It was clear she was happy, and I couldn’t ask for anything more for my pack sisters. They’d found the sort of happiness romance books were built on, and now that I also had a possessive supernatural who growled and shot me heated looks, I understood those happily-ever-afters much better.
The thought of losing it all before it even begun actually took my breath away. Unable to consider the possibility, I pushed the dark thoughts down and focused on the now. We just had to get through two more obstacles and restore my line. We could totally handle that.
The four of us continued, following Len’s lead as he moved us toward the next task. Along the way we picked up Reece and Angel. The transcendent had her wings away again, the exhaustion that had been dragging along her features was also gone. Whatever she’d done to rest and restore had worked. There were no visible changes to Reece, who always looked like a scary desert god, but he did show relief when he looked upon Angel.
Next was Galleli, who found us, soaring down and landing heavily upon the blue sand. Unlike Angel, he didn’t look like he’d rested at all, his skin clammy. “Recon?” Reece asked.
Galleli released a weary sigh.Yes, and I know where we must journey next. It will require all of us to work together to make it across.
Great. That didn’t sound ominous or worrisome at all.
Len must have been heading in the right direction, since Galleli didn’t change our path. I was just wondering where Shadow and Mera were when their forms grew visible in the dull light. Flames surrounded them as they stood on the edge of a precipice in their huge beast forms. Clearly, they knew where the next path was as well.
“What are we up against?” Len asked as he stopped beside Shadow. Lucien fell in on the other side of him, then Reece, and finally Galleli.
The five males stood in a line of power and beauty, and I knew I wasn’t the only one slightly mesmerized as we watched them assess our next move. Mera, her phoenix shifter side fading again, moved in closer to me. She wore a green army jacket now, which turned the green flecks in her hazel eyes brighter than ever. “Ladies,” she breathed, “they’re trying to kill us. Or at minimum impregnate us through overwhelming alpha-ness.”
“It’s a lot,” Simone agreed hoarsely. “I mean, Lucien regularly takes my breath away, but this is extra. They don’t need to be so extra.”
“Over-fucking achievers,” Mera growled. “Always with the overachieving.” Her voice lowered into a growl. “Sunshine, you can take my twenty-inch cock.” She shook her head. “Like, ten would have been great, fifteen amazing, but this motherfucker can actually change the size of hi—”
Shadow laughed, and damn… I had no idea that growly, snarly, powerful bastard could laugh like that. He all but threw his head back as this deep rumble of mirth escaped him. “Sunshine,” he said, “you have such a way with words, mate, but as long as it’s only my cock in your mouth, I’ll never complain.”
Mera fanned her face, pink spots appearing on her cheeks. “You meanas long as it’s only ever your cockthat I talk about?” she replied breathlessly.
Shadow’s grin was slow and predatory. “Yeah, that too.”
Holy gods. “I’m not mentally prepared for this today,” I admitted, feeling hot under the collar.
“It’s all the testosterone,” Simone agreed. “I’m drowning in it.”
She wasn’t wrong. I pulled my shirt away from my neck, needing to cool down.
“Chill, boys,” Angel said with her own wicked laugh. “You five together is too much for us. At least dial it back until we’ve survived the bridge of death.”
The bridge of death. That was a very accurate representation of what the guys had been staring at a moment ago. Like a switch was flicked, the sexy banter and low hum of arousal dried up and they were all business again.
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” I asked. “How would someone from the Great Queen’s line get through this next task?”
We leaned forward to see down the side of the small incline we stood on. The blue sand tapered off here, and on the other side was the suspension rope bridge that led across a flaming pit.
“Their power would connect straight to the Origin,” Len reminded me. “It would take them over and through all of this without being touched. This is basically designed so no other could make it through. To protect the original energy of Faerie from those who would use it for their own gain.”
“What’s around the Origin?” Shadow asked. “I’m assuming the most powerful gems and crystals.”
Len nodded. “Yes. It’s where the sunburst stone came from, along with a few of Faerie’s strongest gems. When the Great Queen was in Faerie, she’d travel into the Deep every decade or so and retrieve new power gems for each royal houses. This kept our energy fresh and new. Since her disappearance, we’ve grown weak and stagnant. No new gems and less young being born.”
What he said bothered me, since it was my grandmother or great-great grandmother or whatever relative she was, who had ditched her job in Faerie. She’d spelled me to forget everything to do with Faerie and our heritage, but it was still my family’s responsibility. When we were done with our task here, I had to ensure I helped strengthen Faerie once more.
“We should move,” Reece said. “The power drain has begun again, and once we step onto that bridge, it’ll kick in hard and fast.”
I still didn’t feel anything, but I had less power to begin with, so there wasn’t much to lose. The barrier inside was holding at least. For now that was my only concern.
The nine of us stepped over the edge of the sand, sliding a little until our boots found traction on the rocks that jutted out beyond the blue. We hurried toward the suspension bridge, blasts of intense heat slapping us in the face as we closed in. I wasn’t surprised when Shadow and Mera were the first to approach it. Fire was their dominion after all.
“I can protect you from the fires,” Shadow said, sounding confident. Not that he ever didn’t. “If I weren’t here, you’d all be cooked before you made it halfway.”
A cough escaped me. “A graphic image that’s now freely floating in my brain. Thank you.”
