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“No.” I took a step closer, tentatively resting my hands on her shoulders. Her skin was blazing hot. “He can’t have you. He won’t have you.”
The storm of Mariah’s emotions couldn’t be held at bay. I could feel them building and building, a burning wildfire. She threw back her head and released a scream that came out of her very core.
“Damn you, Tomas!” she raged, her voice guttural and raw. “Why can't you just leave us alone?”
Before I could make a move, and before I even realized it was happening, her wings burst forth from her back, ripping her shirt, not quite full grown, but a hell of a lot bigger than six feet. They were strong and powerful, knocking over furniture as they filled the room, pressing against the walls and straining in the small space. They were stunningly beautiful, but I didn’t have time to admire them when she was losing control this fast.
“Mariah, please,” I urged, my own fear for her safety and that of the baby overriding any concern for the destruction she was causing. “You need to calm down before you end up fully shifting.”
“Easy for you to say!” she spat, her eyes blazing with amber fire as she rounded on me. “You didn't just find out that your entire life was a lie! That your parents were murdered by the same man who's been hunting you your whole life! I don’t want to see him in prison, Evan. I want to see him dead. I want to rip his head off myself!”
I felt the same way, but it wasn’t the time to plan his demise.
“And we will, but you can’t shift in here. I have no idea how big you’ll be, but if your wingspan is anything to go by, you’ll be taller than the house. You need to get it under control.” My voice was kind but commanding. I was ready to pull the alpha card if I had to, to give an alpha command that would get her under control myself. “Come here.” I pulled her close, cupping her cheeks. “Remember what we practiced. Deep breaths. Clear your mind. Focus on retracting your wings.”
Her breaths came in short gasps, and I could see the struggle within her as she fought against the transformation. Her fangs lengthened, and her clawed fingertips grew even longer. Her wings flapped, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to talk her down off the cliff in time.
Just as I was about to lead her outside so the house didn’t get torn apart, she closed her eyes and gripped my arms as she forced her breaths to even out. It took a moment, but her wings retracted, leaving behind the ragged scraps of her shirt hanging from her shoulders.
“Good, that’s it. Focus on my voice,” I coaxed, staring into the eyes that’d returned to their light caramel brown shade. “You have control over this. Just breathe, and let it go.”
Her chest still heaved, but her breathing was now deep and steady. Bit by bit, her claws retracted, and the very last thing to go was the fangs. Relief swept through me as I held her against my chest.
“That’s it. You did it.” I rubbed her back with my fingertips, tracing slow circles over the smooth skin where her wings had been.
Mariah sagged against me, and she clung to my body as sobs wracked hers. I didn’t try to stop her from crying, just held her in my arms as she wept. My heart was breaking for her and the pain she felt, but at least I’d been able to talk her down before she began spitting fire and set the whole place ablaze.
“Everything... everything just feels so wrong, Evan,” she choked out between sobs. “I never asked for any of this.” It wasn’t the first time she’d said so.
“I know,” I murmured into her hair, my chest tightening in response to the acute pain still pouring out of her. “I know this hasn’t been easy, but we’re going to get through this. I swear.”
“Will we?” Her voice cracked as she lifted her head from my chest and met my eyes. “Because it seems like every time we think we've finally found peace, Tomas finds a way to destroy it.”
“We will find a way to stop him,” I vowed, holding her gaze. “To end him. And when we do, we'll be free to live our lives the way we want. You, me, Sofia, and our baby.”
“Our baby,” she whispered, her hand going to her still-flat belly. Her body trembled, her tears soaking through my shirt as she clung to me.
Sensing the exhaustion settling over her, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the bedroom, where I set her down gently on the bed, drawing the blankets back before I climbed in beside her and pulled them up over us. I wrapped her in my arms, holding her as close as I could while a few lingering sobs shook her body. I would stay right here with her as long as she needed me. I didn’t blame her one bit for how she felt. I knew exactly what she was going through.
Tomas had murdered three of my parents: my mother and stepfather all those years ago, and then Sebastian. I wanted him to pay now more than ever.
“Evan?” she said after a while, her voice subdued. I couldn’t see her face because it was tucked against my chest.
“Yes, baby?”
“I don’t know what to do with all this resentment. I thought it would go away, but it’s only getting worse.”
I froze, my heart stuttering before it beat rapidly. We hadn’t talked about this yet. I wouldn’t have let it go on forever, but I hadn’t expected to address it now. I remained silent, giving her space to gather her thoughts. Whatever she had to say, I could take it… I hoped.
“Just when I think I can handle it all, there’s another curveball that reminds me I haven’t been in control of my own life at all. Not even since I was born. My entire life was a shitshow of secrets and shifters I didn’t even know about. I hate him so much for what he’s done to me. What he’s been doing since I was a child. He’s stolen everything from me, and I just don’t think I can survive losing anything else.”
I tightened my arms around her, my chest loosening slightly as I realized that the deep-seated resentment wasn’t directed at me. It never had been. She was pissed, and rightfully so, at the hand life had dealt her.
“I didn’t ask to be born with a shifter gene. I didn’t ask to be hunted down by a psychopath. I certainly didn’t ask to be turned into a dragon.” She shuddered as she took a tremulous breath. “I feel like everything is out of my control. I had so many dreams about the life I wanted, and it’s not the one I’m living.”
I took a breath, understanding why she’d feel that way, even if it cut deeply that she was unhappy.
“I realize things aren’t looking bright right now, Mariah,” I whispered, brushing her hair back from her face. “You’ve been dealt a shitty hand, it’s true. We’ve both seen the capriciousness of fate in our lives. But despite it all, there’s so much beauty in life. So much to be grateful for, even in these circumstances. I know your life would've turned out much differently if I’d never come into it—”
