Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

There was a moment where I thought I’d killed my friends.

More than friends: my pack and true mate.

A moment where I had to wonder if maybe, once again, I’d rolled over and showed my belly when we should have fought and taken our chances. Shadow had made a decent point before; it was better to die fighting on our feet than live weak on our knees.

The crabs started to move again, this time to circle around us. The blue sand lifted with their movement, smashing across my face to the point I had to close my eyes. My skin burned from the rough texture, while the clacking filled the space like raging thunder.

Please let me be right. Please let me be right.

All of us needed to live and see our children again.

My hand still clutched Len’s, even as the sand blasted our skin away. They’d have to cut my damn arm off if they wanted me to release my mate.

The march of the guardians went on for so long. An eternity where we didn’t know what way it was going to go, and then… the clacking faded, and the sand slowed its assault on us.

As I opened my eyes, I checked on my internal barrier first, relieved that it was still pulsing away brightly inside, even if it did feel like the darkness was pulsing stronger too. My wolf energy wrapped around me, helping to heal the torn and broken skin, and by the time I was on my feet, all pain was gone.

We perused the area thoroughly, but there were no guardians in sight. They’d faded into the sands from whence they came, and we were once again alone.

“Holy shit!” Mera cried, shaking her ass as she danced around the place. “We’re alive. We’re fucking alive.”

Shadow’s arms were around her in the next beat as he hauled her up and into his body, his kiss aggressive as he captured her attention. Mera’s excited words morphed into a moan as she wrapped her legs around his waist. They stumbled away, the odd darkness of this land shadowing them in seconds, before they completely disappeared.

After almost dying, no one questioned why they would need a second of alone time.

The rest of us focused on dusting ourselves off and looking around for more dangers. Galleli approached me, his wings tucked in against his back once more. You did good. I didn’t jump this time, which was a huge step. Your hybrid nature and the lessons you’ve learned in your relatively short life saved us today. We wouldn’t have thought the way you did, and for that, we would have perished. His hand landed on my right shoulder and he gave a gentle squeeze, before releasing me quickly, no doubt thanks to the silver fae beside me. Thank you.

“No thanks needed,” I replied breathlessly. “I’m just so fucking happy it worked. For a second there I thought I’d gotten you all killed, and then Shadow was going to drag himself from the underworld to tear my soul to pieces.” I shook my head. “It would have gotten messy.”

Galleli smirked, and strangely it made him look younger and less like an ancient warrior god carved from stone.

You are exactly who our pack needed.

With those words that had my emotions all flaring and messy, he left. The barrier inside swelled with the love I felt for all of my pack. Especially the love I felt for Len.

Sure, we’d known each other for five minutes in the great scheme of things, but I’d felt this love from the first time we were together. The scattered memories showed me the playful way he’d cherished and cared for me, and the attention he paid to everything that made me who I was. It also reminded me of the ache in my soul that I’d carried every day after that, even when I had no idea why it was there.

That ache was Len.

My head swung toward him. He was watching me, and waiting patiently as he always did for me to reach the obvious conclusion.

True mate. True love.

We moved at the same time, his hands landing under my ass as he lifted me effortlessly into his body. Just like Mera, I was already wrapping my legs around his waist, needing the closeness and the feel of our powers colliding.

His mouth was on mine as I took my next breath, strong hands biting into my skin. He pulled me as hard against him as was possible. The kiss deepened, and everything else faded away, until I was forced to lift my head and suck some air into my lungs.

We were parted enough to see our pack had vanished to give us some privacy, which was nice of them. Returning to Len, I noticed the stormy color of his eyes, and it made me smile. Words of love almost left my lips, but he got in first.

“I don’t ever want you to think that you’re not an important and valued member of this pack,” he told me, his expression serious. “I didn’t even understand what I was missing until you returned in my life. Fuck, I’ve searched a lifetime for you, Storm. I’ll never let you go now.”

Gah. How was it even possible to feel so many emotions and not die from the actual ache in my chest? It was a good ache, but also powerful.

“I love you, Winter,” I whispered, having no idea if the timing was right, but who really gave a fuck about timing? We didn’t have a damn clue what was waiting for us around the corner in this land of monsters, so I would take the opportunity now to tell him how I felt. “I loved you before we were torn apart, and it’s only grown over the years. You and Tabitha are the best part of my existence, and I… just need you to know.”

The intensity of his gaze was unraveling me. Those silver storm eyes darkened. Soon they were a swirling mass of power, and I wondered if I’d broken him with my declaration.

He moved lightning-fast, taking me by surprise when he kissed me, his tongue pushing forward to stroke against mine so we could taste each other. “Le tunia, formia, letina, maforta.”

He chanted that phrase between strokes of his tongue, and I wished for the knowledge to understand what he was saying.

Thankfully, he followed them with English. “You are the light, the energy, the creation, the wonder,” he told me. “There’s no true English word, but in Faerie we say that you’re the all. The sum of all that makes us whole. All who complete us. My love.”

He kissed me again, whispering words of love between each brush of our lips, and by the time he was done worshipping me, I was an aching mess of need and emotions. “Len, I don’t think I can wait until we’re done here to feel you again,” I said, voice rasping. Part of me was terrified that we would fail today and I’d never know his touch again. I had to be loved by him one last time.

His groan against my mouth added to the arousal dancing through my center. “I have an idea,” he said softly. “Give me a second.”

He gently dropped me to the ground, and it took a moment for my balance to return. The way my body reacted to him felt like it should be illegal.

Destructive and beautiful.

Part of my all.

“Stay right here,” he commanded, dropping another orgasm-inducing kiss on my lips.

He disappeared into the darkness, but I could still feel the pulse of his energy, which was comforting. He returned a few minutes later, shooting me a soft smile. “I spoke to the others, and we all agree that a few hours rest is on the cards. Angel and Galleli especially are drained from ferrying us across.”

“Aren’t we being drained here though?” I asked. “As badly as I need a few hours with you, I also know we’re in a life and death situation.” Sadly, that had to be the priority.

Len shook his head. “Now that the guardians have faded, there’s no drain on our energy. Shadow and the others confirmed this. We conquered this part of the labyrinth, and the drain will ease until we encounter the next obstacle.”

Okay, cool. That made sense. I no longer had to feel guilty that I was asking our pack to lose their energy while I got a good thorough fucking. No matter how okay with the idea my lower half was.

“A little alone time between mated couples is a good energy booster anyway,” Len said with a slow smile. “Proven and fact.”

Crossing my arms, I shook my head at him. “Is that right? Proven and everything? Who did this study and where do we sign up?”

He stepped into me. “Research starts today,” he whispered, hands tracing along my face and down my sides. Heat and power followed, bolstering my barrier inside. “Are you ready?”

Was I ready? Apparently, I needed to state it in clear and precise terms. “Len, I’m going to need you to fuck me,” I breathed. “Right. Now.”

Low, deep laughter spilled from his lips, then he moved faster than I could track. From his jacket he pulled five grey crystals, and with a flick of his wrist tossed the small spheres out in a perfect circle around us. The moment they touched the sand, there was a flash of light, and a barrier rose to form around us.

“These crystals will give us all the privacy we need,” Len murmured, his laughter fading under deeper emotions. “No one can see or hear us.”

Done waiting, I launched myself at the fae, all but climbing him like a damn tree to kiss the fuck out of him. Hands under my ass, he pushed me back against the invisible crystal “wall,” and I cried out as his hard body pressed firmly against me.

The throb in my pussy increased as our kiss grew more heated, Len dominating my mouth as his tongue lazily brushed mine. All the while my hips rocked against him, the need driving me out of my mind. Tension coiled in my gut, and I had no doubt if I kept this movement up I was going to come without even losing my clothes.

“You almost died on me today, Storm,” he rasped against my lips, emotions dragging his tone down. “When you collapsed and started to fade, my entire fucking world went dark. I lost reason. I lost every sense of who I was, and I didn’t care what destruction my actions wrought. If destroying a billion fae brought you back to me, I’d have sacrificed them in an instant.”

A terrifying and exhilarating thought. “I’d do the same for you and Tabby,” I told him, meaning every word of it. “Guess we’re no heroes.”

He pushed into me harder, lips caressing my neck, sending tingling sensations down my spine. “Heroes are overrated. Too many rules. Too many people to care about. We have our pack and the rest of the world be damned. Those outside the pack only benefit when saving the world saves them too. Otherwise, they’re not my responsibility.”

My hips flexed harder, and I dropped my head back with a groan. “It really shouldn’t be sexy to hear you talk of slaughtering a billion people for me, and yet here we are.”

Did I need therapy? Probably.

But apparently so did everyone else in this pack, so I was in good company.

“I’m going to fuck you until you scream my name,” Len warned me. Or was it a promise?

Either way, he’d get no complaints from me.

“Less talking and more fucking then, Winter,” I drawled with a low chuckle. “Actions, not words.”

His grin was feral, and no lie, there was a flutter in my pussy at the anticipation of what was coming next. Len didn’t say another word as he lowered me to my feet, before he slowly brushed his hands down my body, ending up on his knees while I ended up naked.

Whatever that magic was, we would be using it a lot.

“I can’t expend too much energy,” he said, words muffled since his mouth was already against my skin. “But we are also on limited time, so sacrifices must be made.”

I was too far gone to worry or care at this point.

As long as his mouth remained on my body, Len could do whatever he wanted.