Deserted (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 4)

Being one of the first to ever see this section of the Delfora stirred the parts of me that loved history and books. My entire life, I’d always devoured information, embraced cultures, and studied battle. It would have been nice if instead of battle, I was here to examine the two ancient pillars filled with sprawling script, that framed the resting place of ancient gods. Maybe if we survived, I’d finally learn this world… this language. But until then, my focus had to be on those who’d let their craving for power destroy their common sense.

Tsuma and all the Desertlandians she’d recruited to her cause.

Their numbers scattered in our direction, more than I’d initially counted, leaving only Tsuma behind between the two twenty-foot pillars. We were close enough now that I saw the script across them was familiar but unreadable. The language of the gods and the rules that Reece had spoken of all those moons ago.

The same writing tattooed across Reece’s stomach.

This was also where the spells to stop the gods from rising were carved, and Tsuma was in the perfect position to break them all.

‘All the dynasties,’ Reece cursed as we slowed, prepared to battle the Desertlandians who were racing toward us, determined to protect Tsuma.

“Traitors,” Darin roared from nearby, having clearly noted the wash of tunics in all shades of the sand.

That was all the time we had for conversation because we were about to battle. I lifted my curved blades as my wings sprung free. I used their strength to give me more momentum. Even boxed in by the barrier above, I flew over the top of the first group to cut off the second lot, breaking their ranks. My aim was to get through this lot and to Tsuma before she could fuck the worlds.

The first Desertlandian I slashed my blades across was a pale skinned female from Shale, her brown tunic shimmering slightly in the low light. Forcing myself to ignore her youthful energy—she had no more than a few decades of life—I did not temper my attack. Slashing twice in quick succession, I was surprised when she dodged the blows and reached out to swipe her hand across my skin. A hand that was covered in a deep magenta, like it had been dipped in paint or… blood. Was this part of the ritual they were using to break the spell? What sort of weapon was it that they chose it over blades?

Needing to know what we were up against, I deliberately let her touch my skin the next time she tried, and the burn of a dark energy started deep under my muscle and connective tissue. A burn I’d felt before, even if it had never been administered this way.

She bore the power of blood-sacrifice energy, and risking a quick glance at Tsuma, I noted that she too wore hands of red, lifting them to place against the pillars. Searching further with the seconds I had, I saw what looked like a body lying in the sands before her, half-covered and unmoving. Shit, we were in trouble now.

The gathered dynasty power and the moons had gotten them here, but the final step was, as always, death. In all of its irony, death in the Delfora brought life.

My fury rose, and ignoring the burn under my skin, I swung my body to the side and released a curved blade with as much force and speed as I could. It never wavered, loyal and strong, bonded to me through many battles. The Shale female screamed as the curve sliced through her hands, both appendages hitting the sands to shrivel and burn.

‘Remove their hands,’ I shouted to the others. “If they touch you, their magic will burn you from the inside out.”

My energy still hadn’t healed my burn, but I was strong enough to stop it from spreading and possibly destroying other parts of me. Some of my family weren’t as powered up, and this sort of dark energy could kill them.

Especially Alistair, who was already struggling with the drier air.

There were too many combatants between us for me to check on him, so I had to hope he would be safe while I worked as fast as I could to take the others out.

I faced a male from Holinfra; the grey of his tunic was insipid in this lighting, perfectly matching his face. He snarled as he dove for me, hands out front since that was their weapon of choice this moon. Or should I say moons, since the power on their hands was probably thanks to the twins above.

Waiting until he almost collided with me, I dropped and slid under his grasp, popping up behind him. Another Holinfra waited there, so I was surrounded on both sides, but I wasn’t worried. Kicking out at the one who had his back to me, I released my curved blades into their sheaths and whipped my sword from its scabbard. Its length gave me enough reach to stay away from their hands, and when I sliced through the second Holinfra’s right wrist, he was backtracking to escape.

With a grin, I spun for momentum and released the sword in a straight line, sending it into the base of his throat, all but severing his head. Before his shout had even died off, the first Holinfra was back, and I used some of my energy to pin him to the ground while holding out a hand for my sword. It returned at my call, and I was in the perfect position to plunge the blade deep into the first Holinfra’s chest.

These Desertlandian traitors were pumped up on power, fast and deadly, but they lacked fighting experience, which would be their downfall.

As I got back to my feet, prepared for the next wave, a ripple of heat and sand hit me, and I looked over to find Shadow and Reece tearing through the remaining traitors. They’d been somewhat handicapped until now, not able to use their full powers with all of us so close, but now they were determined to get to… My eyes tracked their path, right to Alistair.

Everything inside of me stilled, the world seeming to slow around the events that I could already see unfolding. Alistair had been my biggest worry since this entire mission started, and right now, he was fighting for his life. The Desertlandians had backed him against the side of the valley as he used blades of water to remove their hands. He was holding his own, but I could see what had his brothers in a panic.

His skin was near white and scaled.

He’d given everything he had and was weakening against enemies who were pumped up on sacrificial energy. It would only take one slipup.

Reece and Shadow felt the ticking tides of fate…

I was running and screaming, my blade cutting through any that stood in my way, but I would be too late. I’d had a sense of this from the first moment Alistair stepped onto the ship. I’d hoped against the inevitability of his passing, but as a Rohami ducked under his arm and slammed his hand against bare and flaking Karn skin, I knew that this was where Alistair’s journey ended.

My sword released as fast as Shadow’s flames and Reece’s sands, but we were all too late. Racing toward him, sand flying around me, it was clear that our friend wasn’t the only victim, with many of Darin’s Guardians down too, but I couldn’t focus on that. Not now.

Alistair fell to his knees, and as his eyes met Reece, who was almost at him, they were wide with this damn look of surprise. It was clear that he’d truly believed he had what it took to survive here.

He would have, too, if it weren’t for their blood ritual drawing directly on the fire of this world.

Reece’s energy blasted the Rohami against the cliff, crushing every bone in his body, but it was too late to save Alistair. When my mate dropped down to cradle his fallen brother, my chest heaved as I fought against the darkness pressing in around me. This death let the memories I’d been able to block earlier surge forward, overwhelming my system. It was Leka all over again, the death of someone I loved in the dark Delfora sands.

We’d failed in our mission. We’d failed Mera.

We’d failed Alistair.

Falling in beside Reece, I reached out and wrapped my hands around Alistair. Despite the prophetic way I’d felt on this journey, part of me was still praying that he was strong enough to fight the fire. Praying there was a chance to save him.

But it was not meant to be.

The moment the empty hollowness of his essence hit me, I let out a wailing battle cry, and I wasn’t the only one. Shadow’s beast form stood over me as he raged, sending flames out to wipe the world clean. I could only hope our other friends got out of the way because no one could survive that fire.

Lowering my head over Alistair’s body, I manically whispered rapid prayers, desperate to send him into the afterlife blessed as the warrior he was. All the while, my heart cracked and bled, the past and present mingling so strongly that for moments all I could see was Leka. Her beautiful face. Her empty essence.

My power spilled from me, slamming into the land around us and mingling with that of the Delfora. As much as I knew I had to pull myself together and get to Tsuma, I couldn’t reel it back in. I couldn’t stem the tides any longer. My ability to compartmentalize and focus was shot to shit, and there was nothing to do except hold on for the ride and hope my mourning pain didn’t destroy us all.

Reece and Shadow were the only ones who could get close to me as my power spanned out like a protective shield around us, but in the same breath, everything around us went silent—the sort of silence that spoke of danger approaching.

Except I knew we’d destroyed all of Tsuma’s minions. Shadow’s fire had taken care of any that had been missed in the battle.

Was this Tsuma finishing the ritual?

With a final whisper over Alistair, I managed to push to my feet, my limbs shaking as I felt for my weapons, unsurprised to find they’d returned to their sheaths and scabbard. At least one part of my life was going according to plan. One part out of hundreds.

In my grief, energy swirled within me, and I was ready to face the ancients. It wasn’t over until I said it was, and right now, I was ready to fight.

“Lale,” Reece whispered.

That one word drew all of my attention, and as my gaze snapped up, expecting to see Tsuma puffed up with power, I instead…

My next breath choked from me as I stared at the two ghosts standing in the path.

Floating above the very bones of the valley.