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Killian arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“You said you didn’t know I was a shadow shifter.”
“I didn’t, but your blood is unpredictable. More powerful than I had anticipated.”
Dannika pointed to the array of bodies. “Why do this?”
“This was a gift to you, Dannika.”
She put her hand on her stomach as it rolled. “A gift? You slaughtered over thirty men. Why?”
Killian smiled. “To get your attention.”
“Well, you have it, you sick prick. I plan to remove that smile when I stick a blade in your chest.”
Killian laughed. “Your mother said something similar.”
Dannika’s heart stuttered. “You knew my mother?”
The red pupils ignited with fire before his lips curled. “Yes. I killed her.”
CHAPTER2
The shadows rolled like smoky waves off Dannika’s skin, adding to the oppressive atmosphere. Her surroundings tinted with gray as she fought the rising beast within. Raine was talking to her. The vibrations from his alpha voice surrounded her heart and set her blood on fire, but she couldn’t understand a single word as she focused on her prey: the monster with glowing red eyes.
“You killed my mother?”
As an orphan, she’d always wondered about her mother, assuming she had been a teenager or a drug addict. Many homeless people gave up their children because they had no means of supporting them. It had never occurred to her that her mother had died. That abandoning her child wasn’t her choice.
There had always been the tiniest hope that she would reach out, and Dannika would discover her mother had regretted her decision to give her up. That she was in a better place now and wanted to be a part of Dannika’s life. One where she could have a relationship with her mother. Dannika had never realized how important that fantasy was until Killian ripped it away.
Killian smiled. “Who do you think left that note on you before leaving you at the hospital?”
Raine pulled Dannika against his body, his shadow mixed with hers, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and compassion. “Why would you save her?”
Killian licked his lips, tasting the blood in the air. “Dannika is special. Her mother was special.”
Dannika’s beast howled for blood, but the leader of the reapers possessed a piece of information she’d wanted her entire life. She caged her raging emotions. “Who was she? How did you know my mother?”
Long, black fingernails unfurled from Killian’s hand as he reached out to her. “Come with me, Dannika, and I will tell you all about your mother and your history. I assure you, it’s not what you think it is.”
Raine stepped in front of her. “She isn’t going anywhere with you, Killian. Dannika’s mine.”
Killian laughed, but the grating sound that echoed from his lungs made Dannika’s stomach roll. “The shadow wolf clan is no different from the many foster homes she attended—a temporary housing before she realizes her place in the new world.”
“The new world? We heard you fancied yourself a king. Delusions of grandeur are a human trait, Killian. Are you embracing your true heritage?” Raine asked.
The snarl Killian emitted echoed in the air, drowning out the distant sirens. “I am the king. I planned to kill you quickly, but you have earned a special place beneath my boot. You will lick it and fawn at my feet before I kill you.”
Raine shook his head. “You’re more delusional than I thought. Enjoy your fantasies while you can. I will remind you of them when I kill you.”
Killian glanced down the street, where red and blue lights flashed against the buildings. “We are out of time. Come with me now, Dannika.”
She stepped back into Raine’s chest. “No.”
“Bad decision. The next deaths are on you.” The shadows rose from the earth, consuming Killian before sinking to the ground. A black stain charred the grass where he’d stood.
Raine grabbed Dannika’s hand, pulling her into the mouth of the shadow pathway. They hovered in the opening, watching as the emergency vehicles parked.
