As Shadow finished her meal, a surge of heat swamped her, as if she had a fever. Sweat beaded her brow and chest. Crap. Now what? The sensation just grew. She set her cutlery down and stood. “Excuse me.”
“Is everything okay?” Kira asked, her gaze skimming over her.
Darn, she didn’t want to worry them. She forced a smile and nodded. “I need to make a call.”
Cell in hand, Shadow hurried out through the open French doors and into the soothing, crisp night. Inhaling deep gulps of air, she rubbed her chest, then her throat, trying to calm down. This sense of asphyxiation gripping her wasn’t good. She scrubbed the goosebumps from her arms, then blinked.
In the dark, a faint glimmer shimmered beneath her skin. How odd. She rubbed the glow, but it remained. Another anomaly? Was it because she’d finally nourished her symbionts to full strength instead of just stolen bits of feeding? As the heat within her subsided, thankfully, the glow dissipated.
Shadow pushed her cell in her skirt pocket and glanced about her. Eerie amber eyes stared unwaveringly at her from between the potted herbs on the kitchen terrace.
“Hey, there,” she whispered, going on her haunches and holding out her hand to Bob. After a moment’s hesitation, the huge, furry gray coon cat with the ginger ruff slowly prowled over, only to stop a short distance from her. Then, giving Shadow an insultingly wide berth, he waddled off into the kitchen. Man, even the animals didn’t trust her with the demon blood inside—
Rage shimmered through her, so chillingly icy in its intensity, she shot to her feet, her heart careening in her chest. Something was wrong—Nik?
Nik!she yelled through their telepathic link.Please, please talk to me…
* * *
Nik trawled the underground tunnels with Aethan, scouting for demon activity, thedrip-drip-plinkof water resounding in the dense silence.
“We’re doing this blind, with nothing except for Shadow’s descriptions of Tolvi,” Aethan said.
Nik stopped dead. Dammit. How could he forget? He must be losing his mind.
Dag, I need your help,he telepathed the warrior as he whipped out his cell and shot a message to Hedori.Do you have Shadow’s ruined shirt from when she got hurt?
Yes,Hedori texted.
Thank fuck Hedori hadn’t tossed it out.Bring it to me.
A moment later, Dagan materialized, and Aethan cocked a brow.
“Dagan will probably get a better clue about the demon,” Nik explained. “The blood on Shadow’s shirt from when Tolvi hurt her will help. Hedori’s bringing her top to us.”
Nik was glad he didn’t have to do this at the castle, sparing Shadow from reliving her torture under the demon’s hand.
Hedori took form a moment later and handed Nik the shirt.
“Thanks. See if you can pick up anything from this, where exactly his lair is.” Nik passed the top to Dagan.
The warrior’s abilities were unparalleled in picking up past deeds when he held a related item.
“It’ll be through her thoughts and sight, unless he touched her,” he warned.
Jaw hard, Nik gave a stilted nod.
Dagan moved the material around in his hand then stroked the torn edges. Seconds passed…
“Best I get back,” Hedori murmured. “I left Lore watching over the castle for a bit, much to Echo’s excitement. She calls it a siesta from the Grim Reaper. Lore wasn’t amused.”
Aethan snorted, and with a smile, Hedori dematerialized.
Nik didn’t expect anything else. Hedori was as protective over all their mates as they were.
He glanced around the underbelly of the city that Shadow had called home, grateful she would no longer traipse around in this place, then back at his friend. “Anything?”
“She’s in a dark cavern, streaks of fire in the walls.” Dagan’s brow furrowed, then his citrine eyes lifted to Nik. “This demon wants the powersshe supposedly has.”
