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Colton’s cougar growled in his head as he drew Riley closer to his body. She cried on his shoulder as his hands caressed her back. With all his power and skills, he could do nothing to combat the anguish his mate was experiencing. His arms tightened around her as he comprehended what his animal was telling him. While he’d felt protective of Riley the moment he saw her, this was the first time he acknowledged the truth. She was his, and he would do everything to ensure he kept her.
Riley sniffed. “I want to leave. Let’s go home.”
His heart leapt at the thought of her calling his treehouse, home. It was a small conquest, but one he would take. His molecules dissolved, taking control of her shadow before they entered the pathway, leaving her sleeping father behind.
The pathway to his home was quick and familiar. He took the shortest route navigating the slipstream with ease before they coalesced in his living room in front of the bay window. He kept his arms around her, feeling her anguish as if it were his own.
“Riley, are you okay?”
She wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand. “I will be. Conversations with my father are always confusing, but this was different. It isn’t unusual for him to slip between time frames and think he is living in the past, but he seemed so lucid when he talked about my mother.”
“Do you think you’re adopted?” Colton asked.
“Maybe. He was talking about work at the end, like I was still the child and mom was alive. It’s hard to tell when he’s having an actual memory or if he’s getting his facts mixed up.”
Colton kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. It’s an awful thing to have to watch someone you love go through that. He was helpful. We know to look into your mother’s friend. We didn’t realize the significance she had on your parents’ life.”
Riley took a deep breath. “I’m glad he was able to help. Can you tell me about the tri-bred thing?”
Colton took her hand and led her to the couch. He sat down and positioned her in his lap so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “Of course. It’s easier if I explained Dannika’s past.”
“Her father was a reaper.” Riley said.
“Yes, and her mother was a priestess. They met after Reid had made his first kill. He was on the road to becoming a reaper, but Dannika’s mother altered the course of his future. He dropped everything to be with her. To love her and have children.”
“How does that make me and Dannika a tri-bred?”
“The shadow warriors have shifter blood, and human DNA but only the priestess who traveled to the demon world was given demon blood. All her descendants have demon origins.”
“Why haven’t any of her descendants become shadow warriors before?”
“Most of her descendants have remained within the Haitian community. A Bokor was responsible for merging the shifters with the demon souls in the first place. While this was both a blessing and a curse, no shadow warrior would attack a Bokor or priestess. Not even a reaper would cross that line for fear of retaliation.”
“Will the demons cross that line?” Riley asked.
“Probably, but I believe they need a female shadow. There are only two of those and only one is a virgin.”
She shook her head. “Don’t remind me. I played right into my attacker’s hands.”
Colton kissed her temple. “Don’t hate me for saying this, but I’m kind of happy about that part.”
His heart fluttered when she smiled up at him. “It should bother you I have zero experience in that department.”
He winked at her. “Trust me, I enjoy thinking about all the things I can teach you.”
Riley pursed her lips. “While I understand our relationship may be heading in that direction, I need a minute to wrap my head around it. I’ve never considered anything long-term.”
His first instinct was to tell her this wasn’t long term. This was forever, but he was holding onto his future mate with strings made of spiderwebs. One wrong move and she would pull away. “As long as you’re thinking about it. Besides, we should focus on your birth records. Yours and Dannika’s past are connected.”
Riley nodded. “If it was a sealed adoption, how do we get those records?”
“We can get the records from the Graydon County archive. The basement houses all city records.”
“I’m guessing we’re going in after hours.”
“Yes, but I will probably send Darwin and Fallon. They are the lead investigators for the wolf and cougar clan and will be much faster at ferreting out secrets than we will. They’ve made multiple trips to the archive already. While they hadn’t turned anything up on your background yet, they may have more success looking for Allie.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
