Shift - 02 Read Free

three years it had become my lullaby. I’d give anything to have that apartment back, and the life that belonged there. The life I had with Mom.
    I opened up the wooden case that sat on my nightstand and stared at the two daggers inside. Beneath the blades lay the folded up note that came with them, and just looking at the polished silver made me sad. It was the last gift and the last note my mother would ever give me.
    Chills shuddered through me at the thought of her and goose bumps rode up my body. Rai fluttered in through the door and found her way to my shoulder. She puffed out her chest and white feathers ruffled themselves. The gold that lined her spine and tail sparkled under the lamp, and lightning crackled in her eyes.   Rai stretched and her white feathers were soft as she moved both pairs of wings against my face.
    “Hey girl,” I said.
    Rai tweeted softly in my ear, nipping at it before flying to the open cage on the dresser.
    I lay back down, and as my eyelids fell, I could see Mom’s face. There she was, smiling at me. Warm hazel eyes swallowed me and instantly I felt better. Soft brown hair fluttered in front of her face, bending to the will of the wind that moved around us, and still she smiled.
    It warmed me from the inside out and tears welled beneath my eyelids, but I didn’t dare open them. I wouldn’t lose this image just to release the tears that fought to be free. But as quickly as it came, Mom’s expression changed, and the warmth was stolen from me.
    The gentle smile that held me so often disappeared, and fear took over. Her skin turned a sickly green, and a bright orange light reflected off her eyes before flames engulfed her.
    My eyes shot open and I jerked myself upwards. The tears I desperately fought to keep back broke free and fell over my face. Her voice rang in my ears, screaming my name and begging for me not to leave her.
    I shook my head to escape the sound and it shattered around me.
    Silence rushed back into the room and I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. That image sent waves of panic and fear through my body, jolting awake any part of me that wanted to sleep. I wasn’t going back to bed. Not tonight.

Chapter 2

    “I’m no–, not, coming!” Willy stammered.
    “This isn’t up for debate. The elders said we all have to be there, so we’re all going,” I said.
    “Well, you can all go without me. I’ve got no–, nothing to say to them.”
    “Willy, you don’t understand what the Circle is or what the elders are capable of–”
    “And I don’t care. I do–, don’t want to go.” Willy crossed his arms, trying to look defiant.
    “I don’t care what you want or don’t want. Having to meet with the elders is bad enough. I’m not going to have your death on my conscience because I let you stay home. This isn’t a discussion. Now go upstairs and get ready.”
    “But–”
    “Now!” I commanded.
    Willy’s face paled. He cowered down from his want-to-be-defiant stance and looked hurt. I felt guilty for yelling at him, but I pushed it away beneath all the other emotions I didn’t have time for. I didn’t need to feel guilty right now and Willy would thank me later, when he was alive.
    I looked out the wall of windows that lined the condo. The sun was setting earlier as the seasons changed. It was seven o’clock and the sun was gone. Darkness beat down on the city, but the lights and traffic made it look very much alive.
    Life had changed so much in the past few weeks. I’d lost my mom. I was living with people I hardly knew, and I no longer had a job. I should’ve known I couldn’t miss that many days without repercussions. I’d tried to get another, but Marcus had stressed that it was for the best. I needed to lie low until we knew what had become of Riley. My father. The man I was trying to stop from raising a demon god. The man who had killed my mother.
    The strangest adjustment of all was the lack of Underworld attacks. Since we’d gotten