Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters, #2)(81)

39





The next day continued on the same way. We walked and I collected creatures—I had to be near the back now so the army could spread out behind me. Shadow and Ixana stayed close to me, which was frustrating, since I had been trying to avoid the pair of them since Shadow had fucked me within an inch of my life.

Today I was “lucky” enough to hear their conversation.

“Remember when we were kids?” Ixana said with a laugh, warm to him when she iced everyone else out. “Your sister used to torment us both and we’d hide in that massive maze near your family’s home.”

Shadow’s rumbling laugh had a familiarity in it, as he too got caught up in past memories. “I should have known Cristell was an evil bitch even back then. She would take any opportunity to hurt me. Or get me into trouble. Her favorite pastime was calling me the ‘little maggot heir.’”

Ixana didn’t laugh. “Yes, she was always horrible. Jealous and spiteful about the fact you were born to inherit the ultimate power, while she’d always exist under her younger sibling in power. It was what drove her crazy in the end.”

I couldn’t see Shadow’s face, but I knew that tense set to his muscles. “My mother was the only one I could trust,” he said. “It’s been the hardest part of being locked from the realm. Not so much the loss of my destined power, but the loss of her.”

Ixana placed her hand on his shoulder, and I forced myself to look at my feet, watching the small splatters of dust kick up under my boots. Shadow had been procuring me new clothes throughout the days, but the boots were a staple.

“Your mother was the one who helped me escape,” she said softly. “Because she knew one day you’d return and with me at your side, we would take Cristell down.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was how a soul shattered.

I mean, not mine, of course, because I was made of tougher stuff than that. But all the ladies who thought they could tame the beast god were currently sobbing into their pillows.

“How long since you’ve seen her?” Shadow asked.

Ixana finally removed her hand, shaking her head at the same time. “Not since that day, so thousands of cycles ago. I heard rumors that she went missing, and I wondered if maybe your sister managed to get rid of the rest of your family who felt any sort of connection to you.”

Shadow’s flames burst to life, a fierce burn that sent heat shooting out around us. Ixana leapt away, clearly not enjoying his fiery side. Meanwhile, I just wanted to climb that damn flame-filled giant and absorb every last iota of his power.

“Cristell will suffer.” He growled. “That’s a given. But if she hurt my mother, then I will make it so much worse.”

“We’ll have enough power to best them very soon,” Ixana said, and she sounded far too pleased. “Between the stone and your creature army, there is no chance for any of the royals.”

I’d be using this army to defeat them only so we could free the creatures and restore their land. And yeah, it was a bonus if Shadow could take his place as his family’s rightful leader, but it was also a double-edged sword. After he took on the mantle of Supreme Being, he’d be gone from my reach forever.

“Excuse me,” I said, interrupting, and for some reason, the moment I spoke, Shadow’s flames died off. Our eyes met, and just like always, the buzz of awareness between us was enough to have me stumble on the completely flat ground. “How far until we reach the Nexus?”

Ixana scowled. Did she not like me interrupting her little bonding time with Shadow? Tough shit, cupcake.

“One more day of walking, I estimate,” she said stiffly. “If you can keep up the pace, of course.”

“You mean, the pace I’ve been maintaining while carting along hundreds of shadow creatures who are protecting us?”

No need for her to forget who was doing all the heavy lifting here. There was a cacophony of noise behind me as the creatures screeched and bellowed and called to the sky, and I felt a small sense of satisfaction as her gaze darted about, her expression drawn in fear.

“Of course. You’ve been doing amazing.” She actually reached out to touch me. She’d been doing that a lot over the last few days, trying to be reassuring, but it was mostly creepy. Fighting the urge to shake her icy touch off, I was thankful when she removed her hand. “We’re grateful for your assistance in reestablishing us on the throne, right, lover?”

She turned to Shadow, missing the fucked-off expression descending over my face. I had no idea what the literal word she’d used was, but the translation had clearly gone with lover, and that made me want to use my creatures for evil. I didn’t, because they were not actually my personal army to destroy my enemies, but it was certainly tempting.

“It’s my throne,” Shadow said gruffly, and he had my attention now. “My power and stone that you’ve been withholding from me.”

She shook her head. “No, I told you I needed to keep it to maintain my land. Without the stone, every being there would fall victim to the rogue creatures of The Grey Lands. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, right?”

Shadow spun on her, one of those rapid, scary moves that I recognized from my early days with him. “I cannot accept my birthright without the stone. I’ve been patient; we’ve done it your way. But I refuse to leave The Grey Lands without the bloodstone. Understood?”