Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

Before I had time to freak out, Len sent us both over the side. My stomach shot up into my throat for a beat, but then our fall slowed, just as he’d said it would. His hand remained over mine as we clutched the warmly vibrating line of power, leading us into the Deep.

Our pack fell with us, and I wasn’t surprised to see that Shadow and Mera were on the same line. Simone and Lucien as well. Angel had her own line, but she was right beside Reece. Galleli was farthest out, his line a gleaming silver that reflected off the shine of his bronze breastplate.

No one said a word, and I wasn’t sure about the others, but I was working to reinforce my barrier inside, and mentally preparing myself for what was to come.

The fall lasted at least an hour. My arm was aching by the time we reached the end of the cords of power. “Brace yourself,” Len called. “I have no idea what we’re landing in.”

A splash of red came into view just as Shadow bellowed, “Don’t let go of your cord. Remain above the ground.”

Len’s free hand went under my ass as he jerked me into his body, his energy wrapping around us so we didn’t land on the red. From this angle, I could see that the end of the line was a few feet above the ground, and we were a few feet above the end.

The light down here was darker than it had been above, the faint red all that was really visible. It was only due to the light from the cords of power that I could even see my pack. Shadow and Mera fixed that little issue when flames surrounded them, like our own personal lanterns. As their flames grew, we could see the ground much clearer—a rich red with lighter red swirls flowing through it, sparking at points.

“Will it zap us?” Simone asked, leaning out to look closer. Lucien tightened his hold on her, pulling her back into his arms.

“It’s designed to drain our power,” Shadow said. “If we’d landed, our energy would be sapped, weakening us for the rest of the journey.”

“How do we move across it, then?” Lucien asked, fangs flashing in the light of the flames. “Bee and I recently fed and are at our strongest, but I don’t want to sacrifice that energy before we make it into the worst of this place.”

“It will get much worse,” Len confirmed. “Don’t use your energy to try and move yet. It’ll also drain you.”

We were stuck between a rock and the Deep of Faerie, apparently. Drop to the ground and be drained. Use our power to move onto another part and be drained. But hanging here wasn’t getting us anywhere, so we had to make a choice.

Reece craned his head, looking left and then right. “What if we use these cords of power?” he said finally, returning his gaze to us. “To swing across as much of this red land as we can. That would be the lowest use of energy, from what I can tell.”

There were a ton of lines around us, spanning off to the left and right.

Len nodded. “That’s my thoughts as well. I think there’s a call of stronger power to the right.”

No one argued, trusting that the fae prince knew what he was talking about. I should be able to feel the same energy, but I was more focused internally. Keeping that barrier in place for as long as needed was my highest priority.

“We should move now,” Angel said quickly. “It’s draining us just existing here.”

Great. This fucking land was already living up to its reputation.

“Reach for the next strand,” Len said to me, nodding toward the closest red one. “I’ll keep you from falling.”

I didn’t hesitate, thankful that my arms were no longer as pained as they had been. Len had given me a small reprieve when he’d held my weight against him. Wrapping my hand around the cord, I swung across. “If I had access to my power, would I have been able to walk over this red land without issue?” I asked as I swung.

Len was right behind me, pointing out the next cord—a blue one—to grab onto. “I have no idea. My understanding of it was that the Great Queen just bypassed all the securities, heading straight for the center of power.”

“Considering how old she was, and how long she’s been missing from Faerie,” I huffed out, swinging to the next cord, “it stands to reason that I might only have a small slice of her power.”

I could be a fiftieth descendent or something.

“No way to know until the glamour is fully released,” Len added from behind me, not sounding at all out of breath. “I lifted parts of it, but not all. Not for you anyway.”

He made that sound like he remembered everything. “You remember us?” I confirmed.

“I do,” he replied. “I remember our time together, and I know we’re true mates.”

He dropped that statement so casually, and I was fucking thrilled that he felt the same connection. I’d already figured we could be, but having it confirmed was a new kind of wonderful.

“Why don’t I remember?” I asked. “It doesn’t make sense that all your memories are back and mine aren’t.”

We managed to cross five more cords before he answered. “I believe that whatever the Great Queen did to disappear spelled her entire line to keep them from their heritage. She no doubt believed she was protecting you all, but this glamour is interfering with the true mate call. It sparked across me too, but now that it’s broken, I won’t be glamoured again. You, on the other hand, have probably been spelled since before birth.”

He left the rest unsaid, but it was clear that sort of glamour was going to be much harder to break.

“It’s why you never felt your fae side,” Angel added, from where she was a few strands in front of us. There was no hiding a conversation with beings of exceptional hearing. “That’s the part of you locked down with fae energy.”

Breathing deeply, the ache back in my arms, I thought it all through. “So, the glamour I’ve been under since birth collided with the true mate energy of Len’s walk, and the result was the sort of memory loss that cost us years of time with our daughter?”

“Yes.”

This came from more than one of my friends.

“You’re both lucky you didn’t explode,” Shadow added helpfully. “The collision of two ancient and powerful energies is a recipe for disaster.”

I might never find out why the Great Queen did what she did, or understand the life she lived, but I really hoped we could figure out how to repair the damage she’d caused. Otherwise, there was no future for my family. Or the worlds.

Conversation died off as we continued to swing through the air, the red floor remaining below, while darkness surrounded us. When we reached the last row of cords, which had to indicate the end of the land above, the nine of us hung there, staring out into what appeared to be endless darkness.

“Fuck,” Angel said, the curse odd in her regal tone. “We now must make the decision we were avoiding. Drop to the ground, which will drain all of us, or rely on one of us to use our powers to ferry the others to safety. And by one of us, I’m referring to me and my wings.”

I have wings as well, Galleli said, and again, I was the only one to flinch, but thankfully not drop from the cord.

“I also have wings,” Mera piped up.

Shadow beasted out briefly. “Not a fucking chance,” he growled.

Reece added his own growl. “I’m not comfortable with Angel ferrying us all,” he said.

“We have no other option,” Angel shot back. “But before we risk heading into the darkness with extra weight, I’m going to fly myself first to ensure this is the right direction.”

Before Reece could protest again, her gorgeous angel wings popped out of her back and she flapped them strongly, heading out to hover in the shadows beyond the cords. Almost instantly, she was difficult to see.

The scent of storms and sand rose around us. “Mate, you need to get your ass back here,” Reece demanded. “You don’t have thousands of layers of power at your control any longer.”

“I don’t,” she agreed, and I wondered what that story was. Not that I’d dare ask when we had much more pressing shit to deal with. “But I have my bond with you, and the new layers we’re building. I will not falter.”

In the dull light, Reece’s face could have been carved from stone. His entire body too as he seemed to be fighting the instinct to leap from his cord and wrestle his mate to safety. Angel didn’t say anything else, allowing him to come to his own conclusion.

“Go,” he finally bit out, “but you better come back, Lale. In one damn piece.”

“Always, love,” she smiled sweetly. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Her wings flapped harder, and to the sound of her mate’s grumbles she disappeared into the darkness. Reece’s energy flared, the bite of sand harsh against my skin. Which was an odd sensation, since there was no actual sand in the vicinity.

“You hanging in there okay?” Len asked. As I turned his way, the cord swinging slowly, a brief smile tilted up his lip. It added some warmth to my energy, which in turn bolstered my barrier.

I attempted to laugh it off. “Just a little fatigued. Trying not to embarrass myself by being the first to fall in this crew of god-like creatures.”

Concern replaced his smile. “You’re expending more energy than you realize in keeping that darkness at bay. I’m helping a tiny amount, but the bulk is you. You amaze me with your continued strength, little Storm. Even if the Fates did choose you as my mate, I’d have made the same choice among the trillions of beings in the worlds.”

And just like that, I could have swung through these fucking cords for another ten years. Yeah, I wanted to be a strong independent female, but I completely believed I could be that and more with the support of a true mate.

“I would choose you, too,” I said softly. “Every fucking day. The Fates did well.”

He leaned in to kiss me, but before our lips met, the sound of flapping had all of us turning toward the abyss, ready to see Angel.

“Soon, mate,” Len murmured from behind me, the brush of his power like lightning across my skin. “Nothing will stand between us and cementing this bond.”

I believed him, especially if we could repair the line and figure out how to break the final strands of glamour over me.

Then, finally, we’d have a chance at true happiness.