Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters #1) - Jaymin Eve Page 0,56

the first place.”

His jaw was twitching. His eye too, I was pretty sure. Seemed my job here was done.

Reaching down, I pressed my hand to the fur-covered shoulder. Shadow touched me and the creature, and I felt a buzz of his energy, stronger than usual, course through us all.

The abervoq let out one final mournful bellow, and then it was silent. Inky wrapped around the beast, lifting it into the air, and Shadow set off again in his overachiever walk. Meanwhile, I was in a touch of shock, trying to figure out what had just happened.

How had he used me to subdue the creature? It felt like he could have done that on his own. He was hiding something from me, and I sensed that while it still had to do with these shadow creatures, it wasn’t about me restraining them. It was something else.

I needed the library. It held answers.

“Sunshine, move your ass!” Shadow yelled without turning around.

“Don’t call me that!” I shouted back, not moving an inch, even though I felt like I was about to freeze to death standing here.

Shadow appeared before me, and how the fuck had he moved that fast?

“You don’t like ‘Sunshine’?” he queried, seeming genuinely curious. I rubbed at my neck, wondering if I was going to get whiplash from his mood swings.

I shook my head. “My dad called me ‘Sunny’ because of our family name and my hair. It was a loving nickname, and I loved when he used it. But you… you’re the asshole who kidnapped me, threatened my life, and treated me like your slave. You want me to bow to you, for fuck’s sake. You don’t get to call me cute nicknames.”

He smirked. That curve of his lips was sexy as fuck, and since I rarely saw him with anything resembling a true smile, it about knocked me on my ass. Around Shadow, it was impossible to forget he was a god; there was so much extra about him.

My breath caught as he leaned into me. “You’re this bright, bubbly, annoying creature,” he drawled, “whom I can’t seem to kill, even when I want to. So ‘Sunshine’ stays, and if you have a problem with it, too fucking bad.”

I scowled. “Why do you talk like a human, cursing and shit like that?”

His smile had vanished, but his eyes were still amused, the red and gold vibrant. “I have lived among humans many times throughout the ages, keeping an eye on my wolves. I’ve adapted to every language and age. You’ll find I am very good at adaption.”

Before the smart reply that was hovering on the edge of my tongue could emerge, he reached out and snatched me up into his arms, hauling me over his shoulder in the exact same manner he had the first time he’d captured me. This time, there was no pain or unease as warmth surrounded me, chasing the chills away. Before I could protest being carried—I hated being held like this—we were out of the cold and back in the long hallway between worlds.

“I can’t enter this realm without your help, can I?” I said, figuring it out when he dropped me to my feet.

His expression was closed off again, and whatever humor had been in his gaze before was long gone. “Keep asking the right questions…”

He turned and walked away, heading toward where Inky and the shadow creature waited for him. “‘Sunshine and Shadow’ sounds like a cute couple’s name!” I shouted after him. “Should we go by ‘Shadowshine’ or ‘Sundow’ for short?” I caught a glimpse of flaming eyes before he disappeared from sight, taking the creature with him.

25

After our frozen adventures, Shadow disappeared, and I spent the next few days perusing the library, studying the directory, and sweeping the damn floors. Gaster was still a familiar, helpful, smiling face, and it almost felt as if we were growing toward being true friends. He’d even taken to having lunch with me occasionally.

Today, he was busy with a new disaster. Someone from Bolder had given into their animal instincts, and when the female had not reciprocated, there’d been a bit of a scuffle. Apparently, in Bolder, it was touch first, ask permission later, but they were encouraged to fight if they weren’t interested. I was slowly learning the rules, and this was one I’d seen up close and personal today.

The half-horse male and half-bear female had ended up destroying about three rows of books, and now the goblins were frantically returning their sacred