Page 63 of Shaped by Darkness (Beasts of Extinction #3)

G arrett’s question plays on repeat in my mind.

A cure.

I hadn’t ever really thought about it; my father is evil, not the type who would want to be able to undo the bad he does. But the thought of curing the chimeras makes me think of that damn book.

I don’t sleep, so I find myself with extra time at night.

Serena is aware and has been leaving me books to read.

Some are about the history of the realm, the kingdom, shifters in general, while others are simply stories to enjoy.

I could probably get through most of them in just a day or two, but I’ve been savoring them.

Getting books has always been difficult.

When I was younger, Father used to yell at me for wasting my time trying to steal them from the villages.

They’re often burned or destroyed by the time I get to them.

The book I’m reading now is a romance, and it’s taking me forever to read it. The things that happen in it often leave me achingly hard. Not something I enjoy while being in a room with Serena and her mates; I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.

I’m almost at the castle now, and I know I only have moments. I really shouldn’t have left them to fight alone, but I need to go over what it said. This might be exactly what we need, but I have to be sure.

Dropping down in the garden, I let my beast take over even before my feet hit the ground, knowing he’s faster. I’d much rather fly the whole way, but even with how big the castle is, my wings are too big; they would only slow me down.

Guards stand around, the final defense should we all fail. Hopefully that won’t happen; with any luck, it will be the opposite.

My claws scratch across the polished stone of the castle halls as I take a turn too fast and skid. I find traction and take off up the stairs, hardly registering the startled face of the Queen as I run past her.

I’m used to that look. I know what I am.

Right now I’m just happy my beast is listening.

Usually when I shift, it’s as if I’m completely giving up control.

I fall into darkness until eventually he sleeps and I can shove him back in his cage.

Unfortunately, he can go days, sometimes even weeks, before he sleeps.

I’d hoped he would behave this time because of his feelings for Serena, but I’m not sure I really believed it possible.

We crash into Garrett’s room, wings scraping on the doorway, but that’s a problem for later.

The book is still sitting on the window’s edge where I sit every night to read, totally not watching her sleep like a creep…

My beast is better at staying on track. He grabs the book between sharp teeth before turning to head back out of the room just as fast as we got here. His tail hits the glass, and I worry it might shatter from the hard exoskeleton, but by some miracle, it doesn’t.

All thoughts of the window are forgotten as we move back through the castle, and my beast jumps from the top of the stairs all the way to the ground. It’s not terribly high, but there are innocents around. Should someone have walked by at the right time, we would have crushed them.

Not that he cares at all. The only thing on his mind right now is the tiny blue-haired girl who calls to him and his darkness.

Switch back. I tell him as we reach the garden. I don’t need him to answer to know he has no intention of doing so as he unfurls his wings, ready to take off.

“Ryker?”

A growl rips from somewhere deep inside me as my beast whirls on Garrett. He might like Serena, but everyone else, even the prince, is the enemy in his eyes.

Especially the prince, as she is his.

In all my years with this twisted creature, I’ve never spoken to him; I was unaware that was even a possibility.

He stalks toward Garrett as he backs away, eyes wide, hands raised as if to show he’s not a threat.

He has no idea what my beast is capable of, or that he doesn’t care if he’s a threat or not; he will kill him.

Hurting him will hurt Serena. I say in a rush, and my beast pauses, considering my words.

With a huff, he stops his advance before shocking the hell out of me and handing the reins back over.

He shifts without a word, the searing pain enough to leave me gasping for air as I once again stand in front of Garrett.

Most shifters get used to the shift, and the pain decreases as they bond with their beast. Something I’ve never had because I can count on two hands how many times I’ve shifted in the last five hundred years and still have fingers left over.

“Damn, that hurt,” I pant, bracing my hands on my knees as I try to breathe through it without ending up on my ass.

The book I’d gone back for sits at my feet, and while my beast wasn’t happy to see Garrett, I am.

“I need your help.” I grab the book and flip through it for the information I need, and I’m almost shocked when he moves forward, looking at the book over my shoulder, seemingly ready to help without complaint.

I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life without question or complaint; my life never had purpose… Until I found her, alone in the woods.

I didn’t know it then, but she changed everything, made my life worth living.

I owe her so much. Nothing will ever be enough, but this might be a start.

Death has never scared me. Some nights, I prayed for it, convinced it would be better than the miserable life with my father, but I was wrong. It was all worth it just to know her, even if I don’t feel that any length of time with her will ever be enough.

I might not be afraid of death, but for once, I have a reason to live. She has blue eyes that shine like their own personal stars, skin so creamy white that it looks like a painting from the gods, a body that is soft but strong, and I love the feel of her in my arms.

She is everything.

Garrett and I are quiet as we fly back toward the outermost wall, where the others are still fighting. I can hear it from here, but the need to see her, to see with my own eyes that she’s still standing, pushes me to fly faster.

The moment we clear the second wall, I’m scanning the ground, looking through the destruction of the whole district, which now crawls with chimeras. It’s a miracle they’ve kept it contained for so long. We just need to hold out a little longer to see if they will, in fact, follow us away.

My father is long gone, letting others handle his battles, like always. First it was me, now it’s Lyle. My father is many things, but stupid isn’t one of them, unfortunately, which means he took Theo.

There! In the center of chaos, surrounded by chimeras, she stands unafraid, and I’m left in awe. Everything inside of me screams to go to her, but I know she doesn’t need me; she doesn’t need any of us.

Her shadows have grown since I left. It is no longer just her eyes that are black or the veins that spiderweb from them down her cheeks.

Her fingers are long and clawed, black from the tips of her fingers up to her elbow, the dark veins moving up the rest of her arm, over her chest, and up her neck.

Pitch-black horns have sprouted from her forehead, at her hairline, curling up and away from her head.

But beyond all of that, the most noticeable thing for me is her wings.

They are no longer shadow replicas of mine, though they are incredibly similar. These are larger, almost sweeping the ground and towering over her, and unlike mine, there are no holes.

Before our eyes, she is becoming darkness.

“What’s happening to her?” Garrett asks, and it takes me a moment to remember he’s talking to me.

“I don’t know, but we need to go.” I don’t wait for a response, instead flying toward Serena, gritting my teeth at the desire to reach out and touch her. To scoop her up in my arms and fly away. The only thing that stops me is knowing that’s not what she would want.

“Follow us. Let’s see if we can lead them away from the castle,” I shout as I fly low over her. Serena's head snaps up at the sound of my voice, and I have to swallow around the lump in my throat as a smile curves her lips.

She shoots up into the air, the chimeras seemingly forgotten as they move to their next target.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought something was wrong.” She looks from me to Garrett, her eyes checking to ensure we really are okay.

She should be terrifying like this, or at the very least, no longer adorable. Somehow, that’s just not true, though. Serena is not only still cute, she’s still just as caring.

I return her smile, unable to stop myself. Nothing can make Serena change. She’s just good through and through.

“Lead the way.” She nods toward the outer wall, and I know I need to move, but I remain stuck in place as my eyes drink her in.

“Are you sure you're not hurt?” she asks, her brow scrunching in concern as her eyes narrow, looking me over again.

I physically shake myself, meeting her gaze before I nod. “Yeah, just tired. Let’s get them out of here.” She nods, moving toward the wall, and while the chimeras aren’t trying to hurt her, they still want her, which she uses to her advantage.

My heart stalls in my chest as she flies around them, leading them toward the tunnel. Thankfully, she’s fast, but it’s hard to watch all the same.

The gods take pity on me, and she somehow only ends up with five after her as we heard the rest of them toward the tunnel, using her mates that are on the ground as bait.

It works better than I thought it would, and I can’t help but feel guilty that we didn’t try this sooner. So many homes have been destroyed.

“Where to?” Serena calls from below me, and I can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips as I look down and find her on the back of the lion, Sol. They look ridiculous, but I’m sure he’s more than happy, I would be.

“The cabin.” I point in the general direction before I remember she doesn’t need directions. She’s been there more than enough times, not to mention she’s been to the clearing more times than I can count, and that’s a short walk from it.