Page 121 of Stubborn as a Shadow

I spun and spun, but I couldn’t find him. Where was he? “Nelson! NELSON!”

“Your mate is not here,” she said.

My mother was pure glowing light, but I heard her words reverberate through me. She had no face, no lips, no mouth to give her thoughts voice. And yet, I could feel her emotion. I could hear her thoughts.

“I need… He has to… I…”

My fragmented thoughts were met with silence. Then I felt a tug. It came from the core of my being where my magic lived. WhereIexisted.

Another pull.

I tried to grab hold of the prism of colors weaving around me, but I had no hands.

“Mother!”

Silence.

Then I felt as though I was being pulled through a pinhole, squeezed and warped until every part of me was yanked away from my mother’s rainbow-filled world.

I gasped.

“Help,” I screamed, but no sound came out.

White heat stabbed me. Why was I burning? I opened my eyes but was greeted with shadows. I relaxed immediately. Shadows meant comfort. Safety. Because that was where my mate lived. He’d help me.

“Nelson?” Except my question didn’t sound anything like that. It sounded more like a panting whine.

“He’s here. He’s back,” someone said.

“Shift!” Nelson shouted. His voice had a quavering quality. Why did he sound upset? “Damn it, Morgan, you need to shift.”

Pain pierced through my skull. I tried to move my legs, my arms, my head…

“He’s kicking, watch out!”

“Morgan, you need to shift,” Nelson said. I felt hands cradle my face. But my face felt weird. I wiggled my nose. “You are in your shifted form, Sweets. I need you to change back. It’s the only way we can help you. Do you understand?”

He wasn’t making any sense. I wasn’t shifted. I never shifted. It was too dangerous. The only reason I’d shift was if…

Suddenly I remembered everything. The hunters. The guns. The betrayal.

“Shift, love.” Nelson sounded like he was sobbing. “Please. For me. Don’t leave me.”

No. I couldn’t leave him. He was my mate. We were supposed to have an eternity together, not a few measly days. From one heartbeat to the next, Nelson went from begging me to change to dropping kisses on my face. My human face. I must have shifted.

“I… love… you,” I whispered hoarsely, stopping to gasp for breath between each word. I tried to open my eyes again, but the midday sunlight was too much. How was that even possible when I’d just been in the brightest place imaginable, looking at the purity of the Eternal Magic? “Couldn’t… go… without… you…”

“I love you too,” Nelson said.

“Damn it, Morgan,” Violet said from somewhere close, “you aren’t supposed to scare me. You promised you wouldn’t. Never again.”

I struggled to open my eyes again. “Violet?”

“I’m okay,” she said.

Thank you, Mother…

I was with my family, and they were safe. This was everything I needed.