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CHAPTER16
Riley inhaled musty air before her fingers clutched the damp earth. Had she fallen? She remembered returning to the cougar clan. To their home. They made love, and she thanked God for giving her the gift of her mate. The one that betrayed her. No!
The memories of walking to the living room. Colton had his back to her and a towel in his hand. Red eyes and a smug smile greeted her as the chloroform-soaked towel clamped to her mouth. Then there was darkness. She took several shallow breaths, attempting to calm her stomach and her nerves. Her eyelids fluttered open.
She was in a small rock room. Presuming she was in the abandoned mine, the demons now inhabited, she assumed this was a break-off room, the miners used in case of a cave-in. The roots hung from the ceiling giving the impression it hadn’t been used in decades. If the demons thought she was asleep, she might be able to shift to a pathway and escape.
She attempted to connect with her shadow, but there was a disconnect. As if her beast was yet to surface from its slumber. She had assumed they had used chloroform, and it had worked as such, but this was stronger. Laced with something that affected her shadow far more than any human compound would. She hated that the demons were so far advanced. The shadows struggled to keep up as the demons orchestrated their destruction.
They didn’t even hide it. Their confidence was absolute. Probably because they had never failed in an acquisition. World after world had fallen at their hands. Who would have thought that humans would be the next species to go extinct?
She put her hand on the rough surface of the wall. The sharp rock bit into her skin as she got to her feet. She dusted the excess debris from her clothes as she staggered toward the door. Her leg dragged in the dirt as if it wasn’t receiving the commands from her brain or was on a two-second delay.
She leaned against the wall as the room blurred. Her body was struggling to purge whatever she had been dosed with. The concept was scary considering how impervious the shadow shifters appeared to be. Her mind attempted to focus on a story Dannika had told her. Or was it Colton? Something about a drug the Bokor had used filtered in her brain and was gone again. Focus Riley! She turned, leaning her back on the wall as Deruthel entered.
His eyes blazed red as they roamed over her. “I would like to tell you this is a surprise, but we both know I planned every moment, including your capture.”
She huffed, recalling her and Colton’s last conversation. She no longer knew what to believe, but she decided to test a theory. “Did you plan for Ashkara to take over your body? Because you seemed genuinely shocked when he told you he’d wipe your mind like an old VHS tape and invade your body like a virus. I’m no expert, but that sounds like hell to me.”
Deruthel’s smug smile fell. “I admit I was unaware of my father’s ability to overtake my body permanently. He has always had the ability to borrow the mind of any demon. A transference of consciousness is a gift only a demon god possesses. He was smart to hide his ability from the flock.”
“Why would he need to hide his abilities? It doesn’t appear that any of you could oppose him?”
“Not now. He has grown beyond my imagining. It is only a matter of time before he takes control of my body. His current form is so enormous it will consume this world faster than I imagined. Even if I can stabilize a large enough portal, he will continue to grow. Whether it is this world or the next, eventually his body will not pass.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You realize you’re talking about your own death. Why allow it?”
Deruthel’s head cocked to the side. “I am trying to answer that question myself.”
“You already have everything you need here. If you trap Ashkara in his current realm, then you will be the king going forward.”
Deruthel’s lips curled over his serrated teeth. “Now you understand. That is exactly how Ashkara came into power. He trapped his father and moved on without him.”
“Then he is expecting you to do the same.”
“Of course,” he said.
“Why would he tell you? Why supply you with that information?”
Deruthel chuckled. “There is a downside to sharing another’s mind. When he overtakes my mind, I can see into his. Admittedly, I was unaware of his ability to transfer consciousness. He was very careful to keep that from me. He knows he is running out of time in his current incarnation. He plans to acquire this body before moving to the next world. I plan to ensure it stays in the one he’s in.”
“How? Is this something to do with the way you’re controlling Colton?” she asked.
“It’s true I was controlling your shadow mate. He took my blood, and while his body continues to purge it from his system, until every last drop is gone, I have a pathway to his mind.”
Riley swallowed hard. “Did he know? This entire time, that was you?”
Deruthel’s smile was grotesque. “He was unaware until now. Once he brought you to me, there was no need to keep these details from him. I was careful to keep my consciousness receded until he passed the test of your priestess. Now that you’re here, there is a need for such subterfuge.”
“You have access to him since you bit him?”
“Yes. I could’ve brought you here sooner, but I was enjoying our game so much I didn’t want it to end. I know it will be over once my father arrives, but this latest revelation has altered my plans.”
“I promise we will give you one hell of a fight, but we would prefer you to Ashkara.”
He flashed his teeth. “As would I, and without my father, the resources on this planet will last far longer. We can last hundreds of years without his appetite. Either way, humanity will fall under my thumb, and it’s all thanks to you.”
Riley’s heart stuttered. “Pardon me?”
