“I promise,” I replied, not knowing if I’d just lied to her again. I would do my absolute best, if that made a difference. “Stay close to Lucien and Midnight,” I told her as we parted. “They will keep you safe.”
Her eyes darted to the vampire, who was without his characteristic smirk for once. “Yeah, I think I can manage that,” she said softly.
I leaned in. “Nottooclose, you little hussy.”
She lifted her eyebrows at me but didn’t reply as she stepped back.
Midnight wrapped around me one more time, and I sucked up the comfort.Thank you for staying and protecting Simone. She’s my family.
Yeah, maybe I could rock the mental connection at a time like this.
Be safe, my bonded one. I’ll come the moment you need me.
That made me feel better, like I had a guardian angel. Well, a second one after Angel.
And don’t fear this world. It’s different, but you are more than capable of handling it. And it needs you. It hasn’t been easy in the realm since the Supreme Being disappeared.
Nodding, I swallowed hard, forcing the fear down. Logically, I knew the realm was a lot like Earth, and it smelled good, and I had already adopted more than one creature born from its energy, but logic had no place when it came to irrational fear.
It was home to Midnight, Inky, and Shadow. I was also fairly certain that Angel had been there before at some point, too. I was the only one about to step into the unknown. The fear of that was far stronger than I’d expected.
Midnight sent one last burst of comforting warmth into me, and I sucked it up, feeling a strange sense of melancholy about being parted from my mist. A mist I’d been bonded to for all of an hour. It was the oddest sensation, the feeling that I’d known Midnight forever, and yet… I hadn’t.
I wouldn’t be selfish, though. Keeping Simone safe in this unknown world was worth whatever discomfort arose in my separation from the mist.
Shadow caught my eye as he reached down, his hands wrapping around my waist so he could haul me up and over his shoulder. He was so strong that he threw me around with no effort, and the control with which he held me was both terrifying and incredibly sexy. I was into it, no denying, but I preferred to walk.
In this situation, though, he was the one who controlled these doors, so I didn’t fight. No point getting my ass dumped off in an in-between spot, leaving me stuck.
It could happen. Literally could happen, according to some of the books I’d read.
These pathways were tricky, and one needed to be very sure of what they were doing before they stepped into them. A fact I hadn’t known my first day with Shadow when I’d tried to escape into Faerie.
My wolf howled as we strode into the darkness, but it wasn’t from fear. She was excited for this adventure, and that could only mean one thing: she was going to get me into trouble at some point.
Shadow ran a hand along my spine, and almost like he was stroking the wolf in that movement, she calmed. It was growing clearer as time went on that she loved Shadow. Her capitulation toward him was concerning because her moods definitely influenced my own, and I didn’t want to completely give ourselves up to him. He was too domineering, and I sensed that if I gave in to him, I’d lose a large part of myself forever.
Try telling that to my wolf, though, who continued treating Shadow like he was our beloved and trusted alpha.
I supposed he was our god, so it made sense… while also being frustrating.
Focusing again on our journey, I noted that the darkness hadn’t lifted yet, but the sweeter-than-honey scent grew stronger. Shadow remained calm, no sign of his flames or any surge in his energy, so I remained calm as well.
Still…
Why was there no freaking light?
I’d seen this world through Midnight’s memories, and it had been just as bright as Earth, with a sun-like illumination in the sky. So far, the reality was far from that… Shadow Realm was living up to its name.
“It’s always the darkest right before the sun shines,” Shadow murmured.
I stilled, my pulse the only part of me racing.
“Is there a hidden meaning in that statement?” I shot back, louder than intended.
His hold across my hips tightened. “Just wait for it, Sunshine.”
I used to hate that nickname; my chest tightening every time he said it, bringing bad memories to the surface. I’d always been “Sunny” to my dad, and Sunshine was close enough that it had hurt to hear.
