Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

Beyond the flaming bridge, there was another long plain. This one was dark, appearing to be made from fine pebbles of coal, and we paused on the edge to determine the dangers. “It feels the way the sand rivers do back home,” Reece said, leaning down and running his hands over it. “This is not a stable surface. If you step one foot on here, you’ll be yanked under faster than it takes to move your other foot.”

Angel leaned down with him, placing her hands on the coal too. “Yep, calm on the surface,” she said, “but there’s power running under these depths. Possibly some creatures down there as well. More guardians.”

Great, so if we were lost in the depths, we would be lost forever. Or at least long enough to get eaten.

“Can you manipulate a path for us?” Shadow asked Reece. “I know it’s not the sands of the Desert Lands, but often you can work with other crushed, earthy material.”

Reece slid more of his hand into the black pebbles. “I’m not sure this could be classified as an earthy material at all, but I can give it a shot.”

Galleli’s wings extended in wide arcs beside him and he flapped and lifted into the air, attempting to fly out across the black grains. He made it two feet before he was knocked back.

They won’t allow us to fly this path.

This time I jumped because I hadn’t been expecting it. The deep rumble of his voice was filled with so much power that it caused a visceral reaction within me.

“Whatever we do,” Angel said shortly. “We need to do it now. There’s a building of energy deep in this land. They’re becoming more aware of intruders being here, and I fear our time is running out.” She placed a hand on Reece’s shoulder. “I’ll help in whatever way you need. But let’s get it done.”

Len leaned down to place his hands on top of the black expanse. “Angel is right,” he said. “We’re working on borrowed time. Soon, not even our strengths will be enough.” He looked up at Reece. “You cannot manipulate this river of power. It’s all Faerie magic.”

Disappointment and worry barely had time to set in before Len straightened, multiple gems already in his hands. I only caught a glimpse, but they looked red and white, along with a few of those grey ones he’d used to give us privacy earlier. Len flicked his hand out in that familiar way and the stones arced in a beautiful rainbow across the darkness, lighting up the sky, before they settled against the black ground. As the final one dropped so far into the distance that it was barely visible, a light bridge formed between them.

“I’m going to see if this connection holds,” Len said. “These stones are not the most stable against power like this, but we’re out of time and options. It’s this or we’re dead.”

My stomach sank as my chest clenched. “I’ll go,” I said quickly. “I’m lighter and have the Great Queen’s energy. Her line might be severed, but the remnants are there, and that has to help.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Len bit out shortly. “You’re too fucking important to risk. I have ancient Faerie power beyond any here. Even yours, Storm. This is my risk to take.”

“You’re fucking important too,” I shot back, my voice wavering. Fear and anger were taking me over, and I wasn’t always the most reasonable when that happened. I knew Len was right—I had zero fucking skills or idea how to fight in Faerie. But I needed him alive. It was a fundamental part of my existence.

“Tabby needs you,” he reminded me.

“She needs us both,” I countered, like a petulant teenager.

He reached out and brushed the tip of his finger down my cheek. “I don’t die easily,” he whispered. As he leaned in, his lips pressed against mine, and when I was suitably distracted he shoved me into nearby arms. “Hold her,” he said. “If I don’t fall, follow as soon as possible.”

The hold her made sense a beat later when strong arms banded across my chest and I was lifted about seventy billion feet from the ground. I didn’t even try to fight. It was Shadow holding me after all, the spark of his power painful as it zapped my skin. I wouldn’t waste my energy fighting against a god when I’d need that strength to kick a motherfucking fae prince’s ass.

Mera appeared in my line of sight, her narrowed eyed gaze shifting above my head. “Put her down, Shadow,” she said shortly. “Just because we’re smaller doesn’t mean you get to manhandle us.”

His reply was a grunt, and zero loosening of his hold.

She said something else snarky, but I was too busy watching Len step out onto the first stone before he set off, fleet of foot, following the path of light he’d set across the coal land. He moved like a being unbeholden to the same gravitational pull as the rest of us.

“I realllyyy hope he doesn’t expect me to run across a skinny beam of light like that,” Simone said with a snort-laugh, which dried up into a nervous cough. “I mean, I’m a shifter, reborn into a badass Lycan who will probably live forever—if the worlds don’t end of course—but that level of grace is not in my repertoire.”

Girl, same. Shifters might be stealthy, but we couldn’t move like that. Len looked as if he was floating above the light, almost completely out of sight now. “Put me down,” I said shortly. “He’s already gone. I can’t do anything but follow when it’s our turn.”

Shadow’s chest expanded and he took a moment—probably so there was no way this could be misconstrued as the beast taking an order from me—until he set me on my feet. As I shook off the pain of being in contact with the shifter god, I focused on my next step. In a flash, I was naked, stripping my clothes faster than most of them could blink.

My thoughts before about being stealthy had given me an idea.

The shift came over me quickly.

Outside of a few exceptions, I’d always been able to call my wolf with ease. She just waited patiently inside, a comfort and friend. When she was free, the dark strands of her coat drifted around us and my heart soared. It was only when I shifted that the true energy of my beast filled me, and with it my love of her wilder soul.

The darkness faded even further as I pranced around, getting used to four legs once more.

“Great idea to shift,” Angel said as she bent and gathered my clothes and boots, disappearing them into what I hoped was a magical pocket since I’d need them later.

In my wolf form, the world was still as dark, but I had better vision of the gem bridge across the black expanse. There was no signal from Len yet, but he also hadn’t fallen, so I felt it was somewhat safe to move. Unsure if Shadow was going to stop me, I stepped toward the edge and closest red gem, waiting a beat to see if he’d move forward too.

He didn’t.

With a howl to the air, I leapt across to the first gem, and then I was racing along the thin line of power almost as fast as Len had. I didn’t look back, but I felt the others behind me. Everything was smooth sailing and calm on the surface, and I wondered if there was anything lurking deep in this black coal. The energy of this section of the Deep was milder than I’d expected.

The farther we crossed, the colder the air grew, which didn’t bother me in my wolf form. My beast was near frolicking as we raced across the gems. There was no end in sight, but I wasn’t worried. Len was clearly extending the path as he moved, and so far this was the easiest of trials.

Or so I thought.

From the moment I jinxed myself by addressing how easy it was, there was a ripple in the sand a short distance away. My wolf sight allowed me to see clearer in the darkness, and I was certain that a shadowy shape had just broken the seamless surface.

Pausing, four paws balanced precariously on the shimmery line beneath my feet, I watched to see if it would appear again. Could it have been a current? Maybe there were some small waves out here in the middle of the coal field. Or was it something more sinister, such as another guardian? It might not be the crabs this time… it could be something way worse.

“Sam, is everything okay?” Mera’s low musical voice reached me just as the dark shape broke the surface again.

I couldn’t say anything in my wolf form, but I hoped the others were seeing it too.

“Why has she paused?” Shadow rumbled.

He was at her back, and as they slowed behind me, it appeared that I was still the only one to have noticed the disturbance. Was it due to my connection to this land? Or a benefit of being in my shifted form?

“She’s looking out into the distance,” Mera said, sounding unsure. “As if she saw something.”

“I haven’t noticed anything,” Shadow rumbled. “Normally I’d try and connect to her thoughts, but I won’t while she’s working to keep the darkness from taking her. And shifting back while balanced is not a great idea either.”

Despite that, I was contemplating a brief shift because that shadow was a worry. I knew it, deep in the parts of me that were connected to this land.

Just as I was drawing on the energy to change, Mera let out a low cry. “I saw it. It was a dark pointed shape, moving across the line of sand.”

“Move,” Shadow said with a rumble. “Don’t stop and don’t look back.”

I was first in line, and accepting what he’d said without question, my beast leapt into action, flying across the stones like our ass was on fire. When the Shadow Beast was worried about shadows, we all needed to be fucking worried.

We were making great pace when I felt a surge of energy below. Before I could bark or howl, the sand rippled around like a storm and darkness burst to life before me. A harsh howl escaped my jaws as those shadows crashed into me, and I managed to suck in one deep breath before I was knocked off the stones and dragged below the surface.