“Not that we don’t understand,” Angel added. “The almost dying and rebirth thing definitely takes a toll, and mates need a moment to embrace their second chance, but first things first…”
“Should we smite them all?” Len whispered against my lips, mostly joking I was sure.
“If she’s an Origin god, she should have no trouble with that,” Angel replied, amused rather than defensive.
We will need an explanation of the how and whys soon,Galleli started in my head, and I didn’t even flinch this time. Go me and my rebirth.But for now the darkness is spreading. We must cut it off before it takes over the main source of energy here.
He was right, and with that Len lowered me back to the ground and I took a second to examine this part of the Deep. It was a vast flat space, covered in millions of crystals, the power of them all quite breathtaking. In the center was a drop-off, where the Origin of Faerie hovered, golden and spherical.
As I stepped closer, I could clearly see the dark tendrils winding through the golden energy.
“Before my rebirth, I was Sammia,” I said, still moving closer to the sphere. “An Origin god created through Faerie’s energy. Another Origin god spelled us all so we would take this dark entity back to the source. He was defeated, but the spell remained, and since we had no clue how to destroy it, we only managed to slow its assault by leaving our worlds, effectively weakening them and the spell.”
The others were spread out around me now, and no one said a word, clearly not wanting to interrupt the story. “Now that I’ve returned and reconnected to the source of energy, the boost is going to spread this darkness like it’s on steroids.”
“Did you learn how to stop it?” Simone asked. “When you went… wherever you went?”
I shook my head. “No, we went to the Great Origin. The hub for all the worlds of the Origin gods. But it was only so I could find the memory I’d planted there before I recreated myself as Samantha.”
I felt their confusion, but no judgment at all. Most of them had been reborn in the last couple of years, so they understood in a way no other could. Not even other Origin gods.
“Samantha has something Sammia did not,” Len said as he stepped in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me back into his strength.
“Us,” Mera chimed in. “We’re the strongest pack you could hope for, and with that in mind, maybe we need to, like,Captain Planetthis shit.”
Now it was her turn for everyone to stare at her. “Who is Captain Planet?” Shadow asked. “And should I kill him for knowing my mate?”
Mera burst into laughter. “The fact that I find your possessive alpha bullshit sexy as fuck probably says more about my mental state than yours. It’s an old human cartoon that I used to like. They would join all their powers together to form the strongest entity. Their strength was in their group and friendship. I believe it’s the same for us.”
“I believe that too,” I said suddenly. “This group exists because the Origin gods departed from their worlds and left a power vacuum for you all to grow in. You filled the balance by becoming the new gods.” I shrugged. “Apparently I’m the strongest of the Origins left, so it makes sense that I’m part of this story too.”
“It makes all the sense,” Mera agreed, shaking her head. “Fuck, it’s like a giant puzzle we didn’t know we were building, but I can see the final product now. It’s kind of flawless.”
It was. More than kind of.
“Okay, so, how do we join our powers?” Lucien asked.
The knowledge of how appeared in my mind, as if it had been buried there all along. “I can do it,” I told them. “I can connect us all to the Faerie Origin, and from there we’ll be able to act as one. But we will need to move quickly, or the darkness could affect us all.”
A final warning, not that most of them needed it.
I had no idea if this would work, but it was really the best and only option. Maybe if the Origin gods had joined our powers together instead of splitting our energy and moving off our worlds, we’d have been able to best Dalmia when he cast the spell. We screwed up in thinking we were all working alone, and by leaving we only weakened ourselves and our worlds anyway.
At least that choice had paved the path for the new gods, and since they were already learning from our mistakes, I had a feeling they’d do what the Origins couldn’t.
Save the worlds.
With reluctance, I stepped away from Len, and my body lifted into the air so I could touch the golden strand at the top of the sphere. From deep in my essence, I released eight similar but smaller golden strands, which burst out of my chest, hovering in front of me like snakes mid attack. I then sent those strands scooting away, ensuring each one reached the chest of my pack members, connecting us in an instant.
The moment we joined, I felt all of their unique and individual strengths.
Mera was bright, her energy strong and burning, like a new flame being constantly fueled through the power of her mate bond. She was fire that drew you in, warm and giving, but get too close and you’d be burned.
Then there was Shadow, her mate.
He burned as well, but an older, deeper, and more intense flame. There wasn’t much that could change that flame, but it also wasn’t one many could get close to. It warned you to stay away—warned with its depth and the deep flare of strength. There were also intermingling threads of darkness through the deep red of his fire.
The only light in this beast came from the bond he had with his Sunshine.
