"Why?" Nikki asked. "What did Dunleavy do?"
"Apparently, he'd killed a woman Michael cared about." Nikki raised her eyebrows. The little he'd said about his past had led her to believe he hadn't really cared about anyone in those dark years. Obviously, that wasn't quite the truth. "And he found Dunleavy in this Hartwood?"
"Yes. Dunleavy was a sorcerer and worshipper of the dark gods. I'd been trying to stop him for years."
"Can I ask why?"
Seline hesitated. "Because I'm a big believer in the fact that those of us with special gifts have a duty to protect those who don't."
The answer didn't surprise her, because that was the motivation behind the Damask Circle, and Seline had started the Circle. "Did Dunleavy kill friends of yours as well?"
"No. He simply killed, and that was enough for me."
"Were you working alone?"
"Yes. The Circle wasn't yet in existence."
But it had come into being shortly after, though exactly how it had come into being, she wasn't entirely sure. "Did Dunleavy kill for the sake of it, or was there a specific reason?"
"The dark gods grant great power in return for blood sacrifices. Dunleavy moved from town to town, kidnapping virgins and sacrificing them on the night of the new moon."
"Sounds like a real nice type," Jake muttered.
"Oh, he was a gem," Seline agreed dryly. "Trouble was neither Michael nor I could take him out straight away. Dunleavy was a shapeshifter—one who can take on the form of anyone he has killed." Nikki frowned. "So he's more like one of those manarei Doyle was mentioning in monsters class?"
"In a sense, yes, though Dunleavy comes from human stock, and the manarei don't."
"And he could take on male or female form?"