"I'm going to track him down one day," Mera said. "I'm curious to see what he’s chosen to do with his second chance—and whether Sisily decided to stick around or not."
"She gave up her wolf for him," Simone said with a shrug. "I think she's fairly serious about him."
Mera snorted out a laugh. "Her wolf was going no matter what she decided, but yeah, you're right, she was willing to sacrifice her shifter side. I can't think of a greater loss than that. Has to be love, right?"
Shadow scoffed, and it was clear he’d already had enough talk of the shifter who’d rejected Mera and set off the chain of events that’d led her to Shadow. In a way, they both should be grateful that Torin had been such a selfish shit, otherwise Mera's future might have looked different, stuck in Torma with that asshole forever. I also had a lot to be grateful for in that regard, and maybe one day I'd track Torin down and thank him for being a spineless sack of organs.
"We should leave now," Shadow said a few minutes later when the girls had finished their stew but were still chatting back and forth. "We must prepare to go to the Desert Lands."
I was already on my feet, ready for this next mission to be over and done with. As the ghosts of my past continued to hang over my head, I felt unsettled and anxious, two emotions I was not okay with existing within my energy.
Mera was slower to get to her feet, and not just because she had to maneuver her stomach out of the booth. It was clear she hated leaving Simone so soon after arriving. "It's always goodbye," she said tearfully.
"Do you want her to come with us?" Shadow asked, his eyes hooded at the sight of his mate’s cry-face.
Mera's face screwed up tighter. "That's sooo sweet," she sobbed. "But I won't put her in danger. She's building a life here, and I stan that a hundred and fifty percent."
"I have no damn idea what stan means," Shadow growled, "but I do know that if you don't stop crying, mate, I'm going to burn this fucking town to the ground."
This only made Mera sob harder as she choked out, “It’s a combination of being a stalker and fan. Super fan if you will.” She actually started to calm here like she knew she was being ridiculous. “I don’t think I even used it right, but gotta stay current.”
Shadow’s chest rumbled as he shook his head. “Sunshine, you’re eternal. Words likestan,” his face screwed up in mock horror, “will be gone before you blink a damn eye.”
As Mera went on to list a ton more slang that she’d recently come into contact with, I found myself exchanging an amused stare with Simone. "Is she always like this?" Simone asked with a chuckle.
"Her pregnancy has been... interesting," I replied.
This set Simone off, her laughter filling the small diner, which thankfully helped Mera stop crying as she glared at us. "You assholes should try growing a Shadow Beast baby. It's hard."
Of that I had no doubt.
"It's going to be okay," Simone said, giving her one last hug. "We’ll see each other again soon since I’d better be there when this baby comes. And while I’d love to go to the desert with you”—she shot Mera a fake-annoyed glare—“thanks for making that decision without even checking with me, by the way. But if I learned anything from Lucien, it’s that I can’t really play in your world. Not without getting hurt. In these life and death situations, I'm a liability. And you really don't need that in your cond—"
"Pregnancy," Mera interrupted with a scowl, but at least she didn't sound as upset. "And you're never a liability, but I would die if you got hurt... or worse. Just, write to me, okay. We'll stay in touch."
"Right back at you, bestie," Simone said softly before releasing a long, drawn-out breath. "Please stay safe. Keep yourself and that baby alive."
"We'll be there," I reminded her. "Shadow and I won't let anything happen to Mera or the baby."
Mera looked like she was trying not to smile. "The babyand Auntie Angel are still working out their relationship, but rest assured, we both know she loves us."
The word “love” made me as uncomfortable as it made Shadow, and even though Mera threw it around like confetti at a party, I never once doubted she meant it.
And she wasn't wrong. Whatever Reece had gotten them into, I would be there to ensure my family did not perish in the Desert Lands.
Never again.
10
Mera was subdued as we left Torma, but it didn’t last long. Simone and Sam were the only parts of Earth she hated to leave behind, and I had a suspicion that all too soon both would end up in the library, one way or another.
Mera wouldn’t put up with these goodbyes for long, and Shadow wouldn’t put up with Mera’s tears.
Once we’d left the hallway, returning to the Library of Knowledge, we found it bustling with even more Solaris System beings than had been there when we left. This was prime research time. As we passed the shelves, I began to mentally prepare myself for what was to come next.
Battle… again.
Battle in the Desert Lands … again.
