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Dannika’s stomach rolled. “How long was the hunting party in the demon dimension?”
Steele sighed. “The first generation had no way of knowing time passed differently between our worlds. They were away from the clan for three months, but three years passed in the demon home world.”
“Were the demons all the same? Or were there different species?”
“Though they suspect there may be more, the hunting party cataloged three different species of demon. The largest were designated as soldiers. These soldiers led the incursion into our world. The second species designated are jackals. These demons would run from our warriors, but would attack and feed using cut and run tactics. The last are scavengers, the smallest of the three species. They fed on the dead or dying. There could be more species, but these were the underworld demons that the shadow warriors encountered. Keep in mind they remained in proximity to the portal, waiting for it to reopen.”
Dannika’s heart stuttered. “The portal closed while the warriors were in the demon dimension?”
“Our reports say that the portal was unstable. It opened and closed at uneven intervals. The hunting party could never ascertain the reason behind its existence, what caused it, or what controlled it.”
“You don’t know why they came here?”
Steele shook his head. “There were no shadow warriors prior to the portal opening. No reapers. While humans provide sustenance for demons, the hunting party noted that the demons were as surprised about the portal as we were. That didn’t stop them from taking full advantage of it. Once here our shifter forefathers were forced to become shadow warriors to fight them.”
Her mind raced through scenarios, traveling every thread of intel, retracing events to discern a pattern. A reason for the incursion. “Who was in charge? The soldiers?”
“While there was a hierarchy to the demons, they deferred to someone of power. A king. The hunting party never encountered him, but noticed the communications between clan heads and the castle.”
Her eyes widened. “There was a castle?”
“Their version of one. It was constructed from the dark stone that inhabits their world. Similar to granite, but less reflective.”
Her heart raced, making it difficult to stem her surging emotions. It took her a moment to realize her demon had risen, swaying beneath the confines of her skin, a serpent drunk on a snake charmer’s song. “Do the demons speak?”
“They have their own dialect, but are intelligent. They learned our language in a matter of weeks,” Steele said.
A black wave rippled along her skin before she locked her demon down. “How did they learn English?”
“They captured a shadow warrior. They tortured him for information on our world, including our language, before they killed him. I guarantee they learned more about us than we did about them. Closing the portal was our only option.”
Dannika quelled the involuntary shudder. It shouldn’t surprise her, but hearing about the underworld made her blood run cold and while her demon had backed down, she felt its excitement. Its interest. “What do demons eat?”
Steele took a deep breath. “In the demon dimension, the hunting party observed the soldiers feeding on the jackals. They believed the jackals fed on the scavengers. There are likely some lower born demons that the scavengers feed on, as the only other food source was a demon-like rat. Since they’re feeding on their own, you can understand their eagerness to invade our world.”
“When you say feed, you mean they drink blood. Demon blood,” she said.
“Yes, though they preferred human blood. Humans fear death more than demons do. They became addicted to the adrenaline rush a human death provided.”
She scratched her forehead. “You don’t know how the portal opened or what controlled it, but it had a fixed location. One that the hunting party stayed close to.”
“It was located in a cave, at the base of the mountain,” Steele said.
“Raine told me about the war. That the demons came through the portal and began attacking the humans and killing the shifters.”
Steele grunted. “Killing us would’ve been a mercy. Demon venom had a different effect on us than it did the humans. Those that couldn’t purge the venom lost their animal. They drank the blood of humans, became rabid insane versions of their former life. It was a cruel end to the pillars of the shifter community.”
“They were the first reapers?” Dannika asked.
Steele shook his head. “The infected shifters had no demon soul and no animal. Nothing to balance the madness. Reapers are capable of cohesive thinking, provided they’re not starving. The infected had no reason. There was only hunger, a gluttonous need to kill and feed.”
Dannika recalled the last movie she had watched with Carmen. She couldn’t remember the name, but it revolved around a zombie apocalypse. They had laughed at the cheesy effects and the ridiculous idea of undead creatures preying on the living. Now she couldn’t help but wonder if every fairy tale, every nightmare, started with a spark of truth.
“That’s when you contacted a Bokor. He suggested the merge between the shifters and the demon souls.”
“It became a blessing and a curse. At first, only selected unmated shifters merged with the demon souls and acquired the shadow warrior skills. Soon the founders realized that to win, every shifter would need to accept the shadow shifter way of life.”
“And the women agreed with the merge?” Dannika asked.
