Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

Shadow and I moved away from Mera and Samantha to repair the final broken bonds between us. And while I was looking his way, my focus was definitely on someone else. “I’m sorry, brother,” Shadow said first, surprising me. He was a lot of things, but quick to apologize was not one of them. Especially when I’d initiated the attack. “If I knew that Samantha and Tabitha had anything to do with you, I would never have stood in the way.”

Reaching out, I clasped a hand on his shoulder. “No, that was on me. Instinct took over.” I shook my head at the mindless state I’d been in. Was still in, if I was being honest, as a barely contained beast raged within me. “I’d have destroyed the world to get to her.” Another shake of my head. “It was a true mate calling. But why and how the fuck is this even possible?”

Shadow’s expression darkened. “A true mate calling? What is it about today that brought the call to life, and… do you still feel it now?”

I didn’t. The beast raged higher.

“There’s a need,” I admitted, thinking of the pull toward her smooth, dusky skin, long dark hair, and plump pink lips. “But it’s not the strength of a true mate bond any longer.”

Almost as if there was a block in the way once more.

For now, all I felt was the call of an incredibly beautiful and desirable woman.

There was a pause as Shadow considered my words. “You felt the call when we were attempting to break the memory block. Now that she’s fully blocked once more, it’s not a surprise that the intensity of the pull toward her has faded. But how did she end up with your child? When did this happen and how were none of us aware?”

They were complex questions, since Tabitha should have been an impossibility. But then again, our pack was built on impossibilities. Tabitha. The name rolled around my mind, swirling and bouncing from thought to thought, and I couldn’t stop the deep ache that settled in my chest.

Daughter. I had a daughter I didn’t know about until this moment, and I still hadn’t even held her. The fear in her mother’s eyes when I’d moved closer had stopped me, but eventually I would know what it felt like to hold my young. A long-forgotten dream I’d all but given up on.

“I have no idea, but I’m going to find out,” I rumbled as the raging beast of my power slammed against the cage once more. “This memory loss we’re both facing is energy and magic based. Someone or something did this to us, and I intend to find all the answers.”

Death awaited any who kept me from my child—except for her intriguing mother. I’d have to be careful about how I approached this situation. I didn’t know the full story of Samantha’s history with Tabitha, but I’d already seen enough. She was wary of fae and desperate to keep her child with her, and I had to assume she had very good reasons for that.

For now, Samantha had to understand that unless Tabitha returned to Faerie, she would remain underdeveloped and weakened. Once she gained strength, she could leave if she had a strong fae with her to balance her energy. And eventually she’d learn to balance her own.

“Her alpha kept Tabitha from her,” Shadow said. My gaze snapped from him to Samantha, who was calmly chatting to Mera. “He hid your daughter and forced Samantha to promise herself to his son in exchange for getting her back. He pretended he was the only one who knew how to keep Tabby healthy, since he had her crystal mat.”

My rage grew as icicles danced in the air around us. “He’s dead, correct?”

Shadow paused. “Not yet. But he remains locked in stasis, and I feel hits against his energy as the pack takes out their frustration on him.”

That calmed some of my ire. “I see why she’s so protective of Tabitha. Her fear was palpable when I arrived in the room. I thought it was something to do with you, but I see now that it was me.”

“Yes,” Shadow confirmed. “She didn’t tell us about Tabitha for many years because she knew of my connection to you and yours to Faerie. She was afraid that Tabby would be destroyed as some sort of hybrid monster, or taken from her to your world. You’re going to have to tread very carefully with her.”

He was reiterating what I already knew, and I wondered if this might not be my greatest challenge.

“What is happening in Faerie?” Shadow asked abruptly, changing the subject. “Does it concern Solaris System safety? Or is it internal?”

There was no straightforward answer to such a complex situation. “It is internal,” I started, “but there’s a possibility it could seep out into the worlds, depending on the outcome.”

Shadow nodded, as if he were expecting such an answer. “Tell us more at dinner, when everyone is present. It sounds like there might be a need for a new group project to keep our pack safe.”

With such a strong pack behind me, Fredrick of the Metallic Meadows would have to watch his back if he thought he was going to claim the throne as the new Great Ruler. The fight for now was to keep the Great Queen’s line from being severed altogether, but if we lost that battle, then I would ensure Queen Glendriel held the spot as ultimate ruler.

Another reason I needed Samantha and Tabitha in Faerie, so I could deal with both soul-changing events that were taking place at this time in history.

Like I’d called her with that thought, Samantha and Mera crossed over to us, just as Shadow asked, “Does it concern you that I couldn’t break the mind block?”

With one eye on the shifter and another on my brother, I let out a deep breath. “Yes and no,” I admitted. “You’re not fae, and if this is ancient magic from my kind, it might only be broken through other fae magics. On the other hand, you’re a superpower, so it’s always going to be a worry when you fail at any magical task.”

Shadow nodded, his gaze moving to Mera. “I went at maybe seventy percent, knowing my mate would have broken me into little pieces if I’d permanently hurt her friend.”

I would have broken him into little fucking pieces. “Mera would never hurt you,” I said, forcing myself to remain calm. She adored Shadow, and what they shared was everything I could have hoped for him. A true, unconditional mate bond. The sort of bond I’d taken my mate walks to find but had never happened for me.

Except maybe it had, and some fucker had messed with our minds, stealing precious time from us. Clearly Samantha and Tabitha were the reason I’d been feeling a call to Earth. They held the answers, and I had to hope we had time to uncover them all.

“Are we ready for dinner?” Mera asked as she settled in beside Shadow, bouncing Aurora in her arms. Their child, with her ancient golden eyes, was the future of our pack. All the young were. I had to marvel that Tabitha would be part of such a strong pack.

A pack that only grew stronger by the day.

Samantha held our daughter gently, looking upon her constantly, as if checking she was okay. She often leaned in and brushed her lips across the top of her silvery-blond hair, and down on her cheeks, cherishing the child as if she were the most important thing in her world.

If I hadn’t already been destroyed by the revelations here today, I was now.

“I’m ready for after dinner,” Shadow answered Mera’s question from before. “So, let’s get the food part over with.”

Mera paused, her eyes widening as her own appetite took over before she got herself under control. “After dinner, mate,” I heard her murmur. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Shadow smiled. It was fucking disconcerting to see that big bastard so happy. I should be used to it by now, but there had been decades of him barely showing emotions, and it would take a long time to adjust to this new version.

The gods help us all if anything ever happened to Mera or Aurora.

Shadow and I exited first, a habit to check that there was no danger before the others emerged into the Library of Knowledge. The females could handle themselves just fine, but it was our jobs to stand between them and danger. Not the other way around.

No matter how often Mera argued with us, we stood firm in our resolve. This didn’t weaken them in any way, and if anything, it showed how important and strong they really were. Queens who deserved to be sacrificed for. They also needed to live for their children, and the future of the world.

I would never shirk in my duty to protect those who deserved it.

Not while there was breath in my body and magic in my veins.