it. I love him too much to put my burdens all on him when we can share the load.”
“And, that is why you are perfect for my boy,” Mila sighed with a smile. “If you were a lioness, you’d be a damn fearsome Alpha. One of the handful of female Alphas in the world. My son is lucky to have you.”
My eyes traveled across the yard to Alonzo. The love shining in his eyes and the satisfied grin gracing his lips let me know that he had heard the conversation.
Fucking shifter hearing.
Excusing myself from the ladies, I made my way over to my man, the tension in my heart easing with every step. Alonzo called that invisible pull to him The Bond. I was used to it by now, but at first, it scared the fuck out of me.
It started after I told him about my past and only grew stronger as time went on. Months into this relationship, I was able to determine how far my mate was from me by the tension in the bond.
When I asked him about it, he said, “The tension is the mating bond letting us know that we’ve been away from each other too long.”
Reaching Alonzo, I immediately wrapped my arms around him and was rewarded with that purring that I loved so much. His large hands slid down my back and gripped my ass, causing a soft moan to slip from my lips.
“The Pride loves you,” he whispered in my ear.
“Mmmhm,” I mumbled, loving the feel of his body against mine even through the clothes.
“You know what else?”
“Hmm?”
“Your phone’s vibrating.”
Sighing, I disconnected us and fished my phone out of my back pocket. It was weird not having to push my katanas out of the way to get to it. But, I didn’t need them here on Mashall land. Alonzo and my new extended family would alert me to any danger.
Tapping on the screen, I realized I had a FaceTime request from Tsunade. I knew immediately. Something wasn’t right.
CHAPTER 33
ADARA
Accepting the call, I gasped in horror as a loud menacing growl rumbled from Alonzo and gained the attention of all of those on my land.
Tsunade, The-Woman-With-No-Name, was kneeling on a bamboo mat in front of the cliff she had once saved me from. Her hands were tied behind her back. Her face was bloodied. Her clothes torn and stained.
The camera jiggled as it was propped up on something. Sora came into view, standing beside my Sensei.
“Tsunade-Sensei!” I screamed, my voice finally returning.
“Calm down, Adara,” Sora sneered. “Screaming is unbecoming.”
“I’ll destroy you, Sora. You will die by my blade.”
“There are consequences for every action, Adara. You chose to stay. Her beating is the consequence.” He pulled out a gun, and I screamed, tears filling my eyes. “But The-Woman-With-No-Name’s death…well, that is a consequence for her own actions. She convinced you to stay. You were so close to coming back, but she pushed you forward.”
“Don’t do this, Sora. Please!”
“Begging already, Adara?” He cocked his gun and aimed it at my Sensei. “Love has made you soft.”
I watched intently as he pressed the butt of the gun to Tsunade’s head. She jerked away, eyes serene as if she accepted what was to come. Her shoulders moved in smooth rhythmic motions, and that was when it hit me. Tsunade was not going to die here. She was going to free herself and kill Sora. I just needed to buy her time.
“What can I do?” I questioned. “What can I do to make this right and spare her life?”
“Nothing.”
His matter of fact tone had my anger boiling. Alonzo’s constant growl was the soundtrack to this intense moment. The rest of the Pride had gathered around, watching with unblinking eyes.
“Sora!”
“You’ve already been tarnished! American ideals have made you soft. I do not want you anymore.”
“Sora—”
“Adara-chan,” Tsunade’s voice called out. “You have been the closest thing I’ve known to family. You did something no one else, not even my parents, cared to do. You gave me a name. You showed me with that gesture the depth of your love for me. And now, I will show mine.” Looking directly into the camera, she smiled. Blood stained her teeth. “You do not belong here. You are not meant to die here. You are the only student that I knew would escape this life. You will prove everyone wrong. You have the destiny of a beast. And, I am ready to die.”
With a smirk, Sora placed his finger on the trigger. Before he could pull it, Tsunade kicked out her legs, wrapped them around Sora, and threw them both off the cliff.
My screams drowned out Sora’s.
As they drowned the increased volume of growls surrounding me.
So caught up in my grief, I did not notice Alonzo placing me behind his body.
I did not notice the Pride staring off into the woods.
I did not notice the howling that was getting closer until it was too late.
Wolves.
CHAPTER 34
ADARA
One by one wolves poured out of my woods, each one bigger than the last. D’Mitri’s head snapped in my direction, eyes glowing like fire.
“When we make our move, you run. Grab your swords and fight.”
“I don’t want my mate anywhere near this, Dad.”
“Not your choice, Son. The Prophecy already dictated what would happen.”
“What Prophecy?” I asked, my eyes trained on the wolve
s.
“We don’t have time for this,” Keenan gritted out.
Ignoring him, D’Mitri kept his gaze on me. “Five deaths. Fifteen royals. Twelve constellations. In groups, they arrive at the field of Bluebells. Black and blue air quiets the raging beasts. The night sky comes alive with flashes of brightness. Five deaths scream for vengeance. Blood curdles in veins, destroying bonds that stretch generations. Either way, the earth will burn. But only when five becomes one will the war be won.”
Chills ran down my spine at his words. “Is this the war?”
“No, sweetie.” Mila grinned at me, her eyes glowing brightly.” This is just the first battle.”
I watched as a massive lion ripped out of Mila. She was only slightly smaller than the one that came from D’Mitri. I stared as the two slowly advanced. The sounds of popping and breaking filled the yard as the rest of the Pride changed.
Alonzo turned to face me, eyes filled with worry. I knew what he was thinking. The house was at least two city blocks away.
“I got this,” I reassured him.
Gripping the back of my neck, he pressed his forehead against mine. “Beautiful monster ready to go to battle. Come back to me.”
“Always,” I whispered against his lips.
Taking a few steps backward, I watched in awe as Alonzo Changed into a lion…my lion. Lion was inches taller than my 5’10” frame and probably weighed a ton. With a shake of his beautiful mane, he followed the rest of the Pride to the middle of the clearing.
D’Mitri’s scarred up lion let out three long roars. The battle began, and I ran.
The wind whipped against my face as I raced towards the house. Growls, yips, whines, and bone-crushing snaps filled my ears as my feet beat against the grass.
The house was within a few feet, and I damn near screamed with joy until my eyes landed on my porch.
Daniel.
Skidding to a stop, I eyed him wearily.
“You had two choices, Adara. Be mine or leave. You decided to mate to that fucking pussy. You should have left when your parents told you to. And…here we are.”
The Life, Love, and Death of Adara Marshall Page 8