“It’s time,” Malik’s uncle spoke softly. “You’ve been pretending to be the Leo for long enough to know you aren’t worthy of the title. Step down now before it’s too late.”
Eliana stood up as Malik did, aware that Jonah was near them, but not close enough. He had Penelope in his arms, and yet she couldn’t reach them.
This wasn’t good. Not at all.
Others began to fill the room then, quickly and in force. She met Jonah’s gaze and the other man brought Pen closer to his chest. He gave Eliana a nod, and she knew he would protect her child with his life. This was the part of her Ripley had told her about, the part that spoke of knowing. She might not know who exactly was against Malik, judging by the amount of people in the room now, but she knew Jonah was on their side.
She had to trust in that certainty or all would be lost.
“What is the meaning of his?” Malik asked, his voice deadly calm. “You come into my home where I’m with my mate and child and threaten me? You’re not in line for succession, old man. You haven’t been since I was born.”
The man threw up his hands and spat. “I was second in line for years before you were born. You were a mistake. I killed that bitch of a mother of yours so she couldn’t make any more brats, but I apparently should have killed you long before this.”
Eliana let out a curse as the tendons on Malik’s neck stood out.
“What do you mean, you killed my mother?” Malik’s tone was too low, too dangerous.
“Exactly what I said. Your mother didn’t simply die in childbirth, you fool.”
You killed your Queen because you’re a power-hungry asshole?” Malik snarled. “Did you poison your brother, too? Did you kill my father?”
The old man shook his head. “No, I didn’t do that.”
“But I did,” Malik’s aunt spoke up, her shrill voice sending shivers down Eliana’s spine. “The man was far stronger than he should have been,” she cursed. “It took decades for the poison to work and still he wouldn’t die. He clung to life like the mangy cur he was. My mate should have been Leo, not you or that father of yours. We will rule the Pride as it should be. Pure and with power. Not with random scraps coming in to muddle the bloodlines.” She narrowed her gaze at Eliana. Apparently, Eliana was the scrap in this case.
If it all weren’t so deadly, she’d have laughed at the drama.
Malik didn’t say anything for a moment, and she knew he was biding his time. There had to be forty lions in the room now, men and woman who were traitors to the throne and to his family. He’d been dealt blow after blow, and yet he hadn’t lashed out. He was waiting because he knew he was outnumbered.
And Eliana wasn’t strong enough to protect herself.
She just prayed Jonah could get Penelope out in time.
“I’ll give you twenty seconds to get out of my home,” Malik growled.
“You’re a clueless idiot, not fit to rule the Pride,” the old man spat.
With that, the forty lions shifted at once with Malik joining them. Eliana screamed and turned toward Jonah, needing to get to her child. But as soon as she turned, Jonah jumped…jumped. He was a jaguar, not a lion, and even with one leg, could run faster than the others, and could apparently jump faster, as well.
“Save the Leo!” Jonah called out as he smashed through the large glass window, his body protecting Penelope’s small frame. Some of the lions chased him, but she prayed he would be fast enough.
Malik roared again, and she turned on her heel as he fought off four lions. He was stronger than all of them, including the two left in human form—his aunt and uncle. Eliana did the only thing she could and picked up a lamp, smashing it on the head of the nearest lion. She was stronger as a phoenix than she was as a human, but she still wasn’t a freaking shifter. She’d fight until she couldn’t anymore and pray that it would be enough.
Another lion swiped at her and she screamed when his claws ripped through her side. She’d moved just enough that it hadn’t gone deep, but it still hurt. She wasn’t a warrior. She was an artist and a mother, but damn if she’d let her mate die alone.
Others came into the room then, Malik’s guards, and she prayed they were on their side. When the new group began to fight the other lions, she almost let out a breath of relief. They weren’t alone anymore.
But it might be too late.
Malik’s Aunt Prudence moved forward, shifting as she did, her intent on Malik. Malik had his back to the other woman and his attention on the other lions fighting him. If he didn’t turn soon, it would be too late and Eliana would lose him.
Eliana did the only thing she could do.
She moved between Prudence and Malik, using her body as a shield. Maybe she wouldn’t die here, maybe it would only hurt and Malik would have time to live. Or maybe she’d turn to ash as her kind did. She knew she was risking it all, risking her life and her future with this one action, but she couldn’t not do it.
If she died here protecting the one she loved, she might not come back. She might not rise from the ashes.
When the lioness’s fangs slid into her throat, Eliana knew this would be the end. There was no way she could survive this, but Malik would live. That would have to be enough.
Malik roared over her, and she felt weightless, even as his arms came around her.
He was worth this pain, worth it all. Because he would raise their child and he would be Malik. She wasn’t anything less than him, but this was something she could do. She could take this risk because it was hers to take.
And perhaps she would come back.
Perhaps she would rise again.
Perhaps.
****
Malik couldn’t let her die but he didn’t think he had a choice. Her throat was ripped out and his mate was bleeding in his arms, her life quickly fading. She blinked up at him, once, twice, then didn’t blink again.
He had his hand around her throat, trying to keep her skin together, but he knew it was a lost cause. As soon as his aunt had clawed through that precious, smooth skin, Eliana had taken her last breath.
Before he could kiss her goodbye, before he could process what had just happened, Eliana’s body erupted in flames. The red and white flames didn’t burn, but warmed him before leaving him cold and holding the ash of the one he loved, the one he’d thought would be in his life from now until eternity.
The mating bond beat once before fading and he roared, his body shaking. In a fog, he stood up through the ash and shifted back to his lion form. He ripped out Prudence’s throat with one slash and clawed his way through anyone who dared approach him. His uncle shook against the wall, his face pale.
Malik would have liked to have shifted back to human form so he could scream at the bastard and tell him everything he’d done wrong, but instead, he let the cat take over. He slashed the old man’s throat and watched as his uncle fell to the ground, clutching his neck.
His eyes bulged and he let out his last gasping breath, alone and forsaken.
Still in lion form, Malik prowled through the line of dead bodies around him. His people had lived, stronger than those who had opposed his throne. The only ones who perished were the ones who had taken the wrong side.
And his mate.
His beauty.
His Eliana.
She had died for him, died for his throne, and yet he prayed she would come back. The others had said there was a chance she wouldn’t, but that meant there was a chance she would.
Before he could grieve, before he could hope, before he could find Jonah and Penelope, there was something he had to do.
He went to the balcony that looked out over the Pride and roared. His mane shook as he put everything he had into the roar. Around the Pride, every single person stopped what they were doing and roared back. Some fell to their knees while others bowed their heads. It was a roar of grief, a roar of power, a roar of the Leo.
When he was finished, he shifted back to human and clutched the stone railing in front
of him.
“I am Leo,” he called out. “I am King. Those that threaten our Pride, that threaten my family, shall perish. Know this and follow. Know this and live within the Pride.”
His head still lowered, he closed his eyes, aware that others watched him. He had to leave soon before they saw him break, before he became his father and a hollow ache of the man he’d once been.
“Malik,” Jonah said from his side.
Malik turned and ran toward the man who held Penelope in his arms. He put one hand on Jonah’s shoulder and cupped his child to his chest with the other. He would not be his father. If the mating bond never returned, if fate had taken his mate from him in an everlasting sorrow of death and sacrifice, he would not allow Penelope to be raised as he was.
But he couldn’t think of more than that now.
He couldn’t think at all.
Because Eliana was dead, and he hadn’t had the chance to prove to her that he was worthy of her sacrifice; that he was worthy of the mating mark she bore on her shoulder.
“Malik.”
He froze and raised his head. Jonah blinked up at him and took Penelope from his arms as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.
“Malik,” the soft voice said once again.
He let out a shuddering breath and turned on his heel. “Eliana,” he rasped, his voice breaking. “Eliana.”
She stood before him in a long robe, reminiscent of the one Ripley had worn in the phoenix realm. A new feather covered her arm—fresh ink and a new life.
He tried to take a step toward her, but fell to his knees. He held out an arm, tears falling down his cheeks.
She ran toward him, sliding to her knees at the same time to end up in his arms. He crushed her body to his before kissing up her cheeks and temple. He licked her mating mark, his hands roaming her body to make sure she was there and that this wasn’t a dream.
“You’re back,” he whispered. “You came back.”
“I can’t explain it,” she said in awe. “I was here, and then I was…well, I don’t know where I was. But I came back. I’ll always come back for you.” And with that, she kissed him. He slid his tongue along hers, needing her taste.
Dimly, he could hear the roar of the crowd, but he ignored it, his soul, his mind only for Eliana.
“I love you, Eliana. You’re mine for now and forever, for this lifetime and the next. You rose from the ashes for me and for our child, and until the end of my days, I will show you that I’m worthy of that flame, worthy of your soul.” The mating bond pulsed between them and he let out a shuddering breath.
She cupped his face and smiled. “I love you, too, Malik. And you are already worthy of me and everything I do. I’m yours from now until the end of our days,” she said softly before looking over her shoulder. “Now I want to hold my baby and be in your arms until I can catch my breath again. Because what just happened? Talk about breathless.”
He shook his head in reverence before standing up with her in his arms. Jonah handed Penelope over, and Eliana clutched their child close, murmuring sweet words even as she held out a hand for Jonah.
“I can never repay you,” Malik said, his voice cracking once more.
Jonah shook his head. “You are my Leo and I’d like to think, my son. I would do anything for you.”
Malik blinked back tears and met Eliana’s gaze. She nodded, and Malik swallowed hard. “Will you be godfather? Will you be Penelope’s family?”
Jonah smiled. “I would be honored.”
Malik held his family close, knowing that he would be able to rule his Pride and find his own path with them at his side. He’d almost lost them once, he had lost Eliana more than once, and now he would ensure that would never happen again.
He was Leo. He was Eliana’s mate, Penelope’s father.
And he was home.
Epilogue
5 Years Later
Time changed in an instant. One minute, you’re drinking a beer with your friends, talking about the increasingly scary storm outside; the next you’re flying through the air with your body slamming into the nearest wall when lightning strikes. Or rather, when lightning strikes inside the room and hits you and six of your friends dead center.
Eliana looked around Dante’s Circle and knew her life had changed the night the lightning struck, yet she wouldn’t take that back for anything. Her life had changed again when she’d met Malik, and once more when she had her child.
Five years had passed since she’d risen from the ashes, and as she ran her fingers over her skin where the glamour covered that new feather, she knew she’d finally learned to take the changes in her life as they came.
Malik kissed her temple. “Doing okay?”
She smiled. “I’m doing fantastic. Though I still think it’s weird that we’re celebrating Pen’s fifth birthday in a bar.”
Her mate rolled his eyes before giving a shrug. “She wanted to see all her aunts and uncles, and this place is the easiest place for everyone to meet without having to deal with going to new realms.”
It made sense, and since her baby Penelope—who wasn’t a baby any longer—was currently giggling hysterically with Hunter and Becca’s Hazel, she couldn’t really feel weird about being in the bar that had changed it all.
Lily and Shade were slow dancing in a corner while their daughter Kelly was dancing with Samantha—Ambrose, Jamie, and Balin’s daughter. The two were mimicking the slow dance and laughing each time they stepped on each other’s feet. That particular triad was in a deep conversation with Becca and Hunter as they drank and ate.
Hunter’s friends had come with their twins Lavender and Raven, and Leslie and Hawke were currently on the floor with the twins, rolling around like lunatics rather than parents. Honestly, Eliana wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dante, Jace, and Nadie weren’t making out in their corner, but from the way they kept looking at each other, Eliana was pretty sure they were thinking about it. The only thing that probably stopped it was the fact that their twins, bear cub Luke and dragon Kieran, were doing a little dance in front of them. Of course, that dance turned into a rumble, and Jace sat up, trying to give Luke pointers about how to fight against a dragon. Seriously, Eliana never wanted that bear to grow up fully.
Faith and Levi were having an argument about something, though it didn’t look too serious. Their son Colby chased Eli around the room with a squirt gun of all things. Eli’s parents, Amara, Tristan, and Seth were trying to clean up after their little terror of joy, but Eliana didn’t think that would last long.
It was funny to think that at one point, she’d felt alone. Now she had so many people in her life she could barely breathe. This group of mismatched paranormals, royals, and Alphas, predators, and sweet prey were her family, her circle, and her future.
Lightning stuck overhead, and everyone froze. Calmly, each of the seven women looked at one another before breaking out into laughter. No matter how much time passed, lightning would never be the same.
They would never be the same.
Each of them had a new life, a new future, a new path. They would all have their forevers as they would always have each other.
And everything had started here in Dante’s Circle, where nothing was ever as it seemed. Yet their worlds were just as they’d always wanted.
Theirs.
THE END
A Note from Carrie Ann
Thank you so much for reading PROWLED DARKNESS. I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review where you bought the book and on Goodreads. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us authors know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. I love hearing from readers and talking to them when I can. If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys ar
e the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.
The Dante’s Circle is complete now and I know I will always adore these characters. Thank you for coming on this journey with me! If you’re just starting the series, you can go back to the beginning and find out what happened when Lily meets Shade in DUST OF MY WINGS.
Dante’s Circle Series:
Book 1: Dust of My Wings
Book 2: Her Warriors’ Three Wishes
Book 3: An Unlucky Moon
The Dante’s Circle Box Set (Contains Books 1-3)
Book 3.5: His Choice
Book 4: Tangled Innocence
Book 5: Fierce Enchantment
Book 6: An Immortal’s Song
Book 7: Prowled Darkness
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About Carrie Ann and her Books
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.
Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
Redwood Pack Series:
Prowled Darkness Page 9