Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(89)

The entrance was white, quite stark, with only a few pieces of art on the wall. The art wasn’t stationary as paintings would be on Earth, though; the images swirled and moved around, dusted with glittering magic as they depicted flowers and waterfalls and oases. They were so real, it felt like I could walk right into them and be in the image.

For all I knew, here in Faerie, that was actually possible.

“This is Len’s house?” I asked. It felt sleek and silver like he was, but also not quite right at the same time. He was modern lines and minimalistic. The outside of this was so ornate, and as we moved deeper, the rest was like that as well. Rich tapestries, large pieces of furniture to accommodate someone used to comfort, and splashes of red and gold that reminded me of one person…

“It’s mine,” Shadow said, confirming my new theory. “I like to keep a residence here, and you’ll be safe from the foreign magics as long as you remain inside.”

He led me up the stairs, Inky beside me as we traipsed to the second floor. Here there was a library. Of course. I was starting to get the feeling that Shadow was a little bit book-obsessed, and if anything, that only increased his appeal. And dammit, he did not need any help in that department.

Stepping into the library, Shadow headed toward the center and a set of couches similar to the ones in his lair. Inky went with him, but I crossed to the expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows, framed in black steel, showcasing the world below.

Stopping before them, I stared out across the landscape. “We’re moving!” I exclaimed, noticing the fast-shifting scenery below.

I hadn’t expected Shadow to hear me—he really wasn’t that close—but when I turned toward him, it was to find he was somehow at my side. It was so fast that I had to reconsider my stance on whether or not he could have been the one touching me when I’d woken from a nap. It had been such a sensual touch, though, and that made no sense, so it had probably just been a very vivid dream.

That was my delusion, and I was sticking with it.

“Nothing is stationary in Faerie,” he said, and I had to jump back a few brain loops to remember what we’d been talking about. My mind had been caught on the heat pooling in my gut and dripping down to my…

“Nothing is stationary?”

Shadow’s face was highlighted by a burst of golden sunlight that chose that moment to dramatically spray through the window. We had been flying through a bunch of low-hanging clouds, and as they cleared, the light was brighter than ever, and below us was…lava. Just fields of flowing red.

“The landscape here changes as often as the images that adorn my walls,” Shadow explained.

Trying to wrap my head around this concept was not easy. Humans and shifters liked stationary. It was familiar, and that was comforting. “What about Len’s garden? That didn’t move.”

Shadow grinned. “You’re quick. I like that about you. Most humans take forever to catch up to the conversation.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Better?”

He nodded. “That’s more the level I expect from your kind. But, yes, Len’s is a small stationary section. There are many scattered about, but they are cut off from anything else, so you still need to find yourself a mode of transportation.” Hence why he had a floating house here. It was basically Faerie’s form of a campervan.

With a shake of my head, I turned back to the view, noticing a few small islands dotted among the rivers of lava. “Can we get back to the Library of Knowledge from your house here?”

Shadow shook his head. “No, there are only a few entrances from Faerie to the library. We’ll have to go back to Len’s garden in two days so we can return. It’s the closest portal on this side of the great divide.”

And just like that, I really wanted to know what this great divide was. Hopefully, I’d learn so much more in our few days here.

“Stand back, Mera,” Shadow said suddenly.

I wrinkled my brow at him, wondering what the hell he was talking…

Inky exploded, his size going to twenty times larger, and I almost got caught in its black smoke.

“Are we under attack?” I yelled, covering my head as I ducked to the side.

Shadow laughed, and I paused because that didn’t sound like someone worried. This was clearly not an attack, but what was happening?

Inky continued to swell, and the spark of lights inside grew brighter and brighter until… a box slid out from the middle of it. What in the creepy fuck was going on here?

Shadow seemed amused by my expression as I stared at the somewhat disturbing image. “Your food has arrived,” he said.

I rubbed a hand over my face, opening my mouth to speak before closing it again. Inky had birthed a damn box of food, and now I had to eat it?

My stomach growled again, louder than before.

Yeah, so, okay, I probably would. But still… “How did it do that?”

Shadow, the beast of secrecy, just grinned.

Throwing my hands in the air, I spun in a huff, annoyed by everything being a secret in this world.

My curious nature was driven crazy by all the unanswered questions, and it felt like Shadow was doing it deliberately at this stage.

Although now that I knew Inky was possibly linked to his weakness, maybe he was just extra cautious about revealing any information to do with his little minion.