Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(12)

I was following along with the images and words, the place of origin Midnight showed me, looking like my imagined fantasy of the Garden of Eden. Flush with life and bursting with red and gold colors.

Your Inky is from the leicher mists, those that blanket from below, and technically, we are warring entities.

The images were so vivid as they detailed a brief but complete history of the Shadow Realm. I could see that in lots of ways, it was similar to Earth, but what had taken millions of years of evolution in my world, the mists had done in the realm in much less time.

“Why are we bonded?”

Shadow had implied it was very rare, and considering I was a damn shifter with no obvious origins in their world, well… I had a lot of questions that needed answers.

Midnight swelled larger, lights shooting around it faster than ever.

It is not common, but I was called to you. There will be a reason, but the time has not arrived for us to know it.

Great.

Before I could freak the fuck out—and let’s be real, I was overdue—Shadow stormed into the room, his face awash in fury.

I stood and my smoke cloud wrapped around me. Inky did the same to Shadow, and I had to stop and wonder… if they were competing energies, did that mean Shadow and I would be enemies as well?

Were our powers set to fight the other’s for eternity?





6





“Mera,” Shadow said, his voice as serious as I’d ever heard it. “Step away from the mist.”

I snorted, crossing my arms. “I’m afraid you’re too late for this lecture. About the same as advising a dude to wear a condom after his chick is already pregnant.”

Shadow paused, his head tilting left and then right as he examined us closely, trying to get a look in from every angle. I could have saved him the trouble by telling him that no matter which angle he used to look, Midnight and I were very much bonded, and nothing was changing that.

“It’s bonded to me.” Impatience was my middle name.

He shook his head. “Impossible.”

My smile was definitely not filled with joy. “You keep saying that about me. Maybe at this stage, we can agree that nothing is truly impossible when it comes to my fuckups.”

His eyes were flinty as he shook his head again. “Mera, that mist is not from the leicher like Inky. It’s the antithesis of Inky, and I have no control over its power.”

I knew this to some degree, thanks to my own mist.

“Where is Midnight from?”

His brow furrowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course you’ve already named it.”

I smiled sweetly. “Don’t pretend you’re surprised by that.”

He shot me a deadpan stare in return. “Your mist is from the ether region. A high-up mist that blankets from above, while the leicher covers from below.”

“They join at the point of origin,” I reminded him. “So maybe it’ll be okay.”

He blinked. “That translation is rough, but yes, it works.”

I understood then that Midnight had been communicating in English, clearly, because I’d comprehended it. And that some of the realm words had no literal translation. Shadow got it, though, and that was all that mattered.

“The mists of Leicher are much more controllable than the Ether region.”

That was a warning.

Inky swelled, growing super large until it was a wall behind Shadow. Midnight apparently didn’t like that, bursting to life in a purple haze of whatthefuckery.

“It’s dick measuring time,” I said, somewhat amused. My eyes met Shadow’s. “You gonna whip yours out too? You might be the underdog here, but I’d still put some money on you.”

His lips twitched. “Anyone ever tell you your smartass mouth is going to get you killed?”

Another snort of laughter. “Old news, my friend. Very old news.”

Shadow actually grinned, the first true smile since he’d entered the room to find me once again breaking the laws of his world. Focusing on the plump, perfect planes of his lips, I wondered how, for the love of shifters, I was lusting over the devil?

“Your mist is communicating with Inky,” Shadow said suddenly, his eyes locked on the two of them towering above us.

We are reaching a truce to coexist with you both.

I nodded. “It’s going well, right? A truce is the best we could hope for.”

Shadow looked like he needed a moment to wrap his head around what was happening here. “Your mere existence is upsetting the delicate balance of these worlds, and I have no idea if we’ll all survive the fallout when whatever is coming makes itself known.”

I took a step closer to him. “What is coming?”

His face gave away no secrets. “I have no idea, but one thing is clear: Nothing will be the same now that you’ve embraced your destiny. We’re about to find out the true shine of your light, Sunshine.” His smile was mocking. “Let the games begin.”

For some reason, this didn’t send me into a tailspin of panic and existential dread. My upbringing in Torma pack had prepared me well for this life, and the thought that I might not make it to the next moonrise had always been my constant.

This was just the next challenge, and I’d deal with whatever terrible shit happened… well, when it happened.