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She looked up at Hakim like he had gone mad. “Killian wouldn’t take anything I gave him. He doesn’t trust me, and rightfully so. He is well-aware I would kill him given the chance.”
Hakim glanced down at the book. “You misunderstand. Killian has fed on you, but his control only works for as long as your blood remains in his body. He will feed on you again. He needs to, but he will kill you. Once you have given Killian what he needs, regardless of what he says, you are a threat to his rule.”
“I don’t care if he kills me, as long as Killian dies and everyone else is safe.”
Hakim nodded. “Excellent. Then we taint his blood.”
Hakim grabbed the wooden bowl with the markings on the side. The same one he used to make the potion in her necklace.
“How do we taint his blood?”
Hakim reached for her hand, turning it over the wooden bowl. He grabbed a silver knife and placed the blade over her hand.
“This will hurt.” He cut deep, allowing the black and red blood to pool in the bowl. “You’re poised on the apex of turning reaper. Be careful you don’t lose that which you hold dear.”
Her tone held no emotion. “Once Killian realizes what I’ve done, he will kill me. Whether I’m reaper or shadow when that happens is irrelevant.”
“I am sorry, Dannika.” There was a sadness to his voice that made her question her actions, but the reality of Killian’s depravity hardened her resolve. Hakim continued to put ingredients in the bowl. The last was a clear vial with a silver liquid.
“What is that?”
“It’s mercury mixed with blessed steel. Once he ingests this poison, his body will turn on itself. The only remedy is demon blood and that no longer exists in our world.”
Dannika held her hand upright as the wound healed over. “How do I give it to him?”
Hakim arched an eyebrow. “I thought you understood. You don’t give it to him. You drink the poison.”
Dannika closed her eyes. “When he feeds on me, it will infect his blood.”
“Yes.”
She put both hands on the counter. “Will it kill me?”
Hakim flipped through several pages of the book. “I can’t be sure. In theory, your body should be able to purge the mercury. Your own blood and the blessed steel shouldn’t affect you, but if you turn reaper... then you’ll likely die before you make your first kill.”
“Fair enough. What effect will it have on Killian?”
“It will sap his strength. His reflexes and mental acuity will be next. He will slowly lose his abilities.”
Dannika considered she should value her life more. That if Raine were here, he’d be appalled by her actions, but he wasn’t. Exchanging her life for Raine, the clan, and Sammy was a gift when she’d hurt so many. If she didn’t complete her mission, how many more children would she hand over to Killian?
She sent a silent apology inside her mind, to her wolf and her cougar. The animals she loved. The ones she was about to condemn.
Then, she grabbed the bowl and put it to her lips. The portion burned as it slid down her throat.
CHAPTER18
Dannika exited the shadow pathway in an aisle of crushed cars. The salvage yard smelled of metal, grease, and blood. The reapers had fed while she was with Raine, and she was thankful to have missed it.
Her insides burned as her body attempted to expunge the liquid poison from her blood. She hadn’t thought to ask Hakim if the poison would still be effective after her body purged the mercury. She held out her hand as a ball of liquid metal formed on her palm. Her body fought to remove the toxic metal. While her demon would accept a reaper fate, her animals would not. Since she couldn’t be sure the poison would be as effective without the deadly ore in her blood, she needed Killian to feed on her soon.
She flicked the metal from her palm and walked towards the office in the center of the salvage yard. Killian stood with his arms crossed as she approached.
“You took longer to return than I expected,” he said.
Her face twisted in hatred. “You used me.”
Killian laughed. “Of course, I used you. You are mine. A tool to use at my disposal. A vessel created to secure my rule as king.”
