Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(29)

I blinked. “Literally?”

Chest rumble. Okay, great. I was annoying him again. “I mean, you don’t have to smite me and go all grumbly beast. It’s a perfectly normal question for someone to ask.”

“Shut up, pup,” he snapped.

This time I decided to obey, all the while hoping I’d be alive long enough to learn about this secret new world I’d found myself in. He was back to his eight-feet height at this point, marching us along the endless white hallway, light below our feet and above our heads, and all the while, the smoky shadows continued to surround their master.

“Each of these doorways leads to a place of power and worth,” he said, surprising me. “Some of them are on the Earthly plane; others are in realms that connect to Earth. Deities can walk these halls, and many of their homes are behind these doors.”

Well, well, look who was Chatty Cathy now. Maybe I could ask him another question and actually get an answer.

“So—”

“Shut up.”

Okaayyy. Moving on then.

I managed to keep my mouth shut as we continued along the hall, only blinking when a shimmery veil appeared at the end of this pathway. Shadow didn’t hesitate, stepping through into what looked a little like a… church.

“Ironic,” I muttered.

We jolted to a halt, and when I was set none-too-gently on my feet, I stared at his massive body walking away from me. Hot damn, he was a freaking lot. Impossibly broad shoulders, dark crop of curls, and a fucking swagger that told the world not to fuck with him or he would destroy them.

I was screwed. This being was hands down the scariest motherfucker I’d ever seen in my life, and I was trapped in some magical path between worlds with him.

As he continued to move away, I took a quick minute to explore the room. It wasn’t as light in here as the unnaturally illuminated hallway. Instead, the vibe was open and clean, the décor a mix of pastel and wood tones.

Miles above us were arched ivory ceilings, and from where I stood, it looked as if scenes of battle were carved into bone. Scattered between these carvings were deadly-looking spikes— sentinels lying in wait for the right moment to fall from the sky and annihilate their prey.

Stepping farther into the room, I fell a little in love with the tall narrow windows crossing the left and right side of the huge space. They were almost ceiling height and absolutely spectacular, with arched peaks at the tops, falling to natural curves on the bases. They sat side by side, creating an illusion that the entire wall was one large window.

It was from here natural light flooded the cathedral, and I stepped closer to see what was outside, only to find it was nothing more than a swirl of clouds filled with twinkling lights.

Before I could explore any further, the inky smoke appeared from nowhere, twisting around my legs, and I yelped as Shadow himself followed. “Did you not say you could walk?” he asked, annoyed as always. “Don’t make me carry you again.”

I saluted. “Yes, sir. I didn’t realize I was supposed to follow. My bad.”

The sudden way he was staring me down made me very nervous.

“You don’t fear me?” he said, and his voice was soft. Normally, that would be a good sign, but this was the sort of soft a serial killer got right before he cut off your toes for a trophy.

I gulped. “On the contrary, I’m all but pissing my pants right now.”

His eyes dipped low for a second, like he was taking in the odd clothing I’d snagged off Torin’s floor. Pretty sure it was the first time he’d given my appearance more than a cursory glance, and he really didn’t seem impressed.

He probably dated goddesses or whatever other mystical beings were out there, so I would try not to take offense. “Follow,” he snapped, stalking off again.

This time, I didn’t push my luck, staying close behind him while still trying to take in everything in the room. As we pushed deeper into the space, I noticed for the first time that some of the windows stopped short to make way for a doorway nestled below. Like in the white hall, the doorway design was also seamless, and now that I was closer, it was easy to appreciate the craftsmanship that had gone into this room.

“Is this still a part of the path between worlds?” I asked.

He didn’t bother to look at me. “In a manner.” Okay, then. Cryptic and an asshole. I was starting to see where the alphas got their arrogance from… inherited from their maker.

We wandered for a long time through the church, its size another aspect unnoticed until we’d been walking for ten minutes and were only a third of the way through. Above us, the hand-carved ceiling grew more and more elaborate, and by the time we reached another large portal, I was crushing hard on this building.

Shadow, with his smoky friend, stepped through this new portal, disappearing into whatever lay beyond. He was cut off from me then, his energy gone like it had never existed. There was no way for me to even tell what lay beyond this veil, with its navy swirling vortex completely opaque.

I hesitated to follow, wondering if I should take my chances escaping now. Even if I ended up in another world, at least I’d have given it a shot. A shot was all anyone really needed.

I called on my wolf to help make this decision, and as she swirled to the surface, I was relieved to feel her energy strong once again. Run? I asked her.

She shimmered inside, soul restless and unsure about us leaving. The Shadow Beast was our god and upsetting him didn’t sit well with her.