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“What makes you think you can?” she asked.
Breck huffed. “You’re a woman and a fledgling. What harm could you do?”
The growl echoed inside her head before her claws extended from her knuckles. Black mist rolled off her shoulders as Colton approached.
CHAPTER12
Colton jogged towards Riley when he noticed the black mist rising from her shoulders. Her eyes flashed in anger before she turned towards him. The moment he put his hand on her back, her body relaxed, leaning toward him. He couldn’t express what the small gesture meant to him. The faith and trust she had shown him. He glanced between her and Breck. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine,” she said in a clipped tone as her rising shadow warrior receded.
Colton glanced towards the clan members, dragging the dead towards the pile. They would burn the unholy invaders and cleanse the devastation they had caused. The once beautiful forest floor was strewn with bodies.
Shadow warriors lay amongst them, with their heads close to their bodies. With the demons retreating, and the clash of metal against bone over, the forest was silent. A graveyard for the unburied. Light droplets of rain filtered through the branches as if mother nature herself wept at the destruction.
The lush foliage glistened in the moonlight, but the dewy vegetation was red. A bitter wind swept through the trees, rustling the branches in a sign of unrest. A bitter scream of protest. This was not a battle the shadows could win. It was one to buy time, before the end.
Oppression and anger hung in the air, mixing with the smell of death and iron. Every shadow warrior felt it. Whatever the demons were looking for they didn’t get it. They would be back and another battle would ensue.
Colton turned to Stern. “Do you know what started the fight? What they were originally after?”
Breck motioned to Riley. “They are after her.”
Colton tramped down his shadow warriors instinct to punch the reaper in the face. His tone was disrespectful, and he didn’t like the way Breck looked at Riley. Still, he made a promise to Dannika to help the reapers re-assimilate to shadow life. As much as he hated it, they needed the reapers, more importantly they couldn’t be allowed to join the demons. “Watch your tone Breck. Besides, you were fighting them before we arrived. They had no way to know Riley would end up in this part of the forest.”
Stern nodded. “That’s true, they seem to alter their directive once they saw Riley.”
Breck’s eyes remained glued to Riley. “They may have had an alternate purpose originally, but whatever it was, she took priority. They want her more than anything.”
Colton glanced at Riley. She had her arms crossed and was looking at the ground. “What do the demons want with her?”
“That’s what I would like to know,” Steele said, approaching them.
Colton looked around his leader to the pile of demons. “Are you gonna burn them here?”
“Yes. One of the bear clan, has the ability to create a short-term shield. He will ensure that the flames never reach the trees. We are clearing the area around the dead demons. Our fallen brothers are being returned to the clan as we speak,” Steele said.
“Other than wanting to use Riley, did we get any information as to why? Is it for the portal? Something else?”
Breck glanced towards the pile of dead, when the smell of gasoline permeated the air. “It doesn’t matter what they wanted her for. If it helps them, it’s bad for us.”
“It must be the portal. Their endgame is to make a permanent bridge between our worlds so the king can enter,” Stern said.
Colton’s eyes mirrored the flames as the match was tossed on the gasoline. Orange light reflected off the trees and branches, as the fire roared to life. “We shouldn’t make any assumptions. We need to find out what they need to create a permanent portal.”
Breck turned back to Riley. “We know they need her. Why not just eliminate the problem?”
Colton grabbed Breck by the shirt, fisting the material in his hands. “You make a comment like that again, and I’m sending you to the next life. I don’t care what Dannika says, some of you aren’t redeemable.”
Breck smirked. “It was only a suggestion. Dannika would have my hide if I was serious about such an action, but she must be tested. Ferguson insisted on it, and I would cross Dannika before I crossed him.”
Colton heard the truth in his voice. He wondered if Dannika had bitten off more than she realized with her reaper leader. His skills were extraordinary, and he had yet to be forthcoming about what his shadow abilities were. “We need to talk to Dannika. We can test her at the wolf clan.”
Steele shook his head. “She is not meeting Dannika until we know what she is. She is demon turned, and we have no idea what that entails. I won’t risk the queen.”
Colton’s growl vibrated in his throat before he could calm his animal. “She isn’t a threat. Riley kept her cool even when she was attacked by that tentacle demon.”
Steele’s muscles tensed beneath his jaw. “She will be tested here. My word is final.”
