Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifter, #3)(114)

Shadowshine.

He’d been worried that one was too dark and the other too light with only destructive storms between us, but that was no longer the case. Now we were both filled with dark and light, and together, we were the storm.





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Not ready to leave Shadowshine and the Solaris System behind? Make sure to pre-order the first spinoff in this world: Deserted (A Shadow Beast Shifters story).

Books2read.com/Deserted

Keep reading for a sneak peek of the first chapter.





Deserted





Angel





The air in the Library of Knowledge was cooler than usual as I stepped through from the Honor Meadows. Or maybe it was simply that the meadows themselves were going through their warm transitional months, heading toward the wet season. It was not like Earth, where their wet season consisted of literal rain for many days. In the meadows, it was about the energy flow. The hotter it was, the less the free power was distributed, and when it cooled down, we all got a boost.

It had been a long time since I’d had to care about such things, but after the battle in the Shadow Realm, where I’d all but stripped my family powers in an attempt to help my best friend defeat the Danamain, our shared family power was at its lowest. I was already waiting for the cooler days to replenish our stash.

I had no regrets about using my power, of course. I’d been willing to die to make sure my family and the rest of the worlds had survived. The fact that I’d been reborn, without the scars of the past dragging me down, was a bonus I hadn’t seen coming. I’d also underestimated the way my Earth-raised best friend would turn all of our lives upside down, bringing her family together for all the occasions we’d missed out on experiencing.

Mostly because they were Earth customs, which in and of itself didn’t make them bad—I was actually really looking forward to today.

As I hurried farther into the great library, the usual sense of awe filled me over this room, which contained all of the knowledge of the worlds. When I reached the center of the space, I finally understood why it was so chilly in here today. Mera wanted snow.

“Angel! There you are!” my goddess of a best friend snapped, as she appeared between some shelves. Her red hair was messier than usual, piled on top of her head, with green tinsel threaded through the strands. She looked festive… and a little crazed.

As she dashed toward me, I tried to figure out how she was moving so fast for someone in her very pregnant state. I shouldn’t be surprised, though… I’d learned to never underestimate this particular being. She’d started life as a shifter before evolving into a goddess. A goddess who’d tamed one of the most formidable and scary beings in our worlds.

Shadow Beast.

Truth be told, no one could ever tame him, but Mera had definitely softened some of his harder edges. The beast and I had always had a tenuous sort of relationship, but thanks to Mera, we actually considered ourselves more friends than frenemies now. She was also the reason I used words such as “frenemy” these days because why the hell not? I was embracing this new side of myself, a side that did not carry the burdens of the ancients.

“Hello,” Mera tried again, waving her hands in front of my face. “Are you here to help me set up or what?”

I chuckled, unable to help myself. Since learning she was pregnant, she’d been extra fiery. “Are you actually getting crankier? How long until the baby is due?”

Mera sighed, all but sagging against me, her frame too fragile for someone who was technically indestructible. “Fucked if I know. Shadow keeps telling me it’s best if we don’t discuss how long and just enjoy the experience.” She trailed off into a ton of curses and colorful phrases regarding the Shadow Bastard, finishing with, “Easy for him to say since he’s not the one growing a demon spawn, or experiencing these insane cravings. Or dealing with my insane mate. You know that today is the first time in eight months he’s left my side? He keeps growling at anyone who steps near me like the caveman beast he is, but today he had to head to the Shadow Realm because it just couldn’t wait. And he left me with six fucking bodyguards. SIX!”

The moment she’d said “six,” I was hit with an urge to run and run fast. There wasn’t much in this world that scared me, not after everything I’d seen and done, but one of those six bodyguards was one of the few beings to knock me off-kilter.

Reece of the desert lands.

I’d known him a long time, and once, very long ago, we’d been friends. Now we were bitter enemies, and for some reason, recently, that bitterness had grown near out of control, making it difficult for us to be around our common friends.

I wasn’t sure why he was acting so weird, and I didn’t have the energy or inclination to dive into his hatred for me, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before we had no choice but to sort our shit out the old fashioned way.

I’d lost a lot of who I’d been in the rebirth, but my fighting skills were still as strong as ever, honed by daily training. It would do him well to remember whom he was constantly challenging. A reminder was in his near future if he didn’t start sorting himself.

“Come on,” Mera said, tugging my arm as she led me deeper into the great library, dodging shelves and other worlds’ inhabitants, all of whom bowed respectfully to both of us. Mera barely noticed, though, her focus on the winter wonderland she was establishing in the center of the room.