CHAPTER 15

Nika

I'd expected the largeoaf to gloat. Even toss me a few less-than-subtle naughty grins. But since we left the motel, his face was cold and menacing.

The golden eyes of my companion shifted around as if he expected enemies to be lurking at every corner, in every alley, behind every decrepit wall, and it made me uncomfortably on guard. Not that I hadn't been on guard from the start. An entire group of elite killers and the Dark Fae Society were after me. After leaving Bear Claw the way I had, it was bound to agitate their efforts to find me.

But something about how Silas acted was different...off. His usual aloof attitude wasn't anywhere in sight. He didn't joke or throw sassy quips my way. He didn't even mention what we'd done together, which still actively replayed in my head every time I glanced at his powerful body under dark clothes. Instead, the oversized mercenary stalked across each street, boots a soft thud on the asphalt, his hand tightly wrapped around his weapon, ready to bring down any person who so much as looked at us sideways.

I kept the hood of my cloak-jacket over my head, concealing my damning purple hair and ice-blue eyes. It was likely the first description they'd give to any assassin in the area. Not that humans couldn't dye their hair a similar color, or that my eyes were unique by any means. Still, anything I could do to keep my identity from the public was for the best.

Silas finally stopped in front of a several-story-high building. His eyes danced up to the top before finding mine. "Come along, love."

I swallowed a sassy retort and followed him inside the time-weathered structure, sure the oversized space was haunted. As we entered, far-off whispers stole my attention. I couldn't identify where they were coming from, only that it mimicked the time I was stolen away to a frozen window. Then everything quieted and the voices were gone.

When I finally looked over, Silas had stalled, and his all-seeing eyes took in my expression with caution. "What is it?"

Licking my lips, I shook my head. "Nothing. Where are we?"

Flicking his eyes from left to right, Silas checked the corridors near us for hidden enemies. "This is where we'll get answers. But something doesn't feel right, so stay close."

I removed the dagger he'd given me from my cloak and nodded for the mercenary to keep going. I maintained a defensive stance and prepared to defend myself. I matched the golden-eyed killer's pace as we climbed several flights of stairs, our eyes peeled for lurking foes, searching every dark corner and hard to make out space.

But we made it to the fifth floor without incident.

The hallway lights flickered and strobed on and off, the soft buzz of dying bulbs a low hum in my ears. Again, the whispers echoed off in the distance, inaudible but clearly agitated by something. I listened intently for a second, trying to make out what they might be saying, but then a voice I never expected to hear broke through the buzzing like it was right in front of me.

"Stupid girl," the rough baritone hissed, every word said with distinct irritation. "It's clearly a trap, and you're just walking right into it."

I turned around, sure someone was behind me, but the hallway was empty. When I looked back over, Silas offered me a raised eyebrow full of question. He wasn't looking for where the voice had come from or why someone was talking. He only stared at me, noticing the way I tensed and searched the area for the source of the voice.

"Nika? Do you sense something?"

Is he not hearing this?

"Of course he isn't, idiot. He's not the one who consumed my soul and imprisoned me in their body. You did, you stupid bitch," the voice growled angrily, and then it all clicked into place.

Was this Bear Claw? Was this part of my power? Did I hear their voices well after I destroyed them? But why?

"Don't listen to him, Nika. He's angry you bested him, and he's grumpy because he admires your strength and power...and what you've been through. Here, we see it all. We see what you overcame to escape that horrid existence. He may never admit it, but he respects the perseverance it takes to do what you did to get away,"another voice said, this one distinctly different. It wasn't human. Somehow, I knew it wasn't.

"Shut the fuck up, you damn chatty wolf. I never said any of that," the first voice, now recognizably Bear Claw, barked irately.

"You didn't need to. We've been with you since you were young, so we know exactly what you think and what you feel. No sense in pretending otherwise," the other voice clapped back, a weird back-and-forth happening in my head that I couldn't escape.

You want to help me? I asked the voices, accepting the level of crazy it meant to talk to the people in my head—one of which I was confident wasn't human at all.

"You saved us. If Salvator wants a chance at rebirth and salvation, he'll get over himself and help keep you safe. Even if he doesn't, we will. It's the least we can do for saving us from his growing darkness."

Who was Salvator?

Bear Claw's voice cut in with a hiss, "I told you never to call me by that name, you goddamn blabber-mouthed dog."

Ah, so Bear Claw's original name was Salvator, something I'd ask Silas to look into later. You know, after spending a long time getting over the initial shock of voices having a conversation with me in my head.

"And you can call me Ryker," the wolf said, laughing in a way that sounded all animal. "The bear calls himself Tometi. You probably don't understand how this all works. I only have a little knowledge on such things, but I know you can channel our power—our transformations. All you need to do is call our names and we'll be there to help."

Channel their power and transformations? He couldn't mean...

Before I could ask and get an answer, Silas was in front of me, his golden eyes glimmering with growing worry. "What's going on, princess? You look like you've seen a ghost."

It wasn't a far-off guess, but instead of seeing a ghost, I was hearing one. Three, actually. I wasn't sure how to put that in a way that didn't sound like madness. Of course, since learning about my supposed ability, it wasn't any crazier than freezing time or stealing someone's soul.

"It's a trap," was all I said, and Silas's expression darkened with violence.

Silas pivoted, and his large back obstructed my view as we slowly walked into the hallway, passing doors marked with numbers and letters. His sparkling magic danced around his arms and snaked across the walls before taking a far-off door's shape. My own magic was agitated by the atmosphere. The closer we came to the door, the more I sensed the change in the air.

The voices in my head stirred. I could feel their alert. It was impossible to explain how I knew it was theirs and not mine, but it ran through me differently. It nagged at the back of my head and tugged at my consciousness.

"I sense dark magic," the wolf whispered. "Be careful, Nika. Whoever left it will know the minute you touch it, so don't go into that room until you can map its presence."

"Map it?"

A wolfish laugh echoed in my head. "Ah, right. I guess you Fae types can't do that. Let me help you."

"How?"

The wolf went quiet, and I peered over at the door in interest.

I was plenty familiar with dark magic. Unlike light magic, one could leave it for a period of time, sort of like an alarm system. It required incredible control and skill, but the group after me wouldn't find this sort of high-level magic very difficult.

Like Ryker had said, Fae couldn't map dark magic with our power, so going into the room would be a seriously stupid amateur move. The minute we did, whoever left it would know and come to check it out. Could even track us after we'd left.

Dark magic clung to the body and didn't let go. There wouldn't be anywhere we could hide. Luckily, it seemed whatever magic had been left for us was in the room and not the hallway, so we could avoid consequence if we navigated it carefully.

But this much dark magic required a blood sacrifice, and by the metallic scent in the air and thick stench of decay, someone was dead—probably the very person Silas relied on to give us necessary information about my mysterious power.

The door broke into pieces and crumbled to dust on the floor before Silas retracted his magic and glared into the space.

Disintegration magic? Interesting. I idly wondered what it worked on. Clearly wood and metal didn't pose an issue. I had questions, but I would save them for later. Now wasn't the time to pry into Silas's many powers.

For his age, I wasn't necessarily surprised by how many magical abilities the mercenary had, but I was curious what else Silas could do. Asking meant dealing with his smarmy smiles and smart comments, so...no thanks. I'd find out without subjecting myself to his ridiculous man-boy antics.

The room pulsed with dark energy and candles burned black all around the room. Chalk painted the floor in a giant pentagram, broken apart by splashes of blood over its five points. A ritual to summon dark energy from the sacrifice was marked all around the room, on the walls and corner points, our victim's blood the paint.

Putrid death flooded my nose and coated my throat. It'd been hours, maybe even a day, and the suffocating stench was already penetrating to the senses. I coughed and covered my mouth, no stranger to death and decay but certainly not a fan of it either.

"We should—"

"Don't move," Silas commanded, blue magic pulsating around him.

An arm hung over a large chair in the room, its skin deathly pale and stiff. The owner was clearly female. From what Silas suggested, this was the woman we likely came to see—and she was dead. Whoever came here first killed her so we couldn't hear what she had to say. It was an insufferable breath I took when I realized more would likely die because of me.

Maybe even Silas.

"This reeks of Reaper. Bastard knew we were coming. Whatever happened here, it's fucking trouble. She's gone. I never thought he'd do it, but he's too far gone now. He's severed his last tie." Shock morphed my companion's face, and I was confused by it.

"What do you mean?" I stayed where I was, but the wolf was whispering in my head, telling me to give over control.

With an agitated breath, Silas carded a hand through his silver hair. "His mother, the last of his humanity. He killed her. I'm sure you know what it means for someone using dark magic to kill all their loved ones..."

Killing loved ones for a blood sacrifice could only mean one thing. "You mean he's severing all earthly ties. What kind of back-ass history do you have with him? That sort of blood magic is prelude to world-ending bullshit," I yelled without meaning to.

The ultimate sacrifice. Only the worst kind of magic called for that sort of cost; one so forbidden it veered on death-defying.

Silas didn't answer, just took me by the arm and started to head back in the direction we came. "We need to leave before the dark magic sends him a little message we were here."

"How did they know we'd come to speak to her?" I let the large oaf drag me along only so I could ask my question. "Do you think he knows about me?"

Silas paused, the muscles all over his body doing a sinister dance of distress. "It's possible. If your grandmother had this power and Yuma was aware you had it, then it's likely she fed the possibility to them. After Bear Claw, they'd have enough proof to know what you could do."

"Shit."

Silas's smile was apologetic. "It was only a matter of time, love. We're not dealing with bumbling trolls here. Reaper and those Brotherhood pricks are the best of the best. And as much as it pains me to admit it, they're quick on the uptake."

"How you were ever a part of them, I'll never understand," I clapped back with a hidden smile.

Silas threw his head back with a chest-deep laugh. "Ah, fuck me, Nika. Don't take the piss right now. It's distracting. No smiling or seductive looks either." The oversized brute waggled his finger at me in a chastising way that was far too cute for someone who just stumbled upon a death scene. "I'm a hot-blooded bastard, and I'll forget why I can't taste your lips and fuck you right here." His satisfied grin brought back memories of our night together. "And believe you me, love, you want all this hot blood in the right head if you know what's good for you."

Only Silas could make the moment after discovering a woman's body and sinister, world-ending blood magic sexually charged. I'd nearly forgotten what a hopeless idiot the Fae mercenary was.

"Nika, while I hate to interrupt the little sexy fun you're having..." Ryker snickered in my head, and I stiffened, "you need to go back. Let me have control. If I register the scent of Reaper's dark magic, I can track him or even alert you when he's nearby."

Silas watched me closely, confusion etched into his brow. "Nika? What's got you all stiff and pale? Not that it doesn't look good on you..."

Sighing, I rolled my eyes and didn't answer. Instead, I addressed Ryker in my head, "What do you mean? Didn't you already smell him before? You know, when you were in Bear Claw?"

I could hear Salvator's snicker before Ryker spoke, "It doesn't work like that. Smells register differently in each host. Please, if you'd just trust me this one time, I could show you I'm here to help. It could mean I sense that dangerous asshole well before he attacks, and that could spare both of your lives."

"You have a real hard-on for this chick, wolf," Bear Claw mocked in a nasty tone. "Don't tell me you fell in love with her just because she's had a hard life? What a fucking joke."

"Let me, Ryker," a deep, penetrating baritone echoed inside my head. "Your nose is good, but mine's better."

The wolf scoffed. "Oh, now you show up, Tometi. You're a real knight in shining armor."

"We both know I can track better than you can," Tometi said gruffly, his voice filling my head with a soothing timbre that was oddly comforting. "If you permit it, Nika, I'd like to do my part to keep you safe from that rat-bastard."

It was a marvel how quickly I'd adapted to three men in my head like it was normal. But I'd learned early on in life to exploit what I could. With my magic chaotic at best, I wasn't beneath taking advantage of something handed to me. It was half the reason I'd survived up to this point, and I wouldn't take for granted what having access to powerful animal souls and their abilities could do to keep me alive long enough to find out what Father had planned when he left me that night.

"Reaper is a thousand times worse now that he's killed dear old mom. Not to mention what this sort of blood sacrifice suggests," Bear Claw spat. "Even your superior noses won't save her from what's coming. Nothing will. Their deaths were signed and sealed when Reaper killed that old hag." Bear Claw's voice bottomed out and every word was lethal. "The only reason he couldn't use his power was because of his love for her. She was the only one keeping him from total darkness, and she knew it. But looks like the asshole finally lost it. I didn't think it was in him, not really, but now I'm confident that asshole brought him back."

"Him? Him who?" I asked, sensing that whoever it was, he was worse than all the people after me combined.

Ryker's tone was deadly. "No way did he manage to summon him. Reaper doesn't have the balls. He knows what it means if he comes back. That kind of darkness can't be controlled after it's been magnified by the After."

"Oh, that room sung of a summoning. The final nail in the coffin. Bet Reaper brought him back, and now there'll be nowhere she can hide. He'll want her. Her power is exactly what he'll want, and it comes in such a pretty little package."

Ryker scoffed. "And you accused me of falling in love..."

Salvator cut in sharply, ignoring the slight, "With Silas's attachment to her, she'll be all the sweeter. A perfect revenge. With him back from the After, not even Silas stands a chance. Bastard will eat him alive."

Bear Claw's voice echoed inside my head, an omen in every word. While I still wasn't sure who they were talking about, it was evidently someone Silas knew well. And whoever it was, they wanted revenge—probably for killing them.

The After was what our kind referred to as the afterlife. Three places were theorized to exist. The space between redemption and damnation, a limbo of sorts where the lost wandered. Then, the space of redemption and damnation. It was said those who were damned spent an eternity in torment. Those who were deemed worthy were rebirthed.

Of course, it was all hogwash to me. I didn't believe in the After. I only believed in the here and now. Well, until I collected the soul of my first victim. Now I wasn't so sure.

"Better start soul collecting, sweetheart. You'll need all the help you can get. Souls resurrected from the After are far more powerful than you could ever imagine."

I asked what Bear Claw meant by soul collecting, then about how resurrection was even possible, but no one answered. The voices were silent. Only my own thoughts occupied my head for the seconds afterwards.

"Nika," Silas whispered urgently. "What's going on?"

I startled out of my head and looked into his silver eyes, the color a reminder that Silas was close to burning shit to the ground if I gave him any hint of foul play. "If I told you I could hear Bear Claw and his animal souls, what would you say?"

"Hear them?"

"And possibly...use their powers," I added, my voice morphed with apprehension.

I didn't like how vulnerable I sounded, but after the night we had together, I wanted to trust Silas with more of myself. Even the weaker parts.

Silas's eyes dimmed to their usual gold before he hummed low in his throat. "They're talking to you?"

"They say if I let them take control, they can track Reaper and his dark magic's scent. Let us know when he's close. They seem to know a thing or two about how this power of mine works, and we don't exactly have a ton of options when it comes to this stuff."

The tension in Silas's body was visible through his clothes and along his neck and jaw. "You can't trust Bear Claw. He idolized Reaper and the others. He was a total lap dog."

"The fuck did he just say..." Bear Claw barked loudly in my head.

Smirking, I eyed the large oaf. "I'm smarter than that, and you know it. But these animal souls...I sense they genuinely want to help. They seem to know more about what's happening here. Like how that was a summoning ritual to bring someone back. I'm not clear who—"

"Someone back..." My companion's eyes dropped out of sight, and his jaw clenched. "No, he...there's no way they could bring him back without help. Reaper isn't powerful enough, even with that kind of sacrifice."

I dipped my head down and caught Silas's straying gaze. "Bring who back?"

"Doesn't matter," Silas stated finitely, rejecting me with a glare. Then Silas pinned me with his golden stare and crossed his arms, the muscles bulging in his fury. "I don't like any of this."

"He's such an overprotective ass," Bear Claw growled, and I was surprised it was him who said it. "Tell the brute that I give him my vow as a Brother that no harm will come to you. He knows my word is my vow. I've never broken a promise. Besides, I don't want to know what happens if you get hurt and I'm still stuck in here."

There it was, the true reason. Not that I minded. I hadn't expected anything less of an asshole who tried to kill me for money.

A smile tilted my lips, and Silas was instantly on guard. "What are you smiling for? What are those bloody wankers going on about? Bet they're flattering you, the skeevy lot. Don't listen to a bloody word they say, little bird. It's all pretty words laced with poison."

"Bear Claw says he gives you his vow as a Brother that no harm will come to me. I think he's worried what will happen to him should I be harmed with their souls trapped in my body." I heard Bear Claw's agitated sigh and couldn't help giggling.

Silas grumbled to himself. "It took me days—days—to get a smile like that from you, let alone a giggle, and that wanker gets it on the first day..." I eyed the mercenary reproachfully. "Fine! Fuck it. But I swear it, princess, if they do anything to put you in danger, I'll find a way to extract and eviscerate their bleeding dark souls."

"You have my blessing," I agreed, loud enough for Salvator to know I meant every word. "I'll even help you find a way."

"Sassy little bi—"

Ryker cut in, "I know how to expel this asshole if he tries anything. I'll even teach you how after all of this as a good faith measure. You have my word, Nika."

I turned back towards the door and exhaled. "Okay, let's get this over with."