Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(44)

Shadow stepped out on the ice, growing in size until he was larger than I’d ever seen him, and once again I was wondering if there was an upper limit in his size changes? And would I ever get to see it?

Inky grew with him, the mass of smoky swirls swelling until it was a storm cloud of darkness behind the lord of darkness himself. From my angle, the two of them together was truly terrifying.

Weirdly enough, in this moment, I wasn’t afraid of Shadow. We were fighting on the same side, and it was kind of nice to have an ally. For a change.

Slipping across the ice after him, Shadow, who was quite the distance ahead of me, was thankfully clearing a path through the dead animals left scattered by the creature. The blood remained, though, painting the ice into a grotesque artwork of red and black slashes. It was clear some of this blood was many days old, while other kills were fresh red spatters of death.

My boots sloshed through it, and I knew I had to pick up the pace to reach Shadow’s side. It got harder to keep my balance as the blood grew thicker and iced over in parts, turning it into the equivalent of black ice.

“Hold up, dude,” I called, almost falling onto the carcass of a black bear. “If you need my help, you’re going to have to wait for me.”

Shadow didn’t turn, but the abervoq did, stopping whatever it was doing, to stare straight into my soul.

Our moment was broken when it roared, leaping into the air and over the top of Shadow to land right before me. The ice cracked under its mammoth weight and I tried to back up, landing on my ass in the blood-soaked ice.

“What the fuck?” I screeched. “You’re creepy as hell, abervoq.”

It roared again, not liking my rapid judgment of its creepiness.

“No offense,” I added in a panic.

It paused, tilting its head to the side, like it was trying to decide what I was and how my blood tasted. I didn’t wait for that conclusion, kicking out and connecting to its furry body. I had no idea what to expect when my boot landed. Would this thing have substance or be like those shadows I’d first touched back at Torma?

My boot connected, and the abervoq slid away.

Jumping to my feet, I did the worst thing possible by slipping on some fresh blood, careening across the ice, and unintentionally slamming into the shadow creature. On instinct, I reached out, wrapping my arms around it.

Was I actually giving it a bear hug right now?

“Hold it for a moment,” Shadow snapped, quickly approaching us.

The abervoq tipped its head back and roared before trying to shake me off like I was errant water trapped in its black fur. “Yep, sure. No problem,” I gasped, holding on for life now. “No rush.”

Meanwhile, I was cursing him under my breath. How was I even in this situation? And would I live long enough to save Earth today?





24

A t some point, the abervoq must have realized I wasn’t its usual prey, and instead of running in fear, I was literally hanging on like a baby koala. It smelled strange as I buried my head against the coarse fur, like smoke and dust and an earthy scent I had no reference for.

I didn’t let go despite my fear, and I might have just lucked into a position that was safe from its pawing claws. It appeared to be worried it might slash its own chest, as its blows softened, leaving us in this weird dance of death.

Only one would be the winner today and I was determined for it to be me. No way had I survived everything I had in my life, only to get taken out by a creature that shouldn’t even exist on Earth.

When it roared for the fifteenth time in as many seconds, my wolf also started to howl, and so did I—the call of my people ringing out into the dark sky above.

The abervoq stopped moving, stilling unnaturally, and just as I was trying to figure out the next horrendous thing it had planned for me, a clawed hand came up and caressed the back of my head. It was a gentle, almost loving embrace, and I tensed, waiting for the blade to fall.

Like it had for the hundreds of dead animals that currently surrounded us. I mean, there was legitimately nothing cuddly about this creature, and yet, right now, he was… hugging me.

I lifted my head, finally brave enough to view its face, but there was only a second for us to lock gazes before Shadow arrived, tearing the abervoq off me. I went flying as well, landing in a pile of stinky corpses. The frozen environment had muted the smell of death somewhat, but swimming in bodies like this sent a putrid waft of decay and excrement into my nostrils. Close to hurling up my dinner, I scrambled off the corpses, attempting to hold my breath.

Silver lining: I was covered in ice and blood, but at least I was alive.

Focusing on the fight, I blinked at how one-sided it was. One could go as far as saying that the abervoq was having its ass handed to it today. When it was nothing more than a crumbled mess at Shadow’s feet, I moved closer.

Dark, glossy eyes stared up at me, and why the fuck did that look make me so sad?

“Place your hand on it,” Shadow ordered.

I stared at him. “Why?”

His teeth appeared, looking a tiny bit sharper and more lethal than normal. “Just do as you’re told.”

Fuck you. “Sure, no worries. You should have just said so in the first place.”

His jaw was twitching. His eye too, I was pretty sure. Seemed my job here was done.

Reaching down, I pressed my hand to the fur-covered shoulder. Shadow touched me and the creature, and I felt a buzz of his energy, stronger than usual, course through us all.