Page 13 of Mortal Magic (Shadow Shifter)

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.”

CHAPTER9

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.”

“I am an alpha. I can test her,” Colton snapped.

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