Still in stealth mode, half-crouched with his arms out, Shadow started to creep through the trees. I followed because what else was I going to do? There were at least four shadow creatures out there, and as much faith as I had in Shadow, I did wonder if there was a number of creatures that would prove to be too much for him?
And what would that mean for me? Would the shadow creatures kill and consume me? Or would I once again make friends with monsters?
Guessed we were about to find out.
“Today, I’m really hoping you’re as badass as your reputation,” I murmured. “My stomach feels like a swarm of mosquitos are buzzing about in it, and I don’t like it.”
He stopped moving, turning back to see me. “Mosquitos? Pretty sure that’s not the expression.”
I gave a nervous laugh. “Honestly, it’s so far beyond butterflies at this point.”
Shadow nodded like that made perfect sense before he turned again and let out a low growl. He leapt forward, snatching something out of thin air.
No, not something… a sprecker.
“Didn’t even know one of these was here,” he said, looking around. “But… it’s only a distraction.”
I was eight feet away, and those words had me hauling ass toward him.
Just a few steps too late.
My arms were seized on either side, the grip firm and unyielding, and as a heavy object slammed into the side of my head, Shadow let loose a feral howl, the bright red flames of his eyes the last thing I saw as I was dragged away. No, actually, the last thing was a dozen or more shadow creatures descending on him, blocking his path to me.
The blow hadn’t been strong enough to knock me out, and I was already fighting—I’d only just gotten used to the last psychopath who’d yanked me out of my life without permission. No time to acclimatize to another.
My hands shifted into claws, fighting and scratching, but my captors held me in such a position that it was hard to reach them. They felt small, despite the strength of their hold, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get loose.
Sticks scratched me as I was dragged, and as much as I clawed across the ground, there was no breaking my abductor’s stride. It had to be a grekin, because the falster shouldn’t have had a grip, but then again, it might have been a completely new creature. There had been so many unexpected creatures on Shadow, and that meant they’d teamed up to hide their energy… Classic ambush.
“Let me go!” I screamed, finally finding my voice. “I command you to release me.”
The words flowed from me with more than just a human voice—wolf energy pushed them, and… What do you freaking know? The creatures stopped, releasing me in an instant.
Gasping for breath, I rolled to the side, ignoring my body’s protest about the abuse it had just experienced. As I stumbled to my feet, the sudden movement worsened the pain, but I had enough adrenaline and anger to keep me moving.
Chirping was the first thing I registered, and when two shadows zipped past me, I barely managed to track them.
“Stop!”
I knew the command would work; I’d tapped into the same energy I’d felt when I’d touched the Shadow Realm. Not that I was going to tell Shadow, of course, but it turned out he was right; I just had to find the path and keep following it.
The two creatures stopped flickering in and out of focus, ending in half-crouched positions, staring up at me. They looked like nothing I’d ever seen before, but if I had to liken them to anything, it would be a gnarled, tree-like leprechaun. No larger than knee-height—mine, not Shadow’s giant-ass legs—they didn’t wear clothing, but it wasn’t like they were naked, either. They didn’t have body parts like a human.
Two tree stumps with beady black eyes, a slash of a mouth, twig-like arms and legs, and an ability to move so fast, they were almost dizzying. Except, apparently, when I allowed my wolf to rise to the surface, using her power to halt them.
“What do you want with me?” I asked. These were the first shadow creatures I’d had a moment to question, and I wasn’t wasting it. “Where were you taking me?”
They chattered at me, this rapid-fire clicking and clacking sound, and outside of the library, there was no way for me to understand their language. “Fuck,” I muttered.
One of them tilted his head, watching me closely. “Fuck.”
I blinked. Was it repeating me, or did it speak some English too?
“What. Do. You. Want. With. Me?” I spaced each word out, using hand gestures to get my point across.
“Fuck!” the same one repeated. “Fuck, fuck.”
Great. I mean, I loved the word and all, but it was hard to have a complete conversation with just my favorite f-words.
“Mera!”
I spun at the shout, and not because it was Shadow barraging toward me like a madwolf on a mission. But because it wasn’t.
That shout had come from someone else completely.
Someone who sent my wolf into a tizzy as she growled and scratched at my chest, and I had no idea if she was trying to get to Torin to kill or fuck him, but she wanted him either way.
“No, stop,” I begged. “He rejected us.”
“Fuck rejected.” A harsh chirp of a word from one of the gremlin twins.
It was the other one this time, and now they had two English words in their arsenal. My favorite and my least.
“Mera Callahan, I command you to stay where you are!” Torin bellowed, half-wolfed out as he took off across the field that separated us. It was probably only half a mile, but he’d cover that in no time.
I lifted my foot, taking a step back, and another, before turning and sprinting away. Heading back for where I’d last seen Shadow.
His alpha command didn’t hold me.
At some point, my ties to Torma had been damaged enough that not even his command could hold me hostage, no doubt leaving Torin confused as hell as he chased after me.
My wolf whined, urging me to reconsider hearing him out, and fuck… I was tempted.
How was it fair that he could reject and break me, over and over, and still, my soul wanted to claim our bond? Didn’t matter, though. I would be stronger than this urge. I would protect both of us.
I felt when he was close, so I changed directions, while still moving toward where I’d left Shadow. At least I hoped it was the right direction—the grekins had dragged me pretty far by the looks of it, those zippy little bastards.
Torin was close, his half-shifted wolf form faster than my broken and bruised human. All I had going for me was pure determination not to end up in his grasp. I had no idea what Torin would do to me if he caught hold, but there was a chance he’d kill me straight-up so as not to deal with the remnants of our bond.
The death of a true mate usually resulted in an irreparable mental break for the other shifter, but Torin probably thought that because he didn’t want this bond, he would recover easier.
Either way, I could not let myself fall into his hands. I had to fight with everything I had, and hopefully, since I was no longer the same shifter who’d been stolen from Torma all those months ago, I’d have a new weapon to best him. Like my Shadow Realm abilities.
Like the shadow creatures… still frozen on my command.
Could I use them to slow Torin down?
“I release you!” I shouted, sending the energy out into the world, hoping I wasn’t too far away to reach them. Now I just had to stay out of Torin’s reach long enough to let those little leprechaun bastards do their worst. Torma might be searching for a new alpha before this day was done.
