Deserted (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 4)

As we boarded the ship the next day, the new-moon had just begun to spread across the sky, casting tendrils of red through the darkness. I palmed my blade for the tenth time, feeling somewhat reassured by the familiar weight of the weapon. At the docks beside us, Darin and his guardians were outfitted in full black armor, boots, and more than a few weapons of their own, including curved swords with thick blades.

Reece and the others were dressed more casually, their weapons contained to whatever power they possessed. Even with the Delfora’s ability to influence and restrict their abilities, they would still be a force to be reckoned with. In the end, we were all that stood between the worlds and these ancient gods rising—us and whatever power we carried into the sacred lands, since nothing from the outside world could be pulled toward us once we’d entered those sands. We just had to hope we were enough.

As soon as Reece made his way to the higher deck, accompanied by Shadow, the engines started to hum below us. Lucien and Alistair released the power cords binding us to the docks, and then we were sent out into the surging swells of the sands.

‘Hold on,’ Reece called, his voice almost lost in the raging winds as we moved out of the shallower Guardian stream. ‘The powers of the spell and the impending power moon are on us.’

I fought my way across to the railing of the ship, contemplating releasing my wings for balance. I’d learned over the years how to use them as both weapons and extra limbs, but in this situation, the winds would probably catch onto their lengths. It wouldn’t be worth the fight.

Our ship picked up speed as we left the docks and entered the deep sands; in the Desert Lands, this was the equivalent of being in the middle of the ocean. It was wild out here this moon, to the point that not another ship—outside of Darin’s—or creature could be seen around us.

The fact that there was no sign of Tsuma didn’t sit well with me. The hope that at some point we’d catch sight of what we were up against kept me focused on the scenery, even if there was nothing around except raging black and ochre sands.

Unease unexpectedly rocked through my chest… my bonds. It hadn’t come from me, and a quick check of Mera told me it hadn’t originated from her either. So that left…

My gaze shot up to the higher deck, and sure enough, when I probed our newly cemented bond, I found the unease was from Reece. The dark spike of restless power, as I pushed deeper into it, felt a lot like the Delfora. Reece’s connection to this land was the reason we were here, and it was calling him into its depths.

As if he’d felt me poking around in his energy, Reece’s gaze left the horizon and found mine. At first, he wore no expression, but then his face softened. I had to press my hand to my chest, feeling this newly reinforced connection as it burned between us.

This bond—even when I’d suppressed and all but forgotten about it—was the reason we’d both refused to take another lover or mate.

The reason we could never let go of our past, even when it felt as if anger and shame and accusations were all that remained between us.

The reason we were fighting for a brighter future, as cliché as that was.

A smile tilted up my lips, and it kept growing as my happiness filled every empty and broken crevice in my soul. Reece closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the emotions I was spilling all over the place, and when I felt like literal light was about to burst from my skin, I released the power. Finally, I’d found the peace that I’d been looking for during my blessing in the Honor Meadows.

Turned out that, all along, my restlessness had nothing to do with the two sides of my reborn essence needing connectivity. It had been about Reece and our unfulfilled bond.

Feeling stronger, I looked down to see that my skin was glittering with golden energy, which usually only happened when I pumped myself up with layers of my land. This time, though, I was filled with a combination of Reece’s power and my own. Together, we were the strength that Tsuma was going to regret going up against.

By the time we reached the middle of the deep between the Guardians and the Delfora, the ship was surging higher than ever. Behind and below us, a desert storm raged and built, set to destroy everything in its path. For now, though, it was helping to push us at a much faster pace, and hopefully, we’d have enough time to make it onto land before the full force hit.

Flexing my fingers on the railing, I fought to control my buzzing energy that came from a true mate bond, fae seed, and the elixir we’d consumed. By the time the power moon rose, I’d be fucking glowing like a gold statue.

When the Delfora came into view, Darin’s ship had fallen back, but we’d all made great time. The new-moon was bright above us, its heat expanding my energy as well, but the power moon had not split the sky yet. It was building, just like the energy below us. I couldn’t see the power at this point, but I felt the impending explosion.

As the ship surged higher than ever, I tightened my grip, riding out the swell as my gaze landed on the flat planes of this land. The very land where I’d lost my sister. This was the first time I’d been back here, and it hit me as hard as I’d expected. The memories… their insidious dark tendrils tried to wrap around me… to remind me how it felt to lie in those black sands and clutch her lifeless body. But for once, I was strong enough that they couldn’t take hold.

The past had to stay there for this moon.

There was no way to bring my sister back to life, but I could prevent more death.

Focus was the key to prevent me from falling into the abyss of that pain. It was also the key to winning this battle.

“Have you been beyond this front flat section?” Len asked, standing only a few feet from me, but I barely heard his words.

“No,” I shot back. “Beyond the planes is the valley of the dead. It’s surrounded by canyons, so that valley is the only way to move further into the Delfora. But of course, the dead do not surrender their territory that easily.”

Hence why Tsuma needed this spell and the power moon to blast past those “ghosts.”

As far as I knew, no one had stepped into the valley and returned except Reece’s parents, and even with an apparent power moon back then, he’d told me they made it no more than a few feet from the entrance.

“Literal dead, right?” Len said, raising his voice.

I nodded. “Yes, bones from the many who have fallen in the sacred-land-battles over the years. Even though the living never make it past the flats, the dead end up buried under the valley. Deep in the sands, fueling the Delfora’s power.” I paused. “This is where my sister rests.”

The fae fell silent again, and even with bursts of my power fueling me, the impending battle pressed against my strength. I just needed this to be over, once and for all.