Page 7 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

My bare feet landed on marble with a stingingthwackthat echoed around a massive room. I fell to my knees on a logo that looked like a cross between a wolf and a shadow with one creepy-ass crimson eye staring at me. Asshole and Dipshit let go, and I fell forward on my hands, one palm landing on the rim of a golden circle that went around the wolf. I growled and jumped to my feet, then spun to face the two twatwaffles, but froze when I took in the room.

Massive black stone walls streaked with gold stretched toward high ceilings. Amber-red flames in sconces lit up the area.

“What the fu—” I started but the words died the second I glanced around. There were at least thirty other people moving toward us, almost every single one a female. My mouth dried. Every woman wore a gorgeous gown that screamed money, and a few hadwingssprouting from their backs.

They were all beautiful—gorgeous and ethereal. Most seemed horrified, but a few looked angry.

I swallowed loudly. This had to be some sort of nightmare. Served me right for running out on Ember when she was worried. However, the pack links with her, Gage, Xander, and Kendric were faint but warm, and even the alpha pack link with Ryker was intact though not nearly as strong as usual. Being a rogue wolf and going crazy…well, crazier than I already was wouldn’t happen.

Still, something didn’t feel right. I glanced down, hoping like hell that I’d at least dressed myself up to their standards in this dream. No. I was still wearing my sleepyhead Stitch pajamas. I snorted. Of course. Even in my dreams, I was awkward.

A woman with hunter-green hair wrinkled her nose. “What sound did she just make?”

“Nothing I ever want to hear again.” A tall fierce-looking woman grimaced. Her silver eyes matched her sleeveless shimmering gown, and white-feathered wings spread behind her back. Her presence screamedtrouble.

I stiffened. Both my knees and pride ached, and inside me my wolf stirred restlessly and bared her teeth in warning. We weren’t supposed to be here. The pounding in my ears increased until it was a painful drumming.

Every single person stared at me like I was some sort of zoo exhibit. Even the two men who’d abducted me had their freaky eyes fixed on me. Bastards.

I gave everyone a lazy smile and shrugged. “What?” I planted a hand on my hip, lifted my chin high, and took an exaggerated look around. “Isn’t this a pajama party?”

“Pa...jama?” a woman with pink hair whispered. “Is that what the atrocious outfit she has on is called?”

A few of the women laughed, while others whispered behind their hands. A woman with dark-red hair seemed particularly horrified.

I took an instinctive step back only to realize these women had formed a circle around me and were closing in. My wolf snarled, feeling both threatened and not liking that I was so overwhelmed I hadn’t noticed until now. Some wolf shifter I was turning out to be.

Even more disturbing, the crimson eye of the shadow wolf logo seemed to watch me from below.

Turning slowly, I noticed a balcony jutting into the center of the room. Three men and a woman about my age stood on it, dressed elegantly in shades of black, gray, and gold, nearly blending into the shadows.

My stare stopped on a pair of haunting gray eyes that belonged to the most handsome man I’d ever seen. His long, loosely curled black hair hit the top of his black jacket. When he tilted his head and bit his full bottom lip, my breath caught.

My wolf stirred in response as something in my chest tugged at me, wanting to close the distance between us.

He leaned into the curve of the balcony and his brows furrowed, but he didn’t break eye contact.

The young woman placed a delicate hand on mysterious guy’s shoulder. A long black braid hung over her shoulder, seeming almost too heavy for her.

My blood heated, my wolf not liking the way she touched him.

The two other men flanked the mysterious guy. One had wavy silver hair similar to the bitch with feathery wings, and the other had black hair and dark skin.

“I think she might be broken.” One of the women behind me chuckled, bringing me back to the present.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I forced my attention away fromhimand focused on the more immediate threats around me. I grew dizzy, but I refused to let them see me panic. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I surveyed the group to locate the biggest threats.

Did wings make one more threatening or not? I had no clue. They had to be fae, but if that was the case, then this might not be a nightmare after all.

Bile inched up my throat. If they were fae, then this had to be what my many-greats-grandfather had been trying to warn me about. There was no other way to explain the situation. For whatever reason, they had located me and brought me here. Thank Fate they hadn’t seized Ember.

Several of the women covered their mouths as they giggled. A few seemed intrigued, their foreheads lined with curiosity as they took in the pajama-clad intruder among them. The rest took a few steps back as if they didn’t want to be near me. A tall woman with an expression that looked like she'd stepped in shit came forward. Her pale blonde hair was loose around her shoulders, and her long silver gown caught the light of the amber-red flames. Behind her, white feathered wings spread aggressively like chickens.

"Did the guards take a peasant by mistake?" Shetsked as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Clearly, she doesn't belong here."

My wolf pressed inside my skin, wanting to spring at her, but I reined her back in. A lazy smile spread across my face, and I took a deep breath. No way in hell would they intimidate me. "Is this how the fae greet all their guests, or am I just special since I’m from Earth?"

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