Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters, #5)

by Jaymin Eve

“That bitch has two libraries?” I cried. “We really need to have a long conversation about sharing.”

“You fucking did this to me, you stupid, oversized beast. Of course, you would create a giant baby trying to annihilate my vagina.”

“You can ensure you don’t end up as a mate to Carter,” he said, fangs descending until they were all I could stare at, “by making sure you end up as my mate.

“You don’t handle Simone like that.” A rumbling rasp of words. “Not now. Not ever.”

A fucking feather could have knocked me off my chair. Lucien was defending… me?

“Just remember,” Shadow continued, “that while I can’t interfere in a political manner, I can still be there as Simone’s family. Mera considers her a sister, and so do I.”

“It felt emptier when you were gone,”

“I also wish I knew why it feels right to have you here and why it was empty when you left. You’re a shifter, but it has never felt like there’s any difference between our races.”

“Anyone who touched you and didn’t appreciate the fucking gift they were given deserves to die.”

“Hello, little wolf,”

“You have a pack now,” he said in his low hypnotic tone. “This is what we do for each other, no questions asked and no need to thank. We stand together so none of us will ever fall.”

“Bee,” he said, voice a rasp of dark energy. “If Carter touches you again, I’m going to kill him.”

“Bee!” the irate vampire snapped back. “Are you okay? There’s a froden stopping me from getting to you?”

“And just to be clear, I’m not a princess in a fairytale!” My voice rose significantly. “This is my animal sidekick, but I repeat, not a princess.”

“They remind me of a bowling ball, the way they smash us down like pins.”

“Guess it can be grateful that you didn’t go with ballsy, right?”

“I’m starting to wonder about the emptiness, you know?” he finally said. “The bee is essential, after all.”

“Aw, I’ve admired your resilience from the start. Couldn’t have been easy knowing you were competing in a vampire world. But you never complained or asked for special consideration. You’ve shown a lot of grace under fire here, and I’m still hoping you win the heart of Master Lucien.”

Win the heart of Master Lucien.

“And the truth is, I would tell them that I’m a broken, damaged being. That I don’t know if I can be a great mate, but that if I found the one who called to my blood, I’d destroy worlds to keep them safe.”

“There’s only ever been one in this competition for me, Simone Lewison. You know that.”

“I’ll be relieved to be done with this duty,” he muttered before he let out a sigh and returned to his table.

“I don’t know how I missed your soul through the centuries, but I’m so fucking glad I found this version of you.”

When I returned my gaze to Shadow, there was a slight smirk on his lips. “Whoops,” he said, and I couldn’t stop the weird wolf-laughter from shaking my body, even as Lucien continued to hold me.

“You are the only one I want in my fantasy world, Bee,” he murmured. “You won’t ever have to escape into books again. Any adventure you desire, we’ll find it.”

I’m long-lived, but everything was in shades of grey before I met you.

“Katu of blood. Katu of pain. Katu of pleasure. Katu of power. Join us under your holy glow. Join our souls in a soul call bond. A forever bond.”

“There’s no reason for living without you, Simone,” he murmured. “My love for you is beyond anything I’ve ever felt. It’s beyond any words I can give you, but I promise my actions will always speak

of my utter devotion toward you. You’ll never want for anything again, emotional or material.”