Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(61)

“Mera,” Shadow snapped. My heart clenched because there was no ‘Sunshine’ from him today. His face was blank, his eyes gold and without flames, and I had absolutely no idea what he was thinking.

“What?”

“We have to follow,” he said shortly.

A spark of defiance made itself known, pushing through my pride and hurt feelings. “We do? Or what?”

Shadow closed the distance between us, and his eyes were pleading with me to understand, but his words were as short as mine had been. “She carries my stone. Without it, I can’t best my family. I need to hear her out.”

His stone? The red stone was… the bloodstone? No wonder it had looked out of place… But how in the fuck had she gotten her hands on it? And why hadn’t he just snatched it away from the ice bitch the first second he saw it?

I crossed my arms. “You might have to hear her out, but I don’t. Dragging us in here, being all freaking cryptic, and then wandering her ass off with a ‘come.’ What? Am I just supposed to obey?”

Shadow’s rigid jaw twitched. “You usually obey that command.”

I narrowed my eyes on him, my lips pressing together as I fought the combination of fury and arousal. How dare he remind me of that in the house of his mate?!

Reaching out, I grasped on to his shirt, pulling him closer. Or at least attempting to because he was an immovable object when he wanted to be. There were gasps and animal calls around us, and I wondered if it was because I’d touched their queen’s mate, or were they aware of what usually happened when people touched him without his permission?

Only we were past that. I was one of the six beings who—

Shadow’s power zapped me, sending me away from him.

“Learn your place, wolf,” he rumbled, his cold expression telling me I’d pushed my defiance too far. Especially in the presence of another royal and leader.

Shadow could not lose face, but in that second, my heart broke a little.

He turned and walked off, leaving me all but sprawled against a nearby pillar, and I wondered what the hell I should do now.

I wanted to leave. Storm from this place and find my way back to the library. If I could meet up with Midnight or Angel, I knew they’d show me the way.

But there was this tiny part of me that wasn’t ready to just walk away. Not yet, not without answers. I still didn’t know who or what I was. So many unanswered questions, and maybe… I’d learn something here.

As a bonus, me staying might just make Shadow’s life a little uncomfortable. Worth it after that shit he’d just pulled. The animal guards crowded in around me, and while none of them touched me, they were definitely urging me to start moving, to follow Shadow and the queen.

Shadow and his mate.

My wolf rose to the surface, ready to fight our way out if needed. She’d been quiet recently, but there was a rage in her soul as she scraped along the surface of her cage. She wanted to battle. Take them all on, one by one, and prove that we were no longer a prisoner.

I felt the bones and muscles in my face start to morph, pushing against the restraints of my human skin, and I was so tempted to do my worst. The pissed off rattling around deep in my soul, had caution falling to the side.

Whatever loyalty I owed to Shadow was gone, and I was ready to fuck shit up. Our pack life was dead before it even truly begun.

Fuck. It hurt.

It hurt so much, but anger was easier to deal with, so I grasped on to it. Straightening with all the dignity I had left, I marched along the white floor, my boots clicking with each step, and I took pleasure in the sound because I wanted them to know I was coming.

The plethora of guards followed, and I spent the short walk into the next room examining each and every one so I could commit to memory the range of creatures that were part of this world.

Lots of feline beasts, like Cat-man. Cat-man, who was nowhere in sight, having disappeared after Shadow singed its fur. I’d feel sorry for it, only… nah.

There were other cats with its blue fur in the guard, also a few with greyish gold, and a very dark magenta one, with piercing emerald eyes. Next to the cats were half a dozen birds, similar to the ones I’d seen on the way here, with sharp, pointed faces and beak-like mouths. The beak itself looked quite lethal, with an intense point on the end.

The rest weren’t really like any Earth animals, but if I had to liken them, it would be to something prehistoric. Dark green and browns in color, with boney shield plates around their heads and along their arms.

They were kind of scarily hardcore, and I wondered how long it would be before I found myself tangling with one of these creatures. And who would come out on top when it inevitably happened.





30





The next room in this never-ending labyrinth of chambers appeared to be a gathering area. There was a colossal table, spanning from one end to the other, and it was made of—you guessed it—crystal that shimmered in the twinkling lights from above. The ceilings themselves were up so high that I had no idea what was being used for illumination, but from what I could tell, it appeared to be gaps in the design of the building that allowed light from outside to filter through specifically designated spots.

And, yes, I was examining every single other aspect of this room so I didn’t have to look at the pair already seated. The true mates. Bleh.

The guard pushed up on me in a bid to hurry me along, so I went slower than ever.