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Dannika flipped the sign to open and nodded to Aaron, a regular visitor, as he entered.
He rubbed his hands on his dirty green army jacket. His blue-gray eyes narrowed on her. “Took you long enough. I was waiting out there for hours.”
He sneered.
The change in his demeanor made her step back. “I didn’t see you when I arrived here fifteen minutes ago. I’m sorry if you had to wait.”
His cheeks flared with red. “You calling me a liar?”
Margo came out from behind the buffet. “Dannika, are you causing trouble? You know I won’t put up with that, not from you, not from anybody else.”
Dannika bit her lip, looking down at the floor. “No trouble here, Margo.”
Margo pointed at the metal bins, full of food. “Aaron, come help yourself to an extra biscuit. Bacon and eggs are your favorite.”
The anger drained from his face as he looked at Margo. “Excellent. You make the best eggs, Margo.”
Dannika ignored the snippy remarks from various patrons as they filed in through the front door. Everyone had opinions about her work, her shirt, or her appearance. When the barrage of negativity failed to cease, she turned to Margo.
“What is everybody’s problem? I’ve worked here for years. Two days ago, you wanted me to take over when you retired. Now you and everyone else are treating me like shit.”
Margo rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. When I look at you, I’m jealous and mad. There’s no explanation for it and no excuse.”
Dannika touched Margo’s arm but retracted it when Margo hissed. “I’m sorry.”
Margo shook her head. “It’s not you—it’s me. Something is different about you. There is no excuse for my behavior. With everything that’s going on, I should support you, not act like a jerk.”
Dannika’s heart stuttered. “Going on with me?”
Margo pursed her lips. “You know, the thing with Jason Lehane.”
“That was years ago. Why bring it up now?”
Margo’s eyes widened. “You know they released him from prison, right? The judge accepted his appeal.”
Dannika frowned. “Jason never went to jail for Carmen’s murder.”
“No, he went to jail for tax fraud. The investigation into Carmen’s murder revealed his shady business practices. How could you not know that?”
Dannika put her fingers to her lips. “After the trial, I was pretty closed off. You know that. I don’t read the papers, and I’m not in touch with anybody from the group home. I didn’t know about the tax fraud.”
Margo glanced at the door. “Well, Jason hasn’t forgotten you. He came by on Saturday asking if you worked here. I don’t know how he found you. I told him you weren’t here, but it’s only a matter of time before he realizes that I lied.”
The roaring in Dannika’s ears obliterated the surrounding sounds. Memories of Carmen’s smile, her laughter, and the beautiful dragon pictures she had painted brought the pain of betrayal bubbling to the surface. Dannika had avoided Jason since she had found Carmen’s body. She had feared him. Now, she wanted to see him.
She wanted to feel his blood drip from her fingers.
She could feel the power rising inside her, her shadow smothering her wolf.
“Excuse me, Margo. I need a moment.” She rushed to the bathroom and grabbed the sink as black mist swirled around her body.
Her shadow had an answer for the blistering pain. The instinct to kill was like a warm embrace on a cool stormy night.
She glanced in the mirror and her reflection stared back with pure black eyes.
CHAPTER28
Power coursed through Dannika’s veins like black adrenaline, burning through the remnants of her human blood. The euphoric feeling brought with it an insatiable hunger. The need to feed. To kill. To exert her power on those around her. There would be no mercy until her hunger was sated. Those that had been ignorant of her strength would be her first victims.
