Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

My bravado held out long enough for me to weave through the crowds, ignoring all the stares, until I caught sight of Len’s silver hair. His height was an advantage in more ways than one.

As I got closer, I noticed he was leaning down, chatting intensely with another fae. Their face and outfit were obscured, and from my current angle it looked almost as if he was pressing his lips to their cheek.

I ground to a brief halt, before shaking my head and pushing forward once more. Len owed me nothing. I had to remember that all we shared was a daughter and missing memories. He might not have found a mate on his walks, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dating or betrothed to another fae. After all, on Earth, arranged marriages were the norm for royals.

As painful as it was, I had to remember that I was here for Tabitha and to unlock my memories. Sure, it had felt as if we were building toward something deeper, but maybe that had all been in my head. He called me family, which could encompass a multitude of different scenarios, many of which did not include romance.

A fact I would have to accept, no matter how much it pained me.

When I found the strength to look for him again, he had finished with the other fae and was now up on a small round platform. “I have an announcement,” he called. As his deep voice rumbled across the space, everyone quietened. “Thank you all for gathering at such short notice.”

“Always up for a party,” Tyrin shouted back, and the atmosphere was relaxed as lilting chuckles rang out.

Len shook his head at him. “We are well aware, Warrior,” he called, before growing more serious. “However, this is a moment that I have been waiting for my entire life. A moment to introduce you all to two very special beings. I want to induct them into the Silver Lands, I want your fealty and protection toward them, and I hope that all of you can understand my joy in this moment.”

Somehow, he knew exactly where I was, as he turned and held a hand out. Lights brightened around Tabitha and me, and I found my feet somewhat frozen to the ground.

Queens are created. Len was my family.

This would all work out okay if I just trusted in the process.

As I moved forward, the train of my dress fanned out behind me, and I never took my eyes off the enigmatic prince, who still held out a hand to me. Taking it without hesitation, I sucked in a deep breath as he used his strength to lift us up with him. The area was small, so as he positioned me before him, my back ended up pressed against his front. Against every hard line, and just like that, it was very difficult to remember all the ways “family” could be non-sexual.

“This is Samantha,” Len said as hundreds of curious eyes locked on us. The faces I could see were all beautiful, with skin tones ranging from white to brown and black, with a few that looked pink and purple as well. There was no mistaking their otherness, and that extra Mera had referred to.

“Samantha is a shifter from Earth, and my chosen fae princess.” There he went with the princess thing again. Surely, he couldn’t be betrothed to another when he spoke in this way. “And this is Tabitha,” he continued. “Our daughter.”

The gasps were near deafening, as the reality of Len having a child hit the crowd. Tabitha waved her hands in front of her. “Tabitha, a princess of the Silver Lands.” Len’s joy and pride was evident in his tone.

“Praise the Great Queen!”

This call rang out from someone nearby, and I turned as a stunning female with silver hair tumbling down her back stepped forward. She had her hands pressed to her mouth, silver eyes wide and shimmery as if she was trying not to cry. As she pushed through the crowd, the fae bowed their heads, and I knew that I was about to meet Len’s mother, queen of the Silver Lands.

“Do you all swear fealty to Samantha and Tabitha, through your fealty to me?” Len called, drawing my attention back to the crowd. There was no pause as a rush of “ayes” rang out through the room. And it did surprise me to look around and see not a single angry or confused expression.

“Do you accept them as part of the Silver Lands royal court? As one of us!”

“Aye!”

All that was left was the queen, still striding forward, as more of her fae lowered their heads to her. Len moved his attention her way. “Mother,” he said with a smile. “Do you accept your heir? The princess of the Silver Lands?”

She was close enough now that I could see how silver and stunning she was, just like her son. Her dress glittered with spun gold and silver elements, and on her head was a crown, dotted with reven stones.

She stopped in front of the stage and I knew I was supposed to bow or curtsey or something, but when I tried to move, Len’s hand snaked around my stomach, holding me in place against him.

“Tabitha,” the queen breathed. She held her hands out and I fought the urge to spin and hide my daughter. This had been in my nightmares for a long time, losing her to whatever race she shared DNA with. But Len had told me to trust him. He told me he wouldn’t let them take our daughter, and he’d held to his word so far.

I would continue to place my faith in him.

The queen’s face softened. “I understand your fear, Samantha, but I promise I just want to hold my granddaughter. I would never take a child from her mother. Not for any reason.”

Her statement bolstered the feeling that I was making the right choice in trusting them all. With a smile, I loosened my hold on my daughter. Tabitha appeared to consider the beautiful, and eternally young, queen for a beat, before she held her hands out and cooed.

The queen’s eyes went very glassy. “I’ve waited thousands of years for this,” she choked out, her silken tones a little ragged. When she accepted the child into her arms, cheers rang across the room.

A new sense of joviality fell over the courtyard. Drinks were shared once more, and everyone went back to what they were doing before Len’s announcement. To my surprise, the fae didn’t press forward to crowd around the queen and Tabitha, seeming to understand that they needed a moment to meet and bond with each other. Just seeing the two of them together had butterflies dancing inside me once more. I’d have my own butterfly sanctuary in there if this kept up.

Icy energy caressed the side of my neck as Len leaned down into me. “You did good, Storm.”

My chest heaved as I took in my first proper lungful of air. “Quietly shitting myself. Which is super inconvenient when there’s no bathrooms outside of your house.”

His chuckle was warm. “I’ve got you. No matter what you need, you only have to ask.”

“Still seducing me, I see.”

“Always.”

Always.

Thankfully, the queen distracted us by lifting her head and addressing me directly. “Samantha, it is so nice to know you. But please, tell us, how did this happen? How did we not know?”

Fantastic questions, and I had zero answers to give her.

Len stepped off the stage then, before reaching out and sweeping me off as well. “We don’t know, Mother,” he said. “Our memories of the time we were together have been wiped. Faerie glamour is keeping us in the dark—all we have is Tabitha’s energy, which is part of us both. Sam doesn’t even remember being pregnant or giving birth.”

The queen didn’t visibly react. Her comment before about waiting thousands of years indicated that she was well versed at patience and hiding emotions. “Mystery or not, there’s no denying her legacy here,” she finally said. “And if we figure out who did this to you both, they will wish they never crossed the Silver Lands.”

She went back then to examining Tabby, the pair locking eyes for so long I wondered if it was a staring contest. Everyone knows that if staring reaches a certain amount of time, it turns into a contest. I didn’t make the rules.

“She’s perfection,” the queen said.

“Thank you,” I replied quietly. “And thank you for not hating on her differences… for just accepting her as the miracle she is.”

The queen let loose a low chuckle, filled with sadness and probably many other emotions, that I, a being thousands of years younger, could never understand. “If you live long enough, you learn that in the end the only thing that matters is love and loyalty. I don’t care that she’s half shifter. I don’t care if she’s only one millionth fae. All I care is that she’s in our lives to love. The rest is irrelevant and changes nothing about my level of joy in this moment.”

I shook my head. “I honestly never saw this event going as it has. I expected rejection and anger since that’s what I’m used to.” Len reached out and took my hand, shocking me with his touch and comfort. “I’m very grateful that Len is the father of my child.” I faced him fully. “You gave me the gift of family, and I honestly don’t think I can ever thank you.”

“We’re never going to be even,” he said, releasing my hand so he could caress my cheek, his thumb brushing down the curve of my jaw. “I will owe you for eternity for our daughter.”

No lie, I forgot everyone else in the room, even that his mother was standing two feet away with my daughter in her arms. All I could see was Len, and I was desperate for his kiss.

“Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma.”

Tabitha broke the moment, and I shook my head and took a step back. It had been so easy for me to forget that not ten minutes ago I’d seen him kissing someone. Maybe kissing someone. But the point was, we needed to clarify exactly what was happening here between us before I went any further. Not just for my sake, but for Tabitha’s.

I wasn’t in the position for a fun romp with a fae prince only to see dust on the pillow in the morning. My time for that was done. This shifter needed all or nothing.

Queen energy, as it were.