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Margo stuttered as she spoke. “Is she going to be okay? Will we see her soon?”
It was a testament to the woman’s strength that she could question a shadow. Yes, he appeared as a human, but it was human nature to avoid that which could kill them. The woman cared about Dannika enough to risk her life.
“Dannika has a terminal condition. She shouldn’t have been working at the shelter. Perhaps when she is feeling better, she can stop by, but she can no longer work here.”
Dannika heaved before she coughed. “I’m gonna throw up.”
Raine scooped her up and jogged to the bathroom. He opened the stall and leaned her over the toilet. He held her ponytail as she released the contents of her stomach. It took several attempts to remove grilled cheese, but her stomach continued to convulse.
She lay against the toilet with blood-red tears streaming from her eyes. “My insides feel like shredded glass.”
He ran his hand over her hair. “I know. Giving up food is unavoidable after the transition.”
“I’ll never eat food. I’m not human,” she sobbed.
He picked her up, cradling her against his chest. “It’ll be okay, Dannika. Our dietary needs are the roughest part of the transition, but I will get you through this.”
Her bloodshot eyes met his. “You made a promise to me.”
He stared down at her as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
“You said if I wanted to die—”
“No,” he said.
“Please.” She gripped his shirt and sobbed harder, soaking the fabric at his shoulder. “I can’t live like this. I can’t give up everything. I can’t…Please, just let it end. Do what you promised and kill me.”
CHAPTER30
Pain squeezed Dannika’s stomach like a roller coaster made of razor blades cutting her insides till she tasted blood in her mouth. She prayed for death, knowing that Raine would never allow it. He had promised her a mercy killing, but the look on his face said that offer had long expired.
Her body was immobile, a rock in Raine’s arms as he carried her far away from the shelter.
“I can’t move,” she gasped.
Raine put her down beside the rusty blue dumpster in the alley. “Then you still have food in your stomach. You won’t recover until you purge it.”
She was on all fours, clutching the pavement as she heaved. The pain racking her body made it difficult to focus, but the remaining contents spilled unceremoniously onto the ground. Cheese and grilled bread looked far less appetizing the second time.
The pain subsided as she regained control over her limbs. She sat on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth as Raine knelt beside her.
“This can’t be happening.”
Raine sighed. “Born shadows think that the attack and the transition are the worst part, but sacrificing food is the catalyst for accepting the loss of our human life. This is the moment that obliterates our denial.”
Dannika rested her forehead on her knees. She didn’t want Raine to see her tears. It wasn’t that she was afraid of looking weak. Hiding her pain had become a habit.
The shiver that ran over her body wasn’t from the cold. It was a warning from both her wolf and her shadow.
She snapped her head up, looking for the source.
Raine glanced around the alley. “What is it? Your shadow feels threatened.”
“I’m not sure. I...”
Footsteps thumped on the pavement before a man slunk from behind the dumpster. “She’s down here,” a voice she didn’t recognize shouted.
“There you are, Dannika. I’ve been looking for you,” Jason said.
