AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Danni’s dad died the day she was born. When her mom went out to look for him, she found me. I was just a baby at the time, so they didn’t know what I was. When no one claimed me, we all just assumed my parents died in the Great Sacrifice. A lot of shifters did. I was just one more orphan of many. Until I shifted into a peacock. By then I was a toddler. My mom took me in—raised me as her own. She’s really strong. Not physically, although her wolf is another story, but mentally. She raised me and Danni all on her own until Abby came along. Scott, Danni’s dad, was her fated mate. She suffered in ways we didn’t see, and then she found Abby. It was only when things got better that we started to understand how much she had been struggling to get by. She kept going for us, but finding Abby made her want to keep going for herself too. Now that Danni is mated and they’re trying for a little mutant vampire baby, she and Abby are over the moon to be grandparents. Personally, I think I’m a little young to be an aunt, but no one’s asking what I think there, so ... ”
“It sounds like they’re important to you,” he said softly.
“Uh, yeah. Of course they are. They’re my family.” Was this god-king lonely? Did he have a family? Anyone to love or feel close to? Something told me not. What a shit existence that must be. “What about you?” I asked.
Pan instantly bristled—thatI could read. His whole posture tightened; shoulders tense and body rigid, he cleared his throat. “What about me?”
“Family? Friends? Fuck buddy?” I asked in a casual tone, winking at the last suggestion. “Tell me about your ... whatever it is you have.”
“No.” Pan kept his eyes forward, refusing to look at me.
I scoffed loudly. “Why not? I just told you about me.”
“It’s not your concern.”
What. A. Bastard.
“My life isn’t your concern either, asshat, but I was nice and told you about some of it. I don’t see a reason for the cold shoulder. Maybe you have some psycho ex you don’t want to mention. That’s fine, but you could at least tell me something. Maybe what it was like for before you ‘were driven to madness’?” His dismissive glance told me that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Pity. I would have liked to hear about it. “What about how you became a god? Is it immaculate conception like the bible or do you have godly parents? What about siblings? A sister? A twin? A pet goldfish, perhaps?”
As though I hadn’t spoken, all he responded with was, “Hurry up. You move slowly.”
“You know, you want me to walk faster, talk faster, and stop asking questions. It’s really chauvinistic,oh Entitled One, thegod of shifters. By chance, do you also shift into a pig?” I stomped ahead of him, trying to escape his proximity.
“Kali,” he called to me.
“I take it back. That’s an insult to pigs,” I retorted. “Cute creatures, actually. Also turn into bacon, which I like, so they’re pretty useful on that front. I’ve been told they’re good for disposing of bodies too.” I waved my hands around as I spoke, moving through the trees at a quicker pace.
“Stop.” The commanding tone did nothing except fuel my irritation with him.
“No, you told me to hurry up.” I glanced over my shoulder and yelled, “And it’sAdora, you giant prick!”
As I marched away, my foot sank into the mud before I started slipping sideways, and I lost my balance, stumbling down onto a slope which—lucky for me—was much steeper than it looked.
I am beauty, I am grace.
Gracefully careening down an embankment while screaming. My leg smacked into a tree trunk as I rolled. Something stabbed into my calf. I came to a stop with a resounding thunk. I was starting to have regrets about crossing the portal. Who was I kidding? We were well past ‘starting’.
“I’ve had about as much of this journey as I can stand,” I mumbled, my face pressed into the dirt.
I heard Pan’s footsteps approaching from where I’d fallen, and I rolled onto my back. Mud stuck to my cheek. My makeshift clothes were coated in sweat and decorated with detritus from the jungle floor. A throb in my calf forced me to sit up and inspect what had caused the pain.
A thick green thorn was embedded in the muscle. Great.
“Wait, let me help you,” he said, kneeling down.
“Go away,” I muttered. I yanked the thorn and gritted my teeth at the pain, exhaling through my nose loudly. Slowly, I counted to five while focusing on steadying my breathing. I opened my eyes, cracking my neck and releasing some of the tension in my jaw.
Pan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You handled that better than I expected. Those thorns tend to make even the toughest of shifters break down in tears.”
“I have a high pain tolerance, but I prefer the kind that requires set up and consent, if you know what I mean. This,” I gestured to my bloody leg, “is your fault, so I’m not thrilled.”
Leaning back, he glared. “How exactly is this my fault? I told you to stop. You chose not to listen.”
“First, you’re just being an asshole to me in general, and I have no idea why. I didn’t do anything to you. I’m sorry if whatever ‘family’ I have here treated you badly, but I didn’t.Youcame for me, remember?” I pointed my finger at his chest. “Second, my name is Adora. For fuck’s sake, no wonder you’re alone. If you kept calling her the wrong name, maybe that’s why she left you.”
Pan’s lips pressed together, and he inhaled sharply. Several moments passed before he spoke again. When he did, I cringed.
“She didn’t leave me. She died.”
