Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 5)

The next little while was spent discussing the selection. Lucien gave us an indication of the trials that would occur, which included hunting, scavenger trials, home visits, and dates. “B will just have to ensure that she repels Carter to the best of her ability,” he continued. “He already expects they have a blood compatibility, thanks to her touch of the stone activating his energy and breaking through his darkness.”

“Why did that even happen?” I asked.

“I have no idea” Lucien admitted. “No one has ever touched the stone who wasn’t vampire. Maybe that’s just a normal burst of power from its securities, and Carter was simply in the right place. Or maybe you truly are compatible to vampires, hence why your energy called us. I know it was how I found you in time to save you.”

He’d never told me that before, and I found it mildly comforting to know it wasn’t just crazy-ass Carter I’d called. “I’ve felt a pull toward Valdor ever since that night,” I told him.

Shadow shifted closer, his gaze moving between Lucien and me. “Are you sure it’s Valdor calling you back?”

None of us could miss the implication there, but Lucien and I maturely ignored it completely.

“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.”

My stomach jumped at being claimed as family by a being we’d always worshipped as a god. Whose life am I living?

“I protect my own as well,” Lucien growled back.

As odd as that response was, it reminded me of a shifter’s possessiveness, and I understood where it came from. At the moment I was Lucien’s responsibility, so he’d taken offense to Shadow’s words, as though they were a slight against his ability to take care of this situation.

Typical alpha male bullshit.

No way did my damp panties have anything to do with that. It was… hormones.

“My offer in no way takes away from what you’re doing to protect her,” Shadow said without heat. “As with Reece and our last foray into the Desert Lands, sometimes situations end up being more than expected, and a little backup never goes astray.”

Lucien relaxed as he nodded, leaving that conversation there to die.

I was fairly certain all of us were relieved when Mera appeared in the doorway. “She had a boy,” she cried. Shadow was up on the porch and by her side in a heartbeat. He took their baby from her, cradling the tiny child against him and freeing up Mera’s hands.

I followed, making sure to keep my distance now that beastie Shadow had his child back in his possession. “Baby and momma okay?” I asked.

Mera threw her arms around me, hugging me tight. She smelled like energy and milk, giving off a true mother-earth vibe. “They’re amazing. I can’t get over the adrenaline shot of bringing life into this world. Now that I’m not the one getting my vagina ripped in two, I get to enjoy the other parts.”

Shadow lifted their daughter, moving her closer to his face, and when she reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, that freaking beast actually smiled. A true smile.

What was happening?

Mera started to drag me toward the door before I could further observe the personality transplant her mate was going through. “Angel asked that you all come in to visit so she can thank you for your positive energy and thoughts.”

Inside the cabin, Mera moved so fast that I barely had a chance to notice the sparsely decorated space. We walked through an entranceway and past a few rooms that mostly appeared to contain weapons. When we ended up at a bedroom, Mera didn’t pause at the threshold.

The wood-lined room was simply decorated, with a large bed, a few pieces of armor on the walls, and a thick, fluffy rug under our feet. I really wished I’d had time to take my shoes off because the white, wool-like material was not forgiving when teamed with shoes and a forest floor, but Mera never gave me the chance.

When we reached the bed, it was to find Angel laid back against a bunch of pillows, her long hair fanned out around her. There was no sign she had just given birth; her face was clear and relaxed and her stomach no longer swollen, which I could see clearly as the sheets were around her waist, while a tiny boy nestled against her breast, already feeding.

She looked up as I leaned over the side of her bed. “Simone,” she cried. “Thank you for being here.”

I reached out and brushed my hand along her arm. “Girl, he’s absolutely stunning. I can’t even with you and Mera having such perfect and amazing babies.”

Reece, who was on the opposite side of the bed to where we sat, reached out and placed his huge hand on his son’s back, almost completely covering the child. There was a swarth of dark hair on the baby’s head, with just the slightest curl to it. His skin was darker than Mera’s baby’s, a deep rich brown, and I wondered if he would have his father’s bright blue eyes or Angel’s pink tinged ones.

I couldn’t wait to find out.

Mera was right; there really was a buzz in this creation of life and seeing the results of mixing power and genetics. Children born of true love and mate bonds.

It was a new kind of high.

Shadow and Lucien pressed in behind Mera and me. The air was hotter than it had been before as all of us crowded closer to celebrate this new life. After another minute, their baby stopped feeding, and Angel used energy to clothe herself as she sat up to lay him on the bed, secure in the space between her legs. “We are honored for you all to meet Damon, named for the warrior god recognized in both our races. Born of meadow and desert, a bridge between two worlds, and the miracle that we never expected.”

“You said his name,” I gasped. Multiple gazes turned my way, and I hurried to add. “Which I love, of course. It’s just we’re still calling Mera and Shadow’s baby Shadowshine Jr because we need a naming ceremony.”

Angel chuckled. “We don’t have naming ceremonies in our culture. I do need to take Damon for a blessing from Tholi, our spiritual guide. Plus, he must be honored in the Sacred Lands and silver sands of the grotto, but there’s no need to keep the name hidden before these blessings.”

Shadow leaned over, and I wasn’t the only one to gasp when he placed the little girl on the bed, gently settling her beside Damon. The fact that he’d willingly let his child out of his or Mera’s arms was also a miracle.

We all stared down at their overwhelming cuteness. Mera’s child was no bigger than Angel’s, despite the difference in gestation periods. “Were they technically born on the same day?” I asked.

“Yes!” Mera and Angel cried together.

“Couldn’t have planned it better if I’d tried,” Mera continued, her voice high with emotion.

“Twin souls,” Angel murmured. “Just like their mommas.”

I tried not to let that settle as an ache in my heart. Mera was my best friend and sister, but I didn’t own her. It was just… I wished to one day be in the middle of the joy and not hovering on the outside.

Today was not the day to dwell, though. It was a day for celebration. “They’re pure perfection,” I said with a sigh, pressing a hand to my chest. “I’ve never wanted children, but you could almost change a shifter’s mind with these two.”

I blinked as Damon reached out his hand and grabbed onto Shadowshine Jr’s. Before anyone could make a sound, a burst of power slammed into us, and I would have stumbled back if Lucien’s bulk behind me didn’t keep me standing.

“Shadow—” Mera got only his name out before both the babies vanished in a flash of dark mist and red sand.

Well, shit.