"A drink to our Nexus."
I look down at the red liquid, wondering if it will kill me? Is it wine? Blood?
"Go on," a woman hisses with a snake’s tongue flickering from her mouth even as she urges me. "Drink."
I look up at Shadow.
My arousal is loud, insistent, and it wants. It wants Shadow.
But louder still is the betrayal, sizzling and burning the last pieces of my love for him.
Without breaking our gaze, I throw back the liquid.
A gasp of delighted shock and surprise ripples around me. It burns like liquor and is shockingly sweet, but like no fruit I’ve ever tasted before. The closest comparison I have is maybe a pomegranate.
With a final, anguished look, Shadow turns and strides away, his shadows trailing behind him like a cloak of fury and misery.
Adena approaches me, her milky gaze assessing.
"Is everything alright, Nexus? The Umbral seems to have upset you." Her voice is a silken purr, but there's an undercurrent of disdain when she mentions Shadow.
I force a smile. "Everything is fine. Shadow was just... concerned about my wellbeing."
A ripple of murmurs passes through the crowd. A tall, spindly creature with eggplant-colored skin steps forward. "Forgive my boldness, Nexus, but why do you associate with such a lowly creature? Surely you know he is nothing more than a foot soldier, a brute barely capable of rational thought."
Okay, I may be angry at Shadow, but that’s just wrong.
His words sting, but I lift my chin. "Shadow has protected me for as long as I can remember. He's taken care of me when no one else would."
Adena tilts her head, her expression unreadable. "Be that as it may, he is far beneath you. You are the Nexus, the bridge between worlds. Your companion should reflect your status."
A server approaches, offering me another shimmering goblet. This one is filled with a liquid that swirls with iridescent hues. I take it, grateful for the distraction. This drink is cool and crisp, with a flavor that dances on the edge of familiarity like an unripe peach. It burns less than the last, though I can still feel my inhibitions melting slightly under its effects.
"Shadow may not be like you," I say after a moment, "but he is loyal and devoted. That counts for something in my world."
"In your world, perhaps," the purple-skinned creature sneers. "But here, in the Nightmare Realm, power and cunning are what matter. Your Shadow is little more than a mindless beast, driven by base instincts."
I bristle at his words.
A tray of strange delicacies floats by, and I pluck a morsel from it. The flavor is rich and complex, unlike anything I've tasted before. It melts on my tongue, leaving a pleasant tingle in its wake.
"You underestimate him," I say finally, meeting the eyes of those around me. "Shadow may be a monster, but he's more than just a foot soldier. He's cunning and resourceful. He's survived in your world and mine."
Adena's lips curve into a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Survival is one thing, Nexus. But to truly thrive in our realm, one must have the capacity for higher reasoning. The ability to strategize, to manipulate. These are the qualities we value. Qualities humans take for granted."
They can't see beyond their own prejudices.
Maybe this world isn’t so different from the one where I come from.
The idea Shadow might be damned by his upbringing like I have been has never occurred to me.
I push the complex parallels away. For now.
After all, I’m at a party—a party thrown in my honor. The very first one.
After a couple more hours have passed and my senses turn bright and dizzy from the drink, Adena appears at my side. "It is time, Nexus," she murmurs. "Your subjects wish to hear from you."
"W-what?" My stomach twists with nerves, bile rising in the back of my throat. My buzz quickly recedes.
