The Shifter's Catch

by T. S. Ryder

  Isobel's hands clenched. Her eyes were wide as she nodded at her grandmother to continue. Her heart beat shallowly. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a chance to save Edan's older brother. A chance that he might not have to face the ultimate pain of losing someone he loved.

  Chapter Eleven – Edan

  "Where is she?" Edan had to stop himself from shaking Josef or letting loose a bolt of flame.

  "I don't know." The man's brow furrowed in the dim light. "I've never seen anybody be gone for this long . . . and she entered the light. It stayed for her. She has the power. After all these years . . . "

  That brought a puff of smoke from Edan’s lips, though he attempted to swallow it down. As soon as Isobel had stepped into the light, it had changed from a forest-green to blood red. Strange pulses kept emanating from it. It had been hours since Isobel had gone in, but Josef warned him that trying to pull her out or entering himself because the light would disappear and she'd be gone forever.

  "Just tell me if this is normal."

  Josef shook his head. "None of this is normal. Usually, a child begins to show talent as soon as they begin to speak. I've never heard of a case where a medium doesn't see spirits until they're full grown. All these wasted years when I could have been teaching her. I've never felt this sort of power before."

  "Maybe you should have paid more attention to your daughter, then."

  If he found the suggestion offensive, Josef didn't make any indication of it. He stroked his goatee, eyes distant. "She never gave any indication of being special. My mother always told her she was, but I didn't believe in building a child's false hopes. I told the truth as I saw it."

  More smoke. "Isobel told me how you shared that 'truth.' She never felt good enough for you."

  "She never was," Josef said, and there wasn't a hint of regret in his voice. "She was always such a disappointment—"

  "You're the disappointment," Edan burst out, unable to stop himself. "You were the one not good enough. And I don't think you ever will be."

  Josef turned shocked eyes on him, but at that moment, the light flickered. It turned green again and Isobel stumbled back. Edan caught her as her legs buckled. Wide eyes turned to him and a smile spread over her face. One of her hands caressed his face but the moment was short-lived. She pushed herself away from him and jumped to her feet.

  "What did you see?" Josef pressed forward. "What did—"

  "We have to get back to the palace before it's too late."

  Seizing her harness, she started away from the light. Josef grabbed her hand and she pushed him off at once. She shoved her arms into the harness.

  "Too late for what?' Edan asked, following after her.

  "To save the kingdom."

  ***

  A change had come over Isobel, that was for certain. She didn't stop for anything on their way back through the maze, and when they reached the helicopter, she barely took the time to explain what she had seen while she was in the light. Her words made Edan's fires flicker low. He shifted at once and, with Isobel in his claws, headed back for the palace. Josef and the helicopter could follow after them.

  Edan landed on the roof. Isobel was already halfway to the entrance by the time he shifted and caught up with her. They ran together, Edan holding her hand to help her keep up with him – or, if he was honest, to give himself comfort. His heart thudded in his throat, choking him. What if they were too late?

  The guard outside Clint and Zoelle's apartment tried to stop them, but Edan shouldered his way through and smashed open the door. Inside, Zoelle straddled Clint on the couch. She gave a surprised yelp and twisted off as the guard jumped on Edan, pinning him to the ground.

  Isobel slipped between them and grabbed a handful of Zoelle's hair. She yanked the queen back, earning a sharp yelp and a growl in response.

  "Did you kiss him?" Isobel yelled.

  "Get off of me!" Smoke seeped from Zoelle's mouth as Isobel dragged her backward. Claws sprouted on her fingers and she swiped at Isobel. The human kicked the queen in the back of the knees and as a guard rushed in, Isobel sprinted for the king.

  Edan roared. "Did you kiss him?"

  Zoelle scrambled to her feet. "What are you talking about?"

  "Edan!" Isobel's voice pitched high.

  His head swiveled to find her over him, her hand on his chest and forehead. Clint's chest heaved. Sweat dripped from his skin, which had paled to the color of sandstone: an entirely unnatural, bloodless look. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his limbs started to shake, head flopping back and forth. The guard seized Isobel around the waist as Zoelle screamed.

  "What did you do to him?" She rushed to Clint's side and gripped his shoulders. Her eyes were wide, terror shining from her face. "Call the doctors! Now!"

  Edan yanked the guard on his left, driving his forehead into the guard's nose and threw him into the guard on his right. Tearing himself free, he pounced on the man holding Isobel and tore him away from her. Zoelle threw herself over Clint, baring sharp fangs as Isobel approached.

  "She's trying to help him," Edan called, dodging a punch to jump over Zoelle. His arms banded around her waist and he dragged her back, giving Isobel access to the king, who was still convulsing. Pink-tinged foam started to form at his lips.

  Zoelle screeched like an animal, clawing at his arms. "Clint! No! Stay with me! Get away from him, you witch! Clint!"

  Isobel's hands glowed red. Zoelle screeched again and the guards lunged forward.

  Both of her hands plunged into Clint's chest. Everything seemed to stop as the light pulsed. Sweat beaded Isobel's forehead, her gaze locked onto the place where her hands moved inside of Clint's body. Edan's flames roared and then went out as he watched his brother's eyes roll to the back of his head and his body still. Utterly limp, like the life had been sucked from him.

  And then with a triumphant cry, Isobel yanked back. Her hands slid free effortlessly, dragging a shadow with them. A squawking, shrill noise filled the room and Clint's back arched, a rattling breath filling his lungs. The shadow in Isobel's hands writhed. Tendrils lashed out, wrapping around her arms.

  Edan elbowed a guard in the face and lunged. He grabbed the demon from Isobel's hands and threw it across the room. It spread out like a spider creeping towards its prey. His fires roared to life again and he dropped his jaw, sending a red burst towards the shadow.

  It burned with screams of pain and when his fires were emptied, all that remained was a smoking, charred heap on a scorched floor.

  A moment of silence was broken by Clint's gasp. Edan turned to see Zoelle throwing herself down beside him. Her hands patted his cheeks as tears streamed down her face. Terror and awe filled her eyes as she looked up Isobel, who was standing over her.

  "What are you?"

  Isobel shrugged. "I'm a psychic. That was a demon. It entered him when you kissed him and would have killed him if I hadn't gotten it out. Do you understand?"

  Zoelle shivered. "Yes."

  "And you know how it got into him."

  "Yes."

  Isobel dropped to a knee beside the queen. "Then tell us how it happened."

  Edan inched closer. This was one thing that Isobel hadn't told him. How did the demon get here in the first place? When she told him that there was a demon trying to kill Clint, he hadn't hesitated. Believing her was as natural as breathing in that instant. But now . . . How did she know? How had she known any of it? How did it happen and how did Isobel find out?

  "I can't . . . You can't know what happened," Zoelle rasped. "It's impossible. Nobody knew. I didn't even remember until . . . "

  "Remember what?" Edan pressed.

  Clint groaned. His eyes fluttered and Zoelle turned back to him. Her fingers stroked his chest. The guard hesitantly tugged both Edan and Isobel away, but the queen stopped them with a single command. Her expression was resigned, fearful.

  The doctors came and took Clint to the hospital wing. Edan dismissed the guards and locked the door. "Nobody i
s leaving until I have answers."

  "My grandmother told me." Isobel took his hand and squeezed it. "When I was in the light, I saw Gran and she told me everything. The demon that's possessing Brant . . . This demon that tried to kill Clint was branched from it. A shade of its master. And that demon was released when . . . "

  Edan's gaze traveled to Zoelle. Her arms wrapped around her middle and her tears started anew. She knew. She knew what this was about . . . He found it difficult to pull in a breath but somehow managed to ask. "What did you do?"

  Chapter Twelve – Isobel

  In the excitement of what had happened, Isobel had almost missed that Zoelle was wearing a sheer baby doll nightie, a lace thong, and nothing else. Finally, that was brought to her attention full force. Heat rushed to her cheeks as the queen collapsed, sobbing. Edan just stood there staring at her, so Isobel grabbed an afghan from the back of the couch and wrapped it around the queen.

  "Well?" Edan demanded harshly. "What did you do?"

  Eventually, she looked up. "I didn't know that it would do this. I was just trying to help the kingdom . . . " More tears. "No, that's not true. It was more about me and my desire to hold a baby in my arms."

  Isobel looped an arm around Zoelle's waist and pried her from the floor. She helped her to the sofa, then went to Edan. Smoke leaked between his lips, but she ignored that and took his hand, leading him to a chair opposite the queen. He collapsed like a tower of blocks knocked down by a child. Anger was still on his face but also fear and betrayal.

  "You know how I have been struggling to conceive," Zoelle started. "Well . . . that's not entirely true. I've conceived half a dozen times throughout my marriage to Clint. But I've never been able to carry. I've lost all my children before the first trimester was over. I wanted so badly to just be able to have one child that I could carry to term . . . "

  It was as Isobel's grandmother had told her. She nodded her encouragement, heart twisting at what she knew was coming next. The sheer pain that this confession would bring . . .

  "I sought out a witch because, clearly, the medical treatments I've been receiving were useless. She gave me a vial full of this glittering black liquid and promised me that it would give me everything I wanted."

  "A child," Edan supplied softly.

  Zoelle nodded. "The week before Brant turned on us, he and Clint had gotten into a severe argument. About me. Brant suggested that I was unable to have children and that Clint would be better off putting me aside and taking a new mate."

  That was something Isobel hadn't known. "Wait, I thought dragons mated for life."

  "The king has the option of having more than one wife if the first is childless. He sends her away to a life of solitude," Edan answered softly. "But Clint loves you. Brant would know he'd never do that."

  "And so did I. But it didn't stop the fears. The . . . the way I hated myself for not being able to give him a child. It was like a poison-tipped arrow directly to my heart. In that moment, I thought I'd be willing to do anything if I could just have a child."

  She shuddered, and Isobel moved closer to Edan. Would he understand? His expression was strained, eyes hard. She squeezed his hand and he held hers tightly.

  "So I drank the potion and made my wish. I knew right away I'd made a mistake. I'd summoned something evil." She wiped away her tears and sat straighter. "And when Brant planted that bomb to try to kill Clint, I somehow knew what had happened. And I still don't have a child. So I've ruined the kingdom for nothing."

  Edan snarled. Flames flickered in his mouth and Isobel tightened her grip on his hand.

  "She didn't know, Edan. She couldn't have known what was going to happen."

  He ignored her. "You almost killed my brother. You turned my other brother against us. And then you try to seduce me . . . Your obsession has put the kingdom in jeopardy. This betrayal is worse than Brant's."

  "I didn't—"

  "You said you knew as soon as you made you wish," Edan roared, surging to his feet. "You knew that you brought something evil to our kingdom and you did nothing to stop it!"

  He lunged. Isobel let out a squawk and grabbed the back of his shirt. He dragged her to her feet but stopped inches from Zoelle. The queen shrank back from him, eyes wide, clutching the blanket tight around herself. Smoke billowed from Edan's mouth, claws sharpening at the ends of his fingers and scales starting to cover his skin.

  "You are going to the dungeons," he hissed. "You're going to be locked away and never—"

  "Edan, stop." Isobel tugged on him. "Listen to me. The main demon may have inhabited Brant, but there was a branch of it in Zoelle. It was affecting her decisions."

  "She was the one that summoned it in the first place."

  Isobel pounded him and placed both hands on his chest. She shoved him towards the bathroom. He made a strangled noise of protest and gripped her at the waist to move her aside but Isobel was persistent. She dug her heels in and shoved him again. Finally, he stopped glaring at Zoelle to look at her instead and allowed himself to be pushed into the bathroom. Isobel shut the door behind them and put her hands on her hips.

  "You need to listen."

  He was still smoking at the mouth, filling the small space quickly. "I did listen. She said herself what happened and if—"

  Isobel cupped his face with her hands. "She didn't know what was going to happen. She was being influenced as well. And the demon that is possessing Brant? It chose him for a reason. It is not her fault that he betrayed you. If anybody had made that wish, it would have happened something like this. So stop, okay? We all make rash decisions. You can't let your fear make you so angry that you destroy the relationship you have with your sister."

  "Rash decisions are one thing," Edan insisted stubbornly. "But it is her fault that Brant betrayed us. You said that the demon was possessing him. She summoned the demon. So how is it not her fault?"

  Isobel's shoulders slumped. "Possession is the wrong word. It's not controlling him, only whispering in his ear. Demons can't take over a person's body and make them do things. They can only amplify what is already there."

  Edan shook his head. "No. No. Brant never wanted to hurt any of us. You don't know him."

  "I'm sorry." Isobel pulled him into an embrace, though he remained stiff in her arms. "I am so sorry, Edan. I know that this isn't something that you want to hear. I know it hurts. But if the demon could get Brant to do all of this, it meant that he was harboring resentments in his heart already. Maybe even entertaining ideas of betrayal."

  Edan's head dropped to her shoulder and his body shook. "I just don't want it to be true."

  "I know. But arresting Zoelle is literally going to do nothing but make the situation work. This is all because she wanted a child, and now she won't get one."

  "So she made a deal with a demon and it's not living up to its end. She should have—"

  "There was no deal made. And who knows, maybe the demon would have allowed her to carry to term like she wished if it managed to kill Clint." Isobel stroked his hair soothingly, then pulled back and stared into his eyes. "We are going to figure this out. I promise you."

  Edan trembled, but he nodded. He sucked in a deep breath, coughed out another lungful of smoke and opened the bathroom door again. Zoelle still sat on the sofa wrapped in the blanket, a dead, hollow look in her eyes. When they stepped out, she flinched. Her gaze was on Edan, and it occurred to Isobel that she didn't protest when he had announced that she was going to be arrested.

  What pain must she be going through to know that it was all because she had been so desperate for children? And here among the royals, the ability to have children was of such importance . . . Isobel knew that pressure and she wasn't the queen. She wasn't even married to Edan yet.

  "So, now we all know the truth," Zoelle said, her voice even. "What happens now? How do we fix this?"

  Isobel flinched. "Fix? No. There is no fixing it. No undoing what has been done."

  "Are you saying that there is no wa
y to stop the demon?" Zoelle's voice broke, her expression devastated. "There has to be a way. Please."

  Isobel sank onto the sofa next to her.

  Edan cleared his throat. "Zoelle . . . I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten too angry with you. It's not your fault. You were acting for the kingdom, as you always do. If there wasn't so much pressure on the king to have a natural heir, then you would have had other options. I'm so, so sorry . . . "

  "Don't be. This is my fault. And now . . . now what?"

  "There's no way to fix it," Isobel said slowly. "But we can prevent further damage. If we are able to get the demon out of Brant's head, then we might be able to end the conflict. You might be able to reason with him. But you have to remember that demons only play on desires that are already present."

  Edan turned away, digging his hands into his hair. "Right. So we just have to find Brant and get him to sit still long enough to perform an exorcism. That sounds like a snap."

  "Of course it won't be easy," Isobel said. "But we have to try, right?"

  She watched as Edan's shoulders hunched. He nodded and she let out a soft sigh. She didn't blame him for his reaction to all of this. It was overwhelming and he was clearly at the end of his rope. After everything, it was amazing that he had the fortitude to continue.

  But he did, and she would be at his side every step of the way. They didn't have a choice. If they didn't do something, and quick, then it was all over. For them, for the kingdom.

  "There is another problem." Edan turned back. "We've been looking for Brant for weeks now and there has been no sign of him anywhere. Before we can even try to get the demon out, we have to find him. And where is he? Where do we look that we haven't looked already? Did your grandmother tell you how to find him?"

  "No. We only had so much time before the light consumed me and I wouldn't have been able to return. I almost didn't make it as it was." She swallowed hard as she remembered the pull to stay, the peace. And the fight she'd had to get back out, like she was tearing herself through thorns