Even without his telepathy, Damien knew Ross was itching to know what he had picked up from Tora. Nothing escaped her. Ross's head might be pounding and her throat hotter than the sun, but her mind was clear as day – and she was raging.

Markl, on the other hand, was attempting to maintain an angry exterior, but underneath that, there was fear – mixed in with something else.

As though feeling Damien probing, Markl lifted his head. Damien dropped his gaze, embarrassed.

"Hell hath no fury?" Carlos offered.

Silence.

"I'm sticking my neck out here, but—"

"Shut up."

Carlos's jaw snapped shut. He huffed. He and Damien helped Ross back onto the sofa, releasing gingerly so as not to do any more damage. He admired how Carlos seemed so unaffected by what had just happened. Both Ross and Markl had the gravest expressions he'd ever seen, and Damien's own heart raced faster than a startled hare. But whatever was the cause of Markl's strange emotions, it didn't stem from just that outburst.

There was a pang of guilt at the sight of Tora rounding that corner, clutching that broken arm. That was so unexpected. Even with the recent changes, all the strange occurrences, and that awful atmosphere, Tora wouldn't attack one of her own.

He almost wished he could have seen the whole thing. That explosion of a spring sent him scuttling backwards, hiding behind the computer system, and the next thing he was aware of was Tora pinned to the wall and Ross half-dead on the floor. A distinctive smell hovered in the air, grotesquely familiar and tingling his nose hairs, but he couldn't put his finger on it just yet.

Tora was almost feral, snarling and snapping at Markl. Her own attacks caused more damage to herself. Markl just healed, holding her up by the throat with one hand and breaking one of her arms by slamming the other two arms above her head with his other. Black smoke wafted from his feet, ebbing as Tora calmed.

The leader stared her down and sent her away. Damien was almost afraid she'd jump on Markl. Her mind was all over the place, giving off furious static, none of it sensical, like a radio during a storm.

Markl strode across the room and knelt before Ross. She flinched as he touched the bruise on her neck.

"Are you all right?"

Damien expected a sarcastic retort, but to his surprise the lieutenant only whispered, "Yes."

"I'm sorry." Markl sat back on his heels, his eyes dark with worry. The fingers of his right hand rubbed each other. "You're right. She's a loose cannon."

"You're not kicking her out, are you?" Carlos looked alarmed, sitting up straight.

Grim resignation settled on Markl's face.

"I'll speak to her. This will be sorted out."

Ross cleared her throat. It seemed the shock was easing off as the injuries start to heal.

"Damien and I have something to tell you."

Damien's heart jumped to his throat. Acutely aware of how sticky his armpits have become, the room suddenly seemed rather short of oxygen.

Ross shot him a sideways look.

"Even Damien has sensed something off about her." She coughed again. "It's not just me... picking on her or whatever. I'm pretty sure she's working against us. Demons don't touch her. Once is perhaps unusual, or lucky. Twice is already too many times to be a coincidence."

Damien's hands were clammy. Waves of nausea washed over him.

"I think if she were to betray us to demons, she would have killed us by now." Markl's voice was steady, calming. "And besides, demons are too low in intelligence to strike deals."

"Not the one I saw."

"The one at the hospital?" His eyebrows knitted together.

"He was able to converse. If not for that horrendous stench, he almost passed as human."

That was when it struck Damien. The smell in the air a few moments ago with only traces of it remaining now – it was the smell of demons.

"She has no control over her potential. Attacking her own teammates like that? Those exponential growths we've charted in the past two years? Bursts of anger with those looks?" Ross's next words hit Damien like a ton of bricks. "She's a spy."

Markl didn't dispute any of her words. Carlos looked as if his Xbox had stopped working and the world was ending.

"What do you have to tell me, Dame?"

Markl's words made Damien's stomach do a somersault. Fighting the choking sensation overwhelming him, he met Markl's sharp gaze. Out of habit, he scanned the leader. A brooding storm and a spark of recognition, almost satisfaction at what he was hearing.

Confused, Damien's brows furrowed. A question hung on the tip of his tongue. Markl knew more than what he was letting on, that was for sure. he must have a good reason for doing that, nevertheless...

"We should be tackling this as a team," said Ross, breaking the silence. "It's not fair to deal with her solo."

"Tora isn't lying... as far as she knows." Damien fought the hesitancy and swallowed. His pulse was approximately at a hundred and twenty per minute and his throat drier than a desert. "Th-there's a change inside her. That episode at the hospital – it wasn't Tora who rescued Ross... yet it was her at the same time."

"Mate, you're making no sense," said Carlos.

Ross swore under her breath. Her features contorted in disbelief.

"You are kidding me," she said, except she used more expletive words. She rounded to Markl and hissed, "I was right about the bloody witch the moment I laid eyes on her!"

"We'll take her off the missions for now." Markl's jaw tightened. "She's more than proven her worth in the past two years. If she's dangerous – I still reserve my judgement, for now—" He caught the lieutenant's furious eyes. "—then we'll find out for whom and take it from there.

"I don't get it. Why are you guys talking in riddles? What's going on?"

Ross let out a derisive laugh.

"You are so thick." She rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth so that her next words came out a little muffled. "Tora's a freaking demon. You get it now?!"

Carlos's jaw dropped. Conflicted confusion and denial washed off him.

"It... what? That doesn't mean she's a baddie," he managed, gesturing his large hands helplessly. "I mean, in Mystical Arella had to go undercover and pretend so she doesn't get caught, and last week's Premonitions Josh was a good guy who came from a bad family, so everyone was talking bad about him but he saved loads of people!"

"This isn't a flipping soap opera, numbskull. How many good ones have you met? Any?"

Damien fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt. He would have been totally behind Carlos's view only a few days ago, but he wasn't so convinced about Tora's non-malevolence now. There was just too much spite and anger coming from her.

Perhaps recent circumstances had affected her in some way – heck, that hospital trip with all the deaths and the shopping centre with those ridiculously hardy demons had shaken him enough. The Tora he knew was passionate and honest, without any ill intentions.

He could only hope.

Ross turned to Markl. "She needs twenty-four seven surveillance. Every movement, every conversation must be monitored. She is to be housebound until we gauge exactly what kind of threat she poses."

"You're treating her like a criminal!"

It was obvious Ross was offering her best compromise. Her eyes bore like green lasers at Markl, who nodded.

"I'll let her know. She has a right to that, at least."

"And if she tries to flee?" There was a dangerous edge to the lieutenant's voice despite the hoarseness. She was leaving no room for mistakes. Damien swallowed, his throat dry again. His gaze flicked between Ross's challenging gaze and Markl's exhausted features.

"I think it'll be fair to injure or kill her if she rebels."

Damien sucked in a breath, his blood running cold.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Carlos burst out, his eyes bulging out of his head as he leapt to his feet. "You're talking about Tora here, not some stinking demon! She's a Seeker, for crying out loud. We don't even know her side of the story. So Ross saw her chatting up to a demon and she wasn't hurt yesterday, and Damien thinks she's a demon. She's never harmed a soul in her life. She's always watched out ofr us. She's pulled her weight. You're forgetting all of that?"

He was out of breath by the end, his whole body quivering.

"Would you rather we let her kill one of us first?" Ross said in a frosty voice. Carlos groaned, frustrated, running a hand through his hair until it stuck out in odd spikes.

"Come on. We're not that pathetic. And besides, shoot first, questions later? What are you, human?"

The last word made Ross flinch and flush. Markl rested a hand on her arm and gestured for Carlos to sit down; he acquiesced grudgingly.

"Carlos has a point." Markl's voice was just about audible. Ross shot him a furious look, pointedly massaging her neck. "I appreciate your concerns, Ross, but Tora's one of us, first and foremost." He rubbed his nose, his brow furrowed. "Look. We'll keep an eye on her. Anything out of the ordinary happens again, we'll revisit this. That's not saying we won't resort to extreme measures if necessary, but things are changing. There's little point in making solid decisions right now."

Ross scowled, but did not retaliate. Carlos heaved a sigh of relief, looking exhausted from all the excitement. He rubbed his temple where Damien could feel a migraine growing. Helpfully, he sent some analgesic sensations to his friend, who sighed again.

"I'll go speak to her now," said Markl, getting up. He smiled with sympathy at Ross. "Get some rest. It's been a long few days."

"You said it," she muttered.

He turned to go.

"Wait."

Damien's heart raced. He licked his lips. Ross and Carlos turned to him, curious. Damien dawdled on his words. Maybe he should let the issue slide. After all, Markl had always proved himself the trustworthy and reliable leader.

So he has nothing to hide, right? said Damien conscience. His gut feeling urged him on.

"What's a Shifter?"

Markl stiffened.

"Where did you hear that word?"

His unease poured off him in waves. His brown eyes were sharp, watching every one of Damien's small actions. Damien did the same. He'd never had problems reading people.

"You said it to that demon back in the shops."

Markl was definitely hiding something. He sat down again and rubbed his nose.

"A Shifter is a shapeshifting demon. They fill one of the realms on the other side of the veil. They're bloodthirsty, brutal, and dominated by violence. Thanks to their king, they're insanely strong, too. They've sucked up realm after realm, destroying inhabitants and tore worlds apart – a growing threat, an epidemic."

"And that guy – the same dickhead from the hospital – he's a Shifter?"

"How did you know?" said Carlos, bemused.

"I recognised him... Shifters blend very well with humans, but they stink to high heaven, so they don't bother doing that usually. It's beneath them. I think he did that today deliberately to show us he's there."

"What's he after? Is he really going for Tora?"

"Initially, yes, but now that he's seen us..."

"You think he'll try to kill us all," said Ross matter-of-factly. Carlos ogled at her.

"But why? If he's not after the humans then we're not in his way!"

All eyes fell in Markl again. Damien scanned him. He knew.

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