AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ghostly tears steamed from her eyes when her soul fractured. It split open, allowing the darkness to seep in. A black mist that conquered the light, consuming her purity and innocence. She had envisioned her death many times, but even in her most imaginative nightmares, it was nothing like this. An all-encompassing agony that didn’t end.
The shadows fused with every cell in her body. At first, she thought it was an infection, but as her body continued to heat, she understood it for what it was. The transition. Dark cells that seared away all vestiges of her human life. The intense heat ripped through every limb until she admitted that death would be a mercy. One she begged for.
As the pain intensified, the shadows slid through sinew and bone, saturating the tissue with dark agony. The sweltering blood twisted her insides until her screams vibrated in the room. The chilling sound was anything but human. A hollow echo of her former self. A nightmare reborn to a morbid life of pain.
Riley arched on the bed so violently, Colton was forced to hold her down. She could no longer make a sound. Every breath was an excruciating torture, worse than the one before. When the darkness settled in her stomach, she vomited black blood onto the bed as the men swore.
Her head turned unnaturally to the side before her neck cracked, followed by her legs and arms.
Her spine continued to twist into unnatural proportions. A macabre human pretzel, as the shadows consumed her flesh, leaving parts of her body transparent. A dark ghost fighting to stay in the human world.
The darkness sucked inward, invading what was left of her soul. She entered the shadow realm with a silent scream of retribution. While she could feel her form—her arms, her legs—were invisible. She moved her fingers in front of her face before an insatiable hunger rose inside her. She sniffed the air then focused on the living creatures in the room. Claws burst from her knuckles as her eyes focused on her prey. She growled before she attacked.
Colton, evaded her clumsy strike. When she lunged after him again. He grabbed her arms, holding her down on the blood-soaked mattress. She could hear his heartbeat within his chest. Hear the blood pump through his veins. It smelled like a fine wine, and she wanted to gorge herself on the heavenly nectar.
“Riley, you need to take control. My blood will not sate your hunger,” he hissed.
While she could hear his words, and appreciate the timbre of his voice; the sound of his blood pumping in his veins was overpowering. A part of her recognized that these urges were wrong, contradictory to the values she held dear, but the instinct to curb that savage hunger was too strong. It whispered in her mind like a Saintly melody, promising sweet salvation. She growled before her claws raked Colton’s chest.
His shadow warrior burst to the surface, growling down at her.
Steele put his hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Her venom burns like a reaper wound. It’s just like Dannika’s.”
The force inside her receded at the sight of Colton’s warrior, recognizing in an instant that attacking the monster holding her would end in her death. She shuddered as black mist rolled off Colton’s shoulders. While the claws from his knuckles were extended, they didn’t bite into her skin when he leaned forward. “You marked me. Now you will deal with the consequences.”
.
CHAPTER6
Riley kicked out with her left foot, catching Colton in the thigh. When his grip on her loosened, she flipped from the bed and backed into the corner, growling her outrage. The beast before her might not be a food source, but he was preventing her from sating her hunger.
Black mist rolled off his muscular dark form. He was larger and though his features were similar to his human form, his cheekbones were more defined and his eyes were black pools of rage and hunger.
“Riley, you need to get your warrior under control.”
Steele moved to the entrance of the room. His face one of concern. “She survived a demon transition. What the hell is she?”
Colton flicked a glance to his father. “She is a shadow warrior. I will test her; ensure she has an animal. If she doesn’t, she will join the reaper clan.”
Steele’s eyes moved over her smoky form. “She isn’t like Dannika. She’s more demon than human.”
Colton hissed. “You don’t know what her capabilities are. Despite her parents’ background, she obviously has priestess blood.”
“You don’t know that. She may not be a shadow at all,” Steele hissed.
Colton’s body thickened and his voice dropped an octave. One that couldn’t be disobeyed. “She is my fledgling. Mine to train. Mine, period. If anyone touches her, they will deal with my Alpha.”
Riley leaned toward Colton. His voice one she couldn’t resist. It instilled a curiosity and a temptation she wasn’t prepared to pursue.
Steele’s face hardened. “I will leave you to her training. Feed her soon.” He stomped away.
The mention of feeding had Riley’s beast roaring in her mind. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an exit. She sensed an opening but couldn’t figure out how to traverse the doorway.
“Riley, do not attempt to open a pathway. Your demon is searching for a stream, but it is unsafe for you to travel so soon after the transition. The attempt could kill you.”
She tried to focus on his voice, but her stomach twisted on itself, an empty pit of voracious hunger, to be filled. “It hurts,” she whispered.
Colton resumed his human form. “I know honey. The transition is not complete. You have your shadow form, but your instincts are still developing. Give it a few minutes. Your body will start to consume the human blood left in your system. This will give you a reprieve until you need to feed.”
