Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(66)

It all hurt, and if a nap helped me escape, I was taking it. Hopefully by the time I woke up, Midnight would be here, and I could figure out my next move. Without a beast by my side.





32





Despite how comfortable and warm the pelts were, I was somehow still cold. And I slept like shit.

At one point, I woke, tears on my cheeks, and that just made me even angrier with myself because I wasn’t supposed to let my emotions get in the way. Yeah, Shadow had given me my first kiss… had been my first lover… and he was the first male I’d let myself be vulnerable with in a very long time. But I’d known all along it wasn’t going to last. I mean, that had been the one constant in our relationship, so why was I taking this so hard?

Was it just how perfect his mate was? Was it the thought that while I was sleeping my day away here, mourning what could have been, he was probably fucking her against an ice wall right now?

I mean, maybe not fucking—she really didn’t look like the type to enjoy a royal fuck. Gentle lovemaking in the moonlight?

Ugh, whatever. Screw him and her, and not in the fun way they were probably enjoying.

Mera.

I jumped at the sound of Midnight’s voice in my head, and there was a strange flutter in my chest that followed. The flutter felt cool and calm… Angel was close too. I wondered if maybe there had been a new evolution of my bond with her.

Either way, I was beyond ecstatic to feel both of them closing in.

How far away are you?

Midnight’s reply came a moment later. We’ve arrived in The Grey Lands and are now following Shadow’s energy through an ice city.

Yes. Fuck yes. I wouldn’t be alone here, and that gave me options.

Angel is with you? It was best to confirm, even if I already knew the answer.

Yes.

Can you pass messages to her?

I didn’t think it was possible for any normal being from the Solaris System, but Angel was special.

I can. Through your bond with her.

Great. Tell her that the queen here is Shadow’s true mate! She has his stone and is using that to get what she wants from him. I don’t know for sure what that is, but she wants us to gather shadow creatures to use to take on his family. It’s all weird and messy and I don’t even know what’s the truth or not, but she needs to be careful.

There were a few moments’ pause before it got back to me. She said she’s prepared for anything, and Ixana is no match for her.

I had to laugh. In some ways, Angel’s confidence was almost equal or superior to Shadow’s, but I loved her strength and fire so much that it didn’t even remotely bother me. I mean, some might call her arrogant, but was it arrogant to own your badassness? Not in my books.

Great. Let me know when you arrive at the largest snowflake building.

See you soon.

Getting to my feet, I made my way into the second room and used the facilities. The bath still looked amazingly enticing, and since the chill in my bones had settled in during my nap, making me feel a touch drained, I decided to have a quick bath. Just as I had my boots off, shirt over my head, and was about to slide my pants down, there was a tinkling sound in the air.

The energy in here felt disturbed for the first time, so I pressed myself back to the wall, right near the entrance to the bathroom door. Allowing my wolf to rise up, we waited silently, and when a figure slid around the corner, I wrapped my arms around their shoulders, managing to knock their feet out from under them before slamming the intruder down onto their back.

Clothes went flying, as did a bunch of feathers while Birdy cursed and squawked in her weird way.

“Shit, sorry,” I said, straightening. “I thought you were someone about to attack me.”

She coughed and wheezed before awkwardly getting to her taloned feet. “You’re a psycho.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, and…?”

Birdy just blinked at me, and I wondered if my translation thing had broken or something. Did she not understand?

She shook her feathered head. “You’re so confident. Just owning all of your flaws…”

Oh, right, that was what had Birdy all confused. “You see flaws… I see character. No one is perfect, and if they’re pretending to be, it’s only to hide a fuck-ton of damage. No one deserves to exist like that, and in the end, it will drive them a little cray cray. So, for me, it’s all about embracing the quirks that make up Mera. Got me?”

She didn’t got me, but she did nod. I wondered if Birdy was thinking of her boss in that moment, because if anyone was making a strong effort to “appear perfect,” it was the queen. No doubt the ice bitch expected the same perfection from the beings she surrounded herself with. I mean, it made sense wanting to control everything in the inner circle of your life, especially when it was chaotic in the outside world. But I’d bet living with it was no fun at all.

“I brought clothes,” Birdy said, sounding sullen as she indicated the articles of clothing scattered around. “Master Shadow said you’d find these comfortable.”

She spun and disappeared out of the bathroom before I could say thanks or apologize for slamming her ass into the floor. Whoopsie.

Gathering up the clothing, I noted they were basically the same sort of outfit I was wearing right now, but with a red shirt and blue jeans. I had no idea if there was any significance with the red shirt, being that it was Shadow’s color, but since I was trying not to think about him at all, I just placed everything on a shelf carved into the white walls and finished undressing.