Gaster’s face lit up. “Oh, yes, the ability to communicate lowers so many barriers between races and worlds. I will enjoy discussing many of your life achievements.”

Sam didn’t laugh and quip something like “Oh, that will be a short discussion,” like I would have. Instead, she returned his nod, and in as formal a tone said, “I look forward to that day, sir. “

Match made in heaven, even if their formal talk in the dining hall did depressingly remind me of Angel. My best friend who was out in the worlds, with no memory of me.

As soon as I got through to Shadow, we had to track down the rest of our pack.

But first, food.

“Please give me one of everything,” I told the server, elated that my appetite was finally back.

The small fae-created robot scurried off, swift and nimble. They were ingenious and perfect for this role, able to balance cartloads of dishes and never mix up an order.

“It was nice of you to order for us,” Sam said with a smile, settling into her chair.

Right… “No problem.”

Gaster shot me a knowing look, well aware of my love of this place and my ability to eat enough for three grown shifters. But he didn’t correct me in front of our new friend. Dude had my back, and I would always have his, no matter what happened in these worlds.

Sam and Gaster continued to converse while we waited, so excited to be given this gift of understanding. It seemed that they had quite a lot in common, especially the way Sam was very well-read in my least favorite genre: the classics.

Gaster was in nerd-goblin heaven.

And all I could think about was Shadow.

I’d never ached for another being the way I did for him. I’d been attracted to Jaxson and other shifters, and my vagina had certainly done her fair share of whining about our dry spell, but that was pure horny-girl-hormone stuff. It was nothing compared to the deep-seated ache that started low in my gut and fanned out through every part of my body when I thought of Shadow.

It was beyond intense, to the point that sitting here and not running back into the lair to be near him, even if he was more beast than person at the moment, took real effort.

“How could Dannie do this to me?”

It was a rhetorical question. We’d already been over it all. We’d already discussed the stone and its many varied ways of corrupting my former friend. But the grief in my chest needed a place to release.

Sam placed her hand on my shoulder, and while she didn’t say anything, her touch was comforting to me.

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