Page 47 of Mortal Guardian (Shadow Shifter)

Riley kept her eyes down. The clans needed this information, it was comforting to know that men were men regardless of their species. That they needed women, no matter how deranged or disgusting they were. She hoped it was enough to garner her escape.

Deruthel stepped toward the dissolving mess on the dais. “What is that smell?”

Halak moved to the general’s side. “I never noticed it before. As per our protocol, I have investigated and logged all elements and compounds in this region.” He took several deep sniffs.

“What is it?”

Halak hissed. “It is Oleander.”

“What is that?”

“A poisonous plant. Hakim possessed many dried leaves of various shrubs in jars at his domicile. This was one of them.”

Deruthel glanced at Riley. “Is it her?”

“No, I tested her blood. It is pure. My guess is the Bokor. The amount of poison in the blood must have been low, but as our supply ages, its likely fermenting, making the poison stronger.”

“Hakim poisoned his own blood?”

“It appears so.”

“He double-crossed us on purpose?” Deruthel asked.

Riley huffed. “I’m not sure why you’re surprised. The man that would beat a teenager and drain her blood isn’t trustworthy. He used you as he used everyone else around him. Ultimately, he is exactly where he wants to be, and you can’t touch him.”

Halak’s red eyes flicked to Deruthel. “She is correct. While the king may converse with those in the veil, he does not have dominion.”

“Remove the Bokor’s blood from the formula. This is a minor setback. Now that we know what is causing the failures, we can try again.”

Riley’s eyes narrowed on Deruthel. “You’re going to fail. If the shadow clans don’t kill you before the portal opens, your own men will turn on you when they realize there are no demon women. Must suck to be you.”

Deruthel slapped her before his gnarled hand shot out, wrapping around her neck. The gray claws squeezed together, cutting off her airway as a nail pierced her skin. Blood trickled down her neck before Deruthel let her go. “Nice try, priestess, but you won’t get off that easy. We will consume this world as we have so many before it, and the women will be our appetizers.”

Riley’s mind recalled Deruthel and Halak’s conversation. They had spoken in her language fluently. Had they picked up English that quickly? How did Halak know to study our habitat in such a way? “How do you know so much about our world? Our customs? Our language?”

Deruthel’s eyes glowed. It was then she realized the demon general was vain. Yes, he didn’t acknowledge her as a threat. He felt comfortable regaling his exploits because he didn’t think she had a chance of escape. She hoped it was a fatal flaw. One she could utilize.

“The priestess was addicted to my blood. She needed to be fed. I enjoyed our... visits.”

Riley’s eyes widened at the implications of his words. “You were visiting this world? Or bringing her to yours?”

Deruthel sighed, as if recalling a fond memory. “I used to visit this world through a personal portal. I enjoyed a buffet every time I was here, but it was tied to her blood. It collapsed when she died. I was trapped in our former home world until Dannika released me.”

“She taught you about us?”

“Yes. I relayed the information to the first generation. While we are able to teach them the words, it takes exposure to a new world to learn the idiosyncrasies of a language. Halak has become quite proficient in your rudimentary speech patterns.”

“You know everything about us,” she said as a statement, but hoped it wasn’t true.

Deruthel’s smile was smug. “We are butchers. I won’t lie about that, but we plan for centuries before we recolonize. You can’t win, because we are hundreds of years ahead of you. I have planned for every military move you make, and have ten more counterattacks you have never thought of.”

Riley forced steel into her voice. “You’re a control freak, I’ll give you that. But here’s the thing… control is an illusion. You can’t plan for every event, regardless of your experience. You said yourself that the shadow clans are a new development.”

Deruthel’s lip twitched. “Do you honestly think that the shadows are the first aberration we’ve run into? The mother of creation is always trying to save her children. It never works.”

Riley blinked rapidly. “The mother of creation?”

“I believe you call her mother nature. The universe compensates for its losses by creating new worlds, and we are the predators that maintain the balance.”

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