Once we crossed over into Trinity, Shadow grew grim, barely taking a second to converse as he pushed us to quicken our pace.
His dark mood had coincided with a very real security presence around us. His sister was paranoid, and it seemed that all the villages close to her compound were on high alert. It got so bad, that around midday, we found ourselves crouched behind rocks, staring down a long line of guards and creatures completely blocking our way through the next town.
“We can’t be detected here,” Shadow said shortly, taking in the line of defense. “If my sister knows my exact location, she’ll have the upper hand, and will come at me with full force.”
“She’s clearly expecting someone,” Angel noted. “Not really a surprise, since the spell on the door was broken.”
“Right,” he confirmed, “but as far as my sister knows, I died long ago when she cast me out. The door could have been opened by any, and this show of power might simply be her way of preparing for whatever is heading her way. I’m not ready for her to find out it’s me.”
“So how do we get through the guards?” I asked the most important question of the day.
Shadow pointed toward the entrance of the city. “It’s going to require disguises, and the hope that if I shield our energy, no one will really question us, at least not until we’re past the main guard.”
Our only plan did not fill me with confidence, as I snuggled further behind the rocks where we hid. There was no black tar this close to the village, the land around us widespread with golden trees, amber grass, and bright red, daisy-like flowers. They were beautiful but reminded me of blood spatter, and that was an ominous vibe as we tried to figure out our next move.
Angel already had her weapons in hand, and while her expression remained calm, it was the look in her eyes that told me she was slipping into a mental place to which all warriors went before they fought. “Need me to scout ahead?” she asked.
Shadow shook his head. “No more flying. They’ll spot you from a mile away.”
Angel was on her feet in the next instant. “Well, I’m not hiding here in the shadows.” She arched her eyebrow at him, and it was clear that she had just about had enough of our clandestine journey across the realm.
Shadow rumbled, picking up on her choice of words. “Are you calling me a coward?”
She leaned forward. “You’ve waited an eternity for this revenge, and I feel like you could have taken us straight into the compound. Only you’ve chosen this route!”
They weren’t exactly shouting, but we were going to draw attention soon if they continued.
“Yes, I’ve had an eternity, and that means I won’t barge into a situation and get us all killed. Every day that I’m here, I grow stronger. Not to mention, the element of surprise is what will give us an advantage.”
Angel bristled. “Excuses, Shadow. With this attitude, you will not best your family. We need the warrior, not the scholar.”
She was being somewhat unfair… Shadow was cautious, and since I was personally not a fan of getting killed before we’d even had a chance to fight, I was all for it. It made sense that with his sister on alert from the doorway opening, he’d be careful in his approach.
“What’s your plan then?” he asked her, and I could feel the heat off his skin. I wasn’t even that close to him, so that meant he was getting pissed. “We just fight our way through? What about Mera? She’ll be in danger.”
That was the point I realized that he had been extra cautious because of me. The weak link. Fuck. Now I was the pissed off one.
My wolf rose, scratching at my chest. I hadn’t been prepared for her push this time, though, too focused on their fight. When she surged to the surface, a choked howl spilled from my lips… and I was shifting.
Shadow felt the moment the change took hold; he was the shifter god, after all. His flames burst to life as he dove for me, but he was a second too late for the wolf, who was finally free.
Free to frolic in the mists of her land.
I was shoved so far back that I blacked out and lost consciousness for a brief second, giving her complete control in a way that she’d only had for the first few minutes of our first shift.
There was nothing I could do to stop her as she sprinted right for the guards. She tipped our head back, power threaded through us in a blaze of heat, and it was clear our beast form was on fire, scorch marks scarring the land around us. Not just scorch marks, but the grass was alight, and whatever this flora was made of, it liked to burn, a veritable blaze building behind us.
My wolf didn’t stop, her power overflowing and spilling into the land, so when she howled, it was the same power-filled ballad that had knocked the Torma wolves down the first time I’d used it. The guard came to attention, but it wasn’t me they stared at.
It was their creatures.
My wolf called them, the dozens upon dozens of shadow creatures. In our monochromatic vision, it was hard to tell if we knew what they all were, but we did recognize some of them.
They converged on me, and I braced myself for an attack, but all they did was fall in beside me. The fire burned a few of them, but the others adapted and ran a little ahead of my blaze.
Stop, I begged my wolf, finally regaining some control in this situation.
Free.
She was free, and she was not giving it up. At least not yet.
The line of guards scattered, shouting and screaming in a tongue I did not understand, and it allowed me to leave the grassy field that I’d probably destroyed with my actions. I was almost into the town—one of the closest towns to the compound, according to Shadow.
We had to go through it to get to the royals, and that was apparently what my wolf was doing. As I stepped onto a paved path, there was nothing for me to burn, so I was just a flaming wolf—my hair color made a lot more sense now. I wasn’t a sunrise. I was a forest fire.
Stalking into the town, the shadow creatures stayed with me and all I could hear were screams and the sound of running as everyone bailed. My wolf didn’t care, stalking through their city like a devil in disguise. Watch out, Shadow, we were coming for your job.
“Mera!”
I heard his roar. My wolf even paused. Shadow stopped her like I hadn’t been able to, and that was… curious. Clearly, he was still alpha to us, but despite making her pause, he was too far away to bind her completely. She continued in a fast sprint, dodging through the houses, setting some of them on fire as we went.
Dammit.
This plan of hers was absolute bullshit. I would never destroy homes in this manner, but this was beyond my control. The fire wolf was in charge, and she gave zero fucks.
When we were deep into the village, approaching what felt like the center, a figure stepped out into our path. A tall, brown-skinned male, with no hair visible anywhere, his chest bare, as he wore only leather pants. Across his skin were dancing tattoos. Definitely a royal.
He shouted to me, but it was not in a language I understood. Obviously. Shadow and Angel knew English from their many years on Earth; they spoke about a billion languages. I was the only moron with just one up my sleeve.
Not understanding him, my wolf just plowed on ahead. He shouted again, and this time shot us with an energy that spilled from his long fingers. Our flames surged higher to try burn it off before it hit us, but that didn’t work.
His magic slammed into our side, and even though I’d never actually been shot, I could only imagine it felt very similar to what had just hit me. We were catapulted backward, our flames wicking out in an instant.
Whatever had hit us looked like a black tar as it settled against the fur on my side, before starting to spread over the rest of me.
The man shouted again, sounding satisfied. From my current position, sprawled on the ground, it looked like he held more of the dark tar. Not wanting to be attacked again, I struggled to get to my feet, finding the task more difficult than anticipated.
As he got closer, still yelling, the shadow creatures descended on him and attacked. He fought back, but there were too many, and he was taken down almost instantly. My wonderful and protective creatures.
But they were a moment too late. The dark sludge covered over half of me now, and while I had no idea what would happen when it reached my face, something told me it wasn’t going to be good.
Shift back, I begged my wolf, but all I got was a whimper in response.
The sludge had cut off our source of power, and very soon, would probably cut off my life as well.
The creatures, finished with the guy, were circling me again, and I felt their protectiveness. They were keeping me as safe as they knew how to, and whatever loyalty they’d felt to the ones who had owned them—the royals I’d stolen them from—was long gone, transferred to my wolf as she’d called them home. Called them to us because we were some sort of damn shadow whisperer.
“Mera!”
It was his voice again, and my wolf struggled, fighting the creeping darkness.
A fruitless fight.
I knew when Shadow arrived, the creatures only parting for him when he used his energy to drag them out of the way. I had no idea how much of me was covered, but I guessed about eighty percent, with just my neck and head free.
The fury on his face was all I could see, and surprisingly, it calmed me. It was insanity to think that my white knight had arrived to save the day. Firstly, I was not a fan of knights—as previously stated. And secondly, Shadow was anything other than a savior; he was the devil in the night—also, previously stated.
But I found that his face being the last one I saw wasn’t the worst sight. He’d betrayed me less than most, and that was a fucking achievement. And when Angel appeared over his shoulder looking truly frightened for maybe the first time since I’d known her, I was even more relieved to have a friend by my side.
A howl escaped my wolf because verbal goodbyes were really tough when one didn’t have vocal cords. Could they see in my eyes how much they both meant to me? How blessed I felt to have been thrown over a Shadow Bastard’s shoulder and dragged into a world of books, magic, and… love.
“No,” Shadow snapped. “Get that fucking look off your face, little wolf. You’re going nowhere.”
He lifted me with ease, and then he was running.
“What are you doing?” Angel shouted, taking to the air above him.
The creatures might have been following—I couldn’t tell as the darkness crept over the top of my head toward my eyes. The sound of battle was around us, and I could only assume inhabitants of the village were trying to attack, while the creatures kept them at bay.
Or maybe it was Shadow, deflecting them with barely more than a thought.
His fury was spinning out of control, bursting from him in flames and dark mist, breaking this town to rubble. I’d always wanted a mate who would burn the world down for me, and it looked like I’d get to pretend I had one for a few more minutes.
Inky appeared in my line of sight, and it seemed that it was assisting in burning the town to ash. Great fucking job, Mera. No way was Shadow getting into the royal compound undetected now, and I hoped that he’d still manage to achieve his revenge.
He deserved it. Even if I wouldn’t be here to hear about it.
Shadow was roaring. I could feel his chest shaking, but there was no sound. My ears were completely blocked now, and as the last of the sludge dripped into my eyes, I opened my mouth and let out another howl.
Felt like a fitting way to go.
