“You are right,” I said quickly. “Let’s get it done.”
Exactly as we did before, Len and I found the strands, and the fire and sand burned through the darkness. Only this time, the water and life-light from the others ensured that when we were done, the Faerie magic was whole and glowing.
The spell was thicker already, and took us more time, but we were also stronger in the complete bond of twelve. Once we found our groove, we were able to untangle the darkness. Piece by piece. Strand by strand. It took almost all our energy, and by the time we were done, not a single iota of Dalmia’s spell or power was left in the brilliant gold of Faerie’s original magic.
Exhausted, we drifted down to the gem-strewn land and collapsed. As I fell, I knew it was time to release the cords, though it hurt to know I’d be letting Alistair go. He might not have been someone I knew or loved, but he was part of our pack. A brother to my mate.
For them, I felt broken.
“His energy is happy and content,” Shadow rumbled, picking up on my thoughts through our connection. “We must release him into the afterlife until such a time he chooses to leave it. He is not ready yet.”
It was a truth we could all feel. There was lightness in the cool spray of his water magic. I sensed that he wasn’t quite done with the mortal realm yet, but for now he didn’t want to give up his afterlife.
Len held my hand as I released the eleven cords, the shiny strands fading back into my chest, waiting for the moment they’d be called again. The nine of us continued to rest against the gems, a sense of mourning among the group. Len pulled me closer so that I was completely wrapped in his arms. “I love you,” he whispered, burying his face in my neck, breathing me in deeply, his lips brushing my skin.
The love I had for him was as strong as my connection to Faerie. Powerful and golden.
“I love you too.”
We snuggled together, letting our bodies heal, and our powers renew. Luckily, we were all on beds of literal energy, even if they were rather uncomfortable.
When we eventually made it to our feet, Mera looked around. “So, what do we do now?” she asked. “Did we save the worlds again?”
“Faerie has been saved and restored,” I told her, feeling the clean and steady beat of energy from the Origin.
“The other worlds weren’t as lucky,” Shadow said, staring out into the golden globe of Faerie. “Do you think we need to deal with the dark energy in them as well?”
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “Not unless their gods return and set the spell in motion once more. I guess we just keep an ear out for word of that.”
Those worlds might be weaker, but they were still functioning. Their new normal didn’t really have space for the old ways, not any longer. The fact I wasSamanthanow stood testament to that.
“We can let the worlds rest for now,” Len said, backing me completely. “They’ve existed with the darkness and weakness for centuries already. The compensation to fill the power void has begun. We might be doing more harm than good by stepping in and fixing what we haven’t been asked to fix. From what I can see, none of the other worlds have encountered a dumbass local who cuts their main cord of power and thinks he can just take it over.”
A snort escaped from me. “If I’d been a normal shifter and royal it would have worked,” I said. “It would have killed me instantly, no matter what you did to try and stop it. But thankfully I’m a god, and even weakened, I could hold on when needed. Which is going to really come back to bite Fredrick on the ass.”
Might even shift into my beast form and literally give that a go.
The illumination under Len’s skin grew stronger, a sign of his new power, and our bond hummed strongly. “We will ferret out everyone involved,” he said in that low, scary tone. “Ferret and destroy. They hurt my mate, and for that there’s no punishment strong enough.”
All the mushy feelings inside me soared up, and he released some of that fury to turn and capture my face, leaning in to press his lips to mine. “No one will ever take you from me again. I don’t care who must die to warn the others. It’s all a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” He kissed me again. “You and Tabitha are my home. Not Faerie or any other world. You.”
Tabitha, our precious perfect miracle. “I’ve been lost for so long,” I said, dropping my head against his chest as emotions overwhelmed me. “Lost without memory, identity, or purpose. You gave me everything back, and I’m so fucking grateful for you.” I lifted my head to be captured by blazing grey-purple eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for being my home too.”
The small sigh of happiness burst up from my chest.
“Such a great ending,” Mera clapped. “Now, let’s get our kids.”
“Fuck yes,” Reece whooped. “Damon’s probably a foot taller by now.”
No kidding. Our exceptional children made a lot of sense now that we had all the pieces to the puzzle. The babies of gods. And just like with our pack, we’d only just began to see what they were capable of.
50
SAMANTHA
“Mama!”
The voice, small but so clear, had me sprinting across the Silver Lands’ courtyard.
