Since I had to be careful with my translated words, I refrained from asking Shadow if the mists were close. I did reach out through the mental connection for Midnight, but there was no answer; it was too far away still for us to chat. Shadow and Inky’s bond, though, was way more established, and I really hoped he had an updated timeline for their arrival.
I’d just have to wait for a private moment to ask for an update.
Shadow whistled as he walked beside me, and I shook my head at how damn calm he looked.
Did nothing bother this dude?
I mean, since today he was on my side, I couldn’t really complain. It was a comfort to have Shadow here, not to mention Angel and the mists on the way.
Our backup. Who I really hoped we didn’t need.
The coldest section of the land so far was right at the front entrance of this palace, or at least where I thought the entrance was. There was no visible doorway, and as icy winds whipped through us, I rubbed my hands on my arms and bounced up and down to keep warm.
My wolf whined lightly in my chest, but she wasn’t pushing for freedom. She was happy to settle in and be my backup if needed.
“Follow in my exact steps,” Cat-man said and then he was moving.
I had a moment of déjà vu, remembering Kristoff saying the same thing. Kristoff, who was missing, and might have possibly been the one who’d directed this queen toward us. Was it an illusion here as well, just as it had been with Shadow’s friend?
Cat-man approached the first huge snowflake, which stood twenty feet in the air, and as he slipped around the side, I knew this place was no different. A trick of the mind, a façade to cover the truth within.
When I reached the spot at which he’d disappeared, I was briefly mesmerized by the beauty of the building. The walls were so glittery and silver up close, and I loved the multifaceted pigments of their material.
By the time I tore my eyes away, it was to find myself alone, with no actual idea where the entrance was. Running my hands along the icy wall, I couldn’t feel an opening, and all I could see was a distorted view of my own reflection splashed back at me.
Speaking of, my hair actually hadn’t fared too badly considering I’d been thoroughly fucked, had washed up under a waterfall, and then had been attacked while shifting back and forth—
“Mera!”
Shadow’s head appeared, and my focus was once again back where it should have been. But for reals, anyone with even mildly curly hair would have understood. A good hair day was worth celebrating.
“Come on,” he said, reaching out for me, and when I placed my hand in his, he dragged me a few steps to the right, where I could finally see the indent of the hidden entrance.
Sneaky, but also a brilliant defense to prevent outsiders just walking into your home. It would be near impossible to find the front door unless you knew the exact spot to stand.
Shadow didn’t release my hand as he dragged me through the twisting path inside the snowflake, and my stomach swirled in a weird dance of emotions.
I paid zero attention to where we were going, my entire focus on the beast before me, thinking of how much I’d miss the tingles of his power. Tingles that were so familiar to me now, I’d almost feel empty without them.
And yeah, I’d just turned into that chick who couldn’t live without her man. But these were straight-up facts. My energy liked his, and there was no point pretending otherwise.
At the end of this maze entrance, we stepped out into a massive room, about the size of a Regency era ballroom. I had to shake off the weird sensation of being out in the open and exposed after trekking through the tight turns of the front entrance.
Shadow straightened, tugging me against his side, his grip not easing at all. My thighs clenched at the sensation of his strong hold. It reminded me of a hold that had not very long ago been on the back of my neck…
“Wait right here,” Cat-man demanded. “I will ensure the leader is ready to see you.” His little black nose quivered in the middle of his blue-furred face, and I had this sudden urge to reach out and pat his head, just to see if it was as fluffy as it looked.
My hand lifted, and it was only Shadow capturing it—he now held both my hands—that stopped me from petting the being. “Don’t keep us waiting long,” he snarled at Cat-man, who swallowed hard, spinning to run away.
When he was gone, Shadow relaxed, releasing his hold on me. “Were you really going to try to pat that being like it was a literal cat?”
I shrugged. “What can I say? It’s been ‘Cat-man’ in my head since we first saw him, and… it he’s really fluffy.”
Shadow’s stare was expressionless until he eventually shook his head. “I cannot leave you alone for a second or you’ll most definitely get yourself killed.”
“Maybe not,” I replied. “Weird creatures seem to love me, so it might have worked out okay.”
There was nothing expressionless in his face now—it was filled with fire and darkness and shadowy intrigue, as he considered what I’d just said. Shadow might not have been a creature who loved me, but he certainly held a fascination toward me that was unexpected.
I always hated those stories where everyone just fell for the main character, and there was legitimately zero reason for it to happen. And while there was a little of that going on here, with my power being such a mystery, I did somewhat understand the connection between the beast and me.
We were not a “love at first sight” or “fated mate” situation, but we did have energies that meshed and connected. Drawing us together, like moths to a flame.
Just like the shadow creatures fascination with me, Shadow Beast’s was definitely due to whatever I was. No point denying it after everything that had happened, and until I knew where this other energy I rocked came from, I couldn’t really trust my feelings for him.
And I definitely couldn’t trust his for me.
Didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy it while I had it, though. The sex was just too fucking good. I’d be a smarter person next week, after a few more orgasms.
If we lived that long, of course.
“Can you tell if the mists are still on the way?” I asked, lowering my voice. “I can only converse with Midnight when we’re close, and while I can feel it in my energy, I can’t figure out how far away it is.”
He tilted his head back, strong throat muscles contracting as he communicated with Inky. A look of frustration dragged on the sides of his face as he let out a huff. “I can’t sense their exact location.” He lowered his gaze to meet mine. “I could before, and they were following our path, but now we’re being blocked.”
He looked around at the silvery hall. “The design of these dwellings… it’s deliberate so that the shape of the snowflake interferes with natural energy waves. When our mists get closer, our bonds will be strong enough to overcome these barriers, but until then, only the one who created this mess of a maze knows how to manipulate it.”
“Yeah, I got that,” I said. “They weren’t exactly subtle in their endeavor to control their security this way, and… one day I might just do the same thing. Fuck strangers wandering in without warning.”
Shadow let out a low laugh, and as rare as his real laughs were, I craved to hear another. “Not a bad idea, Sunshine. You require a fortress to keep you safe.”
There was so much I read into that statement, and so many things I wanted to say, but thankfully, we were interrupted before I could make a fool out of myself by falling into my feels.
“Follow me,” Cat-man called, waving from the far-off opening in the wall he had exited through earlier. Shadow remained close to my side as we crossed the empty room, and it was scary how right this was starting to feel. I was making a mistake letting this get into my head, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“Pack,” I murmured. Shadow felt like pack, now more than ever.
His eyes drifted from where they’d been focused ahead, meeting mine—I’d been staring at him without even realizing it. “Sunshine?”
I shook my head. “No, nothing. Just… It’s weird, but I feel like we’re a pack. A team.”
The flames roared to life in his eyes, a sure sign his emotions were getting involved. “They’re going to wish they never put you in danger, little wolf,” he whispered ominously. “Whatever diplomacy I felt was dashed the moment you got involved. Now, it just might be a bloodbath.”
He released me by turning away, and I sucked in a few short, panting breaths, trying to get myself under control. Had I just heard him correctly? Was I important enough now that he would kill them all to protect me?
And why was there a fucked up part of me that liked this side of him the most?
“Come on,” Cat-man called again, voice impatient.
Shadow and I countered that by walking slower than ever. I might have even gone backward at one point, but eventually we couldn’t piss off the scowling cat any longer, reaching the doorway it stood in.
“You will show her respect,” the furred being said, looking at Shadow, since he didn’t know I could understand their language.
Flames shot up around us, and the pungent scent of singed hair filled the room. When the fire had finally cleared, I bit my lip to stop the burst of laughter from escaping. One side of Cat-man’s head was now completely bald, and with his mouth slightly ajar, he was clearly trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Shadow wasn’t amused as he reached out and wrapped his huge hand around the throat of the feline being. Signature move there if he had one. “If you don’t want me to destroy the fucking foundation of your world, you will do well to remember who I am.”
The cat nodded, a wide-eyed look on his face. Shadow held on a beat longer before he released him. Cat-man dashed from the room without another look in our direction. We followed to find that on the other side of the doorway was a corridor. We walked over white floors, so shiny I could see a perfect reflection of Shadow and me; he was still surrounded in flames, and for a second, I thought I was as well, only to realize it was my hair, floating around my body, longer and thicker than I’d ever seen before. It was almost past my waist and a cut wouldn’t have gone astray, but then again, from this view, it was actually pretty cool.
Like having a permanent flame surrounding me at all times.
Once I pulled my attention from the floor, I looked ahead to see what was at the end of this pathway between rooms. Only there was nothing but shiny white walls ahead, and this place was reminding me of…
“This is like the Earth hallway,” I said, looking around. There were no doors, but everything else was almost the exact same.
He didn’t get a chance to reply, as a white-haired woman who clearly held no animal side, stepped into view. She wore a long, silver robe and had an absolutely stunning blue-and-silver crown perched on her head. Whoa. This lady was six and half feet of perfect ice queen.
“Ixana,” Shadow breathed, and my heart about dropped out of my chest.
Holy fuck. It all made sense now; why we’d been pulled from Kristoff’s.
And we’d been very wrong about one thing: the queen didn’t want me at all.
She wanted Shadow.
Her true mate.
