Page 68 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

Khal and Mrez are next to me. We hug fast and hard. I missed them. Without them, I feel much less a person. I need my mates around me.

“Ivy, you have a new friend,” Khal says with a smile.

Ivy keeps talking to the Toba. Her positive feelings are so strong, they fill the entire Valley.

“I don’t want to rush you, but we need to get going.” My voice is calm and firm. A leader needs his people to feel strong, and they give me strength.

Ivy is close to me. She holds the Toba and gives her the name Velvet.

“Ivy, would you like to ride on my back?” I ask her. She’s slowing down, the difficult terrain hard for her to navigate.

“Yes.” She cuddles closer, Velvet in her arms, the latter purring loudly.

The cold bites against our bodies, but I don’t care. The cold feels great, real. It makes me feel strong. And having Ivy riding on my back, her body close to mine, makes my heart swell so much.

The scent of the air changes.

I sense Khal and Mrez. Their fear is nourishment for the damned Shadows who hang around here. The fingers of the lost Shadows who are trapped here reach for us. I can’t see them, but I know they’re nearby. They’re hungry to feel anything, and the joy that radiates from Ivy both scares and attracts them. They hover around us like a cloud of fear and hunger.

The place turns from a mountain slope a valley. Icicles hang down from the steep walls surrounding us. This place is meant to feel horribly claustrophobic. It pushes you to make a wrong move, to be violent, to tear into flesh.

“Draw, I’m scared,” Ivy whispers softly. Ivy hugs me with one arm, holding on to Velvet with the other. Feeling her taking comfort from my presence makes me strong.

“I’m here. I’ll always protect you, my love.”

“I want to feel confident and strong, but I’m weak.” Ivy sighs. “I wish I was more courageous.”

“You’re not weak. Courage means doing what you must no matter how scared you are. By that standard, you’re very brave. You’re afraid and, still, you’re ready to do what you need to in order to save The Shadows.”

“You guys saved me. Without you, Dr. Martin or Pegg would have killed me. I never felt this way before. You guys made me feel protected and loved.”

“You would have managed. I know it. You never gave up. You fought Dr. Martin. Mrez told me.”

“I did, but one of them would have killed me. Pegg poisoned me. I thought she was my friend. That fucking hurts, even now.”

Her tears fell on my skin, but I can’t stop now to wrap her in my arms, as much as I want to. There’s nothing I want more than to make Ivy feel safe and loved. Fear and doubt invade my mind, like rats nipping at me. It’s an itch I can’t scratch and that drives me mad.

“Ivy, we can’t stop, not now. If we do, The Valley will absorb our minds.”

“How long do we have to stay here?” Ivy’s voice shivers. She presses her open hand on my chest. I cover it with my claw.

“The access portal to the Shadow World is constantly moving. I’ll know it as soon as we get close enough to feel it’s energy.”

Mrez walks in front of us. “Draw, over there. I think there’s something.”

He’s the weakest of us, but he has an incredible instinct and sense for orientation. He runs ahead to check out his discovery.

I glance back to Khal who is making sure The Shadows following us are maintaining a safe distance. I don’t want to scare Ivy and tell her that the lost Shadows could become material in form and attack us. Their force is tremendous, and we don’t stand a chance against them.

Khal is a strong warrior, almost as strong as me. If I must face off against the lost Shadows in this place, I wouldn’t want to confront them with anyone else. Khal faces the threat behind us, his back toward me. His body is tense. I don’t need to hear him speak to know my beta is getting ready for a fight.

Ivy clutches Velvet and they both press against my back.

“Move, move, move.” The panic in Khal’s voice is loud and clear.

Mrez joins us, cool as the ice covering the jagged rocks. He tells us to follow him before racing off.

“Follow me,” Mrez calls out. He’s confident.

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