Page 12 of Mortal Magic (Shadow Shifter)

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.”

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