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The room wavered before going dark.
CHAPTER4
Riley clutched at the fire raging in her chest. The darkness had swallowed her, consuming what was left of her humanity. “I can’t see.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did. It won’t be long now,” Colton said.
She took a stuttered breath, teetering on the cusp of tears and oblivion. “Why is this happening?”
He sighed. “Originally, there were only shifters and humans. Shifters possessed a totem animal they could change into. Cougars, bears, and wolves. There were other species, but they were eradicated by the war. When the demons breached our world for the first time, the shifters banded with the humans to fight, but they were losing. Their defeat was immanent when a Bokor offered a solution. A merging of demon souls with those of the shifters. The shadow shifters were born and eventually they closed the portal and confined the demons to their own world.”
Riley swallowed dry air. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“The darkness welcomes us. An aftereffect of our demon soul. We travel the dark pathways. Tunnels comprised of the shadows slip by in a matter of moments. Our destiny is war, loneliness, and death,” Colton said.
“There’s more to the story. I can’t see it, but I can feel it.”
“That’s true. A scouting party led by a demon general has reached our world. We aren’t sure of their exact numbers, but they are looking for a way to open the portal permanently. A war is coming and we must fight it. While the demons look like something from biblical lore, they are destroyers. They overtake a world then consume its inhabitants, feeding until it becomes a wasteland. Then they look for their next feeding ground. We are the next.”
Oil skated over her skin as if her tissues were saturated in it. She shivered even though she wasn’t cold. “Why would they do that? Why not try to coexist? Even the most ferocious animal in nature has a purpose.”
“It’s a valid question, but I don’t think mother nature created demons. They are like rabid animals, consumed with hunger and hatred. They feed on fear and malice as much as blood, and they won’t stop until the last human is eradicated,” Colton said.
Her vision returned, though it was a gray, dull version of her former life. She attempted to move her arm, but it remained lifeless at her side. Her breathing became shallow as each gasp of air rattled in her chest, fighting to continue the struggle. Her skin felt like sandpaper against the soft cotton sheets, though she could do nothing to alleviate the irritation. Every nerve ending felt exposed as her body turned on itself.
“Will I see my mother? I miss her,” Riley said.
Colton took a deep breath. “While we are of the shadows, we don’t have access to the veil between life and death. I can’t give you a definitive answer, but I hope so.”
Her body calmed in a form of acceptance. Her breath stilled as if she were floating in a pool. A kind reprieve settled in from the searing pain and erosion of her flesh. Her temporary oasis was interrupted by footsteps approaching the door.
A tall man with an athletic build entered the room. He came to an abrupt halt with his eyes widened when he saw Riley. “Jesus. Luke told me a demon bit a woman, but I didn’t expect her to survive.”
Colton leaned towards Riley. “This is Steele. He is the leader of the cougar clan. The man who saved me.”
Riley wanted to respond, but her lips wouldn’t cooperate. An incoherent groan escaped her lips as she fought to keep her eyelids open, and focus on the newcomer.
Steele rubbed his chin. “Did you interrupt the demon during its feed? They usually kill their prey when we interrupt them.”
“It wasn’t any demon. It was Halak, and I think he meant to keep Riley,” Colton said.
“Why would you think that?” Steele asked.
Colton turned towards Steele. “Because he talked to her. He told Riley his name. Demons don’t show that kind of restraint under normal circumstances.”
“That doesn’t make sense. They haven’t been here long enough to be missing their females. What would he want her for other than her blood?”
“I can’t explain it. All I can tell you is what happened. He told her he was going to inject her with his venom,” Colton said.
Steele’s eyes widened. “You think they’re going to experiment on human women? See if they can turn a human?”
Colton’s face hardened. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Riley groaned as her body began to heat. An internal inferno spread through her veins, incinerating everything in its wake.
Steele rubbed the back of his neck. “Karam is the only healer, and he is attending a child at the bear clan who broke his arm, but I can retrieve him soon and bring him here if you like.”
“There’s no point. Even Karam can’t heal a transition, or lessen the pain of it. He can’t save her life.” The bitterness in his voice was a whip of anger and regret.
