A Shift in Power (Shadow Claw Book 5)

by Sarah J. Stone

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Book 1: The Missing Queen

  Book 2: The Ripple Effect

  Book 3: The Lost Tiro

  Book 4: The Long Journey

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  WARNING: This eBook contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. It may be considered offensive to some readers. This eBook is for sale to adults ONLY.

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  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  A Shift in Power

  Shadow Claw | Book 5

  Sarah J. Stone

  Contents

  A Shift in Power

  Extras

  Witch Academy Box Set (1-4)

  Exiled Dragons Box Set Preview

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  A Shift in Power

  Chapter One

  Cassie and Luke were playing with their cub, and Kevin watched as the child clambered all over Luke who bore it with a stoic expression while Cassie laughed. Kevin smiled at them and wondered if he and Nina would play like that with their baby. He instinctively turned to look at Nina, and stopped short when he realized she wasn’t there. A sudden feeling of unease started to spread through him, and he stood up, sniffing the air. Luke noticed, and he pulled his cub off his back, handing the child to Cassie wordlessly as he stood up and joined his lieutenant.

  “What is it?” Luke asked Kevin softly, making sure to keep his voice down.

  Kevin shook his head, “I don’t know…something. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  Luke nodded. He knew that the shifters only needed their instinct, and it was never wrong. He motioned for Cassie to take their cub to the nursery, and his mate stood up at once, obeying orders without question. When it came to their child’s safety, Cassie put aside her stubborn nature and did what she knew was right. She hurried off in the direction of the nursery, and the two male shifters left the common room to go find Nina and her parents.

  Kalen and Ammara were whispering to each other, and the air in the room was thick with sexual tension. Under any other circumstance, Kevin would give them their privacy, but he was too worried about Nina to care about what he was walking in on. Kevin burst into the room, followed by Luke, and Kalen and Ammara sprang away from each other, looking like teenagers who had just been caught. Kalen bristled with indignation and opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, Kevin interrupted him.

  “Where’s Nina?” Kevin asked, his voice laced with urgency.

  Kalen looked around and shrugged. Ammara stood up, her face wrinkled with concern as she asked what was wrong. Once again, Kevin shook his head.

  “I don’t know, but I can’t feel her. The mating bond isn’t there.” Kevin’s face paled as he realized the implications of what he just said.

  Ammara tightened the belt of her dressing gown and pushed past Kevin and Luke as she ran out of the room. She raised her hands and muttered an incantation, but soon after dropped her hands and shook her head. “I can’t locate her; we have to find her. Now.”

  Cassie came running back to join her mate, and she panted as she said, “She wasn’t in the nursery. The nanny said she hadn’t seen her in a while.”

  Kevin’s inner bear howled in agony. Where had his mate gone? He pushed aside all the horrible thoughts that entered his mind and strengthened his resolve. He let out a low growl, and said, “I’ll check the boundary.”

  Luke nodded, coming into alpha mode as he said, “I’ll go with Kevin. Cassie, get in touch with the other packs. Put out an alert. Talk to Fergus and Diana. See if they know anything.” Cassie nodded and ran off to find a phone. Luke turned to Ammara, and said, “Keep trying the spell.” Ammara raised her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, lines of concentration creasing her forehead.

  Kalen strode out of the house, and announced, “I’ll get the fairies on the lookout.”

  Each of them took different routes, all calling out Nina’s name desperately. Kevin’s heart ached, but he knew he had to keep it together. He shifted suddenly, leaping into the air in a flash of light and landing as a huge and powerful bear. He remembered how when Nina had first wandered into his life, she was a frail little witch who found comfort in his bear form. He felt pain in his chest and desperately tried reaching out to Nina through their mating bond. It was as though the thread had been broken. He was sending a wave of emotions, but there was nothing on the other end to receive them.

  Luke didn’t shift yet and ran alongside Kevin, their feet hammering across the forest that shielded the den. Suddenly, Luke felt something and, he slowed down. Kevin slowed down, too, looking at his alpha questioningly. Luke touched his chest, and said, “It’s Cassie. She’s calling me back. I think she found Nina.” Kevin took off back in the direction they came from, and Luke followed. They stopped halfway as they came across a field. Cassie was kneeling in the middle of the field, and a figure lay on the grass beside her. Kevin howled as he saw his mate lying there unconscious. How long had she been that way? He felt guilt wash over him. He should have been with her. He ran over to her, licking her face gently, hoping she would open her eyes. She didn’t.

  Heather and Abigail rushed out into the field, carrying a blanket. They swathed Nina in it, and Kevin shifted back into his human form, carrying Nina in his arms as they walked back to the house. He was so distraught that he didn’t care about his nakedness in that moment and only wanted to make sure his mate was safe.

  Cassie checked the place where Nina had laid for blood. She wanted to make sure Nina hadn’t lost the baby. There was no sign of blood, and Cassie sighed with relief. She didn’t want anyone to go through what she had been through during her first pregnancy, especially not Nina. Quietly, she followed the rest of the party into the house where Kevin had set Nina down to rest on their bed.

  Nina looked so small and fragile in that moment, that if it hadn’t been for the swell of her belly, she would have looked like a child. Her fingers were blue from the cold, and Kevin took her hands in his, breathing on them to warm them up. Luke picked up a blanket from the corner of the room and draped it over Kevin. Nina’s chest was rising and falling slowly, and everyone gathered around to watch her. Kevin knew that the community was coming together to take care of one of its own, and he was grateful, but he also wanted everyone else to go away so he could be alone with Nina, the love of his life.

  Ammara wandered into the room and stopped short at the sight of her daughter lying unconscious in bed. She rushed to Nina’s side and desperately started to chant. A sliver of light emitted from Nina’s belly and wreathed itself around her delicate body. Ammara continued chanting, her hands hovering over Nina’s form. She closed her eyes and nodded, opening them as
she announced, “Her child is taking care of her now.” She stood up, and said, “I’ll call Kalen back,” before she exited the room.

  Kevin lay down next to his mate, resting his head on her chest as he listened to her quiet, little heart beating. His inner animal was in turmoil. He just wanted his Nina back. The two of them lay there, and Kevin missed his mating bond. It was how he would tell that his partner was okay, but now in its absence, he had no way of knowing how Nina was doing.

  Ammara walked back into the room and sat down at Nina’s bedside. She lay a hand on her daughter’s head, and said, “Nina is stronger than she looks. She will get through this.” The rest of the party nodded and murmured in agreement.

  Luke stepped forward. “What happened to her? She was fine a few hours ago, and then she passed out in a field?”

  Ammara sighed, “It’s the pregnancy. She’s the Caillagh, and that means that her child is the next Caillagh. It was the same way when I carried Nina to term. It drained me of energy and power. The child requires more than any other baby; it will be more powerful than myself or Nina.”

  A few minutes later, Fergus and Diana showed up. Cassie had called to tell them that they had found Nina, and they left Raoul in charge of the wolf pack as they dropped in for a visit at Shadow Claw. Fergus nodded solemnly at Kevin and Luke, and offered Cassie a quick hug. Diana slowly walked up to Nina and glanced at her. Nina had been there for Diana when she was in a bad state, and Nina had made Diana feel more at home than her own pack had. She knelt beside Nina and lowered her head to show respect to Caillagh.

  Suddenly, there was a huge racket as Kalen came bursting in. He looked furious as he demanded to see his daughter.

  “Kalen, sweetheart, calm down. She’s right here,” Ammara murmured, but Kalen did not calm down. He no longer had the youthful, playful look that was so characteristic of him. Instead, his features were hard and icy as he glared at everyone in the room.

  “How did this happen to her?” he demanded. “She was fine, and suddenly, nobody knew where she was? Why wasn’t anyone looking after her? How could she have fainted in a field, alone?”

  Kevin was up in a flash. Baring his teeth, he let out a growl. “What are you trying to say, Kalen?”

  Kalen turned on him angrily, and spat out, “Where were you? Why were you not with Nina when she needed you?”

  Kevin felt rage coursing his veins, and he bellowed, “Why weren’t you? Where have you been all this time? You abandoned her, let us take care of her, and now you want to be her father?” He snarled at Kalen who yelled back obscenities until Luke rushed to Kevin and pulled him away from the fairy king.

  “Oberon,” a soft voice said from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Gael standing there quietly. He shook his head, and Kalen seemed to wilt. He came undone, falling to his knees as his face crumpled into an expression of misery. Ammara ran to Kalen and comforted him as Gael stepped into the room, maintaining his grace and composure.

  Fergus grunted at him in greeting, and Gael returned the smallest of nods in his direction. He gestured toward Nina, and said, “I understand that this is a difficult for everyone, but as someone who was coalescing himself not too recently, I can assure you that all this noise and tension aren’t good for Nina or her child.” Kevin’s bear whined, and he looked apologetic as he turned to Kalen. Before Kevin could speak, Kalen shook his head.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you for this. I know how fiercely you protect Nina, and you would never willingly let her come to harm.” Kalen hung his head.

  Kevin shook his head, and said, “I shouldn’t have said those things. You know I didn’t mean them.”

  Kalen nodded and turned to Ammara, taking her hand as he said. “We have lost our daughter once before, and I was afraid of losing her again.” He turned to Luke, and said, “You have been kind in giving my daughter a home in Shadow Claw and for allowing us all access to your den, but let us take her back to the fairy kingdom.”

  Kevin shook his head slowly and said, “No, this is her home.”

  Ammara shook her head and said, “Nobody is denying that. This will always be her home. But I have access to my full power in the fairy kingdom, and Nina will be close to her life-tree. You can come with us…you all can,” she addressed the rest of the room, and then turned back to Kevin as she softly said, “She needs this, Kevin. I can protect her with her my magic, and I can ensure that she and the baby are safe.”

  Kevin looked at everyone in the room. From Gael the vampire, to the wolf pack’s alpha pair, Fergus and Diana, everyone was here because they cared about Nina. Cassie and Luke nodded at Kevin, who sighed and then nodded. “Okay,” he said quietly, “but I’m not leaving her side for one second.”

  Ammara nodded, and said, “Of course. You’re all welcome to come along.” Luke and Cassie stood up, as did Heather and Gael.

  Luke turned to Abigail, and said, “Stay here and protect the pack.” She nodded, and then Luke turned to Cassie, and said, “Bring Violet back from the nursery. We’ll take her with us to the fairy kingdom.”

  Cassie nodded and hurried to bring her cub. Diana and Fergus paid their respects to Nina and Kevin and then left the den to return to their pack, promising to drop by every now and then to check on Nina. Heather started to pack up a few of Nina’s things to take along, and Gael helped her. Kevin looked at all of them, ready to drop everything to take care of Nina, and his heart warmed at the sight. He knew that Nina would have been so grateful to see that, and he offered a small smile to everyone.

  Kalen snapped his fingers and summoned a small cloud which lifted Nina in the air, and she floated a few feet off the ground. Kalen led her out of the house, and the rest of them followed. It was an odd party. The fairy king up ahead with his blond hair and bright green eyes led the way, followed by a beautiful witch with silvery waves down her back, and a bear shifter draped in a blanket. Behind them walked a big, muscular shifter, his small, black-haired, silver-eyed mate and their smaller, black-haired, silver-eyed daughter. Bringing up the rear were the impeccably stylish vampire and the older shifter with wise eyes and fading beauty. Together, they made it through the protective barrier surrounding Shadow Claw and made their way into the forest of the fairies.

  The tiny, woodland creatures chattered and trilled at the sight of so many people making their way into fairy territory, but when they saw Kalen at the head, they stopped and bowed their heads in respect. Ammara spoke softly to Kalen, who nodded and raised his finger in a beckoning gesture.

  Kalen summoned one of the small creatures and spoke to it in a gentle but commanding voice, “Go to Nina’s life-tree and pluck five leaves from the highest branch, and bring them back to me.” The creature chattered quickly and flew off toward the tree. Kalen led the rest of them toward his house deep in the heart of the kingdom. Kalen’s cloud carried Nina up the winding staircase to a lavishly furnished bedroom where Nina would surely be comfortable. As Kevin tucked Nina in, the fairy returned, its shrill voice ringing in everyone’s ears. Kalen thanked the creature and took the leaves from its hands before it flew off.

  Ammara took the leaves from Kalen and hurried into the kitchen, washing them thoroughly and grinding them with a mortar and pestle. She walked back to the room where Nina lay and rubbed the leaves over her belly. She closed her eyes, and said, “They baby is coming soon.”

  Kevin’s eyes widened, and he demanded to know, “How soon?”

  Ammara shrugged, and said, “A day…maybe two?”

  Heather sat down next to Nina, and said, “Will she awake by then?”

  Ammara shook her head. “She’s in a coma. She might not be awake for her child’s birth. We’ll have to deliver the baby ourselves.”

  Kevin took Nina’s hand and raised it to his mouth, feeling her cold skin against his lips as he whispered, “Please wake up, Nina.”

  Chapter Two

  Nina was trembling. She was running as fast as she could, her feet stumb
ling over rocks and roots as she ran. There was a shadow growing taller and taller behind her, taking the form of a huge hand reaching for her. She screamed, but it was too late. Morrigan was coming for her. Nina threw her arms around her belly, shrieking for help. A hand reached into her chest and grabbed her heart. She felt the icy touch of death and closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate.

  Suddenly, she heard a voice from far away. “Please wake up, Nina.” She looked around wildly. It was her bear, she knew it was. She would recognize that voice anywhere. She screamed out his name, “Kevin!” But she couldn’t see him anywhere. She looked around. She was no longer in the forest, running from Morrigan. Now she stood on top of a hill, all alone.

  She heard someone talking to Kevin – another voice she recognized. Her mother was comforting Kevin, telling him to wait until she finds a way. She could hear them, but she knew they wouldn’t be able to hear her. She was trapped in the world of the sleeping, the world of dreams mingling with prophecies. It was a world she knew all too well.

  Kevin looked at Nina as she lay there, unmoving. He wondered where she was, if she knew that she was surrounded by friends and family. He laid a hand on her forehead, and said, “You all should get some sleep. I’ll stay with Nina.”

  Gael stepped forward, and said, “Kevin, you should get some rest, too. I’m a vampire. I don’t need sleep. I can stay awake and keep a lookout.”

  Kevin considered arguing with Gael, but he knew the vampire was right. Kevin shifted and curled up next to Nina, the big bear protecting the little witch. Luke and Cassie waved everybody goodnight before climbing down the stairs with Violet and finding a room to spend the night in. Ammara and Kalen headed to the kitchen where Kalen fixed them both a drink, and Heather smiled at Gael before she left the room and found herself a couch to sleep on. Gael took up a spot near the window and sat down in an armchair, keeping a steady watch over the sleeping couple and the door. From time to time, he would glance out of the window to see a fluttering fairy making its way home for the night.