Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 5)

Galco continued to ramble as we followed him up the nondescript stairs—he was legit the friendliest vampire I’d ever met. I was starting to think the rest were just cranky old fucks.

Len remained in a silent, protective, swath of silver at my back, and I felt better knowing he was there. By the time we reached the door, I felt as if I’d made a new friend in Galco. “You find me if you have any trouble, Ms. Simone,” he told me with a broad smile, a hint of fangs all I could see. “And between you and me, I’m really hoping you win this thing.”

He left before I could tell him that winning was the last result we wanted from the selection. Then again, one option was to “win” Lucien, so maybe I’d take his hope after all.

The room I’d been assigned was a decent size with a bed topped by a wood headboard. Ornately carved patterns in the reddish-brown timber were offset by forest-green bedding, not to mention the dozen or so pillows in varying shades of green, all of which gave the bed a luxurious but also comfortable feel.

Off to the side was a small sitting area, along with two open doorways, one of which I could see white tiles through. Having my own bathroom was a huge relief—no one could ambush me naked, since apparently Len was not allowed quite that close to guard me.

The fae did a quick check of the room before he relaxed in one of the tan leather couches “You can never be too safe,” he said as I moved closer. “From now on it’ll be best if you don’t even sneeze without checking with me first.”

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms, drawing in the wide sides of Lucien’s shirt. “Are you going to taste test my food before I eat it?”

I’d been half joking, but he took the question very seriously. “If I have to, I will. I’ll place some stones in this room for now, which will keep this area safe… or at least alert us to danger. But outside there are too many variables. Best to just approach all situations with caution.”

Standing again, he opened his coat and pulled stones from within the inner pockets. Moving around the room, he placed them at differing intervals, including a couple under the pile of pillows. As he dropped each stone, tingles of energy rushed over my skin.

“Amazing,” I said. “Thank you for sharing your fae power with me. Kind of wish I’d had some of these gems on Earth to watch my back.”

There was a flash of confusion on Len’s face. “It’s that dangerous on Earth?” he asked.

“Yes and no.” I shrugged. “Humans are vulnerable, and often hurt by nature itself. Even worse, they hurt each other. Shifters do that too, but we are far less breakable. If you have a shitty pack, though, life can be really rough.”

Mera could attest to that. And in their own way, my parents had made my life hell.

Len mulled over my words before he shook his head. “I feel this call to Earth, which I’ve been ignoring for a long time. I always figured it had to do with Shadow, but the longer it goes on, the less I believe that. I will have to think on journeying there and following the call of power. Maybe when we’re done here with Valdor, you can introduce me to shifters and humans.”

“I can do that.”

Len nodded his thanks before retaking his seat on the couch. “Since there’s only one bed,” he said, “I will sleep here.”

“Appreciate that gesture,” I said, before taking a deep breath, “but if you want to share, it’s okay with me. That couch doesn’t look large enough to be comfortable.”

Not for a being of his size.

“And the bed is huge,” I added.

Sleeping in a bed with a stranger was not my idea of a good time. I mean, reading about it was one of my favorite tropes, but in real life, it just felt kind of awkward. That probably had more to do with the fact that I wasn’t attracted to Len, so there was no chance of any fun night snuggles.

No doubt I’d feel differently if it was Lucien.

Don’t go there.

Len’s laughter distracted me. “To save myself a solid ass kicking, I regretfully have to decline that generous offer. I’ll be comfortable here, thank you.”

I didn’t ask who’d kick his ass because we’d both witnessed Lucien’s little scene back in the street. He’d claimed me while I was here, and Len would never go against his friend.

“Probably for the best,” I agreed. “I’ve never shared a bed before… Who knows what I do in my sleep.”

Len’s laughter warmed me again; apparently, I enjoyed making a fool of myself and amusing these ancient, powerful males. But there was no more time for that. I needed to get my game face on and work out how I was going to convince the Stone of Katu, and the other masters, that I was either not Carter’s mate or that I was Lucien’s.

Lucien’s blood inside of me was a good start, but it would take more than that.

I needed to know him; I needed to research.

Lucky for me I had the best Lucien resource at my fingertips: Len, his best friend.

Len might have signed up for bodyguard duty, but now he was also on encyclopedia-of-Lucien duty because this was one class I needed to ace.

No excuses.