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Raine nodded. “That’s understandable. We will meet you at the ring.”
Colton dissolved, gone as quickly as he had come.
Raine allowed his shadow to form around him, intending to shelter Dannika, but she held up her hand.
“I’d like to try on my own. Can we travel in the same pathway? With you close to me, but not touching?”
He had hoped to have more time with her under his wing, but that wasn’t her personality. She pushed the boundaries of their shadows every time they traveled, her need for independence as strong as her will.
“Of course. I will go first. Reach for me inside the pathway if you require help. The ring is only a half-mile away.” He entered the pathway with her trailing behind him.
The trip was brief, and she coalesced beside him at the base of an oak tree. Her smile was as bright and beautiful as she was.
“I think I’m getting the hang of this whole shadow stream thing,” she said.
“You’re remarkable. It’s as if you were born to be a shadow.”
She glanced at the men forming a circle in the clearing. “No one’s born to give up chocolate.”
He took her hand. “Understood.”
He led her to the cluster of cougar clan members. Steele waved them to come closer. Stern stood in the middle of the man-made ring.
“Dannika, you may enter the ring with your fledgling. A senior will train him in his animal’s clan.”
Colton turned to his father. “She is not getting in the ring with him. If he has no animal, he will turn reaper and go looking for his first kill. I will test him.”
Dannika dropped Raine’s hand, growling at Colton. “Since when are you the boss of me? If Steele trusts me to fight Stern, then I will do it.”
Raine took her hand, bringing her under his shoulder. “While I hate to agree with Colton, he is correct in this case. You’re new at being a shadow. Give me more time to train you before you test the others.”
Her eyes focused on Colton. “You promise not to hurt him?”
“Of course. A new shadow shifter is something to celebrate. I will simply encourage his animal to emerge.”
Dannika winked at Stern. “Just between you and me, I hope you bruise his pride a little.”
Stern and Raine grinned as Colton rolled his eyes.
Colton positioned Stern in the ring before shifting to his cougar form. The cat attacked, swiping at Stern’s midsection.
Stern moved quickly, turning to avoid the razors that would have disemboweled him. He growled as his shadow emerged. Dark waves of smoke rolled off his shoulders as he waited for the cougar to circle him. When Colton lunged again, Stern shifted into a massive snarling bear.
Colton resumed his human form. “Get Ryder here, now.”
Dannika tugged on Raine’s arm. “What’s going on? Aren’t we glad he has an animal?”
Raine focused on the bear swatting the grass in front of him. “The problem isn’t that he’s a bear. It’s that he’s almost as big as Ryder. Ryder may be threatened by him.”
“And if he is?” Dannika asked.
Raine couldn’t look at her. Couldn’t reassure her. He had only the truth. “If Stern’s bear doesn’t acknowledge Ryder as his alpha, then Ryder will kill him.”
CHAPTER31
Dannika put her hand to her chest. The blood rushed from her face and when she moved a silky strand of her hair from her eyes, her hands were clammy. “Ryder is a good man. Why would he kill Stern?”
Raine rubbed the back of his neck. “Ryder has been the bear alpha for centuries. Judging by the size of Stern, he’s going to have an alpha shadow. If Ryder feels threatened by Stern, he will kill him now.”
