“So if you could rule them all,” I asked, trying to understand, “then would all of The Concordes have been your home?”
“I would have ruled from Trinity. The largest land with the lava chasm, giving me direct access to the mists.”
Access to the mists sounded like access to the power. And it seemed I also had my answer about that divide I’d seen.The lava chasm.
“What are the two lands up top?”
Shadow reached out and ran his hand over Inky, disrupting the map in the same instant. “One is a land of birth, the other of death.”
I paused, waiting for more information, but he was apparently done. I had a weird, ominous feeling about what those two lands were, and I recalled Midnight’s story about the place where the two mists joined.The Grey Lands?Was that in one of those two?
At least I had the basic idea of how the realm was setup, and hopefully during our adventures, I’d learn even more.
“So, we’re walking to Trinity?” I asked.
Shadow nodded, turning away from the view to face into the land. A land we would soon be journeying across. “We must keep our power usage to a minimum. For my attack to be the most effective, I need as much surprise on my side as possible. Until I know for sure I’ve been found out, it’s stealth mode only.”
Good times.“Okay, cool. Let’s do this then.”
His lips twitched; his eyes filled with gold. “It won’t quite be that simple—there’re many creatures, royals, and freilds scattered across The Concordes. We must avoid them all until it becomes necessary to engage. It’s going to be a long, hard journey.”
I sighed, already exhausted. “Honestly, with all of your power, Shadow,” I said carelessly, “I expected a lot more killing and a lot less sneaking.” He’d told me why, but that didn’t make it any less annoying.
He moved so fast, I blinked once before he was in my space, his hand around the back of my neck in what I was coming to think of ashispersonal brand of domination. His power forced me to walk toward him until we were touching, our bodies completely aligned.
“Watch it, pup,” he warned, breath fanning over me as my nipples—which were firmly planted against the hard planes of his stomach—stood to attention. My legs did the opposite, going quite wobbly. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. No one truly does. The one that holds my position is nothing but a proxy. Power doesn’t recognize you just because you try to trick it, and I will take back what’s mine.”
Fuck, did my vagina just flutter? Like, I should not have been turned on by this display of aggression and arrogance, but I was. My eyes lifted, and tilting my head back to see his face, I got caught on those lips of his. Now all I could think about was kissing him.
“Come on,” he said softly. “The longer we stay stationary, the easier we’ll be to spot.”
“Yes,” Angel said from close by. “I can only block our position for so long.”
Shadow released me. “Despite Sunshine’s doubts about me, the murdering will come soon enough, but until then, I’ll do my best to ensure no one finds us.”
He took another step away and I inhaled deeply, unsure if I’d breathed at all during the seconds he’d held me. I had to nip this attraction in the bud before Shadow had the power to convince me to stand buck-naked over those lava fields, ready to sacrifice the virgin for his power.
Because we all knew he was gonna try.
Fuck being that chick. Not even for the Shadow Beast.
11
Shadow and Angel started down the path from the hilly outcrop we’d been standing on, and just as I went to follow, an energy stirred behind me and I shot a glance over my shoulder. For a moment, a dark shape moved beneath the water, but it disappeared so quickly that I wondered if I’d imagined it.
Hurrying, I caught up to the others. “Does anything live in the waters here?” I asked.
Shadow glanced back. “The Depths are filled with many creatures you don’t want to meet. Best to stay on land.”
A trickle of unease traced down my spine. “Roger that, dude. Roger that.”
Shadow’s chest rumbled. “I’m not a dude, little wolf.”
Holding both hands out, I shrugged, the backpack moving with me. “Everything is a dude in my world, just with minor tone changes. You’re a dude, Angel’s a dude, Simone is a dude. When I stub my toe it’s afucking hell, dude. All dudes.”
At this point, I’d used the word so much, it now sounded weird.
“I-I don’t…” Angel was at a loss for words, while Shadow just shook his head.
