Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(30)

“Not in our language,” he said, his steady breathing near lulling me to sleep. “But there’s no literal translation to most of what exists here, so I’m giving it to you in terms you understand.”

I liked that. Shadow wasn’t particularly considerate in general, but with me… he had been trying. I had no idea what that meant, but I liked it.

Pretty much why I was a girly mess of feelings.

Shadow continued to tell me about his world, and honestly, the mild accent was enough to drive me both crazy and soothe me to sleep. How he could pull me in such polar opposites, I’d never know, but as I listened to his history, I ended up resting against his arm.

Shadow didn’t move me. He didn’t shock me. He let me rest against his warmth, and for a brief moment, there was only peace.

That lasted until I closed my eyes, and his chest rumbled, jarring me awake.

“You need to eat,” he said.

“You do,” Angel added, having finished with her own recharge.

Sitting up, I rubbed at my eyes, wishing I didn’t feel like such horseshit. I was not one of those people who could be woken from a few-minute nap and bounce back. Made me and my wolf a little growly.

“You look great,” I said to Angel, noticing a visible energy flickering across her skin, almost like she was covered in a blanket of electricity. I hadn’t seen that before, but this must have been Angel at full charge.

“The mists are unsteady,” she said, brushing her hands along her armor. “There’s still power, but the stability is out of balance. I don’t know what the royals have been doing since Shadow left, but whatever it is, they’re not doing it well.”

“Which will soon change,” the beast in question said. Before any of us could answer, he reached down and hauled me up. “You’re not looking after yourself, Mera,” he bit out as he led me to the waterhole he’d created.

We stopped on the side. “This is safe to drink,” he added, nudging me forward.

I didn’t move, and clearly, my rather epic resting bitch face wasn’t doing its job because he just nudged me again. “Shadow,” I snapped. “Stop motherfucking manhandling me. I don’t need your help with taking care of myself. I will eat… and drink… when I’m ready to eat and drink.”

Okay, so I might have been acting a little like a toddler, but I was out of sorts still, and he wasn’t helping with his alpha bullshit. Not tonight. Tonight, I knew he had a true mate, a destiny that didn’t include me, and I was stuck in this world that might hold a lot of secrets I couldn’t handle.

Tonight, I just needed a break.

Another nudge, and it was at this very moment I lost my shit, launching myself at him, tackling the damn devil of shifters. Now, normally, I wouldn’t have moved his giant ass, but we’d been balancing right on the edge of his lake, and I took him by surprise, sending both of us into the water.

I coughed and choked, going under as the shock rendered me motionless for a beat. The water was cool but not freezing, and it was surprisingly refreshing as it unexpectedly entered my nose and mouth.

A strong arm hauled me up, and when he slammed his palm against my back to help me get the water up, there was a decent chance he’d just broken a rib or two. But I hadn’t drowned, so there was that.

“What the fuck, dude?” I gasped, chasing air to get it into my lungs. “This is all your fault.”

He just stared at me, blinking like I was some sort of swamp creature who’d disturbed his swim. “You’re always pushing me,” I ranted, paddling away from him, because I needed the distance. “Always trying to fit me into your mold, all the while using your alpha command on me—”

His power locked around me, cutting off my words, and I was slowly dragged back through the lake until I reached him. Out here, I couldn’t touch the bottom, but it was okay because he held me up with whatever energy he was using to once again control me.

Unable to speak, I used my eyes to project how truly pissed off I was.

I am going to kill you when you free me.

Shadow grinned, a not very nice smile, and like the truly pathetic shifter I was, I found myself examining his lips, thinking about our kiss.

Our first kiss. For both of us.

This was just getting sad, an obsession burning through my veins.

Shadow’s eyes darkened, with just the flickering embers deep inside. “Your mouth says one thing, Sunshine,” he told me softly, “but your scent says another. Not to mention your eyes.”

I was drowning again, but this time from the intensity of him. Of his power. Of his presence. Of this tangible connection between us. My body ached, and I tried to arch to ease it, but of course, he was torturing me with a full body hold.

Just when I was about to combust or freak out or hyperventilate—fine line on all three—he finally released me, and I sank into the water, near sobbing as the cool liquid encased me again, soothing my boiling skin.

By the time I resurfaced, Shadow was gone, and I reluctantly followed. I was still horny as fuck, but the simmering annoyance kept it at bay. An annoyance that only grew with each sodden step across the land toward my bedding.

When I got there, Shadow held two bars out to me. “Eat,” he told me shortly, dropping them in my hands.

I was tempted to throw them back at him, but that was both juvenile and a waste of food, so I satisfied myself with turning my back and pretending he didn’t exist.