Deserted (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 4)

Gatherings of this magnitude in the Desert Lands were rare, mostly due to the sheer size of the territories and the difficulty in coordinating travel through the sand rivers for thousands of Desertlandians. Not to mention managing the various feuds and issues between dynasties.

But when a gathering did happen, the grandeur of the event was absolutely breathtaking, from their young running through the sands to the traditional games taking place in designated tents. The energy was enough to make anyone feel alive, and it felt extra electric this moon, almost as if there was a higher connection and vibration of power zipping around the Ostealon.

As we walked through the various red, gold, and brown tents, the half-moon shining its golden light down on us, Len fell in on my right side.

‘You look particularly stunning tonight,’ he said, staring ahead, but I felt his attention. “Red is your color.”

“Red also suits you beautifully,” I replied with a smile, the energy giving me a bouncy, euphoric feeling. ‘You should step away from the silver more often. I know it defines you, but it’s not every part of you.’

Len’s flirtatious grin faded as he finally met my gaze. ‘You know and see so much,’ he finally said. We stopped walking then, having reached the large white tent that I’d seen when we first arrived.

“I see you,” I said to Len, “and that’s why we’ll never have a random dalliance, no matter how much you temptingly dangle it in front of me. You’re still searching, taking your journey to find a true mate. There’s no room for me in that equation.’

He turned away from me again, both of us staring into the entrance of the tent. He knew I was right, as any being of his age and intelligence would. The fae took spiritual journeys to find their mates, and even though Len’s hadn’t shown themself yet, I believed they were out there. One night of fun sex wasn’t worth destroying that for him.

‘My next journey is to be my last,” he said softly, the true undercurrent of his lilting accent deepening. “Until then, I hold out hope.”

Unable to help myself, I reached out and wrapped my hand around his, squeezing tightly.

‘I will hope with you,” I said, voice low but brimming with more emotions than I’d usually use. ‘If anyone deserves a true bond, it is you, my friend.’

Just as he returned my hand squeeze there was a low rumble from behind us. Heat washed down my spine, and even though I recognized exactly who was standing too close, I still called on my weapons, spinning with my free hand to nearly slam the blade against Reece’s throat.

He didn’t stop me or defend himself, and it was only through my unparalleled control that I managed to halt my strike mere inches from his jugular. Furious blue eyes met mine, the swirls of energy moving faster in their depths. ‘Always so quick to attack,’ he murmured in a harsh tone, pressing into me until the sharp edge of my blade sliced into his skin.

‘Reece!’ I cursed, sending the weapons back to my room in the tent. ‘Do you have a damn death wish?’

His expression now was unreadable. ‘Apparently I do,’ he said, and then with a sweep of his hand, he turned away, stepping onto the long white mat that led into the tent. The others followed him, but I found myself taking a second to find my calm. Clearly Reece still didn’t want me forming friendships with his friends, but you know what? Screw him. No longer would he dictate who could and couldn’t be in my life.

Len and I shared a similar pain in our family lines, similar loneliness, and we could always find common ground, which was the perfect basis for a real friendship. It would never be more than that, though, and if Reece had asked, I would have told him the truth. I didn’t play games, but he’d given me no chance.

Which was always his way.

Releasing more of my hurt and anger, I pasted on my best happy face and strode through the wide open curtains of this tent. The thick white mat that had been in the entrance continued on into the main room, covering the sands and giving everything a sparkling clean look.

From where I stood, it was easy to see the four zones this incredibly large space had been divided into. Immediately to my right was a fenced area with multiple paddocks holding giant rhjeta creatures from the Fret and Holinfra dynasties. The scent was the first part I recognized, a pungent aroma similar to the stockyards I’d watched over in America, many decades ago. The rhjeta were not an Earth animal, but if I had to describe the scaly beasts, it would be as a dragon-lizard.

Mera and Shadow pushed over toward me. “What in the worlds are they?” Mera asked, staring wide-eyed at the creatures.

‘Rhjeta,’ I said. ‘They’re desert creatures that can breathe fire and camouflage themselves.’

‘They’re massive,’ she gasped as one moved closer to the fence nearest us. ‘Like someone crossed a beefed-up Komodo dragon with an elephant and got this.’ She waved her hand toward them.

Her descriptor was on point, from their brown, grey, and black scaled skin, which was thicker and armored down their spine, to the rotund bellies that nearly dragged on the ground.

‘How did they tame them?’ she asked, as two blasted fire at each other, their riders using shields to repel some of the heat.

‘It’s very difficult,’ Shadow told her. ‘Only a few have the skill, power, and control to bond with one. I’ve never known any except those in the Holinfra and Fret dynasties to even try. The rhjeta are a true danger in the deserts.’

Mera cleared her throat, shaking her head a few times. ‘I really don’t blame them for not trying. Look at their damn claws.”

Front and back legs were topped with six-inch talons, not to mention the powerful tail that could easily crush a being. ‘Their teeth are coated in poison, too,’ I added, since their strengths should be discussed. ‘One bite and you’ll be dead within minutes.’

With a shudder, she turned away. ‘Let’s not visit that zone just yet,’ she said in a strangled tone. ‘Or, like, ever.’

Shadow made an amused sound, moving to stand right behind her so that no one in the massive crowds could jostle her. ‘Come on,” he said, “the next section will be much more to your liking.”

Leaving the rhjeta, we made our way into the dining area, which was set up with about a thousand round glass tables, woven from sands of all the different dynasties. The various colors made it easy to know where to sit.

‘Hell yes,’ Mera cried, shaking her ass across the dining zone as we entered the area with red glass tables.

Each table was set with ochre dinnerware and glasses, made from Ostealon’s sands, the land that joined them all.

‘Is there allocated seating?’ Mera asked.

‘Sit at red for Rohami,’ Shadow replied. “Other than that, I think it’s fair game.”

Mera shrugged, continuing to look around. “Makes sense.” She pointed to the third quadrant, bordering the dining area. “And what’s that part used for?”

There wasn’t a lot of structure in that section, but I could tell from the harder mat, where sand and pamolsa had been fused, that this was the zone for—

“Dancing,” Shadow said.

A low, thrumming beat was already drifting from there, thanks to the Shale dynasty, which was renowned for their gifts in the musical arts. They didn’t sing here; instead it was a combination of deep humming and the beat of drums built from the barrels of sand vessels that were no longer safe enough to take along the streams and rivers. I’d always found myself lost in their beats, and my body was already loosening up, the electric energy flittering within me.

‘I see them,’ Mera called, distracting me from the music.

Turning slightly, I also found where our group was seated at a large red table close to the dance floor. We reached them a few minutes later, and when Shadow and Mera took the only two seats together, between Len and Alistair, I was left to sit in the only one that remained. Between Len… and Reece.

Forcing myself not to breathe too deeply or think too hard, I just sank onto the round, backless, cushioned dome. The music was stronger here, sending my blood pumping and head spinning as my connection to this land swelled within.

‘Always the same,’ Reece said from beside me. Tilting my head in his direction, I found that my anger toward him was all but gone, swept away in this night. ‘Our music is in your blood. I never could figure out why you were so affected by the hretun drums.’

‘It reminds me of happier days and memories,’ I said, my words light.

Reece raised an eyebrow at me. “You were like that from the first moment you heard our beats and danced our dances.”

This time I shrugged. “What can I say, it stirs my energy deep inside. Maybe I was born in the wrong world.”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t snap at me for once. “Maybe you were. Or maybe you are more than one being.”

Forcing myself not to react to such an insightful comment—I was getting them from all sides at the moment—I turned away once more and lost myself in the sights around me. It was a better alternative than facing the truth that I’d lost more than just Reece when I left the Desert Lands.

I’d lost a part of my true self.