Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

Just as Tabitha relaxed onto her crystal mat, Shadow appeared beside Mera. I mean, I was sure he walked into the room, but the dude existed in shadows, and it was as if he just appeared from nowhere.

Tabby didn’t react, even as she stared up at the giant beast. “Her eyes are brighter,” Mera said. “The color is stronger.”

Everything about her was stronger, especially her energy. Which I was still the only one to be able to feel.

“Are you ready?” Shadow asked. Aurora was in his arms now, removed from her carrier, and when Mera held out her hands for the little girl, the beast placed her right into them.

“Hello, my sweet, A,” Mera cooed, and there was no mistaking how much Aurora adored her mother. Her baby face went soft as she reached out and pressed both hands to her mom’s face. “You’re hungry,” Mera said suddenly.

“She communicates with you?” I asked, shaking my head. “How old is she?”

“She’s a few months old,” Mera replied with a smile, and I was surprised because the child appeared much older. “She sends me emotions through touch, or if she feels like it, from across the room. Just brief senses of what she needs.”

“That must make parenting easier,” I laughed.

“If she didn’t keep vanishing to visit her friends, it would be really fantastic,” Mera added with her own laugh. “She’s always jetting off to Damon, Angel and Reece’s little one. They’re giving us immortals wrinkles.”

Shadow huffed. “You’re perfect, Sunshine.”

It was her turn to soften. She looked at her mate the way Aurora looked at her parents, with the sort of unconditional love that would destroy worlds. The pair remained locked in a moment together, but then they got back to business.

The business of releasing memories.

Mera kissed her daughter on the head and leaned down to place her just off to the side of Tabitha’s crystal bed. “Can you wait a few minutes for boob?” she asked the infant.

Aurora let out a low gurgle and smiled at the same time. Mera must have taken that for a yes, because she didn’t pick her up again. All three of us watched them, waiting to see what would happen if they touched.

Only they never did.

Aurora, who was an inch or so smaller than Tabitha, just remained where she was, happily waving her hands in the air. Tabby was no different, and surprisingly, after a few minutes, she too started to wave her hands in the air, strong and sure.

“She just learned from her,” Mera breathed. “Holy shit. Maybe the fae young need other babies around them to grow and develop?”

Shadow shook his head. “It can’t be that. Fae don’t have many children,” he reminded her.

“There will be a book in the fae section,” Mera said, jumping to her feet. “Are you okay here while I run and check it out? I know Len will be a great source, but he’s not here yet, and I don’t want to wait.”

I desperately wanted to say no. I needed her support during this memorial retrieval. Not only because her mate was a scary beast, but for many other reasons.

What if my past was better left hidden?

I didn’t say a word though. Tabitha was my top priority and finding out anything about fae children could only help with her health.

“We’ll be fine,” Shadow said. “Gaster has finished his task and is entering the room as we speak. He’ll ensure that this is done as painlessly and safely as possible for Samantha.”

“Two of my current favorite words,” I drawled. “Also, alive. That’s one that we need to put on repeat. Keep Sam alive. Keep Sam alive.”

Mera waved me off. “Most of us have died once or twice. We come back stronger, so don’t stress on that. I’ll stroll into the underworld and retrieve you if I have to.”

“You won’t,” Shadow growled. “You will leave the underworld to me. We’ve already been looking into it for Alistair. If there’s a way, we’ll figure it out.”

Mera’s face held so much optimism. “Yes, we’ll figure it out, mate. Now I’m going to research.”

She leaned down and kissed her daughter super quick. “Mommy will be back soon,” she told her, and the child reached up and pressed her hands to her cheeks again. Mera all but melted at whatever passed between them. As she straightened, Shadow was at her side, and she climbed him like a fucking tree.

The heat that sprang to life the moment their lips met was near volcanic, and I sent a rueful smile down to the baby girls. “You two find a love like that one day, you hear me? Never settle for less.”

Aurora waved her arms harder, and I was about to touch her when there was a rumble from the beast behind me. Figuring that was a warning, I kept my hands to myself and instead brushed a finger along Tabitha’s cheek. Aurora suddenly reached out and grabbed my daughter’s hand, wrapping her tiny one tightly around it.

I was still touching Tabby too, and in that moment I was sent a burst of warmth. There was no real context to the warmth, except for me to know that Aurora was happy. She was loved and safe. Tabitha would be too, as soon as I could remember my truth.

The past might be scary… dark… filled with horror. I had no idea what I would find, but I did know that remembering her conception and birth was important to ensuring she grew and developed to her full potential. Anything else, I could and would deal with as it came to light.

A weird sound escaped Tabby, and I was about to call out to the Shadow Beast in case Aurora’s power was clashing with Tabitha’s, but then my little girl smiled. A proper, beautiful, gummy smile. Two teeth popped into existence a beat later, a pair on the bottom, which most certainly hadn’t been there two seconds before.

“Holy shit,” I gasped.

Mera and Shadow were half over the couch now. “I think Aurora just gave Tabby teeth,” I managed to say around my shock.

“Holy shit,” Mera echoed. “How is that possible?”

“It’s power,” Shadow said without hesitation, always confident in his knowledge. “Tabitha has been deprived of the energy and power she needed to develop. What sort of power I don’t know, but maybe we should leave these two here for a little while together. Aurora often has the answers.”

Mera was nodding while I remained in hopeful shock. Shadow’s theory made a lot of sense, and already it appeared that Tabitha was more alert.

“This research is so important,” Mera burst out. “I’ll be back soon!”

She took off, and Shadow’s gaze never left her until she was gone from sight. When he turned back to face me after that, I could see a darkness descending over his expression. He’d gone from scary, sexy god, to scary, super fucking scary god. “Let’s get on with the memory retrieval,” he rumbled.

I was nodding like a good girl, because damn, when he commanded, it would be done.

Gaster thankfully appeared a moment later, which relieved some of the tension. And some of my panic. I’d been here when he broke Mera’s memory block, and I trusted him with this process. “Miss Samantha,” he said, a huge smile lighting his face. “It’s so good to see you again. I know our Mera had been worried sick.”

Despite his appearance, which was that of a demi-fae goblin, he had the demeanor of a fancy butler in a six-star hotel. Wait! Demi-fae!

“Gaster,” I all but shouted. “It’s so good to see you. Can you please tell me if my daughter is fae?”

He blinked once slowly, and then again, before his gaze dropped to Tabitha on her crystal bed. He hadn’t felt her, just as the rest of them couldn’t. “Impossible,” he breathed, leaning in closer. “A shifter and a fae cannot make a child. Two fae can barely make a child.”

“Impossible happens around here a lot lately,” Shadow replied drily. “There’s something with Mera’s pack of friends that causes the norm to fuck up. Best we don’t assume anything.”

Gaster recovered from his shock quickly, before he looked my way. “Do you mind if I touch her?”

I shook my head. “Please. She’s ten years old but hasn’t aged almost at all. We need to know more about her genetics and how to get her healthy.”

Gaster reached out and touched Tabitha, and as he did Shadow leaned over and gently removed Aurora’s hold from my daughter. “Best not to muddle her energy,” he said softly.

“She doesn’t feel fae,” Gaster mused as he looked her over. “But then again, she also doesn’t feel like a shifter. It might be that she needs more energy to build her own up, and until that happens, she’ll be this dead spot for those of us trying to reach her power.”

Pain threatened to engulf me again, but I pushed it down. “All I ever have is more questions. Maybe breaking through my memory block is step one to figuring it out.”

Gaster nodded, removing his touch from Tabitha. “Yes, let’s get started. We must move away from the young ones. I don’t know what explosion might result this time.”

Images from the spell he used on Mera flashed across my mind, and I knew he was right.

“They’ll be safe,” Shadow said. “You can trust in me to keep the children safe even if it costs my life.”

I believed every word he said.

“Thank you,” I whispered, and maybe for the first time I didn’t completely fear the beast.

After that, everything moved quickly. I lay on the floor in a wide space, and Gaster quickly traced a complex-looking circle around me, before placing some gems around the perimeter of it. “This will help me keep the energy contained,” he said conversationally, his relaxed manner somewhat comforting.

When he was ready, he initiated the circle and I felt the energy close over the top of me. Almost immediately, Gaster started to chant, an icy bite of energy hitting my skin. It was sharp, cutting as it drove into my head, probing through the blocks that existed deep in my mind.

“This is not a spell like Mera’s.” Gaster’s voice was strained. “But it’s magic of some kind. More ancient than I’ve encountered before.” He paused for a beat. “And it’s fae in origin.”

Our theory of Tabby’s heritage was growing more plausible by the minute.

“I’m going to have to increase my power,” he warned me.

“Do it,” I grit out, ready to take my life back. “Go as far as you need—short of actually killing me.” The fear of my unknown memories had faded under the need to have more information to help Tabitha. With no one able to read her, my memories might be all we had.

There was another pause from the goblin. “I’m sorry in advance for what I’m about to do.”

Oh. Fuck.

The next cut was deeper, and I couldn’t prevent a whimper from escaping. “I’m going to need your power, Shadow,” Gaster bellowed. “This is ancient and deeply ingrained.”

Ancient? Why would my memories be suppressed by ancient energy?

The pain increased again, and as Shadow’s fire burned through the sharp cut of Gaster’s power, the scream I’d been containing burst free. I’d been doing so well keeping it inside, but now that my skin was being flayed from my body—at least, that’s how it felt—there was no more brave face. “You’ve got this, Sam,” Shadow rumbled.

Easy for that fucker to say.

The next scream was louder, and I sobbed through my pain, my wolf rising to shoot her own icy energy around, almost as if we were scrambling to find a tether to hold on to.

Shadow was saying something else, the tone vibrating through my body, but I couldn’t really “hear” in my current state. Though I was fairly sure that somewhere in his rumble were the words: I’m not sure she’ll survive.”

Great. Just fucking great.