Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

“Tell us everything that happened in Faerie after we left,” Simone said after the eight of us ordered food and settled back waiting for it to arrive. The robot servers apparently knew when they were being summoned, and with special permission were able to enter the room and take our order.

Shadow had thought of everything.

“Sam destroyed Fredrick without even touching him,” Len said, proudly.

Mera clapped her hands excitedly, and it was clear that all of us needed a little therapy. But, whatever. We were powerful new gods who didn’t kill indiscriminately.

That was the best the worlds would get.

“The fae lifeforce is easy for me to find and sever now,” I said with a shrug. “He never denied his involvement, and he wasn’t repentant at all. He would try and take more power than he should again, risking Faerie’s balance each and every time.”

No one else appeared concerned by my actions. If anything, they joined Mera in voicing their agreement. “We’ve all been in tough situations like that,” Lucien said with a shrug. “Sometimes the corrupt must be taken out. Forcefully.”

Mera nodded. “Yep, totally agree. The older I get, the less inclined I am to even offer a second damn chance. Not for those trying to destroy the worlds and my fucking family. One strike and you’re dead.”

Shadow looked like he wanted to drag her out of the room again, but before he could follow through on that thought, Mera leaned forward and slapped her hands on the table. “Before we go any further, there are two very important things we have to discuss. After which, we can settle into the next phase of our lives without any more world-ending bullshit.”

A spark of hope lit up around us. I prayed that she was right.

As an Origin god, who I was praying to remained to be seen. Possibly the Sphere of Origin itself since it created all the life before us. Or maybe it was to the combined energy of this pack.

Both were powerful and beyond these worlds.

Everyone waited patiently for Mera to continue. “First, we need to decide on Sam and Len’s couple name?”

I blinked at her. “Couple name?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yep, every couple in the pack gets one. Shadowshine, DesertAngel, CrimsonBee, and now we need one for you two.”

As the couple names flowed from her lips, the others around the table exchanged smiles that spoke of the deep love they all shared.

Mera regarded us carefully, tapping a finger on her chin. “Slen is not going to work. Neither will Lamantha. That style of name has not worked for any of us. What are your nicknames for each other? I’ve heard you both use something.”

“Winter,” I said, meeting his clear, stormy eyes. “When Len feels strong emotions, his eyes turn into a winter storm, silver and grey, filled with power. It’s my new favorite color.”

Mera’s face softened. “Aw, that’s fucking adorable. I definitely know the storm you’re talking about when he gets pissed off.”

“And other things,” I replied casually.

As laughter rang out around the table, Len’s chest rumbled, and he hauled me up from my seat into his lap. “When you have a stunning and powerful mate, what do you expect?”

Gods, he was going to be the death of me. Just settling against the hard lines of his body, cock jutted against my ass as I wiggled, I almost forgot what we were even talking about.

Mera was a thankful distraction, so I didn’t embarrass us both. “What do you call Sam?” she asked Len.

His lips twitched, and those purplish grey eyes caught on mine. “Storm. Like those rare natural phenomena in Faerie that change everything. They breathe in new life and energy, remaking our world, just as she has remade mine.”

Mera let out another awww as her face softened. “There’s really only one option and I’m digging the duality of it.”

She paused, and I found myself strangely excited by the prospect of getting a true couple name.

“WinterStorm. Since both of you have a reason to embrace the storms in your life, and the beauty of your bond.”

WinterStorm.

Emotions swelled hard in my chest, as the two sides of who we were to each other collided.

Shadow’s chest rumbled but he didn’t comment. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but if I trusted my gut, I thought he was happy. This coming together of friends and family was cementing the strength of this pack.

“It’s perfect,” Len said as he moved his hand, thumb slowly caressing the bare skin between my jeans and shirt. “Our power and our personalities combined.”

“Perfect,” I agreed.

Our food arrived a moment later, and I reluctantly removed myself from Len’s lap. For a second there, I almost thought he was going to refuse, but after a growled “Later,” I was sitting on my own chair once more.

All three babies appeared at the table then, ready to eat, just like their food loving parents. As I dished some Faerie fruit onto Tabitha’s tray, I remembered that Mera had said there was a second important thing to discuss.

When I asked her about it, she just smirked. “The second thing I have to show you, so let’s enjoy our food, and we’ll get to that later.”

Okay, then, cryptic goddess.

“Where’s Galleli?” Len asked as he sipped on a glass of Faerie ale. It smelled like whiskey, but with a richer oaky taste and more of a kick.

Shadow lowered his own glass, shaking his head. “Whatever he felt when we were all bonded in the Deep has sent him off on a quest.”

“He says he doesn’t want or require a mate,” Mera piped up. “But there’s a compulsion to assure himself they’re safe. Galleli won’t take a mate because of his power, but this is a task he can’t seem to let go. I hope he finds them and can set his soul at ease.”

I hoped so too, especially since they felt as if they were on Earth, and I was curious about the mate of a powerful transcendent being on such a powerless world. Was it another shifter as I suspected? Or… an Origin god?

When we were finished eating, the babies returned to their play, and I looked up to see Mera standing at my side staring down at me with the biggest grin. “Come on,” she said, reaching out to grasp my arm and haul me up. “I can’t wait any longer.”

Stumbling, since she was in too big a rush to let me get up from the chair gracefully, I let her tug me along. When we were almost at the door, she shouted back for Len. “Come on, Prince. The others will watch Tabitha, I need to show you both something.”

At the call of her name, our daughter looked up and we both waved. “Keep playing, baby,” I told her. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

She looked between Len and me for a beat, before resuming her puzzle with Aurora.

Len reached us then and we headed out of the playroom and into the library. Mera led us to the door just down from the playroom. It was ocher in color. “This is Angel and Reece’s wing,” she said with a soft smile. We walked another dozen or more steps and stopped before a silver door trimmed in gold. “And this one is yours.”

I ground to a halt. “Ours?” I breathed.

She let out the happiest laugh, hugging me hard. “Yours. This library is our pack’s, and I know that all of you have homes and lives on the other worlds, but you also have a home and life here. I designed this with Shadow, and I tried my best to incorporate factors that make you feel comfortable and happy.” She shrugged. “It’s easy enough to change any parts I got wrong.”

My chest and throat were tight, so I couldn’t get words out. Instead, I just returned her hug and hoped she knew how grateful I was. Len moved in, his huge frame wrapping around us both. “Thank you,” he said, managing words when I couldn’t. “This is our home and family, and we love knowing that there’s a place here for Tabby and us.”

I nodded roughly, eyes blurring. “Yeah, what he said.”

Mera looked a little teary-eyed herself. “And you’ve only seen the front door.”

As laughter burst from me, the constricting emotions eased and I could breathe again. It was overwhelming for someone who’d never really had a family to suddenly have so much.

Mera opened the door and then stepped to the side so we could enter first. The first impression was shades of silver and white, with a deep brown timber lining the floor. The entryway had built-in racks for shoes and coats in the front section, leading down the main hall.

“Entryway here,” Mera said, stepping into the role of tour guide. “The first room to your right is the library.” She shot me a smile so broad it had to be hurting her cheeks. “We all get libraries, because loving books is our first bonding point. And I expect it will be the same for our kiddos.”

I suspected the same… wanted the same, really.

We entered the library to find ceilings twenty feet high, and white shelves that spanned all the way to the top. It was already half filled with books, and I was desperate to explore the many worlds on the shelves. “I figured you’d want to fill some of the shelves yourself,” Mera said, stepping farther into the room. As she did, the fireplace along the back wall, surrounded by a silver brick hearth, sprang to life. Warmth washed over the room, and I noted the multitude of squishy couches, in silver and gold filigree-patterned material, and a thick white rug that spanned most of the wood floor in here.

“You can play in here later,” Mera said with a smile when I hesitated to leave. “And the first book club is at yours, but first, let me show you the rest.”

Beyond the library, the hallway opened into a huge kitchen and dining area, and farther on from that was the living area. It was an open-plan space, and the colors remained in that silver and gold neutral palette. The kitchen was sleek and modern, with so much bench space and storage that I considered learning to cook.

It would be a nice bonding activity to share with Tabby, and even if there was a five-star restaurant here, cooking felt like a decent life skill to learn.

“I love it,” I said softly, running my hands across the marble bench. “It’s modern but warm, and it feels like home.”

Mera’s smile was huge. “It’s been fun and stressful trying to figure out your individual and couple styles. Not going to lie, I was quietly shitting myself that you’d hate what I did here.”

It was far from hate. I loved it. “You did an amazing job. Better than I could have done myself,” I assured her.

The dining room had a long, fancy marble table, with carved silver legs. The living room held more couches, a white coffee table, and a television on the wall. “Shadow figured out how to hook on to human and shifter cable,” Mera said with a shrug. “No one seems to watch much television, but it’s there if you want to.”

There was another hallway after that, which led to two bedrooms. The first opened to a pink, silver and gold room for Tabitha. It had a silver bed with slatted sides, and the bedding was pink and gold. Shelves adorned the walls, and there were already some soft toys. Including her very own wolf for this home. Along with some stuffed flowers, that I had to assume were a nod to her dad. “We put a bunch of clothes and toiletries in her shelves and bathroom,” Mera said, pointing out the gorgeous wood shelves, in shades of the same pinks and silvers. “If she even uses a bathroom.”

“She doesn’t need it, but she might enjoy showers like her momma one day,” I said softly, pressing my hand to my chest. “This room is so damn pretty. You did amazing, friend, and I have no idea how to thank you. I owe you so much. So fucking much.”

Mera snorted and wrapped an arm around me. “As we’ve told you many, many, times, we don’t owe in this pack. We appreciate the kind gestures, but we don’t owe anything. This is what family does.”

I held onto her tightly. “Thank you for never giving up on me.”

Mera let out a shuddering breath. “Everything worked out the way it was intended. I just had to be patient.”

It was true. From the moment I’d met her back when she’d had no memory, trapped in a world and future that wasn’t hers, Mera had been in a rush. A rush to escape. A rush to find Shadow. A rush into her future.

For the first time, now she appeared content. There was nowhere for her to rush because she’d found her home.

As had we all.

The final room was the main bedroom, and the timber floor continued in here, with three large white rugs to soften up the space. “Welcome home,” Mera sighed. “And with that, I’m going to leave you two alone to explore.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “We’ll be in the playroom when you’re done. Tabby will be fine for a few minutes. Take your time.”

She pressed a kiss to my cheek, and then Len leaned over so she could reach his. When she was gone, her warm energy fading, I found myself drifting into the room our best friends had created for us. It was huge, with a super-sized bed covered in bedding of a similar gold and silver filigree pattern to the library chairs. There was another fireplace in here, warming the space, and I could see a huge closest—filled with clothing—through one door and a bathroom through a nearby door.

“Mera’s our very own fairy godmother,” I said with a shake of my head. “Ironically, since we’re from Faerie.”

As I turned, I gasped to find Len right before me, watching me like I was the only one in the world. No more words were exchanged as powerful energy simmered between us, and both of us broke the moment at the same time, lunging forward.

By the time my lips met his, I was already in his arms, and he used energy to strip our clothes away. In the next heartbeat, he was inside me, and my body was screaming into our first climax.

“Did I say you could come, Storm?” Len rasped, thrusting up, neither of us able to make it to the bed in our need.

“Will you give me orgasms until I pass out as punishment?” I choked out, swirls of my next orgasm already brimming.

“Always, my love,” he promised in a rumble, and I let out a sigh of how perfectly imperfect we were.

This was my forever and my home. This was my happily ever after.

End of story. Finally.