Deserted (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 4)

The Odessa lived up to her reputation, slicing fast and smooth through the junction and into the East River—which was the point it all got hectic.

‘Whoa,’ Mera said, lurching forward again, Shadow’s hold keeping her standing. “Has the gathered energy gone haywire or something? Everything feels much choppier here.’

Moving forward gingerly, I made it to the side railings, holding on as we lurched to the right. “This part of the stream is naturally turbulent, and with the energy ramping up, I can feel it pushing us along. It’s going to keep building as we move until it becomes a veritable tornado once we reach the Delfora. That’s why we had to get out in front of it and hope our speed keeps us that way.”

Mera pressed a hand to her mouth, looking a little green. ‘These rivers have streams of power under them? Is this what causes the sand to move freely and be both buoyant and tidal?’

I nodded. ‘Pretty much.’

‘The Desertlandians could not move about easily if not for these channels,’ Shadow told her. ‘This world is huge, actually much larger than Earth, and there’s no form of airborne transport, just their legs and ships.’

Reece shouted out for all of us to hold on, and as the ship sped into a wider part of the river, the sands whipped up higher on the sides. Moving closer to Mera, I helped Shadow keep her propped up between us.

‘Will it be like this the entire way?’ she asked, her voice barely audible over the winds that roared around us, the sky bright as the new-moon filled it with warmth and light.

‘Nope,’ Shadow said, ‘because you’ll be safely in the library in a few hours and won’t have to deal with any further turbulence.’

With a wrinkle of her nose, she glared up at him. ‘Come on, mate. There’s clearly no danger in me staying a little longer… I mean, outside of me spewing up my fucking intestines. I really want to experience the rivers, at least until the danger is closer.’

Shadow breathed deeply through his nose, and in an attempt to hide my smile, I turned my head to take in the breathtaking sight of the Ostealon as we left its sands. A few desert birds, penticarlo, flew by as well, battling the winds as we were, but there was no other sign of life.

‘I know what you’re doing, Mera Callahan,’ Shadow rumbled.

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ Mera shot back. ‘My logic is sound, and you know it.’

His next breath might have been deeper than the one he’d taken a moment ago. ‘Once again, your logic isn’t the same as everyone else’s logic. One could say that you are actually using that word completely wrong.’

Mera shrugged. ‘I’m the only native English speaker, so it seems that, once again, logic dictates we trust my judgement on this.’

Before she could sass him again, his height shot up as he lifted her into his arms and strode across the deck, then they disappeared into what I could only assume were cabins below. No doubt it was safer for her down there until this river evened out, and Shadow would spend his time wisely by distracting her before reiterating that Mera was getting her ass back to the library, as previously decided.

Despite knowing it was safest for her not to be here, my money was on Mera somehow making it to the Guardians. Like he’d read my mind, Len glided smoothly—despite the rocking of the ship—to my side and said, ‘Five sacred gems that Mera makes it four moons before Shadow convinces her to leave.’

I snorted. ‘Five boosts of power that she makes it all the way to the Guardians. I would say the Delfora, but since Shadow can’t portal from there, Guardians is the farthest point.”

He pondered it for a moment. ‘Shadow is too stubborn to let her get that far. I’ll take that bet.’

Compressing my lips to hide my smile, we shook hands and sent out a sliver of power with it to seal the deal. I didn’t bet often, and generally never with my family line of power, but I knew my best friend very well. Mera might not be the oldest or most powerful of our group, but she made up for that with extra stubbornness and logic as she put it.

Getting her way despite her lack of experience was one of her superpowers.

Reece shouted out then for Len, and as the fae turned to stare up at the higher deck, I had a brief thought that once again this desert asshole was trying to dictate the friendships in my life.

‘Looks like Reece needs a dash of silver-city powers,’ Len said, meeting my gaze. ‘I mean, it sounds like the sort of energy he could have gotten from anyone, but who am I to expect an ulterior motive to get me out of this spot.’

‘Stop right there,” I warned him. “Do not finish that thought.”

His laughter was light and infectious. ‘We both recognize the flaws in our Reece.’

‘Wouldn’t let him hear you say that,’ I muttered, turning back to the view as the fae drifted away, his laughter lingering longer than the feel of his energy.

Reece would object to the knowledge of ‘flaws’ because he had spent so many years perfecting his ‘god’ aura. And when one was a god, there was no room for faults. With his family and mine gone, there was no one left that knew the Reece from his earlier years. The Reece who didn’t talk until he was near five. He’d choose his words so carefully at that time that I cherished each and every one. They also wouldn’t know that we’d both cried that same year when I was torn away and sent to battle training, resulting in us being apart for many moons.

Reece was always so careful with what he shared with the world, but when he opened his heart to you, it was like winning the most precious prize in the Solaris System. Hence why I’d been so broken when I lost all of that through my own stupid fault.

Turning from the deserts, I looked up to where Reece stood, Len at his side. For once, his eyes weren’t locked on mine as he remained statue-like, staring out into the horizon, illuminated by the red light of the new-moon. He looked relaxed, calm even, guiding us down the river, his dark beauty surpassing even that of the deserts.

As I stared at him, caught between the past and the present, I recognized a fundamental truth: he wasn’t the only flawed one. And it wasn’t only his pride that kept us enemies.

I’d more than played my part, never even trying to repair the damage of my decision that fateful day. I’d made amends with everyone except for Reece, and now it was up to me to ensure that our plan worked. Because I couldn’t go back to being his enemy.

I jolted as he turned suddenly and met my gaze, as if he’d felt my eyes on him the entire time. A long, silent moment passed between us, and while his thoughts were hidden, for once there was no apparent anger. If anything, his stare set off a twinge of memory inside me, reminding me that at one point in time, Reece and I’d had a bond too. One long neglected, now built of broken tendrils and burned bridges.

When he turned away again, I sagged into the railing, my heart pounding hard.

So much of our life together I’d suppressed, but that was not to be my fate any longer.

Reece and I… we were as inevitable as the desert winds. Or his sand protection. Even when you couldn’t see them, they were always there, pushing us on our course.

A course that was, for once, moving in the same direction… If only we could manage to avoid the storms.