Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

Queen Glendriel took us away from the mass of fae, situating us in a corner. The female with the authoritative voice joined her a moment later. “The alignment is off,” she said without preamble. “It didn’t happen immediately, but now that I know the line is severed, I can feel a fracturing of other fae power. Have you noticed it too?”

Glendriel’s tone was clipped. “Yes. One line was severed, but it’s not the only power bleeding from our world.”

The other female huffed. “This is why we didn’t agree in the last meeting. None of us truly knew the consequences of severing the line. It’s never been done before.”

Consequences. Like all the Great Queen’s descendants suddenly dropping dead. I wondered if there were more of us out there, lives cut short all through the selfish actions of a power hungry fae.

Descended from the Great Queen of Faerie. I mean, it was near unbelievable, considering I was not only a shifter, but an outcast one with no real family. It might explain though, why I’d always had a few extra quirks as a shifter. And it definitely explained how I’d managed to produce a child with Len.

Glendriel and the other female fae were soon joined by more voices, all of them worried, discussing the sudden weakness in their power stones. “It’s the balance,” one male declared. “I feel the balance shifting. What have they done?”

More discussing back and forth, but I found most of it going over my head as the fuzzy darkness hovering at the edge of my mind grew closer… reminding me that I was existing in a state between life and death. This was not the time to grow complacent; I’d promise Len I’d fight to stay here. Even greater than that, I had to fight for Tabitha.

For the first time since I was struck down, I focused not on what was happening outside my cocoon, but more on my own internal power. Maybe I could use my inner strength to fight the darkness trying to take me.

My first attempt at drawing my power up to coat my skin failed miserably, but I didn’t let that worry me. I had all the time in the world right now and one singular focus.

The darkness continued to try to invade, and the more I internally examined it, the more I was sure that it seeped from the place I used to hold light. Was that where my connection to Faerie and the Great Queen’s line used to exist? And if so, how did I counter it now that the line was damaged?

Desperately needing to find strength, I calmed my mind, and instead of running from that darkness, I hovered close by, trying to feel if any of my old power remained. It took some time, but as I grew calmer again, I finally picked up some slivers of light, and the sort of wild energy that I associated with my wolf.

Hoping I wasn’t making a huge mistake, I pushed even closer to the dark entity, sending my power down to find those slivers of light and shifter energy. Wrapping around those fractured pieces, I pulled at them, slowly, lifting piece by piece through the darkness. As soon as I attempted to speed up the process, the darkness swelled, and I found myself weakening; my lifeforce flickered dangerously. As soon as I backed off, though, the energy settled once more, and I could resume my search for the light.

Slow and steady won the race, and eventually I had enough light shifter energy to form a small barrier between my lifeforce and that darkness swirling inside me. As the fragile barrier settled in place, I knew that if I could just keep reinforcing it against the darkness, I could exist for a short time until they figured out how to repair the Great Line.

If they can repair the line.

There’s been no mention of what would happen if the line wasn’t repaired soon, but I sensed that it wouldn’t be good for Tabitha or me. My shifter side could only hold off the fae darkness for so long—one could not lose half of themself and remain alive.

I had no idea how much time passed while I was figuring out how to form that barrier, but it felt like seconds after I did, Len returned. The moment his energy caressed mine, that barrier of light grew a little stronger, and I wondered if maybe parts of that light I’d been drawing up was our fractured bond.

A bond that had formed for a second before the line was cut.

I had some memories now of our time on Earth, but it was still one small part of the whole. Until I could repair my connection to Faerie, I couldn’t repair my one to Len.

Strong supernatural energy joined him a moment later, the fiery power of Shadow and Mera, along with the biblical rush of Angel, feeling like a breath of new life. At her side was a hot burst of desert that only Reece could bring. Lucien’s power was more subtle but filled with life essence. Simone held the wild power of a shifter, with a primal source of life, similar to her mate. Then there was Galleli. I only knew of the transcendent from my last time and Mera, but his power felt like being hit in the face with a bolt of lightning.

All of them packed a punch, which was very obvious through my current means of seeing those around me. Seeing my family. For the first time I found myself praying to the universe that we made it through this. We deserved more family moments and celebrations. Not to mention a true pack for my daughter to grow up in.

I’d accept nothing less.

When Len reached my side, the burn of his power washed over me, and once again my barrier grew stronger, as if the two of us together could channel greater power than when we were apart.

Whatever outside force had interfered in our bond, it wasn’t strong enough to keep us apart forever. I didn’t know the answers yet, but I would figure it out. As soon as my life was restored.

“She feels stronger,” Len said distracting me. “Our bond has started to form, and I can feel her energy wrapping around mine.”

Glendriel answered him. “She’s been drawing up her shifter energy, and it’s allowing her to fight the dark pull of death.”

“Can she be released from the stones now?” Shadow asked suddenly.

Glendriel was slower to reply this time. “Why would you want to release her? She’s still in mortal danger.”

Len ran his hand over my cage, and I swore to the gods that I felt his touch on my skin. Burning. Renewing. “We need her to venture into the Origin with us and restore the line. Only one from the Great Queen’s line can make the final repair.”

There was a flare of energy from Glendriel. Subtle, but she was surprised by this new knowledge. “I believe that she can be released for a short time. You cannot grow complacent though. Reinforce that barrier as much as possible, because the darkness is still drawing her into its clutches.”

There was no lie in her statement. It still churned below my barrier, but I was confident I could hold it off long enough. Especially if I was with Len.

“What about Tabitha?” Mera asked.

“Tabby is so young, and weakened from her time out of Faerie,” the queen said, voice quieter. “It’s best to leave her in stasis.”

Weakened. That one word sent shivers of dread down my spine.

“In that case,” Len continued, “she must stay here with you. The rest of us will enter the Deep and hopefully restore the line before the darkness takes either of them.”

“We should wake Sam now,” Mera said shortly. “We have no time to waste up here. If the worlds are in trouble, then best we move our asses.”

After a slightly pause, “The worlds are in trouble?” Glendriel asked. “Is it the imbalance we’ve been feeling?”

“Yes,” Len replied. “These worlds are connected in ways we don’t even understand, and by taking away a line of origin the balance is thrown off. I felt nothing when it first happened, but already in this short time it’s more than noticeable. I have no doubt that if we don’t repair the line, all the worlds will fall.”

Hushed whispers and gasps erupted from the fae in the room.

“Best we get moving then,” Reece growled. “I won’t tolerate any risk to my family or our young.”

“Same,” Lucien agreed. “I’ve just found my soul, and I will not allow anything to stand between us and our future happiness.”

The true mates were all intertwined, their energies the perfect match for the other.

Each of them would die or kill for their mate, and I already felt that way about Len.

We had to survive this next part of our journey.

There was no other option.