“Let me out!”
For days, I’d been smashing my fist against, and screaming into, an unmovable door. Slumping forward, I closed my eyes and wondered if maybe Shadow had just decided this was the easiest way to deal with me. I had water in the bathroom, and it would take months or longer for me to weaken from lack of food, so there was no inherent danger, unless he forgot about me forever.
And maybe that was his plan. But I had friends and family to take care of, and I needed to win that bet if that was the only way to make him keep his word and allow me to visit the pack lands again.
According to my calculations, I had one week left now to fulfill my side of this bet, and for those few people I loved, I would do whatever it took.
Whatever it took.
Just had to get out of here first.
The redundant nature of pounding against a door that was sealed with something stronger than what a wolf could break had finally caught up to me, but I was literally at a loss of what else to do. I’d tried to call out to Angel, but clearly, our bond wasn’t mature enough yet to hear each other’s thoughts.
I’d even resorted to slipping written SOS notes under my door. I’d had to tear paper from one of the stolen books in my room—that hurt, even if it was one of those blank pages at the back. I’d used eyeliner to write a “help me” letter, and since no one had rescued me, I’d clearly desecrated a book for nothing. I’d added that to my list of shit Shadow would pay for.
I’d also searched the room for hidden passages, but there was nothing to be found.
At this stage, I’d exit via the Shadow Realm if I could figure out how to touch it. Ironic, since this was the one thing Shadow wanted from me; the reason he had me locked up in the first place.
If I unlocked the realm, I might even be free to go back to Torma, bet or no bet. I mean, not that I would be rejoining the pack, no matter what Torin thought was going to happen, but I would return long enough to assure myself that Dannie and Simone were okay. Then I’d embrace freedom like I never had before.
Torin. What was up with that bastard of a shifter anyway? Since when had he decided to change his mind about wanting the true mate bond? It felt like a grab for power, not to mention control—he didn’t want his true mate freely wandering around the world.
Not that he’d have to worry too long about it… I was breaking the bond as soon as we were in the same room again.
At this point, I was sprawled across the bed, letting all these thoughts consume me. The lack of food wasn’t making me weak yet, but I was weary. Might be time for a nap. Maybe in my dreams I’d find the path to the shadow world, open the door, and the beast would release me from his hold.
Maybe I’d finally figure out what I was missing about the spell holding the door? What had we all missed? And in all honesty, how was I going to solve this mystery when a bunch of powerful god-like bastards couldn’t?
At some point in my musings and stress, I drifted off, a rumbling stomach my only companion. My dreams took on the same dark thread of my thoughts, slashes of red and gold scattered through a shadowed world. I was running, chasing, hunting. The wolf was in control as we let the colors slide across us. Only we didn’t have a real body. We were wolf, but we were not the wolf we knew from Earth side. This wolf embraced the fire-threaded darkness. This wolf could slip from solid form and become one with the shadow. And when we were shadow, we were powerful… invincible.
The feeling was heady, and I didn’t even try to fight as we lost ourselves in the darkness. This was where we should have been all along. This was my calling… my destiny. The Shadow Realm…
I jerked upright, shaking off the disorientation of that dream in a heartbeat, even as my breath burst in and out rapidly. It had felt so real. On my tongue, I could still taste the acrid smokiness of the land we’d traveled; feel the cold tendrils of mist on my skin; crave the vast freedom that had been sitting before me.
My chest heaved as I fought the dual sensation of existing between two places. Had I actually been in the Shadow Realm in that dream? Or was it just a manifestation of Shadow demanding I figure out how to open the doorway?
The disorientation did not fade, even as I sat there for many minutes and shook my head and slapped my cheeks a few times. Stumbling to my feet, a whole-body shake was my next option, followed by a cold shower. I closed my eyes first and shook my arms and legs out, tingles following each movement, like my limbs had been asleep for far longer than that dream had indicated.
Still, a shadowy second vision persisted, right in my peripheral vision. I kept catching sight of dark movement to the side, but when I turned, it wasn’t there. The dual sight made me nauseous as I ran to the bathroom, cranking the shower all the way to freezing as I jumped in fully clothed. Closing my eyes completely, I dropped my head against the wall.
The jolt of icy water did the trick, as the racing of my mind calmed, and when I finally reopened my eyes, the shadows had faded from view. Adjusting the water temperature, I sank down under the warmer stream, hugging my arms around my legs. My cheek rested against my knees as I contemplated the possibility that I’d touched the Shadow Realm in my dreams—and maybe had released more creatures somewhere.
After I finally calmed, my thoughts were centered on the stupidity of breaking the connection to the one place I needed to be above all others. I’d let fear grab hold of me and lost my opportunity. In the future, I had to do better than that, or I’d be stuck in this room for the rest of my life.
When I was done feeling sorry for myself, I shed the wet clothes on the bathroom floor, padding out naked into the main bedroom. My line of sight was on the floor as I marched forward, fuming about my stupid decision-making, so I missed the intruder in my room.
It dove at me, a creature of darkness that I’d never seen before, and I went down in a naked heap, screaming my fucking head off. The second the creature’s and my flesh connected, fire raced across my pain receptors, just like when Shadow touched me.
It hissed at me in a foreign tongue, which I ignored as I swung my elbow to clip it across the face, shooting it back from me. When the contact between us broke, the pain faded, and outside of the two handprint burns between my boobs and shoulders, there were no other marks on my skin. From what I could see.
My full attention returned to the shadowy specter as it tilted its head to the side, observing me. More hissing sounds emerged.
“I don’t speak shadow creature,” I snapped, hands out in front of me in case I needed to defend myself again.
Now that it wasn’t on top of me, I had time to really look at what I faced. This particular creature had four arms, two sets off each side of its torso, with wolf-like, curved hindlegs holding it upright. The face was wolf-like as well, with an extended muzzle, sharp teeth, and dark, beady eyes. It fit the shadow realm stereotype, being in shades of grey and black, and it was not happy.
More waving of those arms and hissing.
“For fuck’s sake,” I cursed, sprinting to the side and around it. “Shadow!” I screamed when I slammed into the door, using my entire body weight. “Inky! Gaster!”
One of these stupid fucks had to be close by.
Surely, Shadow had felt the disturbance; he’d felt it the first time I’d touched the Shadow Realm.
I just had to hold out long enough until he arrived, releasing me from this damn prison.
Spinning and pressing my back against the door, I was surprised to see the thing was still standing in the same position, watching me closely. When our eyes met, it took a step forward, and I braced myself.
In the adrenaline rush of being attacked, I’d forgotten that I had controlled the shadow creatures back on Earth. Something I hadn’t had time to tell Shadow or anyone else.
Could I control this one too?
“Stop,” I commanded it. “Don’t take one more step.”
It moved forward.
Shit!
Whatever this creature was, it felt strong, with a commanding presence. It was almost regal, as it sat eye to eye with me, on those wolf-like hindlegs. And the fact that it was too strong for me to control did not bode well for my chance of surviving. Especially teamed with a similar firepower to Shadow’s.
“What do you want?” I asked inanely, since it spoke in clicks and clacks.
It took a step forward, making no sound, as it was clearly smarter than me and knew we couldn’t communicate. I had nowhere to back up, already pressed against the door, so when someone slammed it open, I went flying forward, my face crashing into the floor, pain rocketing through my nose and cheeks.
“Ugh,” I groaned, tasting blood as I dragged myself to my hands and knees.
From this angle, I had no idea who had busted through the door. Was it Shadow? Or could it be another beast that wanted to kill me too? Maybe four arms had a friend?
Maybe I’d hit my head really hard and this was all a dream? Or Shadow had murdered me in my sleep and this was my afterlife?
So many questions.
So few answers.
Story of my life.
