Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

I had not. There was nosmoke, or graceful movements. No instant shift from animal tohuman. It was horrible and ugly. At one point, the panther was adeformed mass of quivering, convulsing flesh. Its jet-black furseemed to shrink back into its skin, which smoothed out to becomehuman like. The mess that had been the panther groaned; half humanhalf animal. I shuddered and cringed into Breandan who wrapped hisarms around me. I pressed my eyes shut and buried my head into hissolid chest. I could smell blood, sweat, and something floral, butpungent to the point my nose burned. The heat coming from where theshifter was changing was immense; like a fire raged nearby. Therewas a thick, glooping sound, a crack, and snap of bone followed bythe lush tearing of muscle.

I put my fingers in my ears andplugged my nose by holding my breath. A minute passed and I thoughtmy lungs would burst. Breandan pulled one of my hands down andnudged my chin up with the other. I peeked an eye open and wasrewarded with the sight of a muscular and naked boy crawling hisway toward me.

He nudged his head into my hand.Flustered, I patted him twice, cringing as I did so then steppedback. He blinked up at me, and I recognized the colour of hisirises, even if they were a different shape.

“Sorry,” he said, raspy.“It takes a while for my brain to think, human and notcat.

“Rae,” I blurted.“Hai.”

He smiled and stood, up. He wobbledfor a moment, but once he had steadied his legs, he held out hishand. “Alec,” he said.

I stared at the hand, thenhim.

“Oh right,” he said and hiseyes touched on my wings, ears and tail. “I forget you fairiesdon’t like touching much, do you. You seemed okay with me when Iwas a panther though.”

I was having a hard time. I tried tospeak but all that came out was a squawk resembling agreement. Ayoung girl passed Alec a pair of trousers and he thanked her as hejumped into them.

“She is new to this life,”Breandan said over the awkward silence.

The shifter-boy shrugged. “No problem.We do not Change in front of strangers often. I know it can bescary. I’m okay now, honest.” He smiled at me and Irelaxed.

Hesitantly, I smiled back. “It lookedlike it hurt.”

He laughed a loud guffaw. “That’s oneway to put it.”

“It wasn’t like I thought….I mean, I can take my glamour off now without any pain. Is it likethat every time?”

“Yeah, sucksy’know.”

I grinned at his use of slum speak.“You’re a dwell?”

“I was,” he said. “Until afull moon had me sprouting fur and a tail one season eight yearsago. I can tell you, the neighbors were not pleased. Clerics camefor me, of course, but I was long gone.”

I nodded gravely. “How did you getpast the Wall?”

“Byron found me. He smeltme on a run and found me pacing the fence. What aboutyou?”

Alec confirmed the man standing beforeus was the Alpha, Byron, not that any of the other shifters lookedlike they could match him. He watched us carefully, taking ourmeasure. His nostrils flared, mouth pulled back in a grimace. Heseemed to almost be fronting us, goading us on. I looked up atBreandan, who had been silent throughout this entire exchange; hisgaze was locked with the Alpha’s. Was he mad? We needed to getthese shifters to help us, not put their backs up. I elbowed him inthe ribs but he did not acknowledge me.

So I was distracted when I saidwithout thinking, “I was a Disciple–” Alec’s sharp intake of breathhad me cringing at my careless words and shaking my head at thesuspicion no doubt taking root in his mind. “No, I’m not here tohurt you. You see what I am.” My tail flicked from side to side asproof I was like him, demon. “I was a Disciple who wandered too farinto the forest. I got past the Wall and got lost. I saw–” Istopped there for Breandan squeezed me. I sighed, “The rest is acomplicated story I don’t think I have time to tell consideringBreandan and your Alpha are having a non blinkingcontest.”

Alec looked between them. “Best wedon’t get involved.” He reached to take my hand, but I flinched,and this did reach Breandan through his focus since he hissedquietly.

Byron growled and it all got verytense.

Conall stepped forward and held up hispalms. His presence was solid, calming and he bobbed his headrespectfully towards Byron.

“You know me, Alpha. Wehave crossed paths before and parted as friends. Why do you actso?”

The older man’s face twisted briefly.“I remember you well, Conall. A fine talker you are, but also afine warrior. If the fairies were to attack, would they not sendthe strongest of you to test us? Would they not sniff out ourweakness?”

Conall seemed taken aback. “Why wouldyou think such a thing? We have no quarrel with you.”

Byron laughed; a big-bellied laughthat would have you think he had not a care in the world had hiswords not held such bitterness. It was then he took his eyes fromBreandan and looked at my brother. “Do you not? Has that fairy-lordof yours stopped shooting bolts of fire at my kind if we dare enterthe woods?”

“It is not what you think.”Conall sounded tired. “We have broken, Byron. The High Lord haslost his mind and we are fighting him.”

“Devlin is gone,” I saidbefore Conall could speak again. “He’s gone and we’re huntinghim.”

Byron ignored me. “You mean to killhim, Conall?”

I tossed my head. “No. Ido.”

There was a long-suffering sigh fromthe fairy-boy beside me.

Byron’s eyes twitched to me, and hecocked his head. He smiled flashing teeth sharp and yellowed. Hescratched at his graying beard. “You? Such a smallthing.”

“A small and fierce thing,”Alec added and winked at me.

“Why are you here?” Byronasked Conall outright.

My brother looked at me and Ishrugged. It seemed the Alpha had a hard time speaking tome.

“As Rae said, we huntDevlin and his followers. He has taken something important and weneed it back.”

Byron picked up on what he did notsay. “You have broken off your hunt to come here, meaning your owntracking has failed.”

“Devlin had worked a spell.I cannot see past it. We