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Raine growled. “Dannika stays with me.”
Steele held up his hand. “No one disputes your role as her mentor. We are willing to wait until her training is complete or allow you to complete her training at our home.”
Raine’s eyes narrowed. “You are not listening to me. She is mine. She goes, I go.”
Maddock pushed Raine. “How dare you be so disrespectful? She is not your woman. She’s your apprentice. You train her—hell, you can fuck her—but when her training is complete, she is leaving.”
Maddock might as well of slapped her. Memories of Dannika’s youth reared up, drowning her soul in the bitter truth. She may be a different species, but the same rules applied. They didn’t want her, and it was only a matter of time before she was discarded.
“Dannika isn’t going anywhere without me. As for her being my woman, that is yet to be determined, but not by you.”
“Have you forgotten everything I have taught you?” Maddock hissed.
Raine shook his head. “You taught me what you believed to be true. I respect that, but your conceptions of reality are inaccurate. You should discuss the ramifications of female shadows emerging in all the clans and the possibility of more poly shifters, both male and female. Our reality has changed.”
Steele and Ryder glanced at one another.
“Do you think there could be more of them?” Steele asked.
Ryder’s eyes roamed over Dannika. “It’s an interesting theory. One I would be more than happy to discuss. We must abolish the practice of mercy killing until we determine if Dannika is a mutation.”
Dannika put her hand over her eyes as her surroundings blurred. “I don’t feel so good.”
Raine scooped her up. “I will see to her injuries.”
He walked back towards the cavern entrance.
“Attend to your fledgling,” Maddock called after him. “We will meet in three hours to determine her future.”
CHAPTER16
Dannika clutched the cushions on the couch. The sting of the wet cloth Raine applied to her wound was nothing compared to the sawing pain as her injuries knit together. She watched in morbid fascination as each strand of tissue fumbled towards its mate, twisting together until melding into one. An exhausting miracle.
She said nothing when Raine took the soiled towel from her wound and removed her clothes. She should be embarrassed, but she was too tired to care, and his actions were strangely soothing. Her eyes closed as water from the cloth trickled between her breasts.
“Don’t get used to this,” she murmured.
“You should never have been able to oppose Maddock like that. I possess an alpha shadow, but even I took years to utilize its power. There is no alpha tone in your voice. How were you able to ignore Maddock’s commands?”
She wrapped her arms around her chest. It was a feeble attempt to cover her body, but she needed the false sense of security. “How can any of you respect him?”
Raine touched her leg. “You don’t understand, Dannika. We are part wolf. A pack. A clan. We are incapable of ignoring our alpha’s command.”
She opened her eyes, resting her gaze on his perfect lips. “You did.”
His pupils widened as he inhaled deeply. He swore under his breath as he looked away. “I possess an alpha and have years of experience as a shadow shifter. You are a fledgling, yet you can ignore your leader. That shouldn’t be possible.”
She winced as the wound on her leg closed, leaving a bright red line. “I feel no compulsion to listen to Maddock. He’s rude and has no respect for women.”
Raine inspected the closed wound. His eyebrows creased before he looked at Dannika. “Your wounds are healing too fast.”
She leaned forward, grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch and pulling it over her. “You said shadows heal from any wound with the exception of decapitation.”
“We do. I’m not surprised you are healing, but it takes a few days to purge the human blood from your system. You shouldn’t heal this quickly.” He glanced at the door. “Let’s keep this between us.”
“Why?”
“You’re healing like an alpha, though you show no other signs. I don’t want to give Maddock any more reasons to fear you.”
