A smooth chuckle sounded from behind us. "There's no use in whispering. I can hear everything you're saying, anyway," Animus said in that rich voice of his.
I turned around to glare at him. "We have no quarrel with you. What do you want?"
Zak stood beside me, shoulder to shoulder. I felt his skin tingling, like he was a split-second away from shifting into his wolf form and lunging for Animus. But I didn't feel a distinct threat from the spirit. Not yet. I put my hand on top of Zak's and held it, trying to soothe him.
Animus's silver eyes slowly slipped down and focused on our hands. He stared at them for a moment longer than necessary before looking back up.
"Like I told those fine shifters over there, I'm looking for Nautilus," Animus said. "If you could tell me where he is, I would appreciate it."
His strangely calm demeanour was somehow both disarming and off-putting at the same time. If you didn't factor in his demonic appearance or his past crimes, he seemed like a normal person. But I couldn't just forget about what he'd done. He hurt Nautilus and the coast itself.
"Why?" Zak growled. "So you can steal his powers again?"
Animus examined his claws. "Perhaps." He fixed his icy gaze on Zak. "You're his descendent, are you not?"
I stiffened and instinctively took a step forward, putting myself in front of Zak. But that only made Animus laugh.
"Oh, there's no need for that," Animus said. "Like you said, I have no quarrel with either of you."
Sweat trickled down my brow. How could I believe him? If he stole Nautilus's powers, what was stopping him from doing the same thing to Zak? The mental image of my mate hurt and weakened by this spirit enraged me. I wouldn't let it happen.
"I don't want any trouble with you," I declared. "Please just leave the coast alone. The people and animals who live here have done nothing to you."
A shadow fell over Animus's face, his icy irises turning diamond-hard. "No. They have not. But Nautilus has."
"He didn't do anything!" Zak snapped. "You're the one who stole his powers! And now you want to finish the job, don't you?"
Behind Animus, Mistral was sweating and picking at his feathers frantically. I wondered why he didn't just leave if he was so scared. Maybe seeing how brave the mortals were shamed him into staying put.
Animus glared at Zak so intensely that his eyes were tiny silver slits. "You're no longer amusing me. I think it's best if you stayed quiet."
"Not until you get the hell out of here," Zak replied.
Letting out a bitter laugh, Animus said, "Of course Nautilus's descendent is just as arrogant as he is."
When Zak tensed, I gripped his hand tighter. "Don't do anything stupid," I warned him.
Zak paused, then relaxed, exhaling sharply. I knew he wanted Animus gone as badly as I did but we couldn't make any rash decisions, especially when we didn't know exactly what we were dealing with. We had no idea what kind of powers Animus possessed.
"Nautilus isn't here," I announced. "He left when his powers were restored."
Back to wearing an amused expression, Animus tilted his head. "Yes. They were restored somehow, weren't they? I was surprised to feel a shift in the spiritual fabric. Especially when I thought I'd left him for dead." He smiled, looking straight at Zak. "Next time, I'll try a little harder to finish the job."
I squeezed harder.Don't fall for it, Zak. You know spirits can't be killed the way mortals can. He's goading you on purpose.
But I couldn't be entirely sure Animus was only making empty threats. With his innate strength as a spirit and the powers he'd stolen from Nautilus, who knew what Animus was truly capable of? He'd already committed acts of cruelty. Who was to say he couldn't go further?
Zak growled, the wolfish rumble loud in his throat, but he didn't move. Animus looked disappointed that he didn't get a rise out of him.
"So, would you like to tell mehowNautilus was restored when I thought I did such a good job draining him the first time?" Animus asked. "Does his descendent have more power than I originally thought?" He spoke quietly, his voice a soft threat. "Or maybe it's your parents who have powers I can drain? Let's see. Which of them is related to Nautilus? The alpha or the omega?"
"Leave my parents out of this!" Zak snapped.
Animus sighed like he had no choice in the matter. "Well, since you claim Nautilus isn't here, then they're the next best thing I can--"
Zak twisted out of my grip, the shift consuming him in the blink of an eye. He ran at Animus as a snarling wolf. Every hair on his pelt was prickled, making him look massive.
My heart plummeted.No, Zak!
