Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(13)

“It’ll be fine,” I told Shadow. “Let’s put our positive thoughts out into the world. We’ve got this.”

His laughter was low and unexpected. “You are delightfully human at times. Na?ve, but I enjoy the break from normalcy.”

“I aim to please.” And at least he didn’t have his hand around my throat today, so we were making progress.

Inky and Midnight, having finished their standoff “conversation,” shrunk down to small clouds of smoke again, each wrapping around their bonded partner. Despite my misgivings about this bond, there was a facet of comfort in its presence, and I’d only had about ten minutes to get used to it.

Shadow was just staring, those flames in his eyes flickering brightly. “I’ve never known another to bond to the mists. It’s beyond rare. “

“How did you?”

His expression morphed and I almost took a step back. For a brief moment in time, he personified death, a mask of darkness shrouding his features. “I’m the Supreme Being, the true heir.” He had told me this before, but not in much detail. “I was betrayed the day I should have received my power, and as I was sent from my world, I dragged Inky with me. We bonded, and he’s been with me ever since.”

I pointed at myself and then at him. “We’re way more similar than I bet you’d like to admit.” A horrific thought hit me, one that Angel had touched on, but maybe she’d misread the genetics. “You don’t think were related, right?”

Jesus, I didn’t have the mental capacity to handle that truth.

Shadow laughed. “We’re not. My kin are well known to me, and I plan on killing a decent amount of them.”

Phew. “Good to know.” A pause. “Also, you’re a touch scary.”

Shadow shrugged. “I am what I am. If you can’t handle me, that’s your issue.”

That stopped me short, for the pure beauty of his statement. For my entire life, I’d tried to shrink myself to fit in, to make others comfortable and happy and accepting of who I was. But Shadow was unapologetically himself, and if it was too much for me, then that was my issue.

Years of blaming myself, when all along… The issue didn’t lie with me.

The revelation was breathtaking. And painful. And the best gift Shadow had given me.

“I can handle it,” I told him truthfully. “You’re not too much for me.”

He tilted his head, unsure, but there was a low, simmering ember deep in his eyes.

Midnight pressed into me, and I felt its confusion. You like him?

“Yes.”

Shadow let Inky twirl around him. “You need to work on your mental communication skills.”

“Nah.” I shook my head. “I’m cool with it being all one-sided in that regard. There’s only so much of this magical shit that I can get used to. So I’ll be speaking out loud for the foreseeable future.”

He didn’t seem to be upset by that. “I want to hear your thoughts. Don’t start hiding them from me.”

“No plans to,” I promised.

I’d never held back from Shadow—well, almost never—from the first moment we’d crossed paths. It had probably brought me close to death a time or two, but now I saw that it had also endeared me to the beast. Over time, he’d come to appreciate my brand of quirkiness, and apparently… I wasn’t too much for him, either.

It was odd that what had started as one of the worst days of my life, ended as one of the best. In this second, I felt happy and accepted.

For how long? Well, fate was a nasty bitch. And the sun was often the brightest right before a storm.

Luckily, I was well-equipped with both a raincoat and knee-high galoshes to handle whatever wild weather was thrown my way.





7





I’d been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours, and before I could handle one more situation, I needed a shower, a change of clothing, and food. In that order. Shadow left to finish his preparations for our journey into the realm, and I headed toward my room.

Midnight stayed close, and since I wasn’t exactly used to my new companion yet, I asked for a little space.

Space?

I nodded, my shirt half over my head as I stepped into the bathroom. “Yeah, human-type people like privacy when they shower and dress and even at other times. We often need a moment alone to gather our thoughts. Some space between us and the rest of the world.”

It seemed to understand then, swelling and sparking lights around its darkness.

Right. I will wait for you outside. I prefer to exist up high anyway. Just call if you need me.

It twirled away, under the bedroom door, and I took a deep, extended breath, trying to sort out my mental state. The exhaustion that had plagued me before my nap wasn’t completely gone; it lingered on the edges of my energy, confirming that I hadn’t had enough sleep or food to completely restore my well of power.

One thing at a time, though, and those two would have to wait.

The shower felt amazing, and I sank to the floor, letting the heavy stream beat down on me. Cranking the heat even higher, the chill that had been lingering in my bones eased with each drop of water. I might have even dozed off for a few minutes, allowing an extra boost of healing and restoration to kick in.

Eventually, I had to get out, and after drying off, I did my teeth-brushing and moisturizing routine, feeling a hundred times more myself after. I really needed to spend more time on self-care because I’d been a ragged mess when I’d dragged my ass in here an hour ago. Most of which had been washed away in the shower.