Blood, Shadow & Claw: Knotty Monster Mates by S. Cinders

Author:S. Cinders [Cinders, S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Savage Ink Press
Published: 2024-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

I trudged back to my quarters, the weight of the female umbras’ words pressing down on me like a shroud of fog. The security of their support was a lifeline, yet it couldn't entirely dispel the shadow cast by Raylene's unspoken threats. My footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, a stark reminder that for all the warmth I'd found here, I was still an outsider looking in.

As I closed the door behind me, the room's silence wrapped around me like a blanket—a comfort laced with threads of isolation. I sank onto the edge of the bed, my hands shaking ever so slightly as I replayed Hope's warning in my mind. Eyes open. Trust no one. It's not precisely the pack life handbook I'd imagined when Ajax first claimed me as his.

A slight sniffle escaped before I could catch it, and I brushed away an errant tear, berating myself. "Get a grip, Mazie. You've faced down internet trolls with more backbone than Raylene."

But even as I tried to bolster my spirits, the sense of vulnerability clung to me, a persistent whisper reminding me that I was naked without my armor of confidence. In the real world, I was a celebrated influencer, a bastion of body positivity and self-love. In tooth and claw, I was stripped bare, grappling with the primal forces of instinct and rank.

"Tomorrow is another day," I murmured to the emptiness, a mantra to steady my fraying nerves. Tomorrow, I would face whatever came with the strength of my newfound allies, the female umbra’s who had taken me under their protective wing.

And yet, as I lay down, wrapped in blankets that held traces of Ajax's scent, the unease refused to dissipate. It buzzed at the edges of my consciousness, a relentless hum that promised confrontation. With Raylene's frosty gaze etched into my memory, I knew sleep would be a battlefield tonight.

"May the stars keep you safe," I whispered into the darkness, a plea to any listening gods or spirits. Then, closing my eyes, I willed my mind to quiet. Sometime in the night, Ajax joined me in bed. I'd slept fitfully until his strong arms came around me.

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