Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

The dining area was full when we entered, most of the tables taken up by those who utilized the Library of Knowledge from the worlds of the Solaris System. But there was always one table that remained free. The Shadow Beast’s table.

Only, today it had some occupants. A familiar shifter popped up from one of the chairs, and my chest squeezed tightly at the sight of her beautiful face. With her blue-black hair streaming behind her, Simone sprinted for me. “Sam,” she cried, throwing her arms around me. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

She was squeezing me tight when she appeared to notice the baby in my arms. Her hug gentled immediately, and I let myself sag against her. Simone and Mera felt like old friends, the sort where you could go years and not see each other, but when you were back together it was home.

When she pulled away, her hands still on my arms, she looked me over. I did the same, noticing subtle changes in her that spoke of a power glow-up, just like Mera had.

“Friend, you must tell me everything that has happened to you since we last spoke.” I shook my head, taking in her ethereal glow. She’d always been beautiful, with her tanned skin and dark eyes, but now she burned brighter. A literal glow infused her essence, and it wasn’t a natural shifter evolution. It was more.

A tall and blond, not to mention hot-as-hell and vaguely familiar dude, slid in behind her, and when he flashed fangs I knew this was Lucien. Simone tilted her head back, her glow increasing as she shot him a smile. “I ended up in Valdor, the vampire world. And the masters forced me to enter a damn find a mate contest.” She turned back toward me, words spilling out faster as she continued. “Turned out I did find a true mate, and it was this fucking guy, coming out of nowhere to claim me like the master vampire he is. I also happened to die a touch and come back as some sort of lycan shifter hybrid.”

The tattoo on my side flashed in my mind, and I understood what Mera had told me about that tattoo predicting the future in some ways. “You look amazing,” I told her. “Strong and so perfectly sure of yourself. I can feel your new confidence.” From previous conversations, I’d learned that Simone’s parents hadn’t been the most caring, and when Mera ended up in this world she’d felt so alone.

That clearly wasn’t the case any longer.

Lucien wrapped a possessive hand around the back of his mate’s neck, and Simone’s expression was one of pure bliss as she turned back to meet his gaze. “I feel stronger,” she admitted. When she finally dragged her eyes from Lucien, she returned to me. “And you have a baby. How do you have a baby, friend?”

A small laugh escaped me; it was a little hard to believe. “This is my daughter, Tabitha.” A brief pause. “I have a lot to explain, and since half the story I don’t even know, it’s going to be odd, but with Len’s help I’ll do my best to fill you in.”

Simone and Lucien both shifted their gaze to Len, who had been standing like a quiet, lethal shadow just behind me. Yeah, I knew exactly where he was at all times, that icy energy familiar as it beat at my own.

Their brows furrowed as they examined the silver fae. “Len?” Lucien drawled. “What does this have to do with you, brother?”

Before he said a word, wind burst through the room, dry and scented with creosote plant. Everyone was distracted as Angel and Reece strolled along the path between tables, and I examined the child snuggled in the badass angel’s arms. A little boy, who appeared to be about six months older than Aurora, if his size was any indication. This had to be Damon.

The others smiled and relaxed at the sight of the newcomers. “This pack has grown and prospered in ways I could never had predicted,” Lucien said, with a glint in his eye. He pulled Simone even closer, until she was nestled back against his chest, and as he leaned down to press his lips to her throat, I caught a glimpse of fangs. It didn’t bother me though. There was nothing scary in his demeanor, and instinctively I knew he’d die before harming his mate.

All the males in this group showed the same alpha, protective characteristics. A far cry from the “true mate” I’d been presented with in the pack. Both Patche brothers had been weak and pathetic, and now that I was free of their father’s control, I’d never settle for a bonding like that again.

When Angel and Reece reached us, I found myself staring into her pink-hued eyes, feeling as inadequate as I had the last time we met. Angel was strong and capable in ways I’d never be; she was my secret woman crush. Not that there was anything “woman” about this mystical being.

“Who is this beautiful little girl,” she cooed when she leaned down toward Tabby.

“This is Tabitha,” I said softly. “My daughter.”

“And mine,” Len added drily, finally admitting the insane truth to the rest of his family.

Everyone in the vicinity went silent. The only faces not shocked were Mera’s and Shadow’s, who were already seated at the table.

Reece finally broke the silence. “Yeah, okay. We all need to get our asses in chairs, because this is a story I have to know.”

He wasn’t the only one.

No one spoke again as we were ushered toward the table, and I was grateful when Len took the seat across from us. His energy right at my side would have been too distracting, or so I thought until I realized that now I got to stare at his even more distractingly perfect face without any barriers.

Fuck.

It wasn’t just his face, but also his broad shoulders spilling over the sides of the chair as he attempted to fit his extra-large frame into the small space. I mean, it wasn’t hard to understand how I’d fallen into bed with him, and whatever attraction had sprung up between us was still well in effect today. My mouth was dry, and other parts of me were not, and… damn.

Resisting the urge to fan my face or possibly wipe at drool, I forced myself to look toward Mera. “Since we have a lot to chat about,” she said, “let’s all get comfortable, and we’ll order food after.”

On cue, a faceless, odd-looking robotic server hurried over. It was followed by a few others, each holding what looked like a highchair without legs. It took me a minute to figure out how they worked, as they clipped them on to the side of the table. One ended up between me and Simone. One between Mera and Shadow, and the final between Angel and Reece.

The others slipped their children into the chair, not bothering to buckle the strap. “They can zap themselves in and out of existence,” Mera explained when she caught me staring. “No point trying to trap these little powerhouses.”

Angel laughed and didn’t disagree.

With some reluctance, I looked down at Tabitha, not ready to let her go yet, but knowing that she needed to keep progressing. Developing. She’d already achieved so much today, and it would be good to see if she could sit in the chair like all the other babies. Forward movement was the only way, even if my heart ached at the newborn stage I’d missed out on, being all but done.

I could feel Len’s icy silver gaze, but once again he made no move to add in any parenting tips. He remained relaxed in his chair, but I’d been around enough predators to know that it was all a façade. He’d be up and at my side in a heartbeat if needed. Biding his time didn’t take away from how deadly he was. That demonstration in the lair before had been all I’d need to never ever underestimate Len of the Silver Lands.

Tabitha didn’t cry or seem upset when I settled her into the chair with its small tray. She just waved her arms, made some cooing sounds, and looked around with her purple gaze.

“She’s absolutely stunning,” Angel said, shaking her head. “It has been so long since I saw a fae young.” She shifted her body toward Len. “How is this even possible? Of all the races, the fae have the least compatible genetics with others.”

“Even with other fae,” Len added without inflection. “We barely produce young these days, so there’s something deeper going on with this little one. Whatever happened between Sam and me, it’s got a backstory that we need to discover.”

None of them looked less confused, and since Len and I had about twenty percent of the story between us—much of which was still guessed—that confusion was not going anywhere.

“I’ll start,” I said quickly, knowing it would be easier if everyone was on the same page. “Apparently, ten years ago I was pregnant and gave birth to Tabitha before I passed out and the alpha stole my child away. When I awoke, I had no memory of anything to do with Tabitha, and instead believed the story that I’d been in an accident and was recovering.” Thinking back on the time after I woke, there were signs of what had happened to me, but who would believe they’d been pregnant and given birth and not remembered any of it? It was easier to accept the lie.

“The alpha took my child because he recognized her heritage as that of only half shifter. He thought he could use her power when she was older. He never intended to give her back, or even inform me of her existence.”

“Really hope they’re kicking that fucker in the balls,” Mera piped up with, before letting out a huff.

“They are,” Shadow said with a slow smile. “He’s suffering.”

That appeared to calm his fiery mate as she nodded a few times. “Good.”

“When did he decide to use the child to control you?” Len asked softly, and if the sudden chill in the air was any indication, he was barely holding on.

“When I shifted before them for the first time and the alpha’s son recognized me as his true mate. He rejected me near instantly, which I was grateful for, even if at the time it felt rough. When I finally got free of the pack, the alpha told his son about the baby and how they could use it to bring me back and control me forever, and the son refused. Alpha Lorenze destroyed him that day, and decided his second son was the one who would mate with me. He wanted my connection to Torma and Mera. To the Shadow Beast.”

My gaze drifted across to where they were watching me. “You two are famous amongst the packs now. Everyone wants a connection to Shadow. No matter how many times I explained that I’m just as terrified of the beast as the rest of them, they thought I was the key.”

Shadow smiled, as if pleased by this, but there was fire burning deep in his eyes.

I continued, grateful that no one had interrupted. “Alpha Lorenze brought me back to the pack after that, told me my history, and the moment I felt Tabitha’s energy I knew the truth. He kept her close enough that I didn’t forget her again, and I did everything in my power to get her back. The only reason I’m not mated and popping out shifter pups now is his son was too young and hadn’t shifted yet. But today… today was the day, and somehow Shadow and Mera showed up at the right moment to give me and Tabby a chance at a real life.”

Simone reached out behind Tabitha’s chair and grasped my arm. “Why didn’t you tell us?” she rasped, her eyes glassy as she swallowed hard. “You lost years of time with your daughter. Years being part of this pack. We could have prevented so much heartache.”

Swallowing roughly myself, I shook my head. “I didn’t know that Shadow could read minds. The alpha told me only he knew how to keep Tabitha alive, and I mean… look at her. She’s ten years old and barely looks six months. Most people can’t feel her energy, but I can. And at times she was so weak. Which I now know the alpha did deliberately. That bastard.”

Len let out a growl, and fuck if everyone didn’t still at the sound. “Fae children require massive influxes of energy in their early years,” he rumbled, voice scary deep. “The crystal mat would have kept her alive, but she couldn’t thrive. Not on Earth, with its lack of power.”

Panic choked me for a second before I swallowed it down. “Is it too late now to help her?” I managed to ask.

“No,” he said immediately, as if knowing I was about to burst at the seams. “You can think of it as her being in stasis, but as you can see, already in a world of strong magic and power, she’s blooming. Once we’re back in Faerie, it will only be days before she’s much bigger than Aurora and Damon. There’s no fast tracking her growth—she will not look ten for quite a long time, but she will still develop just as she always would have. No permanent damage.”

Relief had me sagging into my chair. “Thank the gods.”

This was the point that the servers returned for us to order. I just went with a sandwich; not sure my stomach could handle anything heavier.

Angel, who had clearly been processing everything in that ancient brain of hers, was the first to speak after the servers left. “The fact that you don’t remember anything from being with Len, or the pregnancy and birth, leads me to believe the spell over you has something to do with the ancient faerie magic that controls true mate bonds.”

True mate bonds. It had been such a negative phrase for me over the last few years, but Angel was talking about fae bonds. Not shifters. I knew next to nothing about the world of Faerie. Hell, it hadn’t been that long ago that I was completely unaware of any world outside of Earth.

Were their bonds different to shifters?

“Fae go on magical walks to find their mates,” Len said, answering the confusion on my face. “We’re put into a trance-like state, infused with the fertility energy, and when we leave we’re drawn to our mates. We can find them anywhere across Faerie, or I guess technically, across the worlds.”

“Not that it’s ever happened between worlds,” Shadow added. “Fae stick with fae. It’s a known fact.”

Len nodded. “This is true. Our magics and energy are generally not compatible with other races. And as far back in history that I know, there’s never been a true mate pairing from outside of Faerie.”

“How do the walks work?” Mera asked, before I could delve into what he’d just said.

Len answered her, even as his gaze remained on me, taking in my reaction to everything. “When we go into the trance, we don’t remember anything that happens during that time. It’s only when we return and wake, if we found our true mate, they will be there with you and the memories return. If you didn’t find your mate, you will wake alone and with no memories. Until your mate is found, the walks remain a mystery.”

I was just about fucking done with these mystical bonds that appeared to remove free will.

Len’s eyes narrowed and I realized in my shock that I must have blurted that out. “There’s still free will,” he told me. “Anyone with a mate can choose to reject them. As you and Mera know, it’s not even that rare, but most of the time those of us who have walked this world for millennia understand that your true mate is the only being who will truly complete you.”

I’d insulted him, and that hadn’t been my intention. But after everything I’d been put through from my true mate and his family, the bitterness was somewhat ingrained.

Or maybe there was a touch of unhappiness from another factor…

“If we don’t remember, that must mean we aren’t true mates, right?” I’d drawn the logical conclusion, and it fucking bothered me. Even though the fae and I were strangers.

Yeah, I might have lost my damn mind.