Marcus laughed, a dry, rasping sound. "I’d love to see you try. Lilith’s father was just the beginning, Adrian. I’m going to take you out one by one. You’ll be the last one to die. I can’t wait to feel what your 'awakened' blood tastes like.""I will kill you before you harm another soul," Adrian vowed."Is that so?" Marcus chuckled. "Well, there’s someone I’d like you to meet."Marcus hit a button, switching the call to a live video feed. He held the camera up to Vanessa’s face."VANESSA!" Adrian screamed through the phone, the sound so loud it distorted the speakers.Marcus reached out and grabbed a handful of Vanessa’s hair, yanking her head back violently. Vanessa let out a muffled, agonized scream behind the gag, her eyes filled with tears as she looked into the camera at Adrian."Let her go! Let her go right now!" Adrian’s voice roared through the speaker, vibrating with a power that seemed to crackle the very air in the room.Marcus threw his head back and laughed, a jagged, ug

Vanessa watched in horror and awe. She had never seen anything like this. Adrian tore through the elite guards as if they were made of paper. Marcus backed away, his face turning pale as his "army" dwindled to nothing in a matter of minutes. The last guard, a giant of a man, lunged at Adrian with a roar. Adrian stepped inside the man’s reach, delivered a lightning-fast strike to his solar plexus, and then a spinning kick that sent the man crashing into the oil drum. Adrian stood alone amidst the wreckage of three hundred men. He looked down at his arm, where a small piece of a guard's flesh was stuck to his sleeve. He flicked it off with a look of pure disgust. "Do you still think you’re in charge, Marcus?" Adrian asked, his voice calm, which made it even more terrifying. Marcus looked around at his fallen army, his chest heaving. He looked terrified, trapped, and utterly broken. Adrian took a step toward him, the emerald light in his eyes beginning to flare. "I warned you to r

Lyra came in through the shattered window of the industrial building. The violet glow around her hands faded as she looked at Vanessa, who was finally sitting up, color returning to her pale face. The nightmare was over. Vanessa leaned heavily on Adrian as they helped her down the stairs, past the wreckage of Marcus’s fallen army, and toward the waiting sedan. Lyra walked beside them, her expression calm and satisfied. "He won’t bother you again, Vanessa," Lyra said with a small, knowing nod. "Marcus Thorne has met his end." Adrian helped Vanessa into the backseat of the car. He took her home. When they arrived at her apartment, he signaled a team of elite Rhein Group guards who had followed them in a separate SUV. "Stay here," Adrian commanded the guards. "Secure the perimeter. If she needs so much as a glass of water, you get it. Nobody goes in or out without my authorization." Vanessa looked at Adrian, her eyes shining with tears of gratitude. "Thank you, Adrian. If not for y

Clara’s scream ripped through the air as she scrambled over the broken wood and drywall, rushing toward the guest room where Adrian lay buried under debris. Before she could reach him, a wave of unseen energy slammed into her, tossing her aside like a rag doll."You are not worth killing, you're not even a true Lancaster.""Clara, no!" Adrian roared, his voice thick with blood and fury.He pulled himself from the wreckage, his clothes torn and his skin bruised, but his eyes were glowing with a terrifying, desperate light. The energy around him began to boil. He ignored the pain in his shattered ribs and his pounding head."I will make you regret ever setting foot in this house!" Adrian screamed.He launched himself forward, moving so fast he became a blur of green light. He aimed a strike that could have leveled a building, but the robed figure didn't even move. Just as Adrian’s fist was an inch from his face, the figure reached out with impossible speed and caught Adrian’s hand m

THREE YEARS LATERBehind the walls of the Black-Rock Maximum Security Prison Clara stood in the middle of the crowded cafeteria.She stood in a long line for food that was moving slowly. She held a plastic tray in her hands.Her long hair which used to be soft and groomed, was now pulled back in a tight, messy braid. Her eyes, which used to sparkle, were now cold and sharp."I know you’re surprised, you must be wondering how the sister of the most powerful man on Earth ended up behind bars, wearing a jumpsuit that smells like a grave. This was far from the life Adrian wanted for me. If he saw me now, if he saw the things I’ve done and the blood I’ve spilled, I’m sure he wouldn't even recognize me. I’m no longer that little girl who would run to hug him when he got home."She adjusted the collar of her uniform. Beneath the fabric, the pendant Adrian had given her hung against her skin. It was cold. Dead. The dragon energy that had resided within it had been exhausted months ago; most