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She bumped his shoulder as she passed him. Her tolerance for disrespect hadn’t lessened since she had become a shadow. In fact, her demon had sent her images of ripping out the man’s heart. Excessive, but interesting.
She hadn’t gone far when the smell of iron hit her nostrils. The piercing scream was next.
Dannika jogged to the cavern at the end.
She wasn’t sure what she had expected. The name playroom produced images of toys, sports memorabilia, maybe even some kind of BDSM room. There was nothing sexual about Julius and his perversions. The room was littered with metal devices. Saws. Clamps. Knives.
Julius dropped the man he was feeding on. Her hand went to her mouth as dead eyes stared up at her.
Julius wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “I have another if you’re hungry.”
Dannika put her hand to her stomach. “You’re disgusting. It’s bad enough you killed them, but you have to torture them first?”
Julias stepped over the dead body. “We must lace human blood with adrenaline in order to keep our immortality. Fear is the easiest way to induce the endorphins.”
Dannika scanned the torture room. If the various tools of torture weren’t sickening enough, the machines from another era that pulled a body apart, or cut them a thousand times, made her stomach roll. “This is a fetish. Pure and simple. You enjoy hurting people.”
“Yes, and unlike you, I don’t pretend to be something else.”
Dannika blew out a breath. “You’re despicable.”
Julius laughed. “Probably. Now let’s devise a plan that ensures our father’s death, shall we?”
Dannika moved away from the dead body. “How?”
Julius removed the rag from his pants pocket and began wiping the blood from his face and hands. “I need the talisman. Killian knows where it’s hidden, but he needs you to retrieve it.”
Her eyes narrowed on her brother. “You don’t know where it is?”
“Apparently, our father doesn’t trust me.”
Dannika huffed. “I wonder why?”
Julius slapped her across the face. “Don’t disrespect me. I will be the reaper leader.”
The pain in her cheek centered her, reminding her why protecting the shadow clans was more important than her own life. “We both know I won’t be around to see that happen. One way or another, I won’t remain a member of the reaper clan.”
Julius put his hand on the side of her cheek. Dannika fought the instinct to pull away.
“Do you think the Wolf clan would take you back? You kidnapped one of their children. They will never trust you again.”
“I’d rather be on my own than be forced to suck up to you or Killian.”
Julius grasped her hair, yanking her head back. “Keep it up and I will kill you.”
She smiled. “Go ahead. I’m not stopping you.”
Julius released her. “Not yet. I think you want to die. Then you don’t have to face the ramifications of your actions.”
Dannika wanted to call him a liar, but she suspected it might be true. How could she face the Wolf clan after abducting an innocent child?
“What do you want me to do?”
Julian walked back towards the dead man. “You will go to Killian and convince him to take you to the talisman.”
“He won’t take me because I asked him. He doesn’t trust me, thanks to our little display earlier.”
Julian’s lip curled. “You’re right. He knows we’re planning something, but I don’t think he’s as weak as he let on. Our father is crafty. He isn’t beyond faking his weakness so we play our hand too early.”
