Mortal Magic, page 3
Riley licked lips that felt like sandpaper. “I was shocked by his appearance and mentioned my vision. Specifically, him in it. He was surprised and asked if I could foreshadow. I didn’t know what that was. Halak said it was a shadow gift. He told me he was a demon, and that Deruthel needed me. When I refused to go with him, he attacked me.”
Colton ran his fingers through his hair. “Halak could have gutted you. His prey normally ends up a bloody mess on the floor. You barely have a scratch. You’ve already recovered from the wound on your shoulder. He definitely didn’t want to leave any permanent damage.”
“Why did he call me Priestess?” Riley asked.
Steele’s eyebrows arched. “Halak believes you are a descendant of the Haitian priestess who entered the demon world. She retrieved an alloy called blessed steel, which was used to create our reaper blades. Recently, we’ve learned that she was forced to ingest the demon king’s blood in order to ensure our survival.”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with me. I have no Haitian dissent and was practically raised in the church,” she said.
Colton turned to Steele. “This doesn’t make any sense. While Riley bears a striking resemblance to Dannika, a lot of women have long, dark hair and mocha skin. If the demons are targeting women based on appearance, then thousands of innocent women will die.”
Steele looked Riley over closely. “I don’t think it’s her appearance. Demons can sense their own. Dannika is the only woman to survive transition, and she has both priestess and reaper blood. Demon blood remains in all the descendants of the priestess. Riley, are you sure you have no Haitian background?”
The room darkened, making her surroundings even more muted. It was difficult to tell gray from black as the walls, the men, and everything else in the room, began to blend together.
“No,” she croaked. “My mother was a nurse. She was working at a free clinic when she met my dad, but started working at the hospital before I was born. Dad was in the military and like a lot of the veterans, frequented the clinic.”
Colton placed his elbows on the edge of the mattress. “What about your father? Any chance he has some Haitian descent?”
“I don’t think so. My grandparents on my father’s side were Swedish. They immigrated here when my dad was a boy, but we took a family vacation to visit relatives in Stockholm when I was seven.”
The trip had been one of the highlights of her life. Visiting the local markets, the royal palace, and the award-winning Museum. She’d enjoyed the city park, but the boat tour had been her favorite. The bright buildings lining the river had been the inspiration for many coloring projects during the following years. Her father smiled as the wind whipped his short hair against his forehead and he pointed out inspirational architecture along the shoreline.
Her gut tightened. She was leaving that kind forgiving man to a lonely death. She wanted to tell Colton and Steele how amazing her father was. How they could help him in the years to come, but her body seized.
“Riley?” Colton’s concerned voice cut through the pain.
Her reply died on her lips as her muscles contorted. She took a quick gasp before her body convulsed. The room spun, wavering in the darkness.
She tried to resist, but found her mind drifting away as the pain pulsed through her again and again. A vortex of torture she couldn’t escape. She had prayed hundreds of times, but this was the first time she asked God to end it.
Colton called her name again. The soothing and masculine tone made her want to listen. He was worried and sad. It was strange to feel like she should reassure him when she was the one dying, but her hand fumbled against the sheet, trying to reach for him.
Ghostly tears steamed from her eyes when her soul fractured. It split open, allowing the darkness to seep in. A black mist that conquered the light, consuming her purity and innocence. She had envisioned her death many times, but even in her most imaginative nightmares, it was nothing like this. An all-encompassing agony that didn’t end.
The shadows fused with every cell in her body. At first, she thought it was an infection, but as her body continued to heat, she understood it for what it was. The transition. Dark cells that seared away all vestiges of her human life. The intense heat ripped through every limb until she admitted that death would be a mercy. One she begged for.
As the pain intensified, the shadows slid through sinew and bone, saturating the tissue with dark agony. The sweltering blood twisted her insides until her screams vibrated in the room. The chilling sound was anything but human. A hollow echo of her former self. A nightmare reborn to a morbid life of pain.
Riley arched on the bed so violently, Colton was forced to hold her down. She could no longer make a sound. Every breath was an excruciating torture, worse than the one before. When the darkness settled in her stomach, she vomited black blood onto the bed as the men swore.
Her head turned unnaturally to the side before her neck cracked, followed by her legs and arms.
Her spine continued to twist into unnatural proportions. A macabre human pretzel, as the shadows consumed her flesh, leaving parts of her body transparent. A dark ghost fighting to stay in the human world.
The darkness sucked inward, invading what was left of her soul. She entered the shadow realm with a silent scream of retribution. While she could feel her form—her arms, her legs—were invisible. She moved her fingers in front of her face before an insatiable hunger rose inside her. She sniffed the air then focused on the living creatures in the room. Claws burst from her knuckles as her eyes focused on her prey. She growled before she attacked.
Colton, evaded her clumsy strike. When she lunged after him again. He grabbed her arms, holding her down on the blood-soaked mattress. She could hear his heartbeat within his chest. Hear the blood pump through his veins. It smelled like a fine wine, and she wanted to gorge herself on the heavenly nectar.
“Riley, you need to take control. My blood will not sate your hunger,” he hissed.
While she could hear his words, and appreciate the timbre of his voice; the sound of his blood pumping in his veins was overpowering. A part of her recognized that these urges were wrong, contradictory to the values she held dear, but the instinct to curb that savage hunger was too strong. It whispered in her mind like a Saintly melody, promising sweet salvation. She growled before her claws raked Colton’s chest.
His shadow warrior burst to the surface, growling down at her.
Steele put his hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Her venom burns like a reaper wound. It’s just like Dannika’s.”
The force inside her receded at the sight of Colton’s warrior, recognizing in an instant that attacking the monster holding her would end in her death. She shuddered as black mist rolled off Colton’s shoulders. While the claws from his knuckles were extended, they didn’t bite into her skin when he leaned forward. “You marked me. Now you will deal with the consequences.”
* * *
.
CHAPTER 6
Riley kicked out with her left foot, catching Colton in the thigh. When his grip on her loosened, she flipped from the bed and backed into the corner, growling her outrage. The beast before her might not be a food source, but he was preventing her from sating her hunger.
Black mist rolled off his muscular dark form. He was larger and though his features were similar to his human form, his cheekbones were more defined and his eyes were black pools of rage and hunger.
“Riley, you need to get your warrior under control.”
Steele moved to the entrance of the room. His face one of concern. “She survived a demon transition. What the hell is she?”
Colton flicked a glance to his father. “She is a shadow warrior. I will test her; ensure she has an animal. If she doesn’t, she will join the reaper clan.”
Steele’s eyes moved over her smoky form. “She isn’t like Dannika. She’s more demon than human.”
Colton hissed. “You don’t know what her capabilities are. Despite her parents’ background, she obviously has priestess blood.”
“You don’t know that. She may not be a shadow at all,” Steele hissed.
Colton’s body thickened and his voice dropped an octave. One that couldn’t be disobeyed. “She is my fledgling. Mine to train. Mine, period. If anyone touches her, they will deal with my Alpha.”
Riley leaned toward Colton. His voice one she couldn’t resist. It instilled a curiosity and a temptation she wasn’t prepared to pursue.
Steele’s face hardened. “I will leave you to her training. Feed her soon.” He stomped away.
The mention of feeding had Riley’s beast roaring in her mind. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an exit. She sensed an opening but couldn’t figure out how to traverse the doorway.
“Riley, do not attempt to open a pathway. Your demon is searching for a stream, but it is unsafe for you to travel so soon after the transition. The attempt could kill you.”
She tried to focus on his voice, but her stomach twisted on itself, an empty pit of voracious hunger, to be filled. “It hurts,” she whispered.
Colton resumed his human form. “I know honey. The transition is not complete. You have your shadow form, but your instincts are still developing. Give it a few minutes. Your body will start to consume the human blood left in your system. This will give you a reprieve until you need to feed.”
She closed her eyes, willing her human body to return. She held her shadowy hand in front of her face as her claws retracted into her knuckles and her skin rippled and reformed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Colton approached her, pulling her into his arms as she teetered on the edge of tears. “Riley, it’s perfectly normal. In fact, I’m amazed at your restraint. Fledglings lash out because they don’t understand their new environment. It’s like putting a wild animal in a cage. We have trapped you in our world, and for that I’m sorry, but I won’t lie to you. I’m happy you are here.”
Riley tipped her head up. Though Colton held her, she had her arms folded in front of her chest. A reflex to put a wall between her and the uncertainty of her circumstances. “Why? You don’t know anything about me, and Steele is afraid of me. I could see it in his eyes.”
Colton’s eyes roamed over her features with a sense of wonder. As if he’d found a rare treasure. One he searched a lifetime for and didn’t believe existed. “Your origins are unprecedented, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are a miracle. We will figure it out.”
“Figure what out? What’s wrong with me?”
“You’re only the second woman to survive the transition. Dannika was the first, and she was bitten by a reaper. Demon venom is much stronger than that of a reaper or shadow warrior. It raises certain concerns, but we will deal with whatever transpires. Hopefully, you will still have a totem animal.”
Her eyes widened as a shiver ran through her body. Colton tightened his hold as if she was going to break away from his grasp. “You think I will be able to change into a cougar or a wolf?”
“Or a bear. If you have an animal regardless of species, it will go a long way to calming clan concerns about your demon origins.”
She nibbled her lip. “Am I a monster?”
“No more than I am.” Pain flashed on Colton’s face before his lips descended on hers.
He moved slowly, giving her time to retreat, but her body was frozen, ensnared by his masculine scent and predatory eyes. She couldn’t have pulled away if she wanted to. The first touch as his mouth melted to hers sent fire racing through her veins.
What started as a gentle invasion soon turned to that of an erotic conqueror. Molten lava poured down her throat, consuming her insides, pooling in her core like a cauldron of brimstone. Heat burned through her veins, carrying erotic ecstasy to every cell in her body. She moaned into his mouth as her fingers clutched his shirt.
Colton broke the kiss. “I’m sorry. I have never had a fledgling. When I met Dannika for the first time, I felt the need to protect her, but this is unexpected. The pull between us is insane.”
Part of her was horrified at her behavior, confused by the instincts and emotions coursing through her, but another part considered wrapping her hand around his neck and pulling his head back down to hers. Melding their lips once more and damn the consequences. “I feel it too.”
His eyes searched hers before he kissed her again. The muscles beneath his skin tensed as his arousal increased, pressing against her stomach. Alarm bells blared in her mind when his hands tightened on her hips.
Riley broke the kiss. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I need to check on my father,” she said rubbing her stomach.
Colton followed the movements of her hand. “Hasn’t the hunger passed?”
She shook her head. “I feel like my stomach is eating itself. I don’t usually go for fast food, but I think a burger and fries would do wonders right now.”
Colton rubbed his neck. It was the first time he looked uncomfortable and unsure of himself. “You’re not human Riley. You can’t eat solid food.”
Her eyebrows arched. “No solid food? While I’m not opposed to a juice bar now and then, I’m not giving up potato wedges or chocolate.”
“I have no idea what a juice bar is but you misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want you to have solid foods, you can’t digest them. You no longer eat.”
Riley backed away with her hand in the air. “I have to eat. What do I survive on?”
CHAPTER 7
Colton held his hand up, attempting to calm the dark-haired woman that mystified him. Her deep green eyes captivated him and her mocha skin was something he wanted to explore at great length. His fascination and attraction were concerning, and his demon was equally enamored with her. He didn’t understand their connection. The need to protect her was an instinct unlike anything he’d ever experienced, but the apprehension on her face made him nauseous. He’d rather take a reaper blade to the stomach than destroy her world this way. “It isn’t what you think.”
Riley stepped back until her heel kicked the wall. Her fear permeated the air and made him curse under his breath.
“What do shadows eat?” she asked.
Colton cleared his throat. “We have demon souls, and that requires fresh blood.”
Riley tensed before she darted for the door. The bedroom was too small for such a maneuver and Colton grabbed her arm when she attempted to dash past him. She twisted free and leapt over the bed, putting it between them. “I won’t kill anybody. You said you protected humanity. You lied to me.”
Colton moved in front of the door while continuing to face her. He would’ve done anything to protect her from this aspect of the shadow shifter lifestyle. The look of betrayal and disgust on her face gutted him. It had been so long since he’d felt those emotions, his beast struggled with the reality. His emotions were a cauldron of chaos, rising to the surface, but he allowed none of it to show on his face. He had decades of discipline, and this one woman had eviscerated it.
“We don’t hunt humans. We protect humanity. It doesn’t negate our need to kill or to feed.”
Her eyes darted to the door. “Vampires feed on fresh blood. That’s what you are, a vampire.”
“We aren’t vampires. That is a monster from human folklore. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the basis of that myth has something to do with us. Trust me, if there was any other way to sustain our demon soul, we would’ve found it. Fresh blood is the only thing that sates our shadow.”
Riley clutched at the golden cross around her neck. “What do you feed on?”
“The blood of any living creature can sustain our shadow, but we only feed on large game. If you feed on humans, you become a reaper.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “You said reapers were part of your clan.”
“That is a recent development. They are trying to rehabilitate their eating habits to be part of the other clans. If you have an animal, feeding on human blood kills it. While you strengthen your shadow warrior, it feeds on your totem animal, destroying it. The alliance with the reaper clan is new. With Dannika as their leader, we hope they will be able to maintain the new protocols, but honestly, there are no guarantees. You can’t kill a human.”
Her eyes flickered. “I’m not killing anything. I’m not vegetarian or anything, I like the occasional chicken burger or seafood linguine, but I’m not killing an animal. I’m not drinking its blood. If that means I die of starvation, then so be it.”
“Riley, be reasonable.” He knew he had made a mistake as soon as he spoke.
Her eyebrows arched as her pupils flared. “For the record, asking a woman to be reasonable after you’ve just told her she’ll never eat again, is about as sane as approaching a starving wolf pack, naked.”
“Since many of the shadows shift into wolves, we do not fear them.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. “Because you eat them, you brute!”
Her anger crackled through the air, making him reassess his situation. “I’m not handling this well. I understand how difficult this is. I was human. My parents were killed, and I was bitten. I was young and fought back, but in the end, I was forced to accept that for a shadow, blood is life, and human blood is the road to destruction.”
Riley glanced at the ground. The desolation on her face was worse than watching his own parents murdered. She clutched her stomach before her body shook. “I can’t do it. I can’t cause an innocent animal pain.”
“There is no pain, Riley. Our prey feels nothing. Our fangs produce a sedative. By the time they draw their last breath, they are deeply asleep,” Colton said.
Her eyes met his. “Is that true, or the lie you tell yourself to negate the fact that you are monsters?”
His jaw ticked. While she had every right to be angry, her words hurt. He never wanted this life. He intended to grow up on the farm and marry a buxom blond girl from a neighboring farm. They would’ve raised sheep and tended their crops. He wouldn’t have learned about the shadow shifter world, or the ongoing war, but as he watched Riley struggle to accept this reality, he was thankful. He could’ve had an ordinary life. Now he looked for something truly extraordinary. Something he didn’t dare dream about.
Colton ran his fingers through his hair. “Halak could have gutted you. His prey normally ends up a bloody mess on the floor. You barely have a scratch. You’ve already recovered from the wound on your shoulder. He definitely didn’t want to leave any permanent damage.”
“Why did he call me Priestess?” Riley asked.
Steele’s eyebrows arched. “Halak believes you are a descendant of the Haitian priestess who entered the demon world. She retrieved an alloy called blessed steel, which was used to create our reaper blades. Recently, we’ve learned that she was forced to ingest the demon king’s blood in order to ensure our survival.”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with me. I have no Haitian dissent and was practically raised in the church,” she said.
Colton turned to Steele. “This doesn’t make any sense. While Riley bears a striking resemblance to Dannika, a lot of women have long, dark hair and mocha skin. If the demons are targeting women based on appearance, then thousands of innocent women will die.”
Steele looked Riley over closely. “I don’t think it’s her appearance. Demons can sense their own. Dannika is the only woman to survive transition, and she has both priestess and reaper blood. Demon blood remains in all the descendants of the priestess. Riley, are you sure you have no Haitian background?”
The room darkened, making her surroundings even more muted. It was difficult to tell gray from black as the walls, the men, and everything else in the room, began to blend together.
“No,” she croaked. “My mother was a nurse. She was working at a free clinic when she met my dad, but started working at the hospital before I was born. Dad was in the military and like a lot of the veterans, frequented the clinic.”
Colton placed his elbows on the edge of the mattress. “What about your father? Any chance he has some Haitian descent?”
“I don’t think so. My grandparents on my father’s side were Swedish. They immigrated here when my dad was a boy, but we took a family vacation to visit relatives in Stockholm when I was seven.”
The trip had been one of the highlights of her life. Visiting the local markets, the royal palace, and the award-winning Museum. She’d enjoyed the city park, but the boat tour had been her favorite. The bright buildings lining the river had been the inspiration for many coloring projects during the following years. Her father smiled as the wind whipped his short hair against his forehead and he pointed out inspirational architecture along the shoreline.
Her gut tightened. She was leaving that kind forgiving man to a lonely death. She wanted to tell Colton and Steele how amazing her father was. How they could help him in the years to come, but her body seized.
“Riley?” Colton’s concerned voice cut through the pain.
Her reply died on her lips as her muscles contorted. She took a quick gasp before her body convulsed. The room spun, wavering in the darkness.
She tried to resist, but found her mind drifting away as the pain pulsed through her again and again. A vortex of torture she couldn’t escape. She had prayed hundreds of times, but this was the first time she asked God to end it.
Colton called her name again. The soothing and masculine tone made her want to listen. He was worried and sad. It was strange to feel like she should reassure him when she was the one dying, but her hand fumbled against the sheet, trying to reach for him.
Ghostly tears steamed from her eyes when her soul fractured. It split open, allowing the darkness to seep in. A black mist that conquered the light, consuming her purity and innocence. She had envisioned her death many times, but even in her most imaginative nightmares, it was nothing like this. An all-encompassing agony that didn’t end.
The shadows fused with every cell in her body. At first, she thought it was an infection, but as her body continued to heat, she understood it for what it was. The transition. Dark cells that seared away all vestiges of her human life. The intense heat ripped through every limb until she admitted that death would be a mercy. One she begged for.
As the pain intensified, the shadows slid through sinew and bone, saturating the tissue with dark agony. The sweltering blood twisted her insides until her screams vibrated in the room. The chilling sound was anything but human. A hollow echo of her former self. A nightmare reborn to a morbid life of pain.
Riley arched on the bed so violently, Colton was forced to hold her down. She could no longer make a sound. Every breath was an excruciating torture, worse than the one before. When the darkness settled in her stomach, she vomited black blood onto the bed as the men swore.
Her head turned unnaturally to the side before her neck cracked, followed by her legs and arms.
Her spine continued to twist into unnatural proportions. A macabre human pretzel, as the shadows consumed her flesh, leaving parts of her body transparent. A dark ghost fighting to stay in the human world.
The darkness sucked inward, invading what was left of her soul. She entered the shadow realm with a silent scream of retribution. While she could feel her form—her arms, her legs—were invisible. She moved her fingers in front of her face before an insatiable hunger rose inside her. She sniffed the air then focused on the living creatures in the room. Claws burst from her knuckles as her eyes focused on her prey. She growled before she attacked.
Colton, evaded her clumsy strike. When she lunged after him again. He grabbed her arms, holding her down on the blood-soaked mattress. She could hear his heartbeat within his chest. Hear the blood pump through his veins. It smelled like a fine wine, and she wanted to gorge herself on the heavenly nectar.
“Riley, you need to take control. My blood will not sate your hunger,” he hissed.
While she could hear his words, and appreciate the timbre of his voice; the sound of his blood pumping in his veins was overpowering. A part of her recognized that these urges were wrong, contradictory to the values she held dear, but the instinct to curb that savage hunger was too strong. It whispered in her mind like a Saintly melody, promising sweet salvation. She growled before her claws raked Colton’s chest.
His shadow warrior burst to the surface, growling down at her.
Steele put his hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Her venom burns like a reaper wound. It’s just like Dannika’s.”
The force inside her receded at the sight of Colton’s warrior, recognizing in an instant that attacking the monster holding her would end in her death. She shuddered as black mist rolled off Colton’s shoulders. While the claws from his knuckles were extended, they didn’t bite into her skin when he leaned forward. “You marked me. Now you will deal with the consequences.”
* * *
.
CHAPTER 6
Riley kicked out with her left foot, catching Colton in the thigh. When his grip on her loosened, she flipped from the bed and backed into the corner, growling her outrage. The beast before her might not be a food source, but he was preventing her from sating her hunger.
Black mist rolled off his muscular dark form. He was larger and though his features were similar to his human form, his cheekbones were more defined and his eyes were black pools of rage and hunger.
“Riley, you need to get your warrior under control.”
Steele moved to the entrance of the room. His face one of concern. “She survived a demon transition. What the hell is she?”
Colton flicked a glance to his father. “She is a shadow warrior. I will test her; ensure she has an animal. If she doesn’t, she will join the reaper clan.”
Steele’s eyes moved over her smoky form. “She isn’t like Dannika. She’s more demon than human.”
Colton hissed. “You don’t know what her capabilities are. Despite her parents’ background, she obviously has priestess blood.”
“You don’t know that. She may not be a shadow at all,” Steele hissed.
Colton’s body thickened and his voice dropped an octave. One that couldn’t be disobeyed. “She is my fledgling. Mine to train. Mine, period. If anyone touches her, they will deal with my Alpha.”
Riley leaned toward Colton. His voice one she couldn’t resist. It instilled a curiosity and a temptation she wasn’t prepared to pursue.
Steele’s face hardened. “I will leave you to her training. Feed her soon.” He stomped away.
The mention of feeding had Riley’s beast roaring in her mind. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an exit. She sensed an opening but couldn’t figure out how to traverse the doorway.
“Riley, do not attempt to open a pathway. Your demon is searching for a stream, but it is unsafe for you to travel so soon after the transition. The attempt could kill you.”
She tried to focus on his voice, but her stomach twisted on itself, an empty pit of voracious hunger, to be filled. “It hurts,” she whispered.
Colton resumed his human form. “I know honey. The transition is not complete. You have your shadow form, but your instincts are still developing. Give it a few minutes. Your body will start to consume the human blood left in your system. This will give you a reprieve until you need to feed.”
She closed her eyes, willing her human body to return. She held her shadowy hand in front of her face as her claws retracted into her knuckles and her skin rippled and reformed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Colton approached her, pulling her into his arms as she teetered on the edge of tears. “Riley, it’s perfectly normal. In fact, I’m amazed at your restraint. Fledglings lash out because they don’t understand their new environment. It’s like putting a wild animal in a cage. We have trapped you in our world, and for that I’m sorry, but I won’t lie to you. I’m happy you are here.”
Riley tipped her head up. Though Colton held her, she had her arms folded in front of her chest. A reflex to put a wall between her and the uncertainty of her circumstances. “Why? You don’t know anything about me, and Steele is afraid of me. I could see it in his eyes.”
Colton’s eyes roamed over her features with a sense of wonder. As if he’d found a rare treasure. One he searched a lifetime for and didn’t believe existed. “Your origins are unprecedented, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are a miracle. We will figure it out.”
“Figure what out? What’s wrong with me?”
“You’re only the second woman to survive the transition. Dannika was the first, and she was bitten by a reaper. Demon venom is much stronger than that of a reaper or shadow warrior. It raises certain concerns, but we will deal with whatever transpires. Hopefully, you will still have a totem animal.”
Her eyes widened as a shiver ran through her body. Colton tightened his hold as if she was going to break away from his grasp. “You think I will be able to change into a cougar or a wolf?”
“Or a bear. If you have an animal regardless of species, it will go a long way to calming clan concerns about your demon origins.”
She nibbled her lip. “Am I a monster?”
“No more than I am.” Pain flashed on Colton’s face before his lips descended on hers.
He moved slowly, giving her time to retreat, but her body was frozen, ensnared by his masculine scent and predatory eyes. She couldn’t have pulled away if she wanted to. The first touch as his mouth melted to hers sent fire racing through her veins.
What started as a gentle invasion soon turned to that of an erotic conqueror. Molten lava poured down her throat, consuming her insides, pooling in her core like a cauldron of brimstone. Heat burned through her veins, carrying erotic ecstasy to every cell in her body. She moaned into his mouth as her fingers clutched his shirt.
Colton broke the kiss. “I’m sorry. I have never had a fledgling. When I met Dannika for the first time, I felt the need to protect her, but this is unexpected. The pull between us is insane.”
Part of her was horrified at her behavior, confused by the instincts and emotions coursing through her, but another part considered wrapping her hand around his neck and pulling his head back down to hers. Melding their lips once more and damn the consequences. “I feel it too.”
His eyes searched hers before he kissed her again. The muscles beneath his skin tensed as his arousal increased, pressing against her stomach. Alarm bells blared in her mind when his hands tightened on her hips.
Riley broke the kiss. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I need to check on my father,” she said rubbing her stomach.
Colton followed the movements of her hand. “Hasn’t the hunger passed?”
She shook her head. “I feel like my stomach is eating itself. I don’t usually go for fast food, but I think a burger and fries would do wonders right now.”
Colton rubbed his neck. It was the first time he looked uncomfortable and unsure of himself. “You’re not human Riley. You can’t eat solid food.”
Her eyebrows arched. “No solid food? While I’m not opposed to a juice bar now and then, I’m not giving up potato wedges or chocolate.”
“I have no idea what a juice bar is but you misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want you to have solid foods, you can’t digest them. You no longer eat.”
Riley backed away with her hand in the air. “I have to eat. What do I survive on?”
CHAPTER 7
Colton held his hand up, attempting to calm the dark-haired woman that mystified him. Her deep green eyes captivated him and her mocha skin was something he wanted to explore at great length. His fascination and attraction were concerning, and his demon was equally enamored with her. He didn’t understand their connection. The need to protect her was an instinct unlike anything he’d ever experienced, but the apprehension on her face made him nauseous. He’d rather take a reaper blade to the stomach than destroy her world this way. “It isn’t what you think.”
Riley stepped back until her heel kicked the wall. Her fear permeated the air and made him curse under his breath.
“What do shadows eat?” she asked.
Colton cleared his throat. “We have demon souls, and that requires fresh blood.”
Riley tensed before she darted for the door. The bedroom was too small for such a maneuver and Colton grabbed her arm when she attempted to dash past him. She twisted free and leapt over the bed, putting it between them. “I won’t kill anybody. You said you protected humanity. You lied to me.”
Colton moved in front of the door while continuing to face her. He would’ve done anything to protect her from this aspect of the shadow shifter lifestyle. The look of betrayal and disgust on her face gutted him. It had been so long since he’d felt those emotions, his beast struggled with the reality. His emotions were a cauldron of chaos, rising to the surface, but he allowed none of it to show on his face. He had decades of discipline, and this one woman had eviscerated it.
“We don’t hunt humans. We protect humanity. It doesn’t negate our need to kill or to feed.”
Her eyes darted to the door. “Vampires feed on fresh blood. That’s what you are, a vampire.”
“We aren’t vampires. That is a monster from human folklore. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the basis of that myth has something to do with us. Trust me, if there was any other way to sustain our demon soul, we would’ve found it. Fresh blood is the only thing that sates our shadow.”
Riley clutched at the golden cross around her neck. “What do you feed on?”
“The blood of any living creature can sustain our shadow, but we only feed on large game. If you feed on humans, you become a reaper.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “You said reapers were part of your clan.”
“That is a recent development. They are trying to rehabilitate their eating habits to be part of the other clans. If you have an animal, feeding on human blood kills it. While you strengthen your shadow warrior, it feeds on your totem animal, destroying it. The alliance with the reaper clan is new. With Dannika as their leader, we hope they will be able to maintain the new protocols, but honestly, there are no guarantees. You can’t kill a human.”
Her eyes flickered. “I’m not killing anything. I’m not vegetarian or anything, I like the occasional chicken burger or seafood linguine, but I’m not killing an animal. I’m not drinking its blood. If that means I die of starvation, then so be it.”
“Riley, be reasonable.” He knew he had made a mistake as soon as he spoke.
Her eyebrows arched as her pupils flared. “For the record, asking a woman to be reasonable after you’ve just told her she’ll never eat again, is about as sane as approaching a starving wolf pack, naked.”
“Since many of the shadows shift into wolves, we do not fear them.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. “Because you eat them, you brute!”
Her anger crackled through the air, making him reassess his situation. “I’m not handling this well. I understand how difficult this is. I was human. My parents were killed, and I was bitten. I was young and fought back, but in the end, I was forced to accept that for a shadow, blood is life, and human blood is the road to destruction.”
Riley glanced at the ground. The desolation on her face was worse than watching his own parents murdered. She clutched her stomach before her body shook. “I can’t do it. I can’t cause an innocent animal pain.”
“There is no pain, Riley. Our prey feels nothing. Our fangs produce a sedative. By the time they draw their last breath, they are deeply asleep,” Colton said.
Her eyes met his. “Is that true, or the lie you tell yourself to negate the fact that you are monsters?”
His jaw ticked. While she had every right to be angry, her words hurt. He never wanted this life. He intended to grow up on the farm and marry a buxom blond girl from a neighboring farm. They would’ve raised sheep and tended their crops. He wouldn’t have learned about the shadow shifter world, or the ongoing war, but as he watched Riley struggle to accept this reality, he was thankful. He could’ve had an ordinary life. Now he looked for something truly extraordinary. Something he didn’t dare dream about.
