Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(59)

He shook his head. “No. I’ve been searching for a long time to reclaim a special gem that should have been passed down through my family. It was stolen by someone we trusted. There’s very little chance it will ever be recovered, and yet, when I have free time, I still search through the books for any mention.”

He jerked his head toward the shelves, although any movement that smooth couldn’t really be described as a jerk. “Faerie tomes update themselves using magic. Only there’s never anything new about our stone, and without it, we are significantly weakened.”

I’d read more than a few Faerie books and had a pretty good idea what he was talking about.

“You can store magic in your gems to boost your own power, right?”

It was why he wore so many on his person, and why his family was particularly powerful, despite the missing gem. Royals were not born to their position in his culture; they took it with force. I also knew that the gems that could store power were rare on Faerie, each of them viciously guarded by those who possessed them.

Len looked somewhat impressed by my knowledge, his silvery eyes sparkling. “Correct, little wolf. Different stones have different capabilities. The one that was taken is an exceedingly rare yellow sunburst stone, with almost limitless storage capabilities. Legend says it came from a drop of pure light, the only one of its kind.” He shook his head. “It just doesn’t make sense that those who took it would not use it, and yet… if they did, there would be a record. The last noted mention of the sunburst stone was the day it was stolen from my family.”

I thought on that. “Almost like they stole it for a specific reason and that reason hasn’t come to pass yet?”

He let out a ragged breath. “That’s what worries me. Technically, they could be storing slivers of energy within the stone every day, which would not activate it. Over the years, they’d still amass enough power to devastate faerie… or the Solaris System. We need to figure out who stole it and stop them before they use it against us.” His frustration was obvious. “It’s my job to protect my family and my kingdom. I cannot fail at this task.”

“Have you asked Shadow?”

The moment I’d said that, I regretted it, especially as Len’s smile grew, genuine amusement dancing across his features. Now it looked like I thought of Shadow as our one and only savior, and arguing would only dig the hole deeper.

“Despite the rumors,” Len sounded amused, “Shadow doesn’t know everything. And as useful as my friend is at times, in this Faerie matter, he cannot help.”

A snort of laughter escaped me. “Rumors? Bet he started them himself.”

Len genuinely looked like he was trying not to laugh. “A true friend never tells.”

He was a true friend; they all were. I had no doubt that if anyone tried to hurt one of the six, the rest would retaliate without mercy.

“You’re all lucky to have each other,” I said. “I’m sure, being as powerful as you are, it’s hard to find friends you can trust. I’m glad you managed the impossible.”

Len’s gaze was dissecting me, reading beneath my words. “We’re a friendship forged in blood, born on the battlefield, where many of us fought against the other. Fate decided that we’d be stronger on the same side, especially after Shadow saved half our lives… and the rest is history.”

“Shadow saved you?”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah. He’s always been a lone wolf with no side to fight on, from a world beyond reach.”

Finally, we had arrived at a topic of conversation I was most interested in. Shadow and whatever had happened to the Shadow Realm. I mean, why was there no information about it? Why had its door been sealed, leaving Shadow the only one from that world here?

Outside of my creatures, of course.

My desperate craving need to know the whys, hows, and whos of this situation was the reason I’d stalked the fae. He didn’t move away when I leaned in closer. “Why is Shadow here and not in his world?”

Len shook his head. “Gonna take more than a beautiful face to get me to spill secrets about that guy. He’d kick my ass, and trust me, it hurts when he does.”

“So I gotta ask him,” I said with a sigh.

Len’s smile faded. “You’re braver around him than most mortals. Immortals too, actually, outside of the five of us. Don’t give him an inch—he’ll respect you more.”

I shrugged. “It’s not in my nature to cower. He’ll either kill me or he won’t, and in the meantime, I’ve got a life to live and a personality to polish by practicing confidence.”

Len brushed his thumb across my cheek, the movement over in a flash. It was disconcerting how fast all of these guys moved—if they ever attacked, I’d be dead before I saw it coming.

“We’re having dinner again tonight,” he murmured. “You should come.”

Before I could reply, he disappeared into thin air, leaving me looking around trying to figure out how he’d done it.

“Will you have actual food this time?” I shouted into the empty space.

My only answer was a deep laugh, and then his energy faded from the library.





33

W hen I finished my perusal of the library, I popped my head into the dining hall, but there was no sign of Angel, so I just headed into the lair to shower and change. Len’s mention of their dinner tonight had stirred my curiosity, and I wanted to check it out. Mostly so I could learn by observing these powerful beings. Shadow knew way too much about me, and I knew way too little about him. It was an uneven balance of power and I hated that more than anything.