The truth of that had finally hit me.The realm was freaking open.Shadow would have no more use for me. He could finally get his revenge, and… what would become of me and my life here?
Why did I suddenly feel like I was about to be homeless? Even worse, kicked out of my favorite places in the world: the libraries. My heart squeezed tightly, and my hands started to sweat as I wrung them together.
I could give up a lot, but I wasn’t sure I could stop living among the knowledge and beauty and ancient history so prevalent in the Library of Knowledge and the lair. This place had burrowed its way into my soul, and I couldn’t let it go.
It would destroy me.
“Let us go see what has transpired with this new development,” Angel said, nudging me toward the main section of the library.
Feeling likeIwas the ancient, thousand-year-old being, I sighed. “Formal talk, hey? Must be serious.”
She managed not to roll her eyes at me, but I knew she wanted to. She was just too mature and badass to bother with such a human gesture. “I’m just worried about what we might walk into, and whether or not I can protect you. We need all the information we can gather because eventually something will exit from the realm, and right now you’re vulnerable.”
I snorted, hobbling after her like I was eighty years older than my current age of… Twenty-three.At some point, I’d had a birthday, but no one cared when most of my friends were in their thousands. “You know I’m the one who broke through the lock on the door”—with zero idea of how I did it—“and controlled a bunch of shadow creatures so that Shadow could get them locked away. I thinkI’mthe one who’ll be taking care of all ofyou.”
She laughed, a beautiful tinkling sound. At the same time, she sent her wings out to stop the crowds from knocking into us. “Big talk from someone walking at a ninety-degree angle.”
“Gods, I would kill for an energy boost of some form,” I moaned. “It’s weird because I’m exhausted, but it’s more than just a physical thing. It feels almost soul deep.”
The closer we moved to the Shadow Realm door, the more crowded the area got. Angel eventually had to tuck her wings back in because there was literally no room for them. We started pushing our way forward.
“Tell me everything that happened from when you were captured by the shifters,” she said, taking in the scene, tendrils of worry finally seeping into her tone.
Sticking close to Angel, since she was the muscle getting us through, I detailed quickly—and quietly—what had transpired from the moment I’d left the library in the arms of two dumbfuck shifters. Shifters I still had to murder.
I finished up with how I’d called the mists and creatures, which had finally torn through the spell on the realm doorway.
Angel listened to the entire story before speaking. “Do you believe Shadow when he says that Dannie was born in his realm and couldn’t have been killed?”
“I have to until proven otherwise. For my own sanity.” Most of the pain was dulled now, just a sliver of aching hollowness that would remain until I saw her again.
She nodded. “I haven’t known him to be a liar,” she admitted. “I mean, he would conceal information if he felt it wasn’t relevant, or for other reasons—he’s a secretive beast. But I don’t know him to outright lie.”
“I agree.”
And I did. Shadow was a lot of things, most of them annoying as fuck, but he wasn’t a liar. Nope, he was more along the lines of a sneaky bastard.
When we got through the last of the onlookers—what was with all the Brolder animal asses taking up all the room in here?—we reached six broad shoulders. The kings of the Solaris System had formed a semi-circle around the door, blocking it completely from view.
Shadow and his merry band of assholes.
As if he’d felt my energy—or scented me—the beast turned, his eyes running across my features. No doubt copping an eyeful of one exhausted, hot mess.
“Sunshine,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Get your ass into bed.”
Len, the silvery fae, opened his mouth, but a single dark look from Shadow had him backing off, both hands held up in front of him. His expression was all innocent, like he’d never think or say anything untoward or sexual in nature. We all knew better.
I ignored them both, choosing to speak with Reece, whom I felt might actually provide me with accurate information. “What’s happening with the door?”
He set those intense blue eyes on me, with their impossibly long eyelashes, and I swallowed hard. Shadowthe secondwas too hot for his own good. Just like Shadowthe first. “The spell is broken, but the door has not been used yet.” He shook his head. “How did you manage what the rest of us couldn’t in thousands of years?”
I shrugged. “I got pissed off?” Vast,epically vast, understatement. “Never fuck with a woman scorned, and all that jazz.”
There was a minute of silence, until Len started to laugh, which set a couple of them off. Even Galleli, with his gold wings tucked neatly against his back, cracked a smile. “Remind me never to upset Mera,” Lucien said with a chuckle. “Unless I want to find myself turned into a puddle of blood.”
Ignoring the idiots in the room, I focused on Shadow. “Are you done with me now?” The laughter died off, and there was no evidence of a smile on any one of their faces. I wondered if they’d misunderstood the intent of my question. “Will you send me back to Earth?” I pushed.
Shadow turned his huge body toward me, crowding closer, and I stood my ground so we were near touching. “Do youwantto leave?”
