Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 1)

Rushing from my room, I headed straight for the Library of Knowledge. The urge to run back to Shadow was strong, but there was nothing I could do to help him except get in the middle and die. He was the scariest, most badass being I’d ever met, and I had to have faith he could hold his own. Not to mention the bastard had locked me away for days, so really, would I mourn if he died?

When I entered the library, I couldn’t get over how normal it all was. Bright and airy, filled with beings milling around, doing their research. Like none of them knew about the days I’d been locked away. Or the new shadowy dangers I’d brought into our midst.

Marching through the shelves, I ignored the confused looks. Hadn’t they seen a chick on a mission for food before?

“Ms. Mera!” A cheery voice caught my ear. “You’ve finally finished your research project! We missed you.”

I paused, turning to find Gaster and his genuine smile behind me. Swallowing down my fury, I forced my own smile to appear. When I’d been stuck in the room, I’d felt very betrayed by him… by everyone. Thinking they’d all known I was imprisoned, and no one had even slipped some food under the door. Logically, I knew it was stupid to expect anyone to go up against Shadow, but it had still hurt.

“Research project?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes. Shadow said you were helping him out and wanted to remain undisturbed.”

He did, did he? I returned his smile. “Shadow is a fucking liar. I was locked in my room, a prisoner, without food or entertainment. So if you’ll excuse me…”

I marched off, but not before seeing his face fall. Yeah, that was mean and bitchy of me toward someone who didn’t deserve it, but I was hungry and stressed, and that was never a good time to corner me with stupid happiness.

When I reached the dining hall, my first glance was to look for Angel, but her spot was empty. Typical. I finally get out of my prison and my one friend was MIA. She clearly had a life that didn’t involve me and the needy bitch that I was didn’t like that. Hopefully, she at least noticed I was missing and asked someone about me. I had to believe that there was one supernatural creature here who gave a fuck about me. Since Shadow clearly didn’t.

Inky popped up out of nowhere, wrapping around me, like it wanted to remind me that it cared. “You don’t care,” I said, shooing it away. “You’re just Shadow’s sycophant, and that means I can’t trust you.”

Inky swelled and it had been a while since I’d seen it do that, so I stared, mesmerized by the beauty of its sparking synapses. For a minute, before I forced myself to turn away. It was time to start distancing myself from Shadow and anything connected to his world.

The small metal servers ducked around then—I’d grown very used to the robotic-type beings, having learned they originated in the land of Faerie. Normally, I didn’t like being waited on, but from what I knew, they didn’t mind the tasks they’d been given. After all, they had been created by the fae with the sole purpose to serve. The square, metal “face” didn’t have eyes or a mouth, so there was no way to tell if they were happy, but I somehow doubted they even felt emotions such as those.

Or maybe I was justifying it because I really loved their efficient service.

Once I’d placed my order, I sat back, trying to ignore my rumbling stomach and the small part of me that was worried about Shadow.

“Why are you still sitting here?” I spun to see Angel on my right.

“Did you just…” I looked around to try to figure out how the hell she’d gotten here so quickly and without me noticing. Had she appeared out of thin air? Or could she move at superspeed?

“Shadow is occupied with another powerful entity,” she whispered, leaning close to my ear. “My spies told me that he’ll be away for at least a few hours. Let’s get you laid.”

I should have been on my feet sprinting for the hallway out of here, but I hesitated. “I need food first. I haven’t eaten in days.”

She leaned back, looking me over more thoroughly, her eyebrows furrowing. “Let me guess. Shadow didn’t have you on a research project.” I shook my head and she made an angry rumble of a sound. “I need to beat the shit out of him.”

Same, girl. Same.

“He had me locked in my bedroom until I figured out how to open the Shadow Realm. I tried to call you through our bond, but I probably have no idea how it actually works.”

Her angelic face morphed for a moment into something that resembled an avenging harbinger of death. It was no less beautiful but was terrifying in its intensity. The sort of face that when directed at anyone would send them running. “Our bond will take time to mature,” she bit out, “and eventually, you’ll feel me as part of your energy, in a similar way to your wolf.”

I nodded because that made sense.

“And Shadow,” she growled, “is next on my list to destroy. I asked him pointblank about you, and I do not appreciate being lied to.”

I sighed. “Technically, he didn’t lie. He left me there to figure out how to open the door to Shadow Realm. I guess that was his ‘special project.’”

“Lie by omission is still a lie. I was inquiring to your wellbeing and leaving you to starve is not ensuring optimal health.”

I’d come to learn that the more formal her speech was, the more pissed she was.

I shrugged. “Well, I’m sure as shit not going to argue about planning his death. Let me know if you want any ideas.”

Her smile was brilliant, if not a little brittle, as anger still pinched her face. “I’ve heard the sign of a true friendship on Earth is finding someone who will help you hide a dead body.”

My smile matched hers. “Accurate, my friend. Very accurate. And if the need ever arises for you, don’t hesitate to hit me up for help. I’m totally your girl. No questions asked.”

Angel hugged me, and some of the tension that had been building inside of me over the last few days eased. Over her shoulder, a dozen or more shocked faces were pointed in our direction, and I wasn’t at all surprised. This was highly unusual behavior for anyone here, let alone someone from Honor Meadows.

I squeezed her tightly in return and she let out a long gush of air. “Another human custom I could get used to,” she murmured. “I often saw this from afar, and now I understand the expressions they wore.”

Her words softened my heart and more of my tense anger released. It had been a long time since I’d been hugged with care like this, and I soaked it up like the sad shifter I was.

When we pulled away, neither of us knew what to say—we weren’t really the sort of chicks who did softer emotions, so with a quick clear of our throats, we focused instead on the food that had arrived, courtesy of a server. Angel’s food always appeared a few minutes after she sat, even though I’d never once seen her actually place an order. It was a skill I wished I possessed, but at least mine wasn’t far behind hers.

I fell on the food like I hadn’t eaten in months. Shifters did not deal well with food deprivation, even if technically we could go a long time between meals. Today, everything tasted like the best thing I’d ever eaten. The bread was sweet with just enough butter and the stew was hot, spices and flavors exploding across my tongue. There was also this delicious, fruity, bubbly drink that was reminiscent of soda, only lighter with less syrup.

Angel shook her head, a throaty chuckle accompanying it. “I don’t envy mortals much, but when you eat with such abandonment, it makes me long for a similar moment of joy.”

“Are you sure you can’t eat the food you play with?”

She shrugged. “I don’t need it for sustenance, but maybe…”

With curious eyes, she lifted a piece of buttered bread to her lips. She inhaled, sniffing the food first as all true foodies did, and then as her teeth bit down, she chewed thoughtfully before wrinkling her face and spitting it out.

“Okay, that’s not good,” she huffed. “Maybe I’m not missing out.”

I chuckled, which turned into a full-bodied laugh. Her face was just so disappointed and disgusted. What a letdown after all that time she’d been imagining the taste.

“Maybe next time we’ll try chocolate,” I suggested. “It’s your best bet at finding a food to match or exceed your expectations.”

Her narrowed eyes didn’t speak of a whole lot of trust about that, but she didn’t argue. “Should we discover this chocolate on Earth?” she asked, reminding me that she’d initially sought me out to try to get me away while Shadow was busy with Igorna. An opportunity I should have snatched up with both hands, but for some reason, I was still hesitating.

“Shadow is going up against a powerful creature,” I murmured, leaning in close. “It was stronger than any of the others we’ve rounded up. Should we check to make sure he’s okay?”

She pursed her lips, ignoring my question. “How did you get covered in blood?”

It just occurred to me that I’d been sitting here with her for twenty minutes, face smeared in blood, and she hadn’t asked until now. “Did you not notice I was bloodied up before now?”

“I noticed,” she replied quickly. “But I figured if you wanted me to know why, you would have brought it up. It’s polite not to ask.”

I gently shoved her. “You’ve clearly spent too much of your life around violence if you don’t blink an eye at someone casually eating lunch covered in blood.”

The emotional demons that plagued Angel flared in her expressive eyes. “Truer words were never spoken. Violence is in my blood, my family’s blood, and my past and future will be painted in shades of red.” She chuckled without humor. “Metaphorically speaking, since I don’t bleed in the same color as a human.”

Well, that was interesting. But there was no chance to ask her what color she did bleed because a roar split the air, with enough force to knock me to the ground. Angel caught me before I faceplanted, and as she hauled me up with the sort of strength I associated with Shadow Beast, we both faced off against whatever was coming our way.

Somehow, I felt a little more confident with my friend at my side.