Page 35 of Snowbound with the Alpha Wolf
Adrian rushedforward.
Lars swiped at himas Adrian charged, his nails tearing into Adrian’s clothing, into his flesh. Burning pain seared him. Doubling over, he gasped. Blood streamed out of hismiddle.
Ignoring the pain, he swiped at Lars again, using the sword he’d brought withhim.
Adrian swung. He hit Lars hard, sending him toppling to the ground, nearly cutting him in half. But the Lupine managed to rise, dust billowingfrom his ruinedbody.
“You can’t kill me, Williams,” Lars taunted. “I’ve been dead for adecade.”
Then the other male attacked, this time, slicing a bloody furrow down Adrian’s middle with his razor sharp nails. Agonizing pain burned throughhim.
“Run for the entrance, Darcy,” Adrian gasped, clutching his stomach. “Go. That’s anorder.”
Collapsing to the ground, hewaited for death to claimhim.
Adrian was dying,and she’d stood there like an idiot, letting Lars doit.
Lars had been close to her. He’d bounced her on his knee when she was but a babe, taught her to hunt and fish. But now he’d embraced evil. Ten years ago, she had clung to a desperate hope that she’d been wrong, that he had not been truly bad, rotted from theinside.
Now she knew he was beyondsaving.
You can’t change him. But you can saveAdrian.
Darcy held the crystal close, absorbing its healing powers. It took the last ounce of her magick and her strength, but she poured all her powers into her body, forcing them to surface. Darcy shapeshifted into the only thing she knew capable of destroying Lars forgood.
A Burmesepython.
Snake venom was useless against Lars. But biting him wasn’t her intention. Darcy slithered over to the former alpha, who gloated as he stood over the proneAdrian.
Then Lars glanced up. Saw her. He reached out with his nails, swiped at her midsection. Pain burst inside her, but just as quickly, thanks to the crystal’s healing power, it vanished, and the woundhealed.
Now terrorand panic crossed Lars’s face as he backed away. Snakes were cold-blooded, but the warmth provided by absorbing the crystal’s powers loaned herspeed.
She reached him as he tripped over a rock, lying on the ground. Darcy went to make hermove.
He held out his hands. “Help me, Darcy. Please. Help me while you can. I can’t control this. Control the Dark Lord’s power over me. He’s possessedme. Kill me for good. Only you can doit.”
Needing no further encouragement, she coiled her body around his neck. Squeezing, harder,harder.
For a dull moment, his gaze met hers. And then he mouthed, “Thankyou.”
Bones and flesh exploded under the pressure. His head detached from his body. Not good enough. She wound around his body and crushedit.
Darcy uncurled herbody and slithered away, her beady gaze staring at the remains. Still, he could be resurrected. Only fire would destroy him forgood.
Shifting back into her human form, she didn’t dare waste energy on conjuring clothing. Instead, she summoned all her magick once more, counting on the powers of the crystal. It would take all her magick, but she had to saveAdrian.
He could notdie.
For a sheer minute, she thought about all she’d lose. Her powers as a Changeling Shifter. Her ability to roam the earth, saving Others. And then she looked down at the alpha, gasping in horrificpain.
Pouring the light into her palm, she placed her hands on the terrible, gaping wound on Adrian’s abdomen. Darcy forced all the healing light into Adrian, giving him the powers of thecrystal.
Blood slowed to a trickle then stopped. The edges of the wound sealed together. He sat up, gasping, rubbing hisstomach.
“How are you?” She touched his stomach, marveling at the healedflesh.
“Better. Powerful.” He ran to his backpack, found a shirt and wrapped her in it. Shivering, she pointed toLars.
