Seriously, though, why was I playing dominance games with a god? There was literally not one good reason, but I couldn’t make myself stop.
The second bite of cake was even better than the first, and an involuntary moan escaped from between my lips.Jesus, Mary, and thank fuck for sweets.
Honestly, I hadn’t even realized I was a foodie until this moment, because I’d never been given the opportunity to really indulge myself.
“Are you done?”
His low growl of words stopped me right in my tracks, his energy rendering me powerless to move or continue eating.
“Not. Quite,” I managed to choke out.
His next growl came from deep in his chest, flames crashing in the air around us, and just like that, the room was empty. No doubt about it, the Shadow Beast was both feared and respected to almost ridiculous levels. For good reason.
Some of the hold on my body lessened, and I decided to stop fucking around as I turned toward him. “Oh, hey,” I said casually. “Didn’t see you there.”
Actual smoke escaped his nostrils. Like… fucking smoke. Come on, dude, could you be any more of a demon cliché? Flames erupted in those stunning eyes of his, and there he went, stepping up the cliché just a touch more.
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You’re perpetually pissed off. Did you need something from me? Or am I just late to my next useless cleaning session?”
In all honesty, if I didn’t get sleep soon, I was probably going to collapse into a puddle of wolf.
“I’ve tracked a shadow creature down,” he said, those plump lips and perfect white teeth capturing my attention as he spoke. He distracted me in the worst way, and I wanted to hate myself for that weakness, but… he was darkly delicious, and I was only human…ish.
He was staring at me, no doubt waiting for my response, and I’d forgotten what he’d even said.
“Uh, you…”Creature, right? “A shadow creature! Oh, great. You tracked one down. Let’s go and get it.” I sprang to my feet, graceful thanks to my wolf. “Is it on Earth? Should I grab a jacket?”
He tilted his head to the side, like he was trying to understand me, but the secret to my success was making sure no one ever did.
“Yes, it’s on Earth, deep in Canada. You will need warmer clothing to counteract your weak frailties.”
I smiled. “You are so right, Shadow. Thanks for always thinking of my wellbeing.”
For some reason, don’t ask me why, I went to clap him on the shoulder as I started to move past. The way I would have done when I was sarcastically joking with Simone. But this wasn’t Simone. This was a god, a Shadow Beast, a demon of the darkest worlds.
Just like with Inky, touching him without permission was a terrible idea, but it was too late to stop. The moment my hand landed on his shoulder, fire shot up through my palm, and my screams rang out through the hall. I’d never felt such intense pain like that, and by the time I wrenched my hand away, I expected to find nothing more than a scorched stump at the end of my arm.
There was not a mark on me, though. “What…” I spluttered. “What the fuck was that?”
He’d touched me when he carried me to this shithole, and I had felt no pain.
Shadow’s giant, giant height returned to just one “giant” as he stepped closer, not looking as pissed off as I’d expected. “No one touches me.”
That was it, his entire explanation. “So you tried to burn me from the inside out?”
He shook his head, curls moving gently with the movement, and I had the most insane urge to reach up and run my hands through them. Like, the fucker had almost broken me a second ago when I’d touched him, but apparently, I was a sucker for pain.
“That’s my power,” he said just as shortly. “If you can’t handle it, don’t step into the fire.”
I snorted. “Right. Gotcha.”
Asshole.
23
Once I was suited up in jeans, a thick jacket, gloves, and a wool hat—ninety percent certain those clothes had not been in my closet earlier—I walked through the library with Shadow. Inky was close to us again, slinking around its master, but I kind of felt good that it was there. Like an extra backup against these shadow creatures. Just the name itself invoked fear, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see them and not freak out.
“How does it all work?” I asked as a distraction when we were nearing the hallway to Earth.
