Her pain…
I didn’t question if it was about me. I knew it was because he’d been in my mind, soothing the burn with his power.
“Brother…” Shadow’s voice was nothing more than a whisper of death. “You need to calm down—”
He didn’t even get a chance to finish before there was an explosion of pure, unfiltered energy. I’d never felt anything like it before, and as I threw myself forward over the top of the shield that covered the girls, I wondered if this was the last moment I’d have to hold Tabitha.
Even if Len didn’t smash through the shield, Shadow’s retaliation would be swift and unforgiving. The library would end up in tatters, and there was no way to know what collateral damage would result.
To my surprise, though, when the energy faded, the light and iced air did as well, and everything became crystal clear. Shadow had not moved, and it appeared that he was frozen to the spot. Standing behind him, a crystal in either hand, was a silvery being. He was concealed in shadows that hid most of his features from me.
I stood slowly, legs shaking. “What did you do to Shadow?” I asked in a breathless rush.
The silver form didn’t move. “It will not hold him for long,” Len said. “But he had to learn that nothing… not a brother… father… or my own mother will stand between me and what’s mine.”
Mine.Fuck, that word was destructive, and just a tiny bit enticing. The tugging sensation low in my gut became more consistent, dragging me toward this godlike creature.
“Who are you?” I knew it was Len, but that was a name. I needed something more.
“Len, prince of the Silver Lands,” he replied instantly.
Len, who was of course a prince, had enough power to freeze the Shadow Beast in place.
Finding strength, I moved more between the silver figure and the babies, noticing from the corner of my eye that Shadow was twitching.
“I took him by surprise,” Len said, following my line of sight.
We both knew that he hadn’t. Shadow had been standing there ready for him, so either the beast let him strike first, or this fae was some sort of superpower all on his own.
“Who are you truly?” I called, keeping a close eye on him, “Len, prince of the Silver Lands? How are you so powerful?”
He moved closer, and the icy shadows that had been surrounding him faded.
A gasp slipped from between my lips.Holy gods above.
The urge to rub my eyes was strong, since I had to be hallucinating.
Len was perfection.
Carved from those very gods, he stood a foot or more taller than me, his broad shoulders encased in a long silvery coat that moved about his body despite the lack of breeze in here. His face was sharp lines, hard curves, with full lips that were surprisingly masculine.
Piercing silver eyes locked on me, and even knowing that I had met Len before in the library, there was not one familiar feature on his breathtakingly beautiful face.
“Who are you?” he shot back. “A siren?”
I shook my head hard. “No—No. I’m Samantha of the Clarity shifters.”
“Shifter…” he echoed, blinking in clear confusion, and for the first time since his presence could be felt in the lair, he appeared to relax. Both in energy and appearance.
He ran a hand through his short silver hair, sending it up in attractive tousles atop his head. There was literally not one unappealing part to this male, and at the same time not one part that wasn’t otherworldly. He was filled with magic and energy, all of which was sliding over my skin and deep into my essence.
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING HERE?
I was grateful when Mera chose that moment to burst into the library and all but tumble into our midst. This was also the moment Shadow exploded free from the spell that’d been holding him, lunging for Len. Mera, who put the scene together in a heartbeat, let out a shout and dove between the two of them. “NO!” she bellowed, fire bursting to life across her hands and arms. “Shadow, no!” Her hand landed on her mate, somehow stopping a bulldozer from taking out everything in this room.
Len hadn’t moved a muscle, not even when Shadow raged toward him. All the while his gaze remained firmly locked on my face, sending my internal temperature from freezing to boiling in the same minute. I needed a breather from the intensity of his gaze, but there was nothing that could force me to look away.
Until… A cry split the air, and I jerked my head toward the couch.
