Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

When we’d eaten, and the details about Tabitha, Len, and me were out in the open, it was time for the pack to deal with some other concerns.

“Tell us what’s happening in Faerie?” Shadow asked, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, which he absentmindedly swirled as he faced Len.

Len wasn’t eating any of the food he’d ordered—it seemed it was there simply to feed Tabitha. A fact that warmed my heart like the stupid sap I was.

“King Petre of the Ochre Sands and King Fredrick of the Metallic Meadows, two royal lands in Faerie, have called for the abolishment of the Great Queen’s line.” His words were clipped.

This statement shocked some of the others around the table, especially Angel, Reece, and Shadow, who leaned forward. Mera and Simone appeared to be just as confused as I was.

“They want to hand off the ultimate power and call the bloodline gone?” Angel asked, her face paler than it had been a second ago. “Through what means?”

Len lifted his own glass of amber liquid that had appeared in front of him courtesy of the server. Even from across the table, I could smell plum and the magical equivalent of alcohol. “They will have to sever the Great Queen’s cord that leads to the Deep. To the origin of Faerie,” he said. “It will take all the royal houses to achieve such a feat, and I can’t say if everyone will survive the blowback of power.”

“Has that line ever been severed before?” Angel asked. “I don’t ever recall it happening.”

Lucien shook his head, his gaze meeting mine. “It hasn’t. We’ve only ever had one Great Queen.”

The silence felt heavier after that.

Shadow took a drink. “If they sever the line, there’ll be an imbalance of power. A black hole that would eventually consume Faerie and possibly the rest of the worlds. What’s the plan to counter this?”

Len’s jaw tightened, adding harder lines to his impressive features. “They will appoint a new Great Leader. The severed line will be attached to one of the royal houses, allowing them the same rights and power as the Great Queen. They’ll be Faerie’s new ultimate leader, able to touch the Origin.”

Mera pushed herself forward. “What’s the Origin?”

Len expression lightened. “It’s the source of creation. Theoretically, all worlds have an Origin, a foundation of power that began life as we know it. Generally, it’s not accessible for the average inhabitant of the worlds, but the Great Queen could touch ours. From this, she gave us extra crystals and strength…”

“Until she disappeared,” Shadow added. “And then Faerie has weakened.”

Len nodded. “Correct.” He dropped his glass with a thud. “We cannot allow that power to fall into the hands of either Fredrick or Petre. Neither are worthy, nor would they be able to handle such strength. If the trials come to pass, I must compete so that my mother and the Silver Lands control the power.”

His mother. The queen of the Silver Lands, and… Tabitha’s grandmother.

Shadow was on his feet now, towering over us, darkness sliding briefly across his skin before it slipped away. “We’ll be there to ensure that you have every advantage to succeed here. And if you don’t, and there’s a war, you know we’ll have your back. We cannot allow this energy to fall into hands that would misuse it. Everything must remain in balance, or the Solaris System will implode and the rest of the worlds will be destroyed.”

Grim expressions surrounded me, and I wasn’t surprised. A cloying pressure pushed against my body, and I found my gaze lingering on my daughter, who was still munching on melon. Part of me wanted to shield her ears from such worry, but another knew that it was because of their presence here, these three tiny supernaturals, that we would fight until our last breaths to ensure that the power didn’t fall into hands it shouldn’t.

“Is it safe for Sam and Tabby to travel to Faerie if there might be some sort of fallout from the severing of the lines?” Mera asked, looking down at Len.

Simone jumped in as well. “Yes, we only just got them back in our lives. We need to protect them from all this supernatural bullshit for a while.”

Their love was overwhelming, especially when I’d been such a shitty friend lately. Seeing their loyalty was definitely a motivator to do better though. To be worthy of this pack.

“Samantha and Tabitha must return,” Len said simply. “Tabby needs to boost her power, and now that the stasis is broken, it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Even more importantly, Samantha and I need to unravel the aspects of our memory loss and how this entire series of events came to be, considering she’s a shifter.”

A dark thought that had been hovering deep down for a while burst from me before I could stop it: “Are you disappointed that Tabitha’s mom is a shifter?”

His silver gaze crashed into mine, the color darkening to resemble a stormy midnight grey. “You have given me the greatest gift a fae or male could ask for,” Len said seriously. “A gift that I will protect with my life. You’re both my family, and there’s not an ounce of disappointment. Only joy.”

My heart slammed in my chest so hard it was painful. I’d been utterly unprepared for that response, unprepared for the truth that despite my shifter genetics he wanted us in his life. Family. My daughter would have the family I’d never had.

“When do we leave?” I whispered, throat tight.

“Now,” Len said, standing, his silver cloak sweeping out from his body. A second before, he’d been warm and open, now he was back to the mysterious and devilish god-like creature. Truth be told, I liked both sides of him.

Standing as well, I reached down and freed my daughter from the chair, pulling her close against my chest. Only to be hit with another heart wrenching shock when she wrapped her arms around my neck, holding on with strength. As my breath caught, I closed my eyes to absorb a near perfect moment.

“She’s growing stronger already,” Len said, sounding closer.

Pulling away from Tabitha, I saw him beside us, and despite my agreement to allow him to touch us, he kept enough distance that we wouldn’t accidentally brush together. I wondered if he’d forgotten his decision to probe the spell until he said, “I’ve decided to wait until we reach Faerie to explore the memory loss. There we’ll be at our strongest, surrounded by my gems and the power of the Silver Lands.” His decision made perfect sense, and I was both disappointed and relieved to have our inevitable touch delayed.

Simone, Mera, and Angel got to their feet and moved closer. “As soon as you know what’s happening with the great line, we’ll join you in Faerie,” Simone said. She tilted her head back to find Lucien. “We can do that, right? Go into Faerie.”

He nodded, a slight smile lifting his lips. Simone’s face brightened as she spun back to me. “Yes! Just stay safe, friend, until we get there.” She hugged me hard.

Feeling overwhelmed once more, I tried not to cry. “I’m blessed to have friends like you all,” I said roughly. “Tabby is going to have a true family. A true pack. It’s a gift.”

“You’re both going to have a true family!” Mera said fiercely as she threw her arms around me. “We’re here for you now, and we’ll make sure that you get your happily ever after too. Just like in our favorite paranormal romance novels.”

Mera was a huge reader. Simone was as well, always sending me recommendations. I’d never replied, but I’d secretly read and loved every single one. It felt almost like a bond between the three of us, and I was ready for more.

“See you all in Faerie,” I said as we parted ways. “And thank you.” For everything.

They all murmured goodbyes, then I found myself walking side by side with Len, heading toward the unknown of Faerie.

There was no way for me to comprehend how many ways my life was about to change, but I was determined that no matter what, I’d never look back at my old life.

That was done. Time for a new path.