Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 3)

I’d never spent a lot of time—outside of battle, that was—with Angel and the group of gods whom Shadow called his pack. As we made our way into the inner circle, I got to observe them in a more subdued setting, and I noticed something fairly odd.

Angel greeted Len, Lucien, Alistair, and Galleli politely, a certain level of mutual respect clear between all of them. Similar to how she treated Shadow when they weren’t fighting over me, of course. All of them had a history, one that was clearly filled with shared experiences and respect.

But here was where it got weird… She didn’t even look at Reece. I kept waiting for her to acknowledge him, even if it was only a simple head nod, but she was flat-out pretending he didn’t exist.

Well, well, well… What’s happening here?

At first, I thought he was ignoring her as well, but then I caught sight of him watching her from under hooded eyes. Eyes that flashed with the sort of burning anger I often saw in a pissed-off Shadow. Reece’s eyes were a blue fire, the part that burned hotter than normal flames.

Shadow the second strikes again.

But why?

What the heck was up with the animosity between Angel and Reece? Had something happened in the realm that I’d missed? Or was this much deeper than that? A past event I wasn’t aware of?

Had I ever seen them together before? If I had, I hadn’t been paying attention at the time.

“Sunshine,” Shadow called, forcing my attention away from the weird tension between my friends. For a beat, I felt like he’d cut me off in the middle of my favorite drama show, until I remembered that we were trying to save the world.

Drama would have to wait.

He was already seated, as were all the others, including Angel, so I hurried across to my mate, all but dropping into his lap. He pulled me farther across him, and I wasn’t going to lie—there was a huge part of me that wished everyone else in this room would temporarily disappear. Being close to Shadow always sent my mind in one direction. South.

But there was no time for slutterbrain today.

“Did we all achieve what we set out to do?” Shadow asked, and this was just enough distraction to get my mind out of my vagina.

Len leaned forward in his chair. “I have the stones to protect us from future memory disturbances.” The firelight reflected off his hair and skin, making him look paler and blonder. He shone like Angel, seeming much more powerful than he had when he’d left.

He parted his long, silver trench coat to reveal an entire vest of gems. “I also gathered every extra gem and spell we had. I don’t know if it’ll be enough, but if this doesn’t help to take her down, then I don’t know what will.”

His eyes flashed toward Angel, who was perched on the edge of the couch, her wings tucked neatly behind her. “Looks like you brought extra power as well,” he said to her. No one had missed her new golden glow, and I wondered if that was part of the reason Reece was so huffy.

Angel shrugged. “It was just sitting there unused. I promised I would never go into battle again, but in this situation, it would be a greater crime to remain on the sidelines.”

A few of them nodded, except for Reece, who just looked more pissed than ever, crossing his arms as he silently glared. I was lowkey obsessed with watching those two now because there was something going on. What that something was, I had no idea, but I had to find out soon or I’d lose my mind.

Lucien sat forward from where he’d been sprawled, and I was surprised to see that he was still fairly subdued, no telltale smile on his face. “I’ve also powered myself from the ancient lines of magic my family protects. It’s not the same level as Angel, but I can hold my own.”

Reece finally made a sound, a deep rumble. “No one is at the same level as Angel,” he bit out, “except for Shadow. Here’s hoping this time she uses it for the greater good.”

Okay, yep, it was happening, people. Bring on the dramaaaaa. I turned my wide-eyed gaze to Shadow, lifting my eyebrows to ask him what the fuck was going on, but the bastard just shook his head.

Shook. His. Freaking. Head.

That was just… unacceptable. How dare he leave a girl hanging when there was some sort of beef between our friends? Was this a new or old feud? Had I been so caught up in myself and Shadow over the past year that I hadn’t bothered to notice? Or was it just that here, with no other distractions, and Angel’s powers on display, Reece couldn’t hold his tongue?

“You know nothing about me, Reece,” Angel snapped, and her annoyance was subtler, but it was there. Her eyes didn’t turn into flames; instead, they deepened into a rich pink. “I fight for those worthy. Mera is worthy. You should think on that before you let the past cloud your mind beyond salvation.”

I was practically jittering in my chair, and since my chair was a set of hard-muscled thighs, there was no surprise to feel one very large cock pressing against me as I all but vibrated on his damn lap.

I patted his shoulder to remind him that now was not the time. The drama channel was on.

With a low groan, Shadow’s firm hold over my thighs stopped my movements. His lips brushed near my ears. “Stay still, Sunshine, or I will be the one helping you forget business that isn’t yours.”

I clicked my tongue. “Ah, my poor sweet Shadow. You don’t know me at all if you think I’m leaving that alone. There is just so much to unpack, and I have time.”

I didn’t have time, but I would damn well make it.

Angel stood then, distracting us both. “My power is mine alone,” she told the room, even though we all knew she was talking to one giant desert deity. “Mine. And it always has been. What I’ve chosen to use it on should not be a factor that keeps you awake at night. Be grateful the burden is not yours, especially since inheriting it required my entire family to fall.”

She turned and walked off, her wings spreading out protectively behind her. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mera,” she called back.

Shadow didn’t argue with her, so clearly there was no plan to do anything else tonight. Apparently, we had one more night before all of us went up against the most powerful being to walk the worlds. That thought alone sobered my excitement over the intrigue of Angel and Reece. Tomorrow, we’d be in a fight for our lives, and I sensed deep inside that not all of us would walk away from this battle.

A fact that scared the absolute shit out of me because I could not lose anyone. Not again.

I wouldn’t survive it.