Mortal Magic, page 4
“If you don’t believe me, why not find out for yourself? Let me take you hunting,” Colton said.
“No way. I’m not killing an animal to satisfy your ego,” she snapped.
“Eventually, the pain will become too much and you won’t have a choice. Then you will endanger the very people you care about.”
Her hands tightened around her stomach. “Is there anything else about your fabulous lifestyle you failed to mention?”
“Our emotions dull as we age and with that, our human desires. We live for the hunt and the kill. You have changed the trajectory of my life. For that, I can never adequately thank you.”
Her lips pursed. “I can’t express how thrilled I am to have made your life easier.”
Colton’s eyebrows scrunched. “This is your new home. I will do everything and anything to make sure your transition to our world is comfortable.” He gestured around the room. “You can redecorate in any manner you wish. You have endless finances at your disposal.”
Her eyes flickered with anger. “I don’t want to redecorate. I want to eat a chocolate bar and drink a cafe mocha.”
“Riley, if I could-”
She dropped to the ground, clutching her stomach, pulling her knees into a fetal position. “It doesn’t matter. I’m dying.”
Colton knelt beside her on the floor. He placed his hand on her stomach, feeling the muscles tense beneath. “You should have had at least a week before this kind of hunger. Demon venom must consume the remnants of your human blood at a faster rate.”
Riley grabbed his arm. “I can’t be this thing. Just kill me. Don’t let me suffer. I’m begging you.”
The memories rolled through his mind as if they were yesterday. The red-haired woman in a white ruffled dress was soaked in her own blood. He had killed the reaper who had attacked her, but the bastard had spent time with her. Terrorized her until she started the transition. Her bones were breaking and her face splitting apart before he granted her the mercy she begged for. While he had felt some empathy for that woman, his emotions had been dulled. Like a paper cut. Something that stung for a second but was forgotten in moments. Riley’s request was like having his heart torn out with a spoon.
“No Riley. You are far more important than you realize. We need you. I need you. Give me a chance to prove it to you. Trust me.”
“How?” The pain in her voice eviscerated his insides.
Colton picked her up, cradling her against his body as her eyes closed. He had no idea what the ramifications would be for starving a demon turned fledgling, but he didn’t want to find out. His alpha emerged, overtaking her shadow easily. Both she and her demon were too weak to fight the transition to the shadow pathway. Their molecules broke down before he entered the single pathway that led from his home to the forest. They rushed through the darkness in non-corporeal form. Their molecules swirling together in the controlled mass Colton created.
He chose a spot in the forest that was frequented by hunters, but checked that there were no human heartbeats in the vicinity before he coalesced on a thin trail amongst the evergreens and low shrubs. He scented what he was looking for in seconds, before carrying Riley to the trap. He lay her on the ground beside the brown rabbit covered in blood.
“That rabbit will be dead by the end of the day. The trap has snapped its back as it’s meant for a larger animal. It won’t make for much for a meal but it will take the edge off.”
Riley pushed herself to a sitting position, running her hand over the blood-soaked animal. “My dad taught me that you shouldn’t leave an animal in pain.” Tears streamed down her face as she leaned down. Her fangs extended before she bit into its neck. Her sobs echoed in the forest as she finished. She put her head between her knees, wrapping her arms around them, while her body continued to shake.
Colton couldn’t remember a time he’d felt so helpless. He pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist so she could cry against his chest. Her scent reeked of anguish and lavender. It twisted in his gut, cursing the demon who brought her such pain, while acknowledging he was grateful, she was here. There was only one person who could help him with a female transition, and that was the Queen herself.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
She sniffed. “The pain is gone, but I feel like a monster.”
“You showed that animal mercy. That is not the act of a monster.”
She wiped away her tears. “I don’t know if I can live like this, but I will take some time to learn about your world before I make a decision.”
He wanted to argue. To tell her there was no instance where he would allow her death, but decided on a more tactful approach. Dannika had fought and run from her destiny many times before she accepted it. While it wasn’t inherent to his personality, he attempted to show some patience. “Let’s return home. I’d like to know more about your family.”
She put her hands around his neck, relaxing against him as his shadow enveloped her and entered the pathway. The trip back to the treehouse was quick, and they coalesced inside his front room in each other’s arms.
His entire body hurt. Yearning to move his hands down her hips under her shirt. It had been years since he had felt a mild attraction to a woman. This was a tsunami of desire, flooding his tissues and making him struggle for control. He released her and backed away, taking a seat on one of the coaches and indicating she sit.
“Tell me more about your heritage,” he said.
She sat and clasped her hands in her lap. “My mother died when I was thirteen. She was murdered. The police found her body in a dumpster near the homeless shelter. They assumed she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was an investigation, but her murderer was never found.”
“Was her body drained of blood?” Colton asked.
“I don’t know. My father was very protective of me. He tried to shield me from the investigation as best as possible. He barely let me out of his sight after that. That didn’t change until he was diagnosed.”
“You mentioned your father is in a care facility.”
Riley nodded. “Yes. I also volunteer there. I have a shift at the care home tomorrow.”
Colton’s hands tightened on his legs before he forced himself to relax. “Riley, you can’t work in the human world. This is your home now.”
Black mist swirled on her shoulders before she got herself under control. “You never said anything about quitting my job.”
Colton cleared his throat. “It isn’t just your job. You have to cut ties with the human world. Our presence has a negative impact on humans. Trust me when I tell you it’s not something you want to experience.”
Riley stood up, flicking her finger in Colton’s face. “It isn’t just my father. There are many elderly patients in the care facility that have no one. I won’t just disappear and allow them to think they don’t matter. They do. To me.”
Colton leaned back on the couch. “If you truly care about them, you will let them go. You are a predator. Humans can’t see it, but they can sense it. Nature will protect them the only way it can.”
“No. I won’t leave him. I won’t leave them,” she hissed.
Colton stood. “You don’t have a choice.”
Her shadow warrior broke free as black mist permeated the surrounding air. “There is always a choice,” she said as her claws extended from her knuckles.
CHAPTER 8
The rustle of leaves moving in the wind did nothing to drown out the local growls emanating from Riley’s throat. She took a step towards Colton before pain radiated in her head and she dropped to the ground, clutching her temples. Her shadow warrior receded, shying away from the barrage of images piercing her skull.
This was nothing like the visions she would have in the middle of the day. Dreams that occurred while her eyes were wide open. This was a nightmare that rolled through her mind, pausing on each painful moment.
The vision she had while human, had played through her mind like a movie. Watching from afar while events played out without her consent. Now she was part of the nightmare. She felt cuts on her skin, the anguish of the shadow warriors when they knew they had lost. Tears streamed down her face though her throat was locked in an unshed scream.
“Riley!” Colton shook her arm gently.
Another version of the vision played through her mind. While the outcome had changed, her fate had been far worse. She shivered at the memory of demon fangs puncturing her skin. She had already experienced that torture and the one she had witnessed was far worse. The images faded as she pulled her knees to her chest.
“What just happened? Your entire body shook and your eyes turned black,” Colton said.
Riley allowed Colton to pull her into his lap, cradling her against his chest. “I’ve been having visions for a while now. They were like daydreams, but they weren’t painful and they never altered my appearance in any way. This was something more.”
“Did they always come true?” Colton asked.
“I never considered them premonitions. I thought they were more like hallucinations. I was seeing a therapist. They seem to happen to someone else. Until today. This was far more personal and different.”
“Did you see multiple visions? Alternate realities with certain changes affecting the outcome?”
“Not exactly. It was only two visions. One mine and one about another woman. The outcomes were the same, but events in between were different.”
Colton ran his hand over her back, a soothing motion that had her snuggling closer. “It sounds like foreshadowing, but I don’t believe Dannika experienced pain with her visions.”
Riley sat up. “I had a vision of Halak. When I saw him, I said his name. He asked me how I could foreshadow as a human? What is it exactly?”
“Foreshadowing is seeing all the possible futures. Currently, Dannika is the only shadow that possesses that gift, but it works a little differently with each individual.”
“How does it work for her?” Riley asked.
“She explains it like watching a movie, only she watches the same sequence multiple times. Slight changes in the script altar the outcome of events. She has seen outcomes where the demons invade our world and it is annihilated. She has also foretold an ending where we prevail. Neither destiny is set in stone as both sides work toward their desired outcome.”
Riley pursed her lips. “Can Dannika call on this power at will?”
“She can now, but it’s constantly changing. She said that the smallest of changes can have catastrophic alterations in our timeline. She constantly checks and tweaks our movements, to keep us on the desired trajectory. One where humanity survives.”
“It doesn’t work like that for me. I used to see one vision as if it were a daydream, but I didn’t feel it. Today I saw two, and the pain was excruciating. I experienced those visions as if I was there. My body felt like it was in two places at once. It was horrible.”
Colton stood up, pulling her up with him. “We need to find out more about your ability. It seems similar to foreshadowing, but you shouldn’t experience that kind of pain.”
“Trust me, I want to find out more about this foreshadowing.”
“I’m not convinced we should label it as such. You possessed this ability prior to your transition. It may be an evolution of your gift rather than a shadow ability.”
“All I can say, is if the first vision comes true then humanity falls. We have to save the woman,” Riley said.
“What happens to this woman in your vision?”
Riley shivered as she thought about the images. Colton immediately pulled her against his body, wrapping his arms around her. “She’s got long dark hair and green eyes. She has several men protecting her when she fights a demon much larger than Halak. He doesn’t want to kill her at first, he tries to capture her, but when she stabs him with her blade, he rips her head from her body. I feel her pain. It isn’t her death she fears, it’s the fact that she failed and her family will pay the price. A muscular man screams before he allows a demon to kill him. His head rolls against her fallen body. It’s the beginning of the end for humanity.”
Colton stiffened in her arms. “You’re describing Dannika. She’s our clan queen. She’s the only one keeping the clans cohesive and working together. Without her the reapers would join the demons. Her death would ensure our destruction.”
Riley looked up at him. “How did she become queen?”
“Like you she was human, and the first woman to survive the transition. She was attacked by a reaper, but when she shifted to her wolf form then displayed her poly-shifter ability, we knew our evolution had been altered. We had no hope. We existed, but we didn’t live. The moment I met Dannika I had this overwhelming urge to protect her.”
“You mentioned she tried to avoid her destiny. What did that mean?” Riley asked.
“Dannika was an orphan. She was working at the homeless shelter when she was attacked. The last thing she wanted was to be our queen, but she was the only one who could replace the previous reaper leader. The only one they would follow. Once she took control of the reaper clan, she foreshadowed our destiny. If she didn’t become queen, then humanity perished.”
“She’s new to your world?”
“Yes. Technically, she still fledgling. Her mate, Raine, is always with her. He protects her. Trains her.”
Riley allowed the pictures to roll through her mind. “Raine. He’s the one who screams. He lets the demon he’s fighting kill him after she dies. He won’t live without Dannika.”
“Raine has the ability to alter human perception. His worst fear was to turn reaper and put that power in their hands. If Dannika dies, he will follow her. It’s the only way he can protect us. Without her, we would fall anyway.”
Riley wrapped her arms around his waist. “There’s a way to break the cycle, but I don’t know what it is.”
Colton’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”
“I can’t explain it. I just feel it.”
He grabbed her by both arms. “This is very important. Do you know what it is? Dannika is not immortal. How do we ensure the shadow shifters survive when she falls?”
Riley shook her head. “I don’t know. I feel she’s the beginning of your evolution. Not the end of it.”
Colton glanced towards the door. “If Dannika perished now, is there a way for us to survive?”
Riley wanted to reassure him, to tell him the visions she saw wouldn’t come to pass, but lies were not in her nature. “No. If Dannika dies now, we all do.”
CHAPTER 9
Colton tried not to be affected by the lavender scent in her hair or how soft her skin was. How her body would feel beneath his as he traced her curves with his tongue. His fingers filtered through her mass of silky dark hair, hardening his body to the point of pain. As he nuzzled her exposed throat, he wondered what she would taste like.
This wasn’t the mild physical attraction he’d felt when he was younger. His brief excursions to the human world where he found a beautiful woman to sate his needs for the evening. This was a demanding, relentless throbbing in his core. An insidious instinct to mark her and proclaim to the world she was his. While the predatory instinct of his thoughts didn’t surprise him, ignoring them was dangerous.
Riley was an independent woman. One that didn’t understand his world. If he wasn’t careful, she would return to her human one and that would end in her destruction. Trapping her would procure the same result.
His hand moved to the back of her neck, circling it loosely. He understood the proprietary nature of his actions even if she didn’t. “We need to talk to Dannika. I will call Steele to arrange a meeting.” He stepped away from her, needing a reprieve from her alluring scent while he sent a message to his father.
“Why do you need to speak with Steele first? Doesn’t Dannika allow visitors?” she asked.
Colton scratched the back of his neck. “It isn’t Dannika. She would welcome us without question, but Steele is our clan leader, and no clan would expose Dannika to a newly transitioned fledgling. We have certain protocols in place.”
Riley crossed her arms. “What kind of protocols?”
“You must have control over your shadow warrior and need to be tested to see which clan you belong to. If you’re not a cougar, it won’t change the fact that you’re my fledgling, but we would require some guidance from the clan of your animal.”
Riley frowned. “Why?”
“A bear and a cougar hunt differently. As we merge the clans under one queen, we are learning the differences between our species, but our unification is recent and a work in progress.”
Riley turned as Steele entered the living room. He closed the door, nodding to Riley. “Why did you request an audience with Dannika? It isn’t safe for Riley to meet the queen.”
Colton explained Riley’s visions and the one about Dannika. “She needs to meet with Dannika. We need to know if Riley’s ability is foreshadowing or something else. The queen is the only one who can help her.”
Steele frowned. “What you’re describing doesn’t sound like foreshadowing. Dannika doesn’t experience pain with her visions. Perhaps her ability is in its infancy. Still evolving into its true form.”
“Perhaps, but we can’t let this vision go. Dannika is crucial to our survival. She must be warned. Protected.”
Steele’s face hardened. “Dannika is always protected. You of all people know this.”
Colton flinched at the reprisal. His chosen father rarely showed such anger. “Of course. I will contact, Raine.”
Steele waved his hand dismissively. “I already did. He is sending a reaper to administer her test.”
Colton’s hands fisted the sides. “A reaper?”
“Yes. Ferguson has informed us that turns without an animal are more likely when bitten by a reaper. Riley was bitten by a demon. We have no idea what the effects will be. You know that reapers possess stronger shadow warriors.”
