Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 5)

Turned out that in the Honor Meadows, all the layers of the world felt real and whole and complete. We stepped through the golden field to find ourselves in an ocean land with limitless blue sky above. It was warm with a salty scent in the air, and when I crouched down, the sand felt real and hot.

There was no way for me to decipher the illusion here. Even when my wolf prowled to the surface, curious about this new energy, she found no scent other than salt and sand. “This is unbelievable,” I murmured, turning slowly to take it all in. “How is it even possible?”

Lucien, who’d let go of my hand at this point, watched me closely, like I was more interesting than the layer of magic we were in.

“Honor Meadow energy is very”—he paused, as if to consider his next words— “elemental. Built from the power of original creation. It allows them to form realities which are in no way illusions.”

I was finally beginning to understand the deferential way Angel had been treated back when Mera first met her. Back when she was robotic and cold but also feared.

“She had thousands of these layers?” I shook my head. “How much power would be needed to created even one?”

“A lot,” he told me. “An incredible amount. The fact that she’s been able to gather enough to build even a few layers in this short amount of time, speaks of her internal source of power. Not to mention what she gained through her bond with Reece and ability to hold the silver sands.”

“Reece gained too,” I shot back. Angel had sacrificed her power and life for him, and that should not be downplayed.

“He gained everything,” Lucien said, his voice growing deeper with emotion. “He’s one lucky male to have found a female like Angel. I will never discount that. I just meant that together they have built on their base energy. A team effort.”

He turned then to make his way into the next level, and I wasn’t sure if I’d annoyed him by snapping about equal rights. The moment felt too awkward to ask, so I simply followed as he moved along the beach. We were a few minutes behind the others, who had already left this level, but the opening remained.

When we stepped through, I still had to close my eyes, even though I knew the drop was no more than a short step to the next level, which was a jungle. In here, all signs of the ocean were gone. That light breeze was replaced with a heavy humidity, the briny scent now rich and earthy.

There were predators in this level—my wolf was aware enough to recognize their distinct scent and energy—but at least they felt mostly curious versus murderous. “Is this the level?” I asked Lucien as we stepped into the dense jungle, undergrowth crushing beneath our feet. I was still in my black flats, and it felt like a million years ago I’d wanted to throw my phone as it rudely awoke me.

How long since I’d even eaten or had a drink?

No wonder my wolf was weak, but apparently there was no time for anything other than childbirth and vampires today. Sustenance would have to wait.

“This is the level she’ll be on,” Lucien said. “Angel’s energy is strong here, and I know this is her preferred home base.”

We wandered until we heard voices, and not a minute later, we came upon a cabin that blended almost seamlessly into its environment. Mera and Shadow were standing out front, and as my bestie turned toward me, I noticed that she was feeding her baby, its small face almost engulfed by a massive boob. “If I don’t feed, my tits feel like they’re about to explode,” she groaned.

I had to chuckle. “Hopefully, your little one is hungry because, damn girl, your boobs are… I mean, that almost looks painful.”

She shook her head, face pulling into a grimace. “It’s the weirdest, most uncomfortable feeling. The pressure builds up… and yeah, anyway. She’s feeding well, so hopefully I can switch her to the other side in a minute and save us all the risk of a milk shower.”

A look of intrigue and something darker crossed Shadow’s face. I really didn’t want to delve into the darker side because there was a decent chance he’d just developed a new kink. But to each their own. With the way my dreams had been for the past many months, I was in no position to kink judge anyone.

“Is everything okay with Angel,” Lucien asked, facing the cabin. There was no sign of life inside, even though I had to assume Reece and Angel were in there.

“Reece is just letting her know we’re here,” Mera said. “We thought it was a bit rude to all barge in on her at once.”

“Do transcendents birth children the same way as shifters?” I asked.

“As far as I’m aware, it’s the same basic concept,” Mera said.

She’d told me a while ago that most of the inhabitants of the worlds connected to the Solaris System had a similar reproductive process to shifters. That didn’t mean all of us supernaturals were compatible to create life together, but it helped in understanding the biology of how it worked.

For me, when travelling to these fantasy worlds, I enjoyed when there were aspects that made sense straight away. It was how I liked my books too, which was probably why my favorite stories were urban fantasy. Elements of familiar intertwining with the fantastical.

Stepping through these layers of the Honor Meadows was so new and mind-blowing that if I’d had to figure out the landscape as well, it would be too much. But an ocean and a jungle were familiar, so my brain could deal.

Before I could spend any more time contemplating the nuances of my personality, the door was flung open as Reece exited onto the wood porch. “She’s close now,” he snapped, sounding stressed. “And she’s asking for Mera.”

Mera didn’t even hesitate, rushing up the stairs and into the house with the baby clutched to her chest. Shadow, for once, didn’t charge after her. Even the big bad beast knew better than to challenge an in-labor Angel. “I’ll keep you updated best I can,” Reece said as he too stepped back toward the open door. “With any luck, we will need no additional assistance and our next member of this family will arrive safe and well.”

“We are sending energy your way,” Shadow said simply.

Reece nodded, and it was clear that meant more to him than I understood. He was gone in the next minute, and that left the three of us to cool our heels while we waited for more news.