Page 35 of Mortal Guardian (Shadow Shifter)

Black smoke whispered off of Dannika’s shoulders before she got herself under control. “Damn.” She turned to Colton. “How are you feeling?”

Colton shrugged. “It’s spreading, but slowly, thanks to the priestess.”

Riley squeezed Colton’s hand. “We’ll find an antidote.”

They took their seats at the table as Steele arrived with Ryder and Stern. All took their seats before Steele clasped his hands on the table. “Are we waiting for Ferguson?”

Dannika smoothed the black tunic she was wearing. It was an unusual choice for the Queen, one that had Riley questioning her style change. “Ferguson is aware of everything that transpired. He’s on his way back, so we can start without him.”

Ryder leaned back in his chair. “What is this about?”

Dannika motioned to Riley. “My sister will explain.”

Riley appreciated Dannika’s public declaration. The Queen was making it clear what Riley meant to her, but Riley didn’t feel she deserved the kindness or the loyalty her sister showed her. All she could do was try to earn it. “There was an attack at the winery. They killed all the men and Deruthel attacked a woman named Leah. He attempted to inject her with a syringe, but she was a black belt and kicked it from his grasp. Leah didn’t think that she had been injected, but while we were escorting her back to her apartment, Deruthel returned and scratched her. The wound was minimal, but she transitioned to a female demon.”

Ryder stood quickly. “A demon? That’s impossible. She must be a shadow, even a reaper...”

Steele shook his head. “I was there. She was full demon.”

Ryder sat hard in the chair. “This is a disaster. If they breed...”

Stern’s eyes narrowed. “What was in that syringe?”

“It broke, but Raine recovered the pieces. Raine took it to Anaisa, so she can attempt to determine what was in it,” Colton said.

Ryder rubbed his forehead. “The question is why? They have females. Once they open the portal, they will traverse with the rest of the army.”

Dannika leaned forward. “We need to focus on what was in that syringe. Is it some kind of demon antibody? A virus?”

Riley turned to her sister. “They came back for her. To scratch her. Maybe this compound preps the body for conversion.”

Dannika arched her eyebrows. “If that’s true, could it do the same for the shadows? Whether we accept it or not, we have a connection to the demons. They are our forefathers. Ones that will destroy us at the earliest opportunity, but it would be insane for us to ignore anything that would help us win this war. Everything that works against the demons, or has demon origins.”

Raine shook his head. “Even if they have a serum that ensures a successful transition, how do we ensure it’s used ethically by the shadows?”

Dannika’s eyes flickered. “I will make sure, but first things first. If there is such a serum, then we need to find out what it is. Anaisa will share her findings when she’s finished analyzing the serum.”

Dannika stood as Ferguson entered the meeting room. His face lay in shreds as the tissues reached for one another, attempting to heal. His chest was a mess of gouged flesh and oozing blood. “Jesus Christ Fergie. Did you lose a fight with a bulldozer?”

“Not exactly.”

“What happened?” Dannika asked.

“I tracked the woman to the cave on the other side of the mountain. I watched the demons accept her, but another woman entered behind me. I was forced to kill her.”

Dannika’s face flinched. “I understand. Tell me about the caves. Can we mount an attack on them?”

Ferguson shook his head. “Deruthel is an excellent strategist. They collapsed the physical tunnels as well as the shadow pathways, to and from the stronghold. There is only one way in or out via a shadow pathway or tunnel.”

Steele rubbed his chin. “So, we can’t attack their home base.”

A strip of torn flesh on Ferguson’s face healed in the slow line. “It would be suicide. I barely made it out.”

Riley pursed her lips. “Leah... was she okay?”

“That thing is not Leah. The demons fawned over her when she arrived. They protected her and attempted to protect the woman who attacked me.”

“But you killed the woman and you would have killed Leah,” Riley said, attempting to keep the condemnation out of her voice.

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