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Raine nodded. “I will teach you everything you need to know.”
Heat bloomed in her chest, and the images she conjured in her head had nothing to do with the shadow shifters. They were focused on the sexy man in front of her.
CHAPTER20
Raine’s anger rippled in waves of black mist. It rose from his body like a gray angry wind as he pulled Dannika by the arm through the tunnels. Clan members took one glance at his glowing blue eyes and the black waves rolling from his shoulders before moving out of his way. They gave him a wide berth and with good reason.
Derek moved out of their way as they approached, but his eyes roamed over Dannika’s body. His interest was barely concealed. Yesterday, he had looked at her with disgust. Now his eyes held fire, heat, and lust.
Raine’s form dissolved and regenerated in front of the startled clan member. His fingers wrapped around Derek’s neck. “Do you wish to challenge me, boy?”
Derek was no child, but the insult was very real.
Derek shook his head. “No, Raine. I meant no disrespect. You are the clear challenger for the wolf clan.”
Raine’s fingers tightened around Derek’s neck. “How do you know about the trials? We only concluded the meeting five minutes ago.”
“Maddock told Damien to spread the word. I don’t think anyone will fight you. You’re the only alpha besides Maddock.” He glanced at Dannika. “But many want to.”
Raine released his grip, but dark mist continued to rise from his shoulders. “So, the clan’s opinion has changed.”
Derek nodded. “No one considered that she could be a mate. We don’t look to our shifter backgrounds, not anymore.”
Raine turned when Dannika growled. “What is it?”
She glanced away. “Yesterday they want to kill me for being female. Today they want me to be the mother of their children. They change their minds like underwear.”
“Shadows don’t wear underwear. Excess clothing is harder to shift into the shadows.”
Dannika held up her hand. “TMI. Jesus, Raine.”
“What is TMI?” Raine asked.
“Too much information.” She pointed down the hall. “Can we go back to your room? I’m surrounded by wolves, and right now I feel like a meat patty.”
Raine indicated for Derek to continue on his way.
Derek darted down the tunnel without another word, keeping his eyes averted.
“Let’s go,” Raine said.
He kept his hand on Dannika’s back as they proceeded down the hall. The possessive nature of his beast surprised him. He was in for one hell of a fight and it wouldn’t just be with the wolves of his clan.
He barely got the door to his room closed when Dannika whirled around with her hands on her hips.
“Tell me about the demons and the shifters,” she said.
Raine indicated for her to sit on the couch before joining her. He pulled her onto his lap, needing the closeness. The smell of her hair in his nostrils. The warmth of her body against his, thawing the ice in his soul.
“We were shifters with the ability to transform into an animal. There were many clans then. Cougars. Bears. Coyotes. You name it. If there was an indigenous animal, then there was likely a shifter species that matched it. They lived part of their lives as human and part as an animal. They evolved alongside man, but as humanity multiplied many of the non-aggressive species died out.”
“There are only bears, cougars, and wolves now?”
“We’ve heard rumors that other species survived and have stayed hidden, but they were never confirmed. To our knowledge, there are just three shadow clans.”
“There were women shifters born or were they transition?” she asked.
“There were many women shifters, but both occasionally took a mate from the human world.”
