by Dana Archer
“You’ll take my place in Hell, Zoe Jane. I’ll walk among humans. I’ll be free, and you won’t.” The taunting is childlike. The threat isn’t.
“That’s the deal you made?”
With her lip caught, she shakes her head.
“What deal did you make?”
She turns back to the thickening mist at her feet and lifts a baby from the depths of nothingness. The naked newborn screams. He flails his chubby arms, sucks in a hiccupping inhale, then cries. Wisps of black hair curl on his head. With his ruddy cheeks and a pudgy, smushed nose, he could’ve been a mirror image of Josh as a baby. The instinct growing within me tells me otherwise.
This is my baby.
“The little devil you never looked upon.”
She holds him up with her hands wrapped around his chest. His head flops sideways, then backward. His screams turn into a shriek.
Hands fisted, my arms shake. I hold my ground. “You need to support his neck. Let me show you. Hand him to me.”
“Don’t be silly.” She shifts him to one hand, his chest to her splayed palm. His legs and arms and head fall forward. Panicked high-pitched cries cut through the night. He waves his arms and wrenches his head. “I’ve been babysitting for years. I know how to take care of a scrawny little rat like him.”
“Then let me take over for you.” I hold out my hands.
She looks from me to the baby—my baby—she’s carelessly holding. “He’s bad.”
“He’s just a baby.” I swallow against the dryness in my mouth. “He’s not bad.”
“He’s a killer.” She glances over her shoulder. “A child killer.”
I hunker down, bringing myself within reaching distance of my baby. “He’s mine.”
“Then claim him.”
With that, she lets go. Another scream pierces my heart. I reach for him. A shove against my back pushes me forward. The ground gives way to nothingness. The crying stops, shutting off instantly. My curse replaces it. Hands grab me, squeezing hard enough to rip a horrifying screech from my throat.
A hard yank pulls me up onto the overlook’s edge. I slam against a rock-solid body.
* * *
Black flames fill my vision. Jarah sneers at me, a condescending look that stops my heart and fills me with dread.
“I messed up.”
Jarah nods. “Royally.”
He shifts my weight, locking me to his side with one arm, then waves his other hand and wipes away the dream world where my crazy side lives. Sunlight and the muggy heat of the sunroom in Jarah’s house replaces the cold darkness. More warmth registers with the gush of blood flowing steadily from the deep gouges in my palms to the stone table, my blood dripping off the sides and collecting on the floor. Pain follows, locking my body and pulling a gasp from my throat.
Jarah releases me, and I shuffle back, my blood dribbling onto the rough stone floor. Before I can make another move, he seizes my hands in his and holds them until the agony fades and my blood stops dripping, then all my spilled blood fades, along with the liters spreading on the ground around me, leaving the worn stone table as it had appeared when I arrived.
He smacks my cheek, demanding I face him, not the portal I’d created to my demon’s prison. Then he catches my gaze. “What. Did. I. Tell. You?”
“Demons lie. Always.”
“Exactly.” Jarah lets go.
I turn my hands over. No sign of my injury shows. He told me I’d be able to go to Mira’s baby shower this evening and then to the alpha party tonight without anyone knowing I’m learning to dabble in dark magic, just as he told me to expect to be manipulated by the demon inside me. For a moment, I believed her lies, however. She told me what I wanted to hear, but the truth is…
“My baby’s dead.”
“So is the man you loved.”
“Before Kade.” I let Jarah see my determination. “I loved BJ with everything I was then, but Kade’s my future. He’s the man I love now. He’s the man I’ll love forever.”
“Then be ready to fight for him, because right now, it’s you, zero, and your crazy side, one.” Jarah leans close, the scent of night flower wafting from the oil he rubbed into his skin. “And come tonight, all it’ll take is Asa getting this close to you, and you can kiss your free will goodbye. He’ll draw forth your demon just as I have done, but he won’t pull you back from her as I did. He’ll let you fall deeper and deeper into the realm she commands until you won’t be able to find your way out. Then, she’ll lock you in and take over. Forever.”
“I won’t let that happen.” Kade needs me to be a woman strong enough to stand by his side tonight, tomorrow, and for eternity.
“You’re underestimating Asa’s skills. Where I dabble in the dark arts, he’s become an expert.”
“Then I’ll just have to be a super expert.”
Jarah shakes his head, but his small smile hints at a complex and fun personality hidden behind his deadly exterior. “We have an hour, two at the most, before you need to get ready for Mira’s baby shower and I have to help your true mate secure the Black Widow for tonight’s party. The surplus of Shifter Affairs agents promised to us has been cut to a tenth, maybe less.”
“Why?”
“There’s been a category three event in Washington, DC, at the main Shifter Affairs building.”
I suck in a breath. “What happened?”
“Active shooter. They’re actually thinking it was unrelated to the shifter world, just a human angry over the dismissal of a female agent, but tensions are heighted.”
“And that leaves us…”
“Scrambling to fill the void.” The hard press of Jarah’s jaw draws out tendons in his neck. “Don’t worry. As always, those loyal to us will step up. All will be well.”
“But the party and the alpha meeting…” A party where I’ll be presented as Kade’s future soul-bonded mate and, in the eyes of likely all those in attendance, his greatest weakness.
“Will go on as planned. It’ll be okay.”
“Famous last words.”
Jarah shrugs. “Not mine. I have no plans on dying. Ever.”
“Me neither.”
Fear doesn’t chill me today as it did last night over the unknowns and possibilities of life as Kade’s other half. Kade’s arms around me and the depth of his emotions spreading outward from my soul chased the debilitating anxiety back. The determination replacing it is stronger than ever. We’ll conquer our enemies. We have to.
I head to the small table and pick up the ceremonial dagger that reminds me of something out of a museum, with its bone handle and the carvings etched into the blade. “Then let’s stop wasting time and try again. She never did tell me what deal she made.”
“She’s going to lie.”
“I know that. The point is to get her to obey me.”
Jarah wraps my hands around the dagger so the metal presses into my unmarred skin but doesn’t bleed me. With his hands covering mine, he looks into my eyes. “The point is to possess her, not command her. You need to own her.”
“I need to turn her into my bitch.”
“And make her beg.”
Nodding, I curl my hands, the sharp pain stealing my breath. Blood flows, dropping onto the stone table. With each plop, dizziness grows until I feel almost drunk. Once my blood covers the table, I ease my grip on the blade and wipe the sharp edges on my shirt, red blood smearing the cartoon kitty.
The chant Jarah taught me is on my lips, the ancient language rolling off my tongue with an accent I can’t claim is mine. And then…
Then I sketch the scene I’d left, this time adding in the details I’d skipped last time. My crude trees and rocks and the overlook’s edge are as rudimentary as the stick figures facing each other, but they’re enough. They have to be.
I grip the blade again, squeezing until a scream rips from my throat and the light of the world fades. Black flames follow me into the darkness where not even Kade can reach. This is her prison, and if I don’
t succeed, it’ll be mine.
Thirty
Kade
“I’m calling in our angel of death.” Ella widens her stance in front of the window in my office, where she’s been waiting for me to shower and dress after Zoe left this morning.
“You are?” I pause with my loafers held in one hand and my tie draped over my other arm.
“I have to.” Ella raises her head but doesn’t look my way. “This is about to blow up in our faces.”
“What will?” At the moment, many threats hang over us.
“You’ve been briefed on the situation involving the owner of the local hunting goods store out of town?”
“I’m aware.” Not only have I been reviewing the daily summary reports of the case, but Zoe’s given me a firsthand account of what happened with Stan Ernest that night at the bar. “Haven’t the normal avenues been explored?”
“Yes, but Stan doesn’t have any social media accounts. He has a phone that’s been lifted from his possession, but there’s nothing damning on it. Nothing on the couple of old cameras at his place either. He hasn’t written anything down or made any record of what had him on edge the night he spoke to Zoe. We have solid reason to believe he’s told multiple people, however.”
Ella clasps her hands at her lower back, the shirtsleeve of one arm riding up and exposing the edge of the scars normally hidden from view. “I’ve upgraded his case to a category three, which is why I’m being forced to make this move. The Ernest family is a witch bloodline. We learned that after Dr. Fairchild evaluated Stan’s cousins, Zeb and Abby Ernest. Hypnosis and reprogramming doesn’t work well in those cases, so we’re left with two options—integration into the shifter world or elimination. I’ve chosen elimination in this case. It’s the right thing to do.
Nodding at her own words, Ella blows out a breath then inhales deeply the same way I’ve seen other humans ground themselves or mentally strengthen themselves for what they’re about to say. “I’ve taken into account the characters of those involved and their emotions regarding this situation. It’s too risky. We’re relying on those humans brought into the shifter world to keep our secrets. Yes, they’re conditioned to do so. Yes, we follow their cases and continually reevaluate those individuals, but in the end, we’re relying on them. I can’t do that in this case. Eliminating those with witches’ bloodlines is safest. In this, I must agree with the oldest of shifters. A human can be reborn. A Royal can’t.”
Ella’s rambling speaks of her anxiety, but her tension is comforting and proves the point I made to the Shifter Council and the higher-ups in Shifter Affairs. Ella can be trusted with the power to make life-and-death decisions, and it’s obvious she’s given this a lot of consideration.
The tidbit she dropped but didn’t expand upon is important, however. It wasn’t in any of the reports I’d read. “Stan told them what? And who did he tell?”
“That he knows what’s getting all the deer and rabbits.” Ella glances at me. “That night he cornered Zoe, he talked to Jerry, one of the servers at the Black Widow, and that server has gone on to tell his friends.”
“Who may or may not have told their friends, right?” The implications of such a scenario are what we’ve been working to avoid for ages.
“Exactly. I’m calling Ilan as soon as I leave here. This has to be contained immediately, and eliminating Stan and Jerry are our safest bets. They’re cousins.”
“From a witch bloodline.” Exactly like Zoe comes from a witch bloodline. I don’t enjoy thinking about how close she was to having her life cut short or that I have Vince and Asa Yuran to thank for Zoe being in my life now.
Ella sighs, and her shoulders droop. “Yes. The rest of those people Stan told will be sent to Dr. Fairchild for evaluation. We don’t have any knowledge of their bloodlines.”
“You don’t need my approval for any of this.” Shifter Affairs already gave her the power to order anyone’s death, any time she wants.
“I’m not here for your blessing, though if I thought it’d somehow ease my guilt over this, I’d ask for it anyway. I don’t like playing God.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Jerry considers Ilan a friend. We’re lucky in that regard. Jerry’s confided in Ilan, telling him what Stan said and how he and their friends are going to hunt the creatures in the woods, among other things. We even know who those friends are, thanks to Jarah, who’s befriended those witch bloodlines we know about in this area. He’s provided all the relevant details concerning cousins, personalities, etc. Eliminating Stan and Jerry and rounding up the others will be a quick and easy operation.”
While I appreciate being in the know on this case as Zoe’s involved in a roundabout way, I don’t need these details. Ella and the others at Shifter Affairs can handle this. They’ve done so in similar situations dozens of times. “What else has Jerry told Ilan?”
Ella steps away from the window and into the shadows next to it in an almost deliberate move, maybe to make sure nobody sees what she’ll say. “People are talking about Josh and Mira. Commenting about how odd Josh is now that he’s married Mira. It’s not just Jerry. We’ve heard the same from multiple sources.”
“Odd in what way?”
“How Josh always seems to just show up in places as if they didn’t see him move. How he seems to be able to hear things he shouldn’t even across a noisy crowded bar. How strong he is now. How fast.” Ella gives a pointed look. “They’re noticing he’s different, and they’re associating those differences with him being with Mira.”
“And they’re talking about Mira too, right?” Even I’ve heard the comments about her multicolored hair. They’ve been positive and complimentary remarks, but her patchwork hair does draw attention. If she didn’t wear contacts, her gemstone eyes would too.
“Yes. They’re saying she’s gorgeous and exotic and moves with a sensual grace. Women and men alike watch her and either want to have her, or they hate her.” Ella raises a finger in a hold-on gesture. “Because she’s so beautiful, not because Mira’s not nice. She’s gracious and open and warm, and her smile is unreal, like she carries her own inner sun, and when she smiles at you, you can’t help but feel good too. Honestly, she’s a beautiful person inside and out. Everyone sees that. They say that too.”
“But?”
“She’s too perfect. Great looks, a hot and adoring husband, a sweet personality, and now babies on the way.” Ella gives a little laugh. “What woman wouldn’t be jealous of that? Or secretly despise her? Especially with Mira’s easy pregnancy. Human women with triplets rarely carry them to forty weeks. Mira hits that date early next week, and she’s still insisting on going into town to shop or whatever.”
“And?” I drop my shoes and slip my tie around my neck, tucking the silk under the stiff collar. “Mira’s explained her pregnancy as good genetics. It fits her overall aura. She’s in good shape, and as you said, she’s got excellent physical traits.”
“True.” Ella nods, then walks across the room and past the wet bar to where a collage forms an ever-expanding tree along the otherwise bare wall. Every individual featured in the display is important to me or my pride mates. The visual reminder of all those whose fates are intertwined with me and mine guides me and reminds me my every action affects far more people than I ever expected to be responsible for.
“Tell me whatever it is that’s brought you to my office at the crack of dawn.”
Ella kneels and touches one of the frames. My breath catches as she skims her finger over the little girls—Megan and Molly—in the photo. “Mira and Josh draw a lot of attention and jealousy, but it’s Josh’s adopted daughters that have people whispering and speculating and fearing.”
“Molly.” The young pride leader has turned the shifter world upside down. Not only is she the only female pride leader, but she’s the youngest. She’s also the only immortal single shifter to ever walk this earth, thanks to dark magic that bonded her to a Royal pride’s founding member.
&n
bsp; “Yes. She’s”—Ella offers an apologetic look—“creepy. People even joke about how she’s going to be a serial killer before she’s eight.”
Considering everything Molly’s been through, acting a little odd is understandable. She does share her soul with a firstborn Royal’s spirit, and, until recently, carried on conversations with him, much like Megan continues to converse with the ancient shaman—one of the humans who became the first shifters and the fathers of the Royals—who’s bonded to her soul. “Molly’s been working on her behavior. She knows she doesn’t act like other kids her age, and that puts people off.”
“Puts people off?” Ella stands. “That’s saying it nicely.”
My back goes ramrod straight. “Molly has been doing a wonderful job emulating her twin. When she’s with Megan, Molly acts completely normal. It’s just going to take some time for that to be second nature. Molly’s literally learning how to be a child.”
“How to fake being a child.”
I take a step forward. “Molly has been through a lot. Cut her some slack.”
Ella whips her head, her long hair whooshing across her back. “I am so proud of that kid. She’s literally been through hell. I just hope I’m alive long enough to see the woman she grows into.”
“You’re not that old.”
Weariness pulls at Ella’s features. She presses her lips into a thin line and closes her eyes. “I’m human. I’m always going to be human, and death is the only thing I’m guaranteed.”
I open my mouth but close it without saying anything. She’s right. One day, she’ll be gone.
Ella clearing her throat draws my gaze to her. “I’m going to tell Josh and Mira what people are saying about Molly. Maybe they’ll agree moving is the safest thing for them. I tried pitching the Shifter Affairs safe compound, but they wanted no part of it.”
Likely due to my conversation with Josh. The weight on my shoulders presses a littler heavier. “This isn’t the best time for that conversation. They’re going ahead with the baby shower this evening while we’re having the alpha dinner party. In light of the category three episode in Washington, I figured planning the two occasions at the same time would be safest. We’ll gather all the visiting alphas and their entourages in one place and free up many of their hosts to guard Josh and Mira.”