Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 3)

It took longer than expected to usher thousands of creatures and hundreds of locals through to the island. When they were finally done, Shadow and I couldn’t hang around, knowing Dannie might be breaking free at any moment.

He assured me that our mists would send out an alarm, but I was worried it’d be too late by the time that happened.

Before we left, though, I had one final task to complete. “The creatures are free now,” I said, in my booming wolf-phoenix voice. “Royals are not to bond or use their energy in any way, or the outlier locals have full right to stop you with every weapon at their disposal. And then when they’re done, I will come for you.”

I felt the royals’ momentary fear before all of them shouted their promises and swore to never hurt a creature again. Dannie had already somewhat sufficiently broken them in the time she’d had them locked away, so I felt confident that my orders would be obeyed.

“Is there any way we can leave the outlier locals a way to communicate with us?” I asked Shadow. “On the slim chance there is trouble?”

Shadow’s expression was grim. “I wouldn’t worry about it. The battle with Dannie will be over fast. If we lose, they all lose, and if we win… we will remove the royals from here and back to the mainland before there’s chance of an uprising.”

Right. That was true and depressing, but at least I didn’t have to stress about a hostile takeover while we were busy fighting the goddess hellbent on destroying it all.

“We must go now,” Shadow said, gently bumping me toward the portal.

I nodded, taking one last look at the island, which was now a few thousand inhabitants larger. It felt cozy, somehow, and I didn’t really want to leave, wishing I could stay and help the locals, who were already taking care of the mentally and physically fragile royals.

“Dannie has a lot to answer for,” I said shortly. “Do you think your royal compound was the only one she did that to?”

Shadow didn’t answer until we stepped through the portal, which vanished as soon as we were back inside the castle. “I think she probably has this entire world locked down in one way or another,” he said, creating some clothing so that we could change back and get dressed. “Until the next part of her plan comes to fruition.”

“Yeah, I agree,” I said, pulling on my pants and boots. “Knowing Dannie as I do. I mean, her next part was clearly to create a Nexus that she controlled, but what after that? What was she going to do with them all when she finally achieved her peak status as goddess supreme?”

Shadow let out a low breath. “Impossible to know, but one thing is clear: This realm would definitely not be as it was.”

We were dressed now, so he pulled me into his side, leading us back through the creepy, booby-trapped castle and into the main grounds. When our pack came into sight, the fact that they were all on their feet circling what was clearly Dannie’s prison had Shadow and me picking up speed.

She’s starting the process of breaking through, Midnight said in my head, since we were close enough to communicate now.

“The prison is cracking,” Shadow said at the same time, clearly having spoken to his mist as well. We started to sprint, knowing we had to be by their side when Dannie burst free.

Midnight met us halfway, scooping us up and all but catapulting us across the smooth grounds so we landed in the circle of warriors.

“Just in time,” Lucien said, flashing fang as he waited, unnaturally still. He was a predator, a master vampire, and I was curious to see him in action. All of them. The greatest and strongest of their worlds. And every one of them I was honored to stand with and call “friend.”

The gold cage started to vibrate, heat rising from it until we were all sweltering, stuck between the lava chasm and Dannie. None of us moved a muscle, except to internally prepare ourselves. I allowed my power to fill me, turning into a winged, flaming wolf-bird, once again destroying clothing. At this point, I should just remain naked between shifts.

“The moment she bursts free,” Len murmured, his silver cloak billowing out from his motionless form, “use your powers to lock her in place, and I will call the stone to me. It’s bonded to my family and has been for many more years than Dannie’s held it. I should still have the greater tie to it.”

I loved having a plan. It gave us a focus, and thanks to the many, many times Shadow had held me against the wall, locking down my arms and legs, I had a decent idea of what to do to hold Dannie in a similar manner.

It wouldn’t be as much fun for her, though.

She was about to understand that the biggest mistake she’d made in the last few months was not swallowing the stone. Or stealing our memories. Or betraying everyone who had ever loved her.

Nope.

Her biggest mistake was not killing us all when she had the chance, because it was her day of reckoning, and we were the ones delivering it.

The light grew brighter around her, the heat as well, and I was so fucking jumpy that I almost pissed myself when Angel moved a millimeter beside me, her wings brushing mine. My tiny shriek and stumble forward broke some of the tension as multiple amused smiles crossed faces.

“You can take the woman out of Earth, but—” Lucien was cut off when an explosion of energy knocked us all back from the fortress.

My wings extended, stopping me before I skidded into the lava chasm, and then two flaps later, I was back in the circle, surrounding an extremely pissed-off-looking Dannie.

Dannie, who had changed again.

Whatever humanoid parts of her that had been there before were gone.

She was a full phoenix, standing as tall as me.

Her beak opened, and a loud screech emerged, which eventually turned into words. “You made a grave mistake,” she bellowed, flames shooting off her as the ground trembled. “It will all fall now, and when I rebuild, it will be a better world and future.”

None of the others seemed that concerned, moving in closer, their energy humming in the air as they prepared to attack. I did the same, but no lie, my gut was twisted in knots at what was happening. What the fuck were we going to do if she was still too strong for us?

Before anyone even got a chance to find out, Dannie did the opposite of what I’d expected and angled her wings to drop between us. It took me a beat to understand why she’d done that, and it was only when her clawed foot tapped against the land and the rumble increased that I figured it out. She was doing exactly what her son had attempted not that long ago.

Destroying the Shadow Realm.

Before any of us even had a chance to attempt to lock her down with our power, the chasm exploded, spitting out flames that would tear through almost everyone here. With those flames came a truly terrifying sight, clawing their way up from the lava below.

“She’s resurrecting the dead,” Alistair said, his hands clenched tightly in front of him. “All of those lost to the lava mists.”

“Fuck.”

That one word was from Shadow, and I knew that meant this was bad. No, not bad. Cata-fucking-strophic.

“How many beings have died in the chasms?” I asked, my wings the only thing keeping me standing as the ground tremors worsened. “Outside of all the creatures.”

“I believe it was a regular punishment here,” Angel said, having to lift herself off the ground now.

“Yes,” Shadow confirmed. “Sacrifice into the mists is common.”

Now it was my turn. Fuck.

The others had to lift themselves up as well, Inky and Midnight doing their best to shield us all from the shooting spurts of lava attempting to take us out. Lava that didn’t bother me or my power, and knowing I might have the only shot, I darted forward, blasting Dannie with a bolt of pure energy.

We had to stop her before this army of undead reached us. They’d clearly be very hard to, uh… kill, giving her a true advantage. My power was deflected by a bolt of her own, and she countered with a strike back at me.

I’d been ready for it, swiping it aside, surprised that she did feel much weaker. We had to finish this shit before she had time to recharge, and that meant I could not stop now.

I attacked with force, and every time her power hit me, it was like a sledgehammer to my gut, but I was fueled by such anger and determination that I barely let it faze me. My determination to save my loved ones added a ferocity to my attack that she was missing.

Her movements slowed, and when she got her shield up a second too slow, I was able to hit her at full power, slamming her against the wall of the castle, the force sending feathers flying around her.

“Give up the stone, Dannie,” I shouted at her. “Give it up and have a chance at redemption.”

At this point, I noticed that Shadow was at my side, but so far, he was allowing me to take the lead in this one-on-one battle. It cost him to do so, if the tense expression on his face was any indication, but his faith in me was too strong to break his resolve.

Love. He spoke it at an expert level.

Dannie laughed, a screeching, chill-inducing sound, and I blasted her again, but she managed to slip free. She might have been weaker, but she was far from fragile, especially as her literal zombie fire creatures exploded across the land. There was just so much to unpack about what was going on here. Not time for that, though.

Shadow joined me this time, the two of us using our energy to try to contain her, all the while Dannie stepped up her game, sending out her long tail feathers to strike at us. I had no idea what was going to happen if they hit us, but thankfully, Shadow was able to cut them off before we had a chance to find out.

At one point, he managed to bind her powers—he was an expert at that after all—but she only laughed again and broke free even faster than she had when I’d held her against the wall. As she got loose, I slammed her as hard as I could, and Shadow’s power increased at my side until my skin hurt from the hot blast of his energy. But together, we were holding her. The only problem was that Len couldn’t get close enough to attempt to remove the stone. The fae was trapped in the middle of Inky and Midnight, who were shielding all of our friends from the lava and creatures. And they were almost losing the battle thanks to powerful mist-driven zombies.

It had been a mistake to bring her back to the mists, but then again, maybe she would have used the creatures against us on the island. Dannie always had ten plans to fall back on, leaving the rest of us scrambling. Not one of us had expected she could do this, though, and there was no contingency plan for her secret lava army.

“This was where she was funneling her power in the cage,” Shadow bit out, pushing more power against the phoenix. “Her army needed to rise at the same time she broke free. That fucking stone is giving her near unlimited power.”

“Hence why we need it freed,” I groaned, my words barely audible.

For the first time since my rebirth, I felt my energy waning.

“I’m here.” Len’s words whispered through our ears, carried on his fae energy. “Hold her for a few more minutes, and I’ll work my Silver Magic on her.”

A few more minutes; it sounded so short when someone said it, but the reality of holding a raging, powerful phoenix goddess was akin to a human trying to hold a bull still for a few minutes.

Impossible and deadly.

Shadow joined me in his Anubis form, powering himself up further. Dannie looked between us and let out a squawk, shaking her head. “Neither of you are natural,” she managed to say through our hold. “I broke the balance with you both. A balance I must repair.”

It was a warning that this time she would not hesitate to kill us, but who the fuck was surprised by that? We all knew she had learned her lesson in leaving threats alive. Only one side of this war was walking away today.

Shadow and I gave it everything we had to hold her, and I thought we were going to make it, right up until she drew on whatever she had left in her stone, blasting us back. I stumbled, but Shadow caught me before I could go too far.

“We need the others,” he said near my ear. “All of us have to hold her for Len.”

At that, Inky and Midnight swirled closer, bringing with them the others from our pack. The two mists raced at the goddess, slamming her against the side of the castle again, with enough force that the stone and brick shattered under her.

Our mists were not as strong as the wild and free version, but they were also not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, the moment they went for Dannie, the lava creatures went for us.

Can you form a protective barrier against the dead army? I asked Midnight. Give us a chance to get the stone?

It swelled up larger, sparks flying around it. I can hold them for a few minutes. Maybe more if Inky helps.

Do it.

The pair released Dannie, who zapped out at them with her power, but she was either too slow or off-kilter because she missed them completely, her energy shooting into the lava chasm.

Or no, wait, that must have been her plan all along because the second her energy disappeared over the cliffs and into the abyss below, a huge raging wave of red fire rose with it.

Great. Molten tsunami.

“Go!” I screamed to Midnight. “Get the barrier up so we have a chance.”

I barely got my last words out before Dannie’s power slammed Shadow and me into the ground. We hit hard, and if I had been a straight-up shifter still, all my bones would have shattered. As it was, the pain strongly pulsed through my body as she continued to press against us, driving our bodies into the crumbling and broken castle grounds.

How the fuck was she so strong? It just never ended, and even with the cage having drained her as intended, there was still too much for us to counter.

Len had warned us about the stone, and what would happen if it fell into enemy hands, and I couldn’t think of a way to win against her, not when so many of us were losing strength. Digging deeper, I searched for a way to push back again, but there was no give in her attack. No weakness to manipulate.

At least none until our friends finally let loose. Giving us the sort of support Dannie could have had if she hadn’t tried to be judge, jury, and executioner all on her own.

Reece, whom I really hadn’t seen in full-on action before, blasted across the clearing in a literal wall of sand and dust. His power always reminded me of a desert storm, and now I could see why. He stood at the center of it, his energy extinguishing some of Dannie’s as he sent her flying in his cyclonic sandstorm.

Shadow and I were up in an instant, and we joined the desert deity, using our powers against her once more, finding a hidden strength neither of us knew we had. Desperation and adrenaline were the reasons human women could lift cars off their babies. Today we were the desperate ones, and we were using it to our full advantage.

“She’s weakening,” Shadow roared. “But not enough to tear the stone free. Not yet.”

“One last attempt,” Reece bit out, his voice a rumble like the storms he had raging around us. “All of us. All of our power. Hold nothing back.”

The others fell into line, Midnight and Inky still giving us some breathing room from the creatures, but that wouldn’t last long. This truly was our last shot.

Our one chance to save the world.