Page 64 of Hunted By Darkness

“I’d noticed a barely-there cut on my arm, but one that hadn’t been there before he came. I thought he’d done something to get you to do what he wanted, but…” He growled the words. “That fuckwit probably stole some of my blood. Maybe the lad’s, too.”

“Don’t you have the same genetics or whatever? Why would he need your blood if it’s the same as his?”

Silas shrugged. “Not the way he needs it. It’s the magic between us that’s different. That’s what he gets from my blood.”

“Your magic?” I asked, confused. “He can get that in your blood?”

Silas’s fingers ate into my thigh. “Seems so. He’s done it before. He can use my abilities for a short time. Very short, but enough that he’d…find a way around the things I’ve done to keep you safe.”

“You think my dream is a hint of what he’s planning to do?”

My mercenary hummed and pulled me close, as if he could keep it from happening if he never let me go. “It’s possible. You’ve clearly gotten a bit of your mother’s clairvoyance. Every clairvoyant’s power is different, yeah? No two clairvoyants see the future the same way. It could be you’ve seen something, but it was meant to be a warning more than anything. If it came to you this way, it gives us enough time to prepare for it.”

“You said he could achieve a perfect deception, even to the most skilled. How will I know it’s not him?” I asked, shifting on his lap.

What if I kissed that demonic fucker when I thought he was Silas? I didn’t dare utter it, but the thunderous expression Silas wore suggested he’d already thought of it.

Someone knocked on the door before he could answer. I sensed who it was well before they spoke, though. I’d know that cologne anywhere.

“Niks?”

Silas didn’t let me go as I called out, “I’m just out of the shower. Did you guys figure something out?”

“We did, but I thought you’d like to talk…well, about everything. I wanted to give you a bit of time, but Bear Claw thinks it’s important we don’t leave anything to last minute. It’s clear he’s sending the Brotherhood after you, and it’ll be smarter to act sooner rather than later.”

The weight of what we’d discovered the other night came crashing down—the choices I’d have to make when we took on Rilas. An impossible choice, one I didn’t know how to make. But I wouldn’t have time to make a split-second decision. I’d need to know. Because once I recovered my grandmother’s soul, he’d have access to his power again. He wouldn’t be vulnerable the same way he was now.

After I finished dressing and made my way into the living room, everyone had already found a seat. Lev greeted me with a smile and offered me his favorite tea to make when things were chaotic. His calm-as-fuck tea as he liked to call it. It was a well-meant gesture, but it only made the twist in my gut tighten.

Salvator got to his feet, eyes slicing over to Silas as the mercenary leaned back and gestured for me to come over. “I need to speak with her first. Alone.”

Jaw working back and forth, Silas surprised us all by nodding. “You’ll stay within the perimeter. If anything happens, I’ll have your head, Sally.”

The threat didn’t seem to bother the shifter. Another surprise. Salvator motioned for the door, asking me to go ahead of him. I caught Silas’s silver-eyed gaze before leaving. The two phantoms stayed close by, but they didn’t speak as Salvator pointed to a bench positioned under a large tree.

It was a bit odd to watch the tall shifter wipe down a spot for me to sit. He awkwardly waited for me to take my seat before taking his own, one he hadn’t bothered to wipe off. He fidgeted next to me, his muscles contracting in agitation, refusing to look my way. He just stared at the moon in the sky. It was an hour or two before dawn, so the sky had already started to lighten.

I opened my mouth to speak, thinking he was waiting for me to start, but he cleared his throat and started talking. “He’s his last earthly tie,” came his shocking utterance.

My brows knitted together, not sure what to make of the statement until it hit me. “You mean…Silas and Rilas?”

The shifter nodded, his silky hair swaying until he tucked it behind his ear. Letting loose a breath, he finally glanced at me. His jaw clenched before he reached out and touched my hand. I stiffened when his fingers threaded between mine. Confused, I stared at our interlocked hands before looking at him again. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he licked his lips, fathomless eyes dropping to my mouth.

I wasn’t sure what had come over him. Salvator had never touched me like this, and never first. It made me uncomfortable to think what he might say next.

“Bear Claw—”

“It has to be me, Nika,” the shifter whispered. “You need to take my soul.”

“I don’t—”

“It can’t be Silas. If you sever that bastard’s last earthly tie—”

It hit me what he was suggesting.

“He’ll become too powerful,” I interjected, the words burning my tongue as I said them. I didn’t stop there. “But you’re wrong. I never intended to take anyone’s soul. I don’t care what she said. I’m going to find another way. I appreciate all of this. You’re a good friend to worry, but I’m going to figure out how to do it without—”

A growl rumbled in his throat, and his grip on my hand squeezed so hard I hissed. He eased up with an apologetic glance. “There’s no other way, woman. Don’t be stupid. You’ll take my soul and send that bastard back, and you won’t argue about it.”

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