Shadow was never exactly chatty. Yeah, understatement of the year. But I did have this recurring daydream about the two of us. We’d be sitting back on the couch, the magical fire burning nearby, and I’d ask him all the questions… and he would answer them. Every single one.
Just thinking about all the knowledge he held, it’d be like talking to my own personal library. Did I say daydream? Yeah, I meant wet dream.
Funnily enough, since I’d turned into a fireball myself and busted open his realm, Shadow had been more open with me. Even playing tour guide as he led us away from the ridge over the village, and back down into what almost looked like a long-ago dried riverbed. “What truly differentiates Shadow Realm from Earth,” he said, “is the age of its inhabitants. The royals, the freilds, creatures, and many other subspecies have been evolving here for millions of years. We’re more powerful and we live longer than humans and shifters. The mists give us an advantage Earth does not have, at least not in the short time humans have been on it.”
“Earth has a similar energy to the mists?” I asked, reading between the lines. It was there; we just couldn’t utilize it.
He nodded. “It does, and there’s a possibility that at some point in the next million years, if humans last that long, evolution will bring many more powerful supernaturals to the forefront. For now, you’re so young.”
I thought back to the other worlds off the Solaris System and had to agree. We weren’t even remotely in the same league as those big players.
“Shadow Realm was Earth, just a few million years ago,” Angel said softly, her head held high as the light breezes shifted her hair around her face. “And the royals were once near human. Until they figured out how to absorb the mists. How to use them. And then, as evolution does, they grew stronger, and now with the Supreme Being”—she shot a look at Shadow—“they’re almost unbeatable in this system.” She shrugged. “Well, they were before they kicked him out and shut their doors down.”
Shadow smiled at this. “They’ve weakened themselves, and once I figure out how to claim my power, I’ll be able to take advantage of that.”
This caught my interest. “How will you find your power?” I asked. “Is it just floating around somewhere, waiting for you to claim it?”
Shadow’s smile grew larger. “Sort of. Any who are able to control the power are born with a mist tattoo.” He lifted his arm, showing me the dark swirls around the large skull on his biceps. “I’ve added to this one, but the first mark was there at birth.”
I spent far too long staring at the muscled arm, and by the end, I could have redrawn the damn tattoo, I knew it so well. But seriously, it was… nice. Yeah, that was what it was.
Nice.
“Some have tried to fake the mark, right?” Angel asked, thankfully allowing me to tear my gaze away.
Shadow shot me a smug look, always seeing too clearly how he affected me. “Tried and failed,” he answered Angel. “They don’t usually survive the tattoo, let alone the bonding to the mists that allows the power to transfer.”
“So how did your sister do it?” I asked.
“The bloodstone,” Angel and Shadow replied at the same time.
I looked between them. “Ohhh, right. The old bloodstone. That was my second guess.”
Shadow’s eyes were deadset laughing at me. The bastard. “And what was the first?” he asked.
Uhhh. I shrugged. “Fucked her way to the top?”
Yeah, I’d just sent women’s rights back a few thousand years, but she was a bitch, and I was too braindead for a better idea.
Angel chuckled. “Knowing her in the short time I did, your guess isn’t that farfetched.”
Shadow didn’t bother to comment on it, and I had no doubt his sister’s sex life was the last thing he wanted to think about.
“The bloodstone is passed between the Supreme Beings,” he told us. “Its power is nothing much until the bond to its master happens, but my sister must have figured out how to utilize it to some degree. Giving her a little more control of the mists. And that’s all she’d need to control the other royals.”
I grimaced. “Who thought it was a good idea to give one person ultimate power? I mean, isn’t that just asking for corruption from this Supreme Being? A being no one in this land can fight against. What stops them from aiming for complete and total subjugation?”
Still one of my greatest fears. Even if I only lived with the facade of freedom, I needed it to keep my sanity intact.
Shadow shot me a side-eye. “What are you saying, Sunshine? You think I have the capability to destroy worlds once I receive my legacy?”
He expected me to say yes, that was clear in his expression, but… once I truly thought about it…
“No.”
He paused, stopping our trek across the river plane. “No?”
“You’ve already had supreme power,” I said, thinking it through out loud. “Take Earth, for example—there’re very few who would even be able to last ten seconds against you. And as far as I know, you’ve never abused that power over shifters or humans. You’ve left shifters to go about their days, let humans continue as they were. So… unless this new energy has the aim to corrupt you, I don’t see why you’d change now. But you could be the exception to the rule of total power corrupting.”
His lips parted, lips that had kissed me not that long ago, and just like that, I could taste him again. A craving to close the distance between us and lick this delicious beast almost knocked me over. Like, damn. That boy was a magnet dragging me into its field.
And I wasn’t even mad about it.
“The power is not evil,” he said, and it took me far longer than I’d like to admit to focus on those words. “It will not change me. If anything, it’s designed to open my mind. Force me to comprehend every facet of my action before I make it. To my knowledge, throughout our history, there has never been a Supreme Being who was corrupted by the power. Generally, the land is at its most prosperous when the chosen one is at full power.”
“My knowledge too,” Angel said. “And not that I’m not enjoying this conversation, because I am, but is there any chance we could get to where we are camping for the night? I need to recharge my energy. I anticipate attacks in our future, and I want to be at full strength.”
Shadow nodded. “Yes. It’s just beyond this meadow.”
Meadow… Hmm, I mean, not exactly how I’d describe a field of lava rocks, but to each their own. My expression must have given my thoughts away because Shadow lifted an eyebrow in my direction. “This is unexpectedly widespread, the lava field, but if it’s the same as when I was here, there’s a trick that will give us some comforts tonight.”
He crouched and ran his hands over the ground, moving farther and farther along until he seemed to find what he was looking for. Without a word, he lifted his right hand and punched through the rock. I blinked at the burst of violence, expecting a bloody mess of a hand when he pulled it back, but there was just smooth, bronze skin.
“Show-off,” I muttered.
He shook his head, before he started to dig into the hole he’d made, and after a beat, liquid bubbled up from it. He scooped it up, and it was clear. “Looks like we’re staying here for the night,” he declared, and then he flung the water around.
I felt his energy flow with the liquid, and within seconds, there was a field of grass where rock had previously been. The grass was an odd color, not quite green and not quite brown, but this golden shade of ocher.
When I crouched to touch it, it felt soft and alive, smooth against the palm of my hand. “How did it grow so fast?” I breathed, unsure if it was real or magic.
“The lava spreads across the top of the land, but it doesn’t destroy what lies below. Once I find a fertile spot, all I have to do is give a little assistance, and we can return it to what once was.”
The grass continued to spread where we stood, as did the waterhole he’d created. A literal grotto of nature in the midst of a field of black rock. “Why did we walk so far if you could have done this anywhere?”
Golden, flaming eyes almost had me forgetting my question as he met my gaze. “Not anywhere. I had to find a source of water and energy first, and the farther we are from the villages, the safer we’ll be. I will not allow an ambush to take us by surprise while we rest.”
Allow. Typical arrogant beast. But I couldn’t complain. “Yeah, late-night ambushes are the worst, amiright?”
Deadpan stare. What? “I use lame sarcasm to get through scary situations. You’re aware of this, so don’t act so annoyed.”
Shadow just shook his head. “Being aware of something doesn’t make it less annoying.”
I nodded, wrinkling my forehead, like I was considering this. “Yeah, good point. I’m not going to stop, though.”
“Never thought you would.”
He turned away, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why my heart was beating so hard. How unfair was it to finally have this explosion of chemistry between us evolving, only for me to find out he was back here to claim his crown and… his mate.
He is not mine. Never was, never will be.
Forcing myself to focus on one thing and one thing only—setting up camp and getting some sleep—I pulled out the contents of my backpack. I had a compressed mattress that inflated as I unrolled and spread it out. Even better, when Shadow pressed his hand to it, the freaking thing doubled in size, giving me a soft surface on which to rest. A broad smile stretched my cheeks, and I was surprised by how excited I was to not sleep directly on the rocky ground. Pretty sure this was adulthood, and I was here for it.
Shaking my ass at this unexpected fortune, I did a quick dance to the music in my head, and as I spun on the spot, near combo twerking and flossing, I found Angel and Shadow watching me… closely.
A normal person would have been embarrassed—my dance skills were about as strong as my singing skills. But I wasn’t normal. This was the new, improved Mera, who didn’t shave off parts of herself to fit into other people’s worlds.
“What?” I said, looking between them. “Everyone should dance when they’re happy. Promise it’s totally worth it.”
Shadow’s eyes burned into me. “I’ll take your word for it,” he rumbled, his voice deeper than ever, his accent slightly stronger as he rolled his rs. There was a burst of flame flickering deep in his eyes, stirring energy low in my body. If he kept this up, I was going to add squirming to my dance repertoire.
Had he actually enjoyed watching my terrible dance moves? Or was I searching for a deeper connection between us because I was the idiot catching some feels?
Either way, it left me all out of sorts, and I was a little grumpy as I flopped onto my bed and stared up at the sky above. Angel informed us that she needed to recharge her energy, and off she went to meditate with the land or something, and I just focused on breathing in and out and relaxing. Some of my mood shifted as I calmed, and with that, I started to notice more of the world around me.
Like… there were no stars here. Not a single one.
Twisting around to take in the entire midnight black sky, I saw what looked like a slice of golden cheese-shaped moon off in the distance, a few streams of light drifting around it, but other than that, the rest was a heavy blanket across the sky.
“The Ether mists,” Shadow said, and I tried not to react when he settled in at my side, our bodies almost touching. We might as well have been, with our energy ping-ponging back and forth between us, near scorching with the intensity. “They’re more visible when the light of the day fades.”
“Do you actually call it night and day?” I asked, realizing that all of this time, he’d used familiar Earth terms.
“Not in our language,” he said, his steady breathing near lulling me to sleep. “But there’s no literal translation to most of what exists here, so I’m giving it to you in terms you understand.”
I liked that. Shadow wasn’t particularly considerate in general, but with me… he had been trying. I had no idea what that meant, but I liked it.
Pretty much why I was a girly mess of feelings.
Shadow continued to tell me about his world, and honestly, the mild accent was enough to drive me both crazy and soothe me to sleep. How he could pull me in such polar opposites, I’d never know, but as I listened to his history, I ended up resting against his arm.
Shadow didn’t move me. He didn’t shock me. He let me rest against his warmth, and for a brief moment, there was only peace.
That lasted until I closed my eyes, and his chest rumbled, jarring me awake.
“You need to eat,” he said.
“You do,” Angel added, having finished with her own recharge.
Sitting up, I rubbed at my eyes, wishing I didn’t feel like such horseshit. I was not one of those people who could be woken from a few-minute nap and bounce back. Made me and my wolf a little growly.
“You look great,” I said to Angel, noticing a visible energy flickering across her skin, almost like she was covered in a blanket of electricity. I hadn’t seen that before, but this must have been Angel at full charge.
“The mists are unsteady,” she said, brushing her hands along her armor. “There’s still power, but the stability is out of balance. I don’t know what the royals have been doing since Shadow left, but whatever it is, they’re not doing it well.”
“Which will soon change,” the beast in question said. Before any of us could answer, he reached down and hauled me up. “You’re not looking after yourself, Mera,” he bit out as he led me to the waterhole he’d created.
We stopped on the side. “This is safe to drink,” he added, nudging me forward.
I didn’t move, and clearly, my rather epic resting bitch face wasn’t doing its job because he just nudged me again. “Shadow,” I snapped. “Stop motherfucking manhandling me. I don’t need your help with taking care of myself. I will eat… and drink… when I’m ready to eat and drink.”
Okay, so I might have been acting a little like a toddler, but I was out of sorts still, and he wasn’t helping with his alpha bullshit. Not tonight. Tonight, I knew he had a true mate, a destiny that didn’t include me, and I was stuck in this world that might hold a lot of secrets I couldn’t handle.
Tonight, I just needed a break.
Another nudge, and it was at this very moment I lost my shit, launching myself at him, tackling the damn devil of shifters. Now, normally, I wouldn’t have moved his giant ass, but we’d been balancing right on the edge of his lake, and I took him by surprise, sending both of us into the water.
I coughed and choked, going under as the shock rendered me motionless for a beat. The water was cool but not freezing, and it was surprisingly refreshing as it unexpectedly entered my nose and mouth.
A strong arm hauled me up, and when he slammed his palm against my back to help me get the water up, there was a decent chance he’d just broken a rib or two. But I hadn’t drowned, so there was that.
“What the fuck, dude?” I gasped, chasing air to get it into my lungs. “This is all your fault.”
He just stared at me, blinking like I was some sort of swamp creature who’d disturbed his swim. “You’re always pushing me,” I ranted, paddling away from him, because I needed the distance. “Always trying to fit me into your mold, all the while using your alpha command on me—”
His power locked around me, cutting off my words, and I was slowly dragged back through the lake until I reached him. Out here, I couldn’t touch the bottom, but it was okay because he held me up with whatever energy he was using to once again control me.
Unable to speak, I used my eyes to project how truly pissed off I was.
I am going to kill you when you free me.
Shadow grinned, a not very nice smile, and like the truly pathetic shifter I was, I found myself examining his lips, thinking about our kiss.
Our first kiss. For both of us.
This was just getting sad, an obsession burning through my veins.
Shadow’s eyes darkened, with just the flickering embers deep inside. “Your mouth says one thing, Sunshine,” he told me softly, “but your scent says another. Not to mention your eyes.”
I was drowning again, but this time from the intensity of him. Of his power. Of his presence. Of this tangible connection between us. My body ached, and I tried to arch to ease it, but of course, he was torturing me with a full body hold.
Just when I was about to combust or freak out or hyperventilate—fine line on all three—he finally released me, and I sank into the water, near sobbing as the cool liquid encased me again, soothing my boiling skin.
By the time I resurfaced, Shadow was gone, and I reluctantly followed. I was still horny as fuck, but the simmering annoyance kept it at bay. An annoyance that only grew with each sodden step across the land toward my bedding.
When I got there, Shadow held two bars out to me. “Eat,” he told me shortly, dropping them in my hands.
I was tempted to throw them back at him, but that was both juvenile and a waste of food, so I satisfied myself with turning my back and pretending he didn’t exist.
If only there hadn’t been a constant hot blast of his energy from behind, and those snaking tendrils in my gut, from the Shadow pull.
As I wolfed—pun intended—down the bars he’d packed for me, I felt an easing of the pressing anger that had been riding me for a while. Hmm. Odd.
“She was hangry,” Angel said, her voice behind me as well. Sounded like she was standing near Shadow. “I’ve heard of that with humans, but that was my first time seeing it.”
I shot them both a glare over my shoulder. “I was not hangry, you immortal assholes.”
Both Shadow and Angel cracked smiles, and I found myself laughing as well, realizing I had been a bit of a hungry-angry bitch.
“Sorry about pushing you in the water,” I said to Shadow. “I might have overreacted a touch.”
That was as much as he was getting from me.
The beast took a step forward, his power blasting into me, and I had to close my eyes at the delicious sensation of his fire. Within seconds, it had dried my clothes and boots. “You feel stronger,” I told him.
“It’s been a long time since I felt my energy charged up like this.” His laugh was dry. “I’d actually forgotten what it was like to partake of the energy of Shadow Realm.”
“You were very young when you were kicked out,” I reminded him.
He nodded. “Yes, twenty-two is young, but it’s also a big milestone here. Especially for a royal. We open our energies to accept the power of the mists, we control our first creature, and we learn how to step into a leadership role.”
“You missed it all,” I whispered sadly.
His features darkened. “Every milestone was stolen from me. If I hadn’t torn at the mists as I was leaving, I wouldn’t have had Inky, either, and there is little doubt in my mind that without its energy, I would have perished on my own.”
Which had probably been his sister’s aim. To send him out so young, defenseless and without energy.
“Now I want to kill your family.”
His laughter brushed over me, and I found it hard to remember being mad at him before.
“Killing my sister is my right,” Shadow reminded me.
Fair enough. He deserved it more than any, and I would do my best to help him achieve his goal.
It was almost amusing how much our relationship had changed. Would it morph again just as fast? Especially when the true mate came back into the picture?
