“Third rebirth is the charm, right?” I joked, but it was clearly too soon since he didn’t even crack a smile. “Tough crowd,” I murmured before hurrying on. “My shifter and Nexus sides have merged. I have another form like you, but it’s just a Super Saiyan powered-up version of this, with a wolfie face and some phoenix fire.”

And now he was looking at me like I was an idiot, and since this was our familiar dance, I wanted to cry again… this time, in happiness. “You almost destroyed the Shadow Realm,” I said softly. “Should we talk about that?”

His jaw was rigid, his muscles under my touch trembling. “This world stole you from me, Mera. There was darkness and there was pain and I cared nothing for the rest. It deserved to be rubble and maybe from the ashes—”

“The phoenix would rise,” I finished in a whisper. “All along, that saying meant more than I could have ever expected—”

It was Shadow’s turn to cut me off, his lips pressing into mine as he devoured my mouth. The kiss was heavy, filled with pain and unspoken hurts, tempered by this sheen of pure joy at once again being alive and together.

It had been close. I had legitimately died trying to save them all. Ironic, since apparently, my death would have destroyed the realm anyway, through the rage of one pissed-off Shadow Beast.

When we pulled apart, I had to ask him, “Would you really have ended this world? I mean, I’m sure you’re aware, but if you had succeeded, you would have not just taken out Dannie, but also our pack and… yourself.”

He shrugged. “The others might have survived, but anything born in the realm… yeah, it was end game for us. Dannie was just a bonus, but the real truth is that I go where you go, Sunshine. Right or wrong, you and I exist together… or we don’t exist at all.”

Fuck, Shadow spoke love without saying the words better than any being I knew.

This time, I kissed him, using my power to lift me so I could wrap my arms and legs around his body, our naked skin sliding together as I pulled his head toward mine. As the kiss deepened, our energy mingled, and for a second, I felt him in my mind.

For a second, we were one.

It was only then that I understood the big deal they made about kissing here in the Shadow Realm. Having just touched Shadow’s soul, I wasn’t sure I’d ever think about kissing and its connective forces the same way again.