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CHAPTER1
Smoke rolled off Riley’s shoulders as she focused on her prey. He was bigger, more experienced, and exceptionally fast. But she’d never let a larger opponent intimidate her in the boxing ring, and she wasn’t about to do it now. She listened for vibrations in the air, waiting for the particular hum that was emitted from the shadow pathway when one of them entered or exited the stream. Her opponent’s movements were too well practiced to anticipate his next maneuverer, but she stayed with him, looking for an opening.
Colton moved through the air at blurring speeds, transferring his weight from one foot to the other with the agility of a gazelle, and Riley was confident he had slowed his pace for her benefit. He dissolved from his current location in the middle of the field below their treehouse, only to reappear behind her. She detected the slight hum and displacement of air as his form coalesced and his arm arced to grab her. She allowed her warrior to compensate by spinning, her leg hyper extending to make contact with his face.
While her strike was unanticipated and quick, Colton arched his spine backward and her foot skimmed in front of his nose. His warrior receded as he resumed his human form, a smile on his face.
“That was excellent, Riley,” Colton said.
The adrenaline pumping through her veins made it difficult to calm her warrior. The need to hunt and kill was ever present, and she warred with instincts predominated by her demon. She inhaled the rich scent of damp earth from last night’s rainstorm, listening to the birds that fluttered from tree to tree in the surrounding forest. While the beauty of nature wasn’t shared by her demon, it accepted the battle was over and receded. She flexed her hand in front of her face as her human body reformed.
“Thanks. I can detect the vibrations from you entering and exiting the pathways, but when you’re in front of me, I can’t anticipate your moves. You’re so fast that I’m reacting instead of sparring.”
“When it comes to fighting, remember that we are still part human. Every man has a tell. Slight movements that alert you to his technique. A roll of his left shoulder when he plans to strike with his right hand. A twist in his ankle as he plants one foot to kick with the other.”
“Although I never competed professionally, I enjoyed boxing. I even tried my hand at Tae Kwon Do, but I didn’t get far.” She put her hand to her stomach when it rumbled.
Colton approached her, slipping his arm around her waist. “Sparring excites your demon. It heightens your senses and enhances your strength, but those advantages come with a price.”
She leaned into him, putting her hands on his chest. His sandalwood sent mixing with the musty odor of the surrounding earth. “I have to feed. It hits me faster, the more I exert myself.”
He kissed her forehead. “Yes. It’s been over a week. I’ll try to find you a lame animal.”
“All right. I’d like to navigate the pathway on my own, if you don’t mind taking a backseat.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Now picture the location in your mind. Map out the streams you will traverse to reach your destination with the least segues between tunnels. Switching streams slows your progress, so you want to take the most direct route.”
“No different from a road trip. Got it.” The low growl in her mind alerted her to her demon’s excitement. The thrill of the hunt was always present in its mind, an instinct she had to continually curb. A never-ending tug-of-war that would endure until she took her last breath. Her shadow warrior wasn’t the only beast within her excited about the hunt. Her cougar flexed its claws within her mind, rolling his shoulders as if it were an athlete stretching before the main event.
Colton touched her chin. “Riley?”
“Sorry. Just having a pep talk with my demon.”
“The demon soul is part of you. Its desires are your desires, on a more instinctual level.”
Riley reflected on the duality of her nature and the activities from human life that brought her joy. She’d always been competitive, enjoying a game of chess or a physical match. The hunt was a reflection of those emotions. To pit yourself against an opponent, to anticipate and out maneuver them in order to win. Colton was right. That desire was hers, but the need to kill was solely on her demon.
“I’m ready, if you are,” she said.
Colton put his hands on her shoulder. “You will be directing my shadow as well as yours. After you dissolve, create the vehicle in your mind, and instruct our warriors to enter it before you move us into the pathway.”
“I think I’ve missed something. I thought we simply held our molecules together to move through the pathway.
“That’s true if you’re traveling alone, but if you are taking another shadow through the pathway, a fledgling, for example, you create an invisible casing to hold both shadows together. This ensures that they arrive with all their limbs intact.”
“Yep, I definitely want to avoid that experience.”
Colton chuckled. “Trust me, you do.”
Her eyebrows arched. “That sounds like a story.”
“It is, for another time. If your stomach gets any louder, I won’t be able to hear myself think.”
“You’re right about that. Okay, let’s do this.” She created a map in her mind, one that led to the base of the mountain. The zigzag of pathways that intersected one another, allowing them speed and invisibility as they traveled. When she had her route mapped out, she connected with her demon, showing it what she wanted. Her body dissolved, every molecule separating into a swarm of dark matter. Her shadow enveloped Colton’s as she created the invisible casing. A bubble of power that would hold both her and Colton’s shadowy essence.
There was a moment of reluctance as her warrior instructed Colton’s. The alpha, unused to anyone else controlling it rebelled at the initial instruction. It touched on her soul, before infusing her power with his and following her direction. The invisible casing became a titanium like bubble, creating comfort and safety as they infused it.
Emotion and instinct were more prevalent in her non-corporeal form. Her hunger infected every cell in her body, making her desperate for the hunt. Still, she didn’t want to fail. The need to learn and gain Colton’s respect was just as dominant. She moved the combined essence into the pathway as the familiar hum radiated around them. The dark tunnel enveloped them as they raced through the stream. A blur of darkness with pinpricks of light. A starry night only the creature of the shadows could experience.
