I hadn’t really thought my bravado through. At some point, I fell in with the Shadow Beast being the lesser of two evils.
The. Motherfucking. Shadow. Beast!
What was wrong with me?
“I can walk, you know,” I said, sick of hanging over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.
There was no reply as he continued moving through darkness… darkness that faded as we ended up in a white hall. Like, one minute it was dark and then there was light.
I blinked a few times, adjusting my sight, only to find this hall was basically empty of anything interesting. “What do you want from me?” I pushed.
“Just shut the fuck up,” he growled. “You’re already a problem I don’t want to deal with, but a creature like you can’t be left to its own devices.”
Rude. “Most women don’t like to be referred to as a creature,” I told him huffily.
His chest rumbled, but he didn’t respond, and I had a strong feeling that his whole silent brooding thing was going to continue for a while. But, on the plus side, he wasn’t killing or torturing me. Yet.
“Can I call you ‘Shadow’?” I asked a few minutes later. The silence was getting to me, and apparently, I was a lunatic with a death wish. “‘Shadow Beast’ is such a mouthful.” I paused, but he made no response. “Do you have another name you go by? Or was momma beast really into… uh, darkness.”
Still no response.
“Okay great,” I chirped, having gone too far to stop now. “‘Shadow it is!”
Chest rumble. No response.
Great. We were making some real progress.
After some time, I started to notice that this hall wasn’t as devoid of life as I’d expected. Or at least not life, but doors. They were quite well hidden, with each one almost seamlessly blending into the wall. They were as white as their surroundings, dozens scattered on each side.
Weirdly, the more attention I paid to the doors, the stronger they felt, until I was completely enthralled with the heady feeling seeping from beneath them.
“What is this place?” I whispered.
This time, he answered. “It’s a pathway between Earth and the other worlds.”
I blinked. “Literally?”
Chest rumble. Okay, great. I was annoying him again. “I mean, you don’t have to smite me and go all grumbly beast. It’s a perfectly normal question for someone to ask.”
“Shut up, pup,” he snapped.
This time I decided to obey, all the while hoping I’d be alive long enough to learn about this secret new world I’d found myself in. He was back to his eight-feet height at this point, marching us along the endless white hallway, light below our feet and above our heads, and all the while, the smoky shadows continued to surround their master.
“Each of these doorways leads to a place of power and worth,” he said, surprising me. “Some of them are on the Earthly plane; others are in realms that connect to Earth. Deities can walk these halls, and many of their homes are behind these doors.”
Well, well, look who was Chatty Cathy now. Maybe I could ask him another question and actually get an answer.
“So—”
“Shut up.”
Okaayyy. Moving on then.
I managed to keep my mouth shut as we continued along the hall, only blinking when a shimmery veil appeared at the end of this pathway. Shadow didn’t hesitate, stepping through into what looked a little like a… church.
“Ironic,” I muttered.
We jolted to a halt, and when I was set none-too-gently on my feet, I stared at his massive body walking away from me. Hot damn, he was a freaking lot. Impossibly broad shoulders, dark crop of curls, and a fucking swagger that told the world not to fuck with him or he would destroy them.
I was screwed. This being was hands down the scariest motherfucker I’d ever seen in my life, and I was trapped in some magical path between worlds with him.
As he continued to move away, I took a quick minute to explore the room. It wasn’t as light in here as the unnaturally illuminated hallway. Instead, the vibe was open and clean, the décor a mix of pastel and wood tones.
Miles above us were arched ivory ceilings, and from where I stood, it looked as if scenes of battle were carved into bone. Scattered between these carvings were deadly-looking spikes—sentinels lying in wait for the right moment to fall from the sky and annihilate their prey.
Stepping farther into the room, I fell a little in love with the tall narrow windows crossing the left and right side of the huge space. They were almost ceiling height and absolutely spectacular, with arched peaks at the tops, falling to natural curves on the bases. They sat side by side, creating an illusion that the entire wall was one large window.
It was from here natural light flooded the cathedral, and I stepped closer to see what was outside, only to find it was nothing more than a swirl of clouds filled with twinkling lights.
Before I could explore any further, the inky smoke appeared from nowhere, twisting around my legs, and I yelped as Shadow himself followed. “Did you not say you could walk?” he asked, annoyed as always. “Don’t make me carry you again.”
I saluted. “Yes, sir. I didn’t realize I was supposed to follow. My bad.”
The sudden way he was staring me down made me very nervous.
“You don’t fear me?” he said, and his voice was soft. Normally, that would be a good sign, but this was the sort of soft a serial killer got right before he cut off your toes for a trophy.
I gulped. “On the contrary, I’m all but pissing my pants right now.”
His eyes dipped low for a second, like he was taking in the odd clothing I’d snagged off Torin’s floor. Pretty sure it was the first time he’d given my appearance more than a cursory glance, and he really didn’t seem impressed.
He probably dated goddesses or whatever other mystical beings were out there, so I would try not to take offense. “Follow,” he snapped, stalking off again.
This time, I didn’t push my luck, staying close behind him while still trying to take in everything in the room. As we pushed deeper into the space, I noticed for the first time that some of the windows stopped short to make way for a doorway nestled below. Like in the white hall, the doorway design was also seamless, and now that I was closer, it was easy to appreciate the craftsmanship that had gone into this room.
“Is this still a part of the path between worlds?” I asked.
He didn’t bother to look at me. “In a manner.” Okay, then. Cryptic and an asshole. I was starting to see where the alphas got their arrogance from… inherited from their maker.
We wandered for a long time through the church, its size another aspect unnoticed until we’d been walking for ten minutes and were only a third of the way through. Above us, the hand-carved ceiling grew more and more elaborate, and by the time we reached another large portal, I was crushing hard on this building.
Shadow, with his smoky friend, stepped through this new portal, disappearing into whatever lay beyond. He was cut off from me then, his energy gone like it had never existed. There was no way for me to even tell what lay beyond this veil, with its navy swirling vortex completely opaque.
I hesitated to follow, wondering if I should take my chances escaping now. Even if I ended up in another world, at least I’d have given it a shot. A shot was all anyone really needed.
I called on my wolf to help make this decision, and as she swirled to the surface, I was relieved to feel her energy strong once again. Run? I asked her.
She shimmered inside, soul restless and unsure about us leaving. The Shadow Beast was our god and upsetting him didn’t sit well with her.
He killed someone as powerful as Alpha Victor and kidnapped us, I reminded her. He’s beyond dangerous.
I felt her trust in my decision, and I knew I’d have her support no matter what. This gave me the courage I needed to move. Sprinting, I headed for the closest door, having already wasted too many seconds pondering if I should do this or not. When my palm landed on the brass handle of the white door embossed with flowers and thorns, I felt a buzz of static electricity and almost jerked my hand back.
If I hadn’t been so desperate, I wouldn’t have risked whatever lay beyond this, but I couldn’t continue to live as a prisoner and victim. As I turned the handle, there was a click, and an ethereal melody slipped through the tiny crack. A sigh escaped from me, the smallest of breaths, and all fear fled.
Yes. This was the right move. I needed to be in this land of beauty and light and love and warmth. My eyes fluttered closed as I pulled on the door, ready to embrace my destiny.
Before I could take that final step, something hard slammed into me, knocking me sideways. The music was cut off a second later, and as the fuzziness in my head faded, pain returned along with my sanity.
Shadow Beast loomed over me, staring down, his eyes narrowed. “You really are the stupidest fucking shifter I’ve ever met. Almost got yourself trapped in the fae realm.” His lips twitched in dark amusement. “What they do to Earthlings who stumble into their world makes me look like a fucking saint.”
With one last derisive stare at my pathetic ass, he turned and walked away, and I huffed some air into my lungs, trying to calm myself. I had no idea what “fae” meant, but if it was short for “faerie,” like in the fantasy stories, then… WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?
That music had not been of this world, so I could only assume Shadow was speaking the truth about the fae realm. And apparently, he’d already crossed back through the veil, trusting that this time I wouldn’t take my chances on another world I didn’t understand.
Dude vastly overestimated my intelligence and sense of self-preservation.
Or so I thought until the smoky swirls of his little friend wrapped around me, lifting me up into the air as I squeaked loudly. Okay, then. He had sent in reinforcements and had zero trust.
Realizing it was pointless to fight at this stage, I just relaxed into the weird sensation of being carried by air and closed my eyes briefly as we drifted through the dark veil. When the next room came into view, I gasped and all but threw myself out of the smoke trying to get a better look.
“What the fuck?” I gasped, scrambling to my feet. “You live here?”
I wanted to make a reference to another beast with a growly disposition, because just like the dude in that movie, the real-life Shadow Beast lived in the freaking library of my dreams.
Actual. Literal. Dreams. But unlike the movie, I would have kicked this guy out in the cold if it meant I got to keep his library.
Stepping farther into the room, I all but drooled over the dark timber shelves lining the walls, running as far as I could see. Every single shelf was filled with books—thousands upon thousands of incredible new adventures to discover.
Trying to act cool, I casually sauntered closer to the first shelf, running my fingers over the many books. Most of the covers in this section were in shades of muted reds and greys, with gold writing across the spine. The writing was not in any recognizable language, which only made me want to read them more.
Closing my eyes, I took a second to breathe deeply, inhaling the various scents into my lungs. Gods, it was perfect. If I made it through my time with the Shadow Beast, I was making it my life work to get a library like this. No matter the cost.
A rumble from across this magnificent room drew my attention, and I reluctantly turned away from the sweet scent of adventure and followed his energy deeper into the library.
Gods, it was huge. Bigger than the biggest shopping mall I’d ever seen, it reminded me of an ancient, gothic, turn-of-the-twentieth-century abbey. And while the previous white room had been light and open, this one was cozier and more comforting, with the sort of ornate detailing reflective of boatloads of character. I particularly loved the huge crystal chandeliers—five in total—that were evenly spaced right through the center, hanging from the twenty-feet-high ceilings.
There was no more time to take it all in, though, because Shadow had clearly reached the end of his limited patience. One would think by the way he was rumbling at me, he’d been the one kidnapped out of his life and forced to deal with an asshole.
He waited for me in the sitting area of my dreams—fitting to be in the library of my dreams—surrounded by solid, heavily padded couches. At his back was a roaring fireplace, the mantle bricked with a dark stone.
As I passed through some couches, I noticed a small table with a couple of open books. Had Shadow been in the middle of reading when he’d been pulled to Earth by my actions? The urge to try to sneak a peek at what he enjoyed to read overtook me, but I managed to refrain, focusing instead on the beast himself.
“This is where you live?” I asked, my voice a little breathless at the pure perfection of his home.
“Yes.”
I shook my head. “Having this much beauty and knowledge at your fingertips is beyond words.”
Again, he stared at me like I’d said something unexpected, and I decided to shut up and let him have the floor. Even if I was still sneaking little glances at the library. Without opening one book, I knew there was information here that humans and shifters would kill to possess. Lost stories. Secrets. Spells. Magic and life. And he just had it all to himself.
New goal: figure out how to toss him out into the snow and take over the library.
