Page 64 of Mortal Curse (Shadow Shifter)

“Yeah, well, you’re an asshole,” she snapped, stepping back up until her shoulder blades bumped the wall.

His form rippled before he plastered a smile on his face. “There is no need for unpleasantness. I’m not here to hurt you, Dannika. I’m here to bring you home. You belong with us.”

She swallowed the bile in her mouth and didn’t turn around when a reaper screamed. Raine was fighting the men Kilian had brought with him. “It’s astonishing that you think there’s a chance I’d go with you.”

Killian’s eyes flickered. “Not really. You belong to me, and I have waited for you to mature.”

Her heart stuttered. “You knew I was a shadow?”

He glanced away as if lost in thought. “No. I expected something else, but this is much better.”

The excitement in his voice made her skin crawl.

“I’d rather die.”

He smiled before he gripped her throat with icy fingers. She struggled for air, digging at his hands. He hoisted her into the air, and she kicked at his thighs, but his hold was unbreakable.

She dropped to the ground as a large, dark mass slammed into Killian’s side. Three shadows formed before her. Raine and two men she didn’t recognize stood between her and the reaper leader.

Killian’s eyes turned black. “This isn’t over, Dannika.”

He dissolved, racing along the floor before disappearing into the shadows.

Raine took Dannika’s hand, pulling her up from the floor as the two men approached.

“Who are they?” Dannika asked.

“Tarik is from the bear clan, and Lamar is from the cougar clan. I wasn’t aware they were coming.”

Tarik shook Raine’s hand. “We heard about the attack and knew Dannika would investigate. The reapers have been looking for a catalyst. A reason to go to war.”

Raine rubbed his forehead. “Shit.” He glanced around the room. “We need to get these bodies out of here.”

Tarik pointed to the glass door. “No time. The police will be here in a minute.” He motioned to Lamar. “Light it up.”

Lamar grabbed a can of cooking oil from the kitchen. He poured it over the bodies before grabbing a pack of matches from the drawer.

Dannika clutched Raine’s shirt. “We can’t burn down the shelter. These people have nothing else.”

Raine took her hand. “Lamar will make it look like a cooking fire that got out of hand. It won’t take out the entire building, and we will make an anonymous donation tonight. They will rebuild the shelter in a couple of weeks. I’ll make sure they update the shelter with more facilities for its patrons. It’s the best we can do, Dannika. We can’t have these bodies discovered.”

She rubbed her chest. “Okay.”

Lamar dropped the lit match as they entered the shadow pathways. They ripped along with darkness at unimaginable speed before emerging in the wolf clan’s caves.

Raine had helped her maintain her form while they traveled, yet her eyes drooped and her limbs felt like they were full of lead.

Steele, Ryder, and Maddock approached them.

Raine nodded to his leader. “Killian attempted to abduct Dannika. We killed his reapers, but he escaped. We set the shelter on fire to disguise their kills. They left them in the open.”

Ryder shook his head. “An open war. This was the last thing we wanted. It’s only a matter of time before the humans are involved.”

Steele’s gaze narrowed on Dannika. “Her emergence threatens the reapers. That is good for us.” He glanced between the three men. “She has unified us with a single purpose. This is what the reapers fear.”

Maddock’s eyes roamed over Dannika. She didn’t like the conniving glint in his eyes. “This is the first multi-clan victory in centuries. Perhaps something good can come of this.”

Raine pulled her closer to him. “Killian wants Dannika, so we need to protect her. His actions at the shelter were strange.”

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