Chapter Four
Shaw Black
Zola was off on her own, but the calm warmth emanating from the bond indicated she was safe. I thanked the gods for that peace of mind as I shifted into my human form, racing to help our people onto the awaiting ships.
“Hurry, come on! This way,” I said, standing knee deep in the waves as shifters, young and old, hurried onto the waiting rowboat.
“This one’s full. Go!” Pushing with all my might, I sent the boat off, only to have another take its place as more of my pack filled the empty seats.
Rhea and Talon shifted, helping organize and protect the final gathering of our pack waiting to board the ships.
Magnus charged through the surf to join us. “This should be the last of them,” he said, catching his breath.
“Good,” I said, reaching out to Skylar. “How’s it going over there?”
“Peachy,” she snapped. “But we’ve made a dent at least. They’re retreating. We’ll meet you at the shoreline soon. Gilen is flying the perimeter to see if we missed anyone.”
“Skylar is on her way to us,” I relayed to the group as I walked across the beach toward the shade of the trees.
Talon raised a brow, tugging at the edge of my base layer with a grin. “So, what’s with the fancy get-up? It’s cute…”
I groaned, smacking his hand away. “It’s High Fae-crafted armor. Stays on when I shift.”
“Impressive,” Magnus said, stepping closer. “How does it hold up in battle?”
“It’s saved my ass more than once. More is being forged in the Inner Kingdom as we speak.” I paused, sensing her presence.
“The tailors in Crimson City have a magical touch indeed,” Zola said from the shadows.
“What the crap!” Rhea screeched, stumbling back as she shifted into her wolf form in a blur of fur and snapping teeth.
Without thinking, I stepped between her and Zola, magic rising instinctively. My voice was low but firm. “Back down, Rhea. She’s with me.”
Rhea stilled. Her ears pinned flat against her head as she bared her teeth.
A primal growl rose from my chest. “She’s mine, Rhea!”
The wolf’s eyes narrowed as she assessed Zola with a predator’s caution, tilting her nose to sniff the air.
“Rhea.” Talon stepped in, reaching through their bond to calm his mate.
Rhea growled, shifting onto two legs. “What kind of creepy magic does this one have?”
“I live among the shadows, young one,” Zola said, stepping to my side with unshakable calm. “And though you seem to be his friend, rest assured, if you were to attack, you’d regret it.”
Talon stiffened, fists clenching at his side.
Great… Just what I needed.
“Enough,” Magnus stepped in, his tone sharp. “Talon, take Rhea back and—”
“Who’s this?”
My jaw tightened as I recognized her voice. “Neera—” I turned, facing the female I once thought I’d claim. “This is Zola. She’s the spymaster of Silver Meadows, and she’s… Well, she’s my mate.”
To my surprise, Zola remained silent at my claim, and I couldn’t help the flutter in my stomach or the upward curve of my mouth.
Neera inhaled abruptly. “Oh.”
“I met her across the seas when—”
“You don’t need to explain, Shaw,” she cut in, raising a hand. A warm smile graced her lips. “I understand.”
Gods above, I thought, Neera deserves a mate worthy of her.
“I’ll bring Rhea some clothes,” Neera said to her father as she turned to leave.
“I’ll join you,” Magnus added. “Skylar said they were on their way.”
Alone, I turned to Zola. “Neera is—”
Zola silenced me with her touch, fingers curling around the back of my neck as she slid into my arms. Unruly heat ignited in my center as she pressed her body against mine. I swallowed, my cock pulsing—aching with a primal need to claim her.
She smiled, dark and deadly in a way that excited the animal beneath my skin. “Twelve kills. I believe I won.”
“Only twelve?” I mocked, leaning in to graze her ear. “I had fifteen.”
“Liar.”
“I swore I’d never lie to you, my little shadow.”
She huffed a laugh, and my heart skipped a beat. “Was the female shifter with dark hair a past lover?”
“Neera?” I pulled back and straightened my shoulders, clearing my throat. “Um, no. I thought she could be something more, but—”
“But fate had other plans for you,” Zola said flatly.
“Exactly. You’re not jealous, are you?”
She raised a brow. “Of a female you never bedded? Gods, no. Jealousy is not—”
“Then, can you explain what happened back in the healers’ tent?” I asked, knowing for a fact that she was capable of such an emotion.
Zola’s scowl would send a lesser male into an early grave. But it just made me want her more. I hadn’t kissed her since the aftermath of the last battle, and the hunger burning in my chest to kiss her once more was driving me mad.
The sound of boots crashing through the forest drew our attention.
“Is that—”
“It’s Daxton and the warriors,” Zola cut in. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”
Regretfully, I released my hold on my mate as we regrouped with the others. Gunnar, Castor, and Daxton raced toward the beach with their horde of Silver Meadows warriors in tow. Thankfully, only a handful were injured, and none seemed to have sustained lethal wounds.
Daxton straightened before saying, “We pushed them back… But—”
Skylar’s battle song split the sky as she dove from the clouds, flames trailing behind her. She shifted and sprinted into Daxton’s arms.
“I’m here, Spitfire,” he said.
Skylar pulled back, her chest heaving. “We have a few more coming.”
I noticed the crease in her brow and the uneasy way she pursed her lips. “Sky?”
“I’m fine, Shaw,” she snapped. “Let’s just get out of here. Solace is no longer a safe haven for shifters.”
There was a raw hollowness to her voice that cracked through me. A grief she wouldn’t dare speak aloud.
“We’re waiting on Gilen and a few other shifters,” Daxton said.
I flinched, startled by the use of his mate bond gift. He rarely used it, but when he did, it always caught me off guard.
Skylar nodded, brow furrowing as she met Daxton’s stare.
Alright, that proved it. Something was wrong.
A sharp call pierced the sky as Gilen descended in his roc form, wings slicing the air before he shifted just beyond the tree line. He strode onto the beach, face set like stone, eyes locking instantly with Skylar’s.
My gaze flicked between them, searching for an answer.
“They’re coming!” Xander burst through the forest, stopping beside Gilen. “The humans are regrouping. They’re headed straight for the beach.”
“There’s no time for the boats,” Daxton said. “I’m teleporting us straight to Silver Meadows.”
I swallowed heavily, looking to Zola. “Can he?”
“If he says he can, then he can,” she snapped, lowering her voice. “I do not question my high king. And neither should you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, silencing the retort. Her tone left no room for challenge.
“Gilen.” Skylar faced him fully, hand outstretched. “It’s time.”
The tension between them thickened like a physical thing, charged with the rhythmic footsteps of approaching warriors. The rest of us linked together, making sure we were in contact with Daxton. Xander joined next to Talon and Alistar.
“Please, Gilen. Come with us,” Skylar said, just as Daxton’s hand settled gently at the small of her back.
Gilen’s gaze flicked to where Daxton’s hand rested on Skylar, then dropped to the mark on his neck—the twin to Skylar’s. He froze. Feet rooted to the sand.
“No,” he said, his voice cracking with rage. “I refuse to be degraded and pushed aside like this. It’s time I choose my own fate and leave your shadow, Skylar.”
“Gilen!” Skylar dared to step toward him.
Daxton’s hand clamped firmly on her shoulder, keeping her rooted in place.
“Gilen.” Talon’s voice trembled with emotion. “Please… Don’t do this.”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Gilen stared down at his feet, his shoulders heaving, his roc rising to the surface.
“Gilen!” Alistar cried out, surging forward, but Magnus held him back. “Son—”
At that word, Gilen looked up, met the eyes of his father, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
In a blur of feathers and wind, he shifted. His wings unfurled as he launched into the sky, soaring toward the human forces.
“No!” Alistar roared. “We have to go save him! We must go after him.”
“No,” Skylar commanded sharply. The pain of betrayal quivered in every syllable she spoke. “He’s… He’s not fighting the humans. He’s joining them.”
I watched tears pool in Skylar’s eyes as she clutched at her chest. In a flash, the bond to Gilen snapped, severed like a rope set aflame.
I felt a fraction of it through my beta bond, like a rockslide collapsing the flow of a river, leaving a hollow ache that throbbed through my chest, severing a connection I could no longer reach.
I scanned the beach, realizing that every member of the pack felt Gilen’s absence.
Daxton’s voice dropped. “Spitfire—”
“Go!” Skylar screamed, fire flaring around her. “Get us out of here, Daxton!”
And in the next breath, we were gone.