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The reaper smiled. “My name is Ferguson, and I guarantee after today you will never forget it.”
She pointed her blade at him. “Wish I could say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but it’s not.”
Ferguson smiled. “I will experience enough pleasure for both of us.”
Goosebumps formed on her skin as she inched closer to Darren. Her fallen friend twitched, giving her hope that she could save him. “Darren, now would be a great time to get up.”
He rolled over, exposing the black streaks riddling his skin. The multiple bite marks where the reapers had injected him with venom, blistered his skin creating an unsightly rash. He would be lucky to recover, let alone walk.
“Jesus.”
Ferguson arched his eyebrow. “Did you honestly think you were going to save him?”
“I am. I just have to kill you first.”
His red eyes flickered before he smiled. “I’ve watched you, Dannika. You intrigued me. I will beat you in this fight. My skills know no equal, but I won’t kill you. In fact, I will guarantee your safety.”
She huffed. “Right, until you hand me over to Killian?”
“We’ll see.” He dissolved so quickly she didn’t have time to react. One moment he was before her, the next his hands around her throat. She’d never seen anyone move that fast. Not Raine. Not Maddock. She flipped her blade in her hand, stabbing it down, embedding it in Ferguson’s leg. He hissed, pushing her forward, dissolving into the shadows.
She turned, searching for him in the room. While she could feel him moving in the shadows, watching her, he left no trace of his corporeal form. “You’re fast, I’ll give you that.”
Her foster father had taught her every tactic he knew. If an opponent was stronger, faster, then distraction was her best option. He’d also taught her to build rapport with her enemy, but that was an option she’d never used until now.
“Do not take it personally, Dannika. You have no way to defeat me. I am the oldest of my kind.” His voice echoed as if broadcast over a loudspeaker. It gave no sign of his location.
She knelt beside Darren. “Honey, you have to get up.”
Darren struggled to speak, choking as black blood dripped from his mouth. “Can’t... beat... Ferguson. Hide.”
She placed her hand on his bloodstained shirt.
“Not a chance.” She glanced around the cavern. The light circle had dimmed further, but the domes remained bright, casting a yellow glow at the rear of the massive room. “If any shadow shifters are around, this is a good time to help a girl out.”
Her back cracked as the powerful blow launched her toward the wall. Her face bounced off the rock, splitting her forehead. Blood ran in rivulets into her eyes as she tried to regain her breath. She tried to call on her shadow, but she met with a hollow, empty void. She crawled forward until her shoulders bumped Ferguson’s leg.
He knelt down. “You are trying to connect with your shadow. It won’t work. Your demon is taking a nap and won’t awaken until I allow it. I will control him when we enter the pathway.” He grabbed her chin, tipping it up. “I warned you.”
Dannika swallowed the blood in her mouth. “I lost the battle, but I completed my objective.”
Ferguson turned as Maverick dissolved with Darren in his arms. The dark mass slid into the white dome, where no reaper could pass.
“Clever girl.” Ferguson’s eyes flickered when he focused on Dannika. “But I didn’t care about the cartographer. I am only here for you.”
The dark cloak that surrounded her suffocated her beast. It roared in her head before joining her demon in sleep. The shadow pathway had never seemed so haunting, so despicable, as it did while she traveled in Ferguson’s presence. His shadow enveloped her so completely, white spots formed behind her eyes. It wasn’t her first panic attack, but she prayed it was her last.
Ferguson wouldn’t expect her to fight back. Not inside the pathway. It could mean death for both of them, as body parts arrived in different locations.
She said a silent goodbye to the man she would have married. Mated. Her demon weakened, unable to hold their molecules together as they traveled at Ferguson’s mercy. She took control of her demon soul, forcing her will upon it.
She whispered the words, though they sounded like a scream in her mind. “Break free.”
The pathway exploded as their molecules flew apart.
CHAPTER2
Dannika licked her lips to the acrid taste of smoke and polluted air. Dust scratched her throat as she took a labored breath. Her wrist was on fire as she struggled to open her eyes. Her body felt like lead. The incessant hammering reminded her of the forge.
