Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 3)

Despite the major emotional breakthrough I’d just had with Shadow, there was no time for us to remain wrapped in each other. Sam might only be a very new friend, but she was already important to me. We’d bonded over a huge experience, and it was cruel to allow her to worry.

Of course, there was the small problem of leaving the lair in my current state. “You’re some sort of sperm overachiever,” I said to Shadow, staring down at the mess that was the bed and me. “I mean, fuck, dude, at some point, it’s just overkill. In all the books I’ve read, they rarely mention the aftermath of fucking a virile alpha male—”

The rest of my sentence was cut off as he hauled me over his shoulder in one swift move, shutting me up quite effectively with a firm smack on my ass. “If you don’t want to experience more of my virility, Sunshine, you better shut up now.”

I mean… which way did I want to go here?

Dammit. Sam was lucky I liked her.

Shadow cleaned the bed with his powers, energy racing over the surface, removing all evidence of our sex session, but he didn’t do the same for us; instead, we walked into his shower. He then proceeded to wash me all over, very, very thoroughly. By the time I was done, I’d forgotten my own name, let alone my friend’s, but Shadow got us back on track.

“Your clothes are in there,” he told me, showing me back into the walk-in wardrobe I’d gotten his shirt from. The shirt that was ash on the floor.

“Oh my god.” I squealed when my section came into view. That hadn’t been there last night. “All of my clothes are back. Now you just have to fix the library and life will be perfect.”

He hugged me, that full-bodied sort of hug that Shadow was damn good at, and I wondered how full a heart could feel before it burst. Turned out, random hugs were a few of my favorite things.

“We do have that small problem of my power-crazed mother,” Shadow reminded me as he pulled away.

Ah, right. “Yeah, true. Dannie is just lucky she spent a lot of time keeping me safe when I was growing up. Otherwise, I’d be inclined to drop an atomic bomb on her head and call it a day.”

Shadow quietened. “If I thought an atomic bomb would work against her,” he said with a sigh, “I’d have already dropped one. Her power is too strong… too unbalanced. We cannot allow her to continue this way without peer or enemy. It’s only a matter of time until it ends in the destruction of multiple worlds.”

It hurt my heart to hear him talk like that. “She’s your mom, Shadow, and she cared for both of us. We have to at least give her a chance to either release the stone’s power, or maybe we can just take the stone from her power base…?”

Shadow considered this, and I appreciated the fact that my suggestion wasn’t immediately dismissed. He respected my thoughts, and there he went again, speaking love without saying the words.

“I’m not sure she deserves a shot,” he finally said. “But if she did willingly release the stone, it would go a long way to making amends.”

“I agree,” I said, finally paying attention to the clothing selection. Shadow was already dressed in his black pants and a dark grey shirt, and I needed to move my naked ass.

“Do we even know if she’s killable?” I asked, pulling on underwear, followed by a white shirt, ripped-up black jeans, Converse-style shoes, and a denim jacket. “Maybe it would take the end of the Nexus, which would end the damn worlds.”

“In that situation,” Shadow said, stepping closer, “we’d have no choice but to imprison her. If we could create a powerful enough cage.”

He wrapped his arms around me, drawing us together. I was really starting to get used to this new side of him, with all the touching and loving and orgasms. If only we weren’t discussing the possible end of the worlds at the same time…

“We need our pack,” I said, feeling the surety of that. “This is going to take effort from more than just us.”

Shadow nodded. “We need those powerful enough to stand at our side,” he agreed. “Our pack and friends.”

“And they’re all alive and well?” I double-checked.

“I banished everyone back to their worlds when I destroyed the doorways. And I can feel all of them alive and well except Midnight.”

“Are Inky’s memories back?” I asked.

“Yes,” Shadow said instantly. “The moment your power hit me and broke through my mother’s web of lies, both Inky and I were able to restore our memories.”

“So Midnight should remember,” I said, the true worry I felt creeping into my voice. “It should have remembered the moment Gaster broke the lock on my memories.”

Shadow shook his head. “I don’t know. My gut says yes, it’ll have its memories again, but there’s a decent chance it’s stuck in the Shadow Realm.”

Yes, right. The doorways were gone. “Okay, step one, restore my damn library.”

Shadow cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. “I’m sorry, Mera. It was unforgiveable of me to destroy the Library of Knowledge, especially when it means so much to you. To many beings. I have a lot of work ahead to restore faith in me and the Solaris System.”

Unable to stop myself, it was my turn for a random hug. “Don’t do that,” I murmured against his chest. “Don’t beat yourself up or let the guilt win. This was done to us, and we had every right to react badly. Together, we will clean it up, and whatever way the final battle falls, we’ll know we did everything in our power to save the worlds.”

Shadow held on to me for an extra moment, and even if it was only briefly, I loved when he showed his more vulnerable side to me. A side I doubted many… if any, had ever seen before.

Feeling somewhat more settled about everything, we left his room and walked with confidence toward the barrier, only making one small stop for me to check on the fire. It was back where it should have been, in the stone hearth, burning brightly and shooting warmth around the room. Shadow stood beside me, allowing me a moment to get myself together.

“I would do a lot of bad shit if it meant I’d never lose this again,” I said, staring into the flickering flames.

He chuckled, a dark and broken sound. “Sunshine, I’d make your bad shit look like Sunday School. There are no limits when it comes to protecting what is mine. None at all. I have and would continue to destroy the foundation of existence if it meant one more day with you.”

I closed my eyes and absorbed those words. “I think that’s why I love the stories with villains instead of heroes as the main characters,” I whispered. “Heroes are limited because they always have to do the right thing. But villains aren’t restricted by their moral compasses. They will do literally anything and destroy anyone who tried to hurt those they love. I think, deep down, I’ve always considered myself a villain. In that way.”

“You’re my moral compass, Mera,” Shadow said, wrapping his arms around me, pulling my back against his chest as we both faced the fire. “As you’ve seen firsthand, without you, I’m a mindless beast. There’s no hero in my genetics, so maybe we’re in the right story together.”

“Agreed,” I said.

Shadow chuckled, and before I could get even more sappy, he was once again leading me toward the exit. When we stepped through to the other side, Sam was in the process of throwing a damn chair right for the portal. It took me by surprise, and I’d have possibly copped a face full of wood if Shadow hadn’t reached out and caught it mid-pitch.

“Shit!” Sam said, her eyes going wide as she took a step back. “Uh, sorry. I was trying to get through to Mera.”

When her frantic gaze found mine, she sagged in relief. “You’re okay.”

Shaking off my guard beast, I hurried toward her. “Yes, crap, I’m so sorry. It took me longer than expected to tame the shadows. Then they decided to mark their territory.”

Her gaze shifted between Shadow and me and she did not miss my deeper meaning there. “Best news I’ve heard all day.”

Gaster appeared then, his little goblin’s face wreathed in concern. “Master,” he cried, hurrying forward. “Thank the gods you have returned.”

Shadow didn’t smile, but I felt a softening of his energy. He liked Gaster, and more importantly, he trusted him to keep one of the most vital parts of his life functioning: his library.

I was pretty sure Gaster was stronger than he looked—physically and in the magical sense—and was able to hold his own in most situations. It was probably half the reason he’d managed to remain with the library even after Shadow had kicked everyone else out.

We were all lucky to have him in our lives.

“Give me a moment,” Shadow said in English and then in demi-fae so that we all could understand. I’d have understood either way, and at least with my memory returned, I remembered Shadow rearranging my brain in the realm, giving me a universal translator in my head. Hence why I’d been able to understand that alpha back in Torma. Poor guy. His confusion made a lot more sense now.

When Shadow strode away, I tried not to pout at the ten feet between us. I was needy, but whatever. After everything we’d been through, it’d be weird not to be a little attached. At least I could still see him as he lifted both hands, the burst of power that left him so strong, it sent all three of us sliding across the floor. I almost went through the portal into the lair again, but just as I was about to, Shadow’s head snapped in my direction, and his wicked smile had my panties drowning.

His energy wrapped around me and I stopped moving, once again caught up in the force of the Shadow Beast. His fire followed that blast of energy and then an inky darkness seeped from his skin. Fire, energy, and literal shadows surrounded us, and it was like the start of a bad joke because I had no idea what else was about to walk into the room.

At least I felt safe enough wrapped in Shadow’s power, even if it was a dick move to lock me down again. “What’s happening?” Sam whispered. “Why aren’t you moving?”

I could still talk, thankfully. “Shadow is feeling a little possessive right now,” I said dryly. “He’s not really allowing me far from his hold.”

She looked between us again, her lips trembling as she tried not to laugh. “Sounds like fun. Do you actually know what he’s doing over there?”

“He’s repairing the library,” Gaster said.

Sam gasped and clapped her hands. “I understood you.”

Gaster’s smile was broad. “Oh, that’s wonderful news. The universal translator is back in effect. Hopefully, the rest can be returned as easily.”

I would have crossed my fingers if I could manage to move my hands. Of course, I could have fought against his hold, but it wasn’t worth interrupting such an important task just to exert my dominance. Returning the Library of Knowledge to its former glory was essential to the well-being of my soul.

“What were you trying to tell me before?” Sam asked Gaster, excited to freely be able to communicate with him. “It felt super important, and there was no time to run into the dining hall to find out.”

Gaster’s smile was gentle. “You were stacking Faerie history with Valdor history, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings by undoing all your work. I was trying to show you the marks on the books. That’s how we catalog them for the shelves.

Sam blinked at him. “But your face was so serious…”

Gaster nodded. “Oh, yes, knowledge is the most sacred of gifts we possess. It must be treated with the sort of reverence that speaks of its importance.”

When her wide eyes turned in my direction, I was trying to hide my smile. “He’s into books,” I said cheekily.

Gaster waved a finger in my direction. “And are you not, Ms. Shifter? You spent most of your waking hours in here sneaking books off the shelves, thinking none of us would notice.”

My smile turned into laughter. “Oh, Gaster. I knew you indulged me, and I was very careful to always place them back in the correct position. Respect the library and it will respect you.”

He was beaming, like an adorable little ray of sunlight. “You’re a true blessing, Mera Callahan. We have all benefited greatly from having you in our world.”

My chest went tighter as my eyes burned; it meant so much to hear him say that. I’d grown up a pack burden and outcast, so to now find myself respected and appreciated… It was an overload on my fragile emotions. I mouthed thank you to Gaster and he nodded, but then we all had to shut up because Shadow was stepping up his game.

His power wrapped around Gaster and Sam, locking them down in the same manner as I was. They both started to protest, but only until the next explosion of energy left Shadow. Flames burst free from his body in an impressive arc, coating everything in shades of red, gold, black, and amber. The colors of the Nexus. The colors of Dannie’s phoenix. The color of my wolf when she burst into flames.

Creation power.

His fire whipped through, clearing the old, followed by his shadows, rebuilding the new. Through my connection to Shadow I felt him tiring. A rare occurrence for one as strong as the Shadow Beast, but I wasn’t too worried. He knew his limits, and we were in no immediate danger today, so it was best to try restoring the Solaris System before we went to war.