He didn’t look happy with that statement, but I gave zero fucks. My true feelings about death had been established long ago, and now I was all in for this crazy ride. Every part of it, good and bad.

“Let’s just not waste any more time worrying about what might be,” I continued. “We know there’s a battle to come, and… maybe we won’t lose. Sticking with my sports analogy, I’ve been a dodgeball champion on at least three separate occasions. The balls I have to dodge this time are just bigger and scarier.”

“That’s what she said,” a familiar voice joked from behind us.

Spinning, I almost tripped over myself before scrambling to my feet so I could run, ugly-snot crying toward my best friend. Simone caught me as I sobbed against her shoulder, my relief at seeing her healthy and alive too much to be contained.

When we finally pulled apart, I noticed Lucien nearby, his blond hair a little longer, while his bronze skin and piercing green eyes were as familiar as ever. “Ah, ma petite,” he murmured, stepping closer. “We’ve been worried about you.”

Simone shot him a dark look, and that was all I needed to know that all was not well between my best friend and the enigmatic Vampire Master. “Lucien would not allow me to return,” she bit out. “He said that until Shadow was able to restore the library, it was not safe to travel through any of the normal means. I’ve been imprisoned in his stupid castle, locked away for fear of the vamps eating me.” She raised an eyebrow. “And not in the good way, apparently.”

Lucien’s face was wreathed in frustration, turning his surfer good looks into a more formidable and scarier façade. Shadow Beast three? “You’re the most hotheaded, frustrating, insufferable…” He trailed off, clearly having run out of adjectives to describe Simone.

“Annoying?” I chimed in helpfully and she elbowed me.

“Don’t encourage this asshole of a vampire who couldn’t sparkle if his damn life depended on it.”

Lucien muttered something about her life and its value before he pushed past us and strode over to Shadow, who looked relieved to have one of his trusted friends back in the library. They started to talk, and I knew Shadow would be filling Lucien in on everything that had happened.

Which gave me a moment to catch up with Simone.

“Are you really okay?” she asked, pulling me closer, like she couldn’t believe we were finally together. “What the fuck happened? One minute you were heading off to the Shadow Realm, and the next, Shadow was back here raging like a beast, destroying everything. Not even his friends were safe.”

Her words broke at the end, and she had to swallow a few times before she could speak again. “No lie, I thought you were dead. I figured that was the only event that would set off your beast-man, and it’s not cool that I had to think that, Mera.”

She wasn’t exactly mad at me, but I could tell that more than once, she’d cursed my name. “Lucien didn’t know anything?” He hadn’t been in the realm with Dannie, but even Gaster had heard rumors.

She sniffed. “That bastard tells me what I need to know. Not what I want to know. All he said was to have some faith, and you’re stronger than I think and would not have fallen so easily.”

“This is going to be a long conversation,” I told her. “We best find a seat.”

I dragged her back to the beanbag chairs, pulling her down beside me. “Can we order food from here?” I asked Shadow. “Because I really need some food.”

He nodded. “I will feed you,” he said, “just relax and let me take care of it all.”

I blinked at him, and fuck, if I wasn’t feeling some kind of thing about being taken care of. I mean, it wasn’t like I was ready to hand in my independent woman card, but having him fetch me food was almost a complete role reversal, and I was into it.

“Mera,” Simone snapped, “I’m going to need you to start talking.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, “hold on to your hair. I’ll tell you everything, but first…” I waved Sam closer. “I want you to meet the shifter who helped me get back here and ultimately restore my memories so I could bring Shadow back from the brink of Egyptian godhood. Samantha Rowland. Sam.”

Simone grinned as she reached out a hand to Sam. “It’s so nice to meet you. And holy hell, you are super gorgeous.”

Sam’s lips curved into a genuine smile. “Thank you, that’s quite the compliment from someone as beautiful as you.” When they were finished shaking hands, Sam pulled a cushion closer so we could all chat. “And it’s really great to have another somewhat familiar face here.”

“It’s like we’re bringing a little of Earth into this fantasy world,” Simone said, looking pleased with herself as she leaned back and laced her fingers across her flat stomach. She was dressed in the sort of outfit I’d never seen her wear before: blue flared harem pants, a white top with similarly flared sleeves, her long hair drawn back in a tight bun. Sam hadn’t just been blowing smoke up her ass to return the compliment; Simone was looking beyond gorgeous after her time in Valdor.

What had happened to her there? I knew there was more to the story than just being locked in Lucien’s castle. I’d get all the details one day, if we managed to save the world in time for girls’ night.

“So, remember Dannie?” I said, since Simone was once again glaring at me, ready for my story.

She nodded. “Yep. Scary shifter who owned a bookstore.”

Fighting a smile, I continued. “Well, yes, and it turns out that she’s actually a little more than a scary shifter with a penchant for paperbacks.”

Hitting the most important points, I detailed all the shit we’d gone through in the Shadow Realm. From Shadow’s former mate, to my unusual birth and rebirth, finishing up with what had happened when I’d crossed over to the Grey Lands, and Dannie had made her ill-informed decision to change our fates.

I’d been so intent on telling the story that I only noticed halfway as more and more familiar faces joined us in the sitting area. Len, Reece, Galleli, and Alistair were all there, along with other members of the ten worlds.

“And then I woke in Torin’s bed,” I finished with a huff, “thinking it had only been a few months since I turned as a shifter, remembering nothing from my time with Shadow.”