Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters #1) - Jaymin Eve Page 0,37

for me to even tell what lay beyond this veil, with its navy swirling vortex completely opaque.

I hesitated to follow, wondering if I should take my chances escaping now. Even if I ended up in another world, at least I’d have given it a shot. A shot was all anyone really needed.

I called on my wolf to help make this decision, and as she swirled to the surface, I was relieved to feel her energy strong once again. Run? I asked her.

She shimmered inside, soul restless and unsure about us leaving. The Shadow Beast was our god and upsetting him didn’t sit well with her.

He killed someone as powerful as Alpha Victor and kidnapped us, I reminded her. He’s beyond dangerous.

I felt her trust in my decision, and I knew I’d have her support no matter what. This gave me the courage I needed to move. Sprinting, I headed for the closest door, having already wasted too many seconds pondering if I should do this or not. When my palm landed on the brass handle of the white door embossed with flowers and thorns, I felt a buzz of static electricity and almost jerked my hand back.

If I hadn’t been so desperate, I wouldn’t have risked whatever lay beyond this, but I couldn’t continue to live as a prisoner and victim. As I turned the handle, there was a click, and an ethereal melody slipped through the tiny crack. A sigh escaped from me, the smallest of breaths, and all fear fled.

Yes. This was the right move. I needed to be in this land of beauty and light and love and warmth. My eyes fluttered closed as I pulled on the door, ready to embrace my destiny.

Before I could take that final step, something hard slammed into me, knocking me sideways. The music was cut off a second later, and as the fuzziness in my head faded, pain returned along with my sanity.

Shadow Beast loomed over me, staring down, his eyes narrowed. “You really are the stupidest fucking shifter I’ve ever met. Almost got yourself trapped in the fae realm.” His lips twitched in dark amusement. “What they do to Earthlings who stumble into their world makes me look like a fucking saint.”

With one last derisive stare at my pathetic ass, he turned and walked away, and I huffed some air into my lungs, trying to calm myself. I had no idea what “fae” meant, but if it was short for “faerie,” like in the fantasy stories, then… WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?

That music had not been of this world, so I could only assume Shadow was speaking the truth about the fae realm. And apparently, he’d already crossed back through the veil, trusting that this time I wouldn’t take my chances on another world I didn’t understand.

Dude vastly overestimated my intelligence and sense of self-preservation.

Or so I thought until the smoky swirls of his little friend wrapped around me, lifting me up into the air as I squeaked loudly. Okay, then. He had sent in reinforcements and had zero trust.

Realizing it was pointless to fight at this stage, I just relaxed into the weird sensation of being carried by air and closed my eyes briefly as we drifted through the dark veil. When the next room came into view, I gasped and all but threw myself out of the smoke trying to get a better look.

“What the fuck?” I gasped, scrambling to my feet. “You live here?”

I wanted to make a reference to another beast with a growly disposition, because just like the dude in that movie, the real-life Shadow Beast lived in the freaking library of my dreams.

Actual. Literal. Dreams. But unlike the movie, I would have kicked this guy out in the cold if it meant I got to keep his library.

Stepping farther into the room, I all but drooled over the dark timber shelves lining the walls, running as far as I could see. Every single shelf was filled with books—thousands upon thousands of incredible new adventures to discover.

Trying to act cool, I casually sauntered closer to the first shelf, running my fingers over the many books. Most of the covers in this section were in shades of muted reds and greys, with gold writing across the spine. The writing was not in any recognizable language, which only made me want to read them more.

Closing my eyes, I took a second to breathe deeply, inhaling the various scents into my lungs. Gods, it was perfect. If I