Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifter, #3)(59)

“You are stronger,” she said, her gaze once again on us. Her expression remained wary, but there was curiosity there as well. Angel was ancient and world-weary, and more than a little broken, but deep inside, there was just a being who loved fiercely and deserved the same in return.

If she took the risk here, she would discover the inbuilt family she had in us. Her treasora.

Her family.

As that word shimmered in the air between us, she locked me in those depthless eyes. “Did you just speak in my mind?” she asked.

I shook my head. “We’re bonded, and while I can’t speak in your mind, sometimes the emotions or words cross through our connection.”

Her denial of our bond didn’t emerge this time. “I know you,” she whispered. “I’ve been feeling so lost, in a way that I haven’t felt since my family perished in the final battle of the meadows. I couldn’t understand why, after all of these centuries, I was back in the pit of despair. What could I have lost again when I had nothing left of any value?”

Her words cracked me open and left me bleeding, tears falling down my cheeks as she spun her tale of hurt and loss and emptiness.

“Mera was who you lost,” Shadow said bluntly. “We all lost her, and apparently, she’s the humanity that holds us all together.”

Before he even finished that somewhat sweet statement, Angel leapt forward. I expected Shadow to react defensively; it was his nature, after all, especially when she was still armed. He didn’t move, though, and I remembered his earlier words about her never hurting me. He obviously had faith in that, and I did as well because I didn’t even flinch when her blades glided up to rest against my throat.

Shadow’s chest rumbled, but he remained where he was. The only thing saving Angel in this moment was the lack of aggression in her face. “I’m going to touch you now,” she said softly. “If I feel even the slightest tingle of Shadow’s energy near my own, I’ll end both your lives.”

Shadow added a scoff to his rumbling, which Angel ignored, focusing on me. With one blade remaining at my throat, the other faded into nothing so she could press that free hand against my chest.

The moment our skin connected, there was a burst of power that flowed between us. The past, present, and future that had been stolen by Dannie tumbled around like weeds in a swift wind until both of us were swimming in our bond.

Angel gasped, a choked and shattered sound. The other blade faded out in the next second as she wrapped her arms tightly around me. Just like with Shadow, the rare hugs I got from these god-like creatures were treasured above any power or gold. They made me feel safe, and loved, and strong; they made me feel like I had a family.

“Dannie is going to die,” Angel said hoarsely, and fiercely. “She stole from the wrong beings, and I don’t care whom she calls brethren—her blood will spill.”

Her rage was tangible, tasting like bitter oranges on my tongue. And while no one argued with her, a part of me still hoped our original plan would work, and that there was a chance to save the Danamain.





32





“You must follow me,” Angel said, when she was done with our hug.

She turned and walked off, and I exchanged a glance with Shadow, knowing we didn’t have a lot of time. We’d planned to meet the others back in the library in two days, and I had no idea if time moved differently between Honor Meadows and the library, but even if it didn’t, the clock was still ticking.

When Shadow didn’t argue, I had to assume we were still good on our deadline, which allowed me to enjoy observing Angel in her natural environment. Not to mention I had about fifty questions to ask her.

“Go on,” Angel said with a smile when I caught up to her. “I might not remember everything about you yet, but the snippets I have through our bond are memories of you questioning everything.”

I laughed, reaching out to link my arm through hers, just like old times. “See, the thing is,” I said, “I’m like twenty-ish years old.” I’d lost track of the specific age with all the world-jumping and memory lapses. “You’re all thousands of years old. The worlds are brand new to me, as is magic and… basically everything else. I need to know about it all, and with the way my life is going, we might all be dead next week. There’s really no better time to ask.”

“That makes sense,” she said softly. “But I’ll have less talk about your death, thank you. If anyone’s time is up, it’s mine. I’ve lived too long as it is, and I’m tired.”

I ground to a halt, and surprisingly, she stopped with me. “I’ll hear none of that talk,” I mimicked back to her. “None. You signed up to be my family, and with that comes a certain set of responsibilities. No sacrifice. No loss. No death. Understood?”

Shadow chuckled, and I narrowed my eyes on him next. “Same goes for you, mate.”

Angel forgot whatever wise thing she was about to say, which was probably something like: Death is not the end of family. Instead, she was fascinated by my utterance of the word mate.

“You’re the mate of Darkor?”

I gritted my teeth. “Shadow and I have somehow formed a true mate bond. Without any actions on our behalf, and he assures me that it means our Nexus sides are fated to be together.”