Page 73 of Panther in the Shadows
Jax's howl cuts through the night from the rocky shoreline. Not just warning. Challenge. The grey wolf stands between the spirits and whatever position he's guarding, teeth bared, hackles raised. Then the spirits hit him and it's chaos. Snarls. Screams that sound almost human. The crack of bones.
More spirits surge toward Rafe and me.
They come at us from both sides, cutting off escape. Their movements are coordinated. Tactical. Catalina's will directing them like a conductor with an orchestra of corpses.
Rafe doesn't hesitate. He dives from the boat, his transformation happening mid-leap. Human form blurs and condenses into sleek black panther before he hits the surface. He meets the first spirit head-on, massive jaws closing around a corrupted throat with enough force to decapitate a living person.
The spirit doesn't die. Can't die. But the impact drives it backward, buying me seconds.
Another spirit reaches the boat.
Its fingers close around the railing, and I watch the wood blacken under its touch. Corruption spreading like rot through the hull. It pulls itself up with strength that shouldn't exist in limbs that pale, in muscles that dead. Water streams from its clothes, black and oily, reeking of decay.
Empty eyes lock onto mine. Blue light filling the sockets where a soul should be.
Kill the sea witch. Complete the ritual. Serve the master.
The thoughts aren't mine. They bleed from it like poison. Catalina's commands written into its very essence.
I throw salt water at it before it can climb aboard. The blessed liquid hits pale skin and the sound is like meat on a hot griddle. Steam rises. The spirit recoils, one arm raised to shield its face. Flesh bubbles where the water touched. But it doesn't stop. Doesn't retreat.
It lunges again. Faster this time. Learning. Adapting.
My hand closes around a silver dagger from the supplies. The blade feels too light. Too inadequate for what I'm facing. But Gran's grimoire said silver and salt together could disrupt death magic. Could give me a chance against things that shouldn't exist.
The spirit's fingers close around my wrist before I can strike.
Its grip is ice-cold. Strong enough to bruise. Strong enough to break bones if it wants. The cold spreads up my arm like frostbite, numbing flesh, making my fingers weak. It pulls me toward the boat's edge, toward the corrupted water below where more pale shapes circle. Waiting. Hungry.
I drive the dagger into its chest with my free hand.
The silver punches through pale flesh with sickening ease. No resistance. Like stabbing wet paper. The spirit jerks back, mouth opening in a silent scream. Blue light leaks from the wound instead of blood. The same necromantic glow that fills Catalina's eyes, now pouring from the hole in its chest like smoke.
For one heartbeat, I think it worked. Think I've stopped it.
Then it reaches up and yanks the dagger free.
No pain crosses its face. No fear. Nothing human left in those features. It looks at the blade in its hand like it's curious. Like it's learning. Then it throws the dagger aside, the silver clatteringacross the deck and disappearing into the corrupted water with a splash.
The spirit turns back toward me with renewed focus.
Because it doesn't need to fear death. It's already dead.
And I'm running out of options.
Behind it, Catalina watches with pleased expression. "They can't be killed by any weapon you brought with you, little sea witch. They're mine. Body and soul. And they'll keep coming until you're as dead as they are."
The spirit reaches for me again.
Then Rafe crashes into it from the side, panther jaws tearing at corrupted flesh. They tumble across the deck together, claws and teeth and desperation.
Catalina's attention turns to him. To the panther who was once hers. "Still playing hero, Rafael? Still pretending you care about these people? You're as much a monster as I am. The difference is I accept what I've become."
The panther snarls but can't answer. Can't defend himself in this form.
So I do it for him.
"The difference is you murdered innocent people for power." My voice cuts across the water. "Rafe killed to survive in a world that exiled him. You killed because you wanted to become this. There's no comparison."
