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“The demon. It’s attempting to consume her humanity,” Ferguson said.
“What are you saying?” Riley asked.
Ferguson pointed at Leah. “That is a full demon form. I believe it’s what the females of their world look like.”
Black shadows swirled around Leah as her form reverted to the shadow warrior. Bones rippled and cracked; human skin surfaced in patches before receding as if Leah was unsure what she should be.
Riley held a hand up. “Leah, listen to my voice. You need to take control of the demon’s soul. Don’t let it destroy your humanity. You will become something unrecognizable. A creature that will prey on your friends and family. Think about your sister.”
Leah growled, with black smoke rolling off her shoulders in misty waves. Her gaze moved to Colton, before her neck moved like a snake, swaying back and forth as if mesmerized by a song only she could hear.
“What is she doing?” Riley asked.
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen this before,” Ferguson said.
Leah turned her head in an unnatural position, before it snapped back, the crack echoing unnaturally, and she launched at Colton.
He moved out of her path easily, placing his hand on her back as she passed. The action caused her to stumble, hitting the wall hard and cracking the thin gyp-rock, before she turned and growled at him.
“Leah, you need to get control,” Riley said.
Ferguson’s eyes narrowed on Leah. “If this continues much longer, she is lost.”
When Leah lunged at Colton again, Steele grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arm around her neck. He lifted her off the ground as she kicked his shins and scratched his forearms, but the alpha cougar leader’s hold was unbreakable. Her eyes bulged before the choking sound echoed in the room. Steele waited for her body to go slack in his arms before he picked her up and took her to the bed. A wave of black smoke rolled over her body before her human form resurfaced.
Riley rushed to her side. “Is she okay?”
Steele put his fingers to Leah’s pulse. “We won’t know until she wakes up.”
“But she’s human.”
Steele stared at the sleeping woman. “Her and the demon are unconscious. We won’t know who wins the battle until she wakes.”
Riley got up from the bed and turned to Ferguson. “Tell me about the reapers. I have the feeling she will be more like you.”
Ferguson frowned. “We are two souls, but one is a demon. If the demon is stronger than the human, then we become darker. More and more like our ancestors.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t like the other reapers. The ones like Breck.”
“The reapers who have chosen immortality have allowed their demon to become stronger than the human.”
“How is that different from the shadow warriors?” She asked.
“The shadows still have an animal. That animal is loyal to the human, not the demon. It strengthens its master,” Ferguson said.
“How?”
“The symbiosis isn’t much different for an animal and human who are unmerged. I’ve seen a dog run into a burning building to save its master. An animal’s devotion is absolute regardless of its species.”
Riley recalled her pet growing up. “My parents got me a dog when I was seven. His name was Turbo. He was white with a few black patches. When I was ten, I was playing on a wharf at the lake we used to camp at. I slipped and smashed my head on the post before I fell in the water. Turbo hated swimming, but he jumped in after me. I was out of it, but I grabbed his collar and he swam to shore, then barked until my parents came running.”
“Your dog went against its natural instincts in order to protect you. A shadow’s animal does the same thing.”
“I get that, but if you’re able to control the demon without an animal; surely Leah can as well.”
Ferguson’s face softened. “I wish I possessed the words to reassure you. That there was something I could do to ensure her survival, but she was infected by Deruthel. He is the closest demon to the king. The source of demon blood. I do not believe it is a coincidence that Deruthel is sent to a new world first in order to colonize it for his brethren.”
Riley sucked in a breath. “You think there’s something special about Deruthel’s blood?”
