Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

Needing a distraction, I finally checked out the food. The scents wafting from the dishes were mouthwatering, and I had no idea where to start. Reaching out, I grabbed a glass of what looked like water, hoping to fix up my dry mouth situation first.

“It has a slight lemon flavor,” Len warned me, and I didn’t bother to tell him lemon water was my favorite. The first sip burst across my tongue, light and with a citrus hit. It was so thirst-quenching that I found myself gulping down the entire glass.

As I placed it back on the table, a small, slightly hysterical laugh escaped. “Will I be trapped here now? I’m consuming food in Faerie.” He’d said I wouldn’t be affected, but maybe I wasn’t as strong as he believed.

Len lifted a small jug to refill my water. “Would it be terrible if you remained in Faerie?” he asked.

“No,” I admitted, claiming my glass once more. “But I’m not okay with losing my free will. If I choose to stay forever, then that’s a different story, but I won’t be forced.”

He nodded as if he understood. “As I said in the library, you’re too strong of mind to be taken in by the glittery trappings of this world. Mera was strong enough to resist as well, but at the time, Shadow used whatever means he had to scare her into compliance.”

A snort escaped me. “Poor Shadow. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.”

Len joined my laughter. “He would have it no other way. If you’d met him before his Sunshine, you would understand how truly blessed he is now. Blessed and very aware of it.”

That thought sat nicely with me. I wanted nothing more than for my friends to have a true, adoring, slightly-scared-of-them mate. “Mera feels the same,” I said, knowing that for sure. “She fought through the most powerful memory block to find Shadow again. It’s a worry that we haven’t been able to do the same.”

“It’s a very different situation,” he replied immediately. “Mera and Shadow had already formed a bond. A true bond. No magic can compete with that. We were glamoured before a bond could form, and until the spell is broken, there’s no knowing our true status.”

“We weren’t called together after you found me during your mate walk,” I reminded him.

His expression didn’t change. “Two magics have interfered here, and I will figure out the why and how. It doesn’t mean there’s not a bond, it just means it’s being strangled by Faerie glamour.”

“What about the fact that I’m not fae?” A second reminder. Even if I had a sliver of fae in me somewhere, it wasn’t like his pure blood. “No fae has ever bonded with a shifter.”

“I don’t care.”

It took me a beat to truly comprehend this, and when I did my insecurities reared their ugly head. “You might not today, but there’s probably a reason you’re only compatible with your own kind. Outside of being with me because we have a child together, did you think about the fact that I’m going to die in a hundred to two hundred years? A mere blip in your life.”

The room grew darker and colder as his energy swirled. “Samantha…”

One word. It sounded like a warning.

“That’s my name,” I shot back.

He moved faster than I could track, kneeling beside me, our gazes even. The blast of icy energy slapped me in the face, but it wasn’t painful, just mildly uncomfortable.

“I’m only going to say this one time,” he murmured, in those smooth but feral tones he did so well. “No part of me is here with you because we have a child. She’s the perfect miraculous bonus to this equation, but a child is never enough to make a true mate bond. Furthermore, you will not be dying in two hundred years, or any years. I have magics and knowledge to keep you alive, and that’s exactly what I’ll do. End of fucking story.”

He stood suddenly, and I choked on my next breath, equilibrium completely fucked when I was this close to him.

“I promise,” he continued, “to not allow your insecurities to break us before we have a chance. I might have only just found you, Sam, but I’m already certain about one thing: you are mine.”

Mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine.

The word rocketed through my head, and if it had been said by Grant or his alpha dick of a father, I’d have vomited on the floor. But it had come from the most perfect fae prince.

Here I went, living my own personal fairy tale again.

“Did you hear me, Storm?” he growled, apparently needing an answer.

“Yes,” I said softly.

Len’s lips tilted up. “Good. Now eat some of the food, and then get dressed for the event. You’ve got two hours. I placed a selection of dresses in that room over there.”

As he pointed toward a smaller door I hadn’t noticed earlier, Tabitha stirred on the bed and let out a low murmur. “Ma, ma, ma, ma.”

My world tilted on its axis. Had she just…? Did she just…? Did she call me mama?

The heat behind my eyes reached inferno level as I all but dove across the bed to reach her. “Baby girl,” I cooed, sliding my hands under her, scooping her up into my arms. “Baby, mommy loves you so much.”

Tiny arms wrapped around my neck, and I couldn’t help the sob that escaped. This was what I’d fought and suffered for. Suffering that meant nothing now that I had her here with me like this.

“Faerie energy is strengthening her faster than I expected,” Len said, and I looked over her head to see his face. His expression was heated and emotional, the silver in his eyes swirling harder. “She’s strong and resilient, like her mom.”

“And her father,” I whispered. “She will be formidable.”

Len nodded. “No doubt.” He moved closer, holding his hands out. “While you eat and dress, I’ll change and feed her, if that’s okay with you?”

I felt no unease by his suggestion. “It’s fine with me, as long as Tabby is happy to leave.”

As if she’d understood, she wiggled against my hold, and I gently sat her down on the bed. She was on her butt facing me, but then she turned herself around and started to crawl toward Len. Holy shit, her development was hard to believe, and I couldn’t be freaking happier.

“Looks like we have our answer,” I said with a smile so big it felt like it was breaking my face.

Len reached down and lifted Tabitha into his arms. As he lifted her, she placed both hands against his cheeks and pressed her face closer. “See you soon, Storm,” he told me with a wink.

“You got it, Winter,” I shot back, trying not to go stupid over how nice it felt to have a nickname with someone. It was rather pathetic that there’d been no other close relationships in my life to warrant such a thing.

When Len left with Tabitha, I wasted no time sampling the food. Maybe it was my hunger, but honestly, I could have lived in some of these dishes. Fruit, stir-fried meats, and a range of vegetables. I didn’t know what any of the ingredients were called, but it didn’t matter.

It was all delicious.

When my stomach was groaning and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction, I dragged myself from the food and headed toward the closet. If I chose a dress first, then I’d know the style of hair and makeup needed to pull it off.

When I entered the surprisingly large wardrobe, I drew to a sudden halt. There was row after row of clothing. How in the shifter packs…? I’d been expecting maybe like three dresses and some shoes, not a freaking department store. It was so much more than I needed or deserved, but again, arguing with Len about it felt a little ungrateful, so I decided to just thank him profusely, and find the perfect dress for tonight.

Maybe, just for once, I could enjoy the moment and not wait for the axe to fall.

Even better, maybe this time, there was no axe.

A girl could dream.