Hmm. So Inky might hold information about his weaknesses, somehow…
It was clear from Shadow’s expression that I wouldn’t be finding out one more thing about either of them today, so I gave up worrying and focused on seeing every part of Faerie that I could. Ever since I’d opened the doorway and heard that music, a need to come here had taken root inside me. Like that music had seeped into my soul when I hadn’t been looking.
“How can I be here without suffering any ill effects?” I asked Shadow when we stopped before the floating palace. I wanted to examine the building so badly, but my focus was locked on the enigmatic beast beside me. As always, his mere presence eclipsed all else.
“You didn’t enter of your own free will, so Faerie can’t keep you.”
“Seriously? Len never told me that.” I thought this new information over. “Guess it explains the way he took me. He should have said something; I’d have been a lot more forgiving.” Instead, the fae had let me hit him and still apologized and admitted to a wrongdoing. Which was … interesting.
Shadow’s smile was warm, as it often was around his friends. “Magic is a living entity, and like all that exist, it has rules. Faerie is more magic than any of the worlds, and once you know the rules, it’s a perfect location to visit. If you don’t know them, though, it will eat you alive. Len would have had his reasons for going about it the way he did.”
Shit, now I felt bad. It had been a high-tension time, firstly fighting the hunters…
Wait!
“I touched the Shadow Hunters,” I blurted out, suddenly remembering the most recent odd occurrence in regard to me and my wolf. “And they didn’t steal my soul, or whatever was supposed to happen.”
Silence. A long echoing silence.
Dammit,say something. Something reassuring.
Instead, expression unreadable, Shadow dismissed me, turning to press his hands on the wall of the building. It stopped shimmering and glowing, as a set of stairs appeared, leading up to a large double set of front doors.
“Shadow,” I pushed, needing some reaction from him.
He paused, one foot on the first step. “Normal rules do not govern you, Sunshine. It is growing apparent that your origin is from the realm. There’s no other explanation for what you can do.”
I wanted to scream, the tension inside of me threatening to explode as it grew in intensity. “How? The door has been locked for thousands of years! How would I get through? And I look just like my parents…?”
He turned back, staring down at me. “I have no idea what it means or how it is possible, and until we get the door open, we won’t find out.”
His eyes were telling me that this was the reason he’d been driving me so hard to stay on task, but we both knew that had been for him and no one else. Finding outwhatI was, had just turned into a fun side-adventure.
He made his way back to me, reaching out to touch my face. It was the oddest, almost gentle movement. “Don’t stress on it today. No answers will come from running it through your mind. Think of it this way… you’re still alive. Still fighting. You’ve survived what ninety percent of shifters wouldn’t, and that can’t be a bad thing. We’ll get to the truth eventually. Until then, just embrace the life you’re living.”
Fuck, I guess this ancient beast of a philosopher wasn’t wrong, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to take his advice.
For now.
Shadow started up the stairs again, and this time I followed, finally getting my chance to truly examine the stunning palace. I had to sigh as I looked over every aspect of it. It was straight from a fairytale—ironic, seeing as we were literally in a place called “Faerie”—with white stone walls, speckled through with glittering crystals, turrets, and multiple towers, topped off by various levels of elegant dark grey shingled rooves.
It was even larger than I’d thought initially, and as I followed Shadow up the stairs, I gasped at the sheer size of the double doors. They had to be twenty feet tall, and just as wide, and as both of them silently swung open to allow us entry, I was again staring around, wide-eyed.
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. Anddammit, 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.
