Page 3 of Titan’s Mate

Their souls were lost in the demonic realms because of him, suffering. Because he hadn’t been there to do his job, to cross them over to safety when they died.

Not ‘died,’ he corrected himself. When they were murdered—by Austin Raines and his rogue panthers. He threw a glance over to the grave beneath the pine tree, black granite holding the evil inside. Titan had managed to be there for that bastard’s death, grabbing his body and his soul and sending them to the same place Raines had sent his clan.

He might not have been able to save their souls, but he could make damn sure their murderer shared their hell.

Unless by some miracle he succeeded tonight, and called them back.

He’d honored each of them, carved their memorial likenesses and erected them here. It didn’t matter that their bodies were far away. They haunted him always—wherever he was, they were here too.

Picking up Janelle’s grave marker, he carried it over to the last grave, where her parents’ markers already stood. He pulled up the temporary wooden marker and threw it into the woods.

Squatting, he dug into the frozen dirt with his hands, ignoring the bloody scrapes and broken fingernails. He set the marker in the hole and patted the dirt around it to hold it steady.

Janelle looked back at him. Twelve years old, holding a brace of fish and smiling. She was one of the best fishermen in the clan, able to coax fish out of hiding seemingly by magic.

He rested his hand on her silent stone head. I’m sorry. He wanted to say, ‘Forgive me,’ but he didn’t. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness.

A faint mist rose behind the marker, coalescing into Janelle’s ghost. Then the others joined her, one by one, wavering in the moonlight, solemnly staring at him.

Now that he had created a place for them, honored each one, he could try to use their clan bond to call them back from the hell Austin Raines had trapped them in.

Surrounded by the ghosts of his people, he let himself slip partway into the spirit world, and began to chant.

Mari stood enthralled as the chanting rose through the night, striking something deep inside her. Even without understanding the words, she knew it was a prayer of supplication—filled with longing, sorrow and desperate hope.

But for what, she didn’t understand.

From what she’d read, as a shaman of his clan, Titan’s most important job was to escort the spirits of the dead past the gates of the demon worlds and into the realms of the gods, where they would be safe forever in polar bear heaven.

Which was probably super-cold, so she had no idea why they’d want to spend eternity there. Hopefully he also knew the way to the xióngmāo afterlife, where there would be nice temperate forests and bamboo shoots, and maybe even cinnamon buns and pink ponies. Because she still hadn’t totally given up on that.

But she wouldn’t get there unless she actually asked him. The demon curse lodged in her brain was ticking down like a time bomb, and if Titan wasn’t there to help her when it went off, her spirit wouldn’t make it to the other side.

The demons would get her instead.

She didn’t know why she was putting off talking to him. She wasn’t in denial; she’d gotten used to the idea she was dying. She’d accepted it, bit by bit.

She even joked about it.

Sometimes.

That man right in front of her, calling the ghosts—he could easily do for her what he’d done for his people. Except…

If he’d already done it, then why did he sound so desperate?

She could see them now, spirits appearing out of the mist, standing in groups behind their markers. Family groups, she realized with a chill. Mothers, fathers, grandparents. Children. Too many children.

His voice was booming through the clearing now, calling to them, holding out his hands. They leaned forward…

And then they began to turn red. Ghostly flames flickered around their feet, rising up, and they screamed in silent agony.

A sudden stab of pain lanced through Mari’s head. The demon curse, trying to break free. She pressed her palms to the sides of her head, willing it back.

But the demonic visions were too strong, tainting everything around her. She watched in horror as clawed, scaly demon hands reached out for the spirits, crimson flames devoured them.

The hands dragged them away, still screaming silently, as she clutched her head in agony.

She could barely see Titan as he threw everything he had into the prayer he was chanting. White light flickered around him, fighting with the flames. For a moment the balance nearly tipped, the demons seeming to lose their grip, but then the ghostly red flames rose up and the people were gone.