A Shift in Power (Shadow Claw Book 5)

by Sarah J. Stone

  Ammara slid off before they entered, and the girl on Samuel’s back took the cue to do the same. The bears shifted back to men and clothed themselves in the garments tied to their ankles. Kevin came forward and took his daughter into his arms from Ammara, thanking her immensely. She gently touched him in acknowledgment and rubbed his head, sending him on his way to Nina and reassuring him that Dahlia wouldn’t be disappearing again anytime soon. She suggested he should get some rest. With that, he disappeared inside with his child, and she turned to the new girl they had brought with them with an ever-watchful eye, Samuel coming to her side and looking at her with equal suspicion.

  Meanwhile, Nina was asleep inside with Cassie and Diana keeping watch over her. Heather and Abigail were off and about with Luke and Kalen to stand guard and have something to do that would calm their restless hearts. With all the events unfolding so abruptly in front of them, it was too upsetting to allow their tired souls to get some rest. They all had to be up and moving. Jitters and nerves were on edge. The thought of losing a child so soon after birth had shaken everyone to their cores, and they could only anxiously anticipate what would happen next. It seemed like they could never catch a break.

  Luke was pacing, anxiety holding a firm grip on his spinal cord. The whole ordeal pained him. It hurt to see Kevin so distraught. He could only recall how he, himself, had lost his and Cassie’s first child, and the last thing he wanted was someone to go through the same thing. The fact that the baby girl had been so easily snatched from them tore through his trust in Kalen. He said it would be safer if Nina were here. They said she’d be better near her life tree. But her condition had only grown worse. And then she and Kevin lost their daughter in thin air. What kind of safety did the fairy king even guarantee? It had been almost twenty-four hours. Hadn’t the found the kid yet? Why was it–

  His phone rang, tearing through his train of thought with its incessant blaring. Reaching for it in a sense of never-ending urgency, he answered it without bothering to check whose ID it was.

  “Hello?”

  “Luke, we’re back,” came a relieved sigh from Kevin on the other end. “Dahlia’s back.”

  Luke’s heart swelled with relief, and it was almost too much to bear. His eyes watered to the brim, and tears teetered at the edges of his lids, threatening to fall over. He rubbed his eyes and looked down to avoid an approaching Heather from noticing. He wouldn’t hear the end of it if she saw.

  “Is she okay? Is she hurt? What about Nina? Are you–”

  “We’re okay, man,” Kevin laughed. It sounded so light and genuine that the happiness had Luke’s lips quivering. The stress was taking a toll on his emotional hold. “Get the others here. Cassie’s asking for you.”

  “Sure. We’ll be there in a bit,” he replied hoarsely and hung up before Kevin could question him about the way he sounded. Pocketing his phone, he looked up to a rather concerned Heather. Eyes still watery, he smiled at her, and she relaxed momentarily, as evidenced by the drop of her formerly tense shoulders.

  “They’re back,” Luke sighed. “They’re all good. We should head over there and take a look.”

  Heather said nothing, only nodded and gathered Abigail to take their leave together.

  Kevin hadn’t wanted to disturb his mate as she slept, and figured he needed rest, too. Cassie and Diana offered to hold Dahlia for him, but he had no intentions of letting his child go for a long time now. He crawled in bed next to Nina and carefully place their baby between them. She cooed in her sleep, accompanied by a yawn before she fell into a deep sleep again. Kevin draped his arm around the two people he loved so much and let his eyes fall shut. For once, he felt like he could sleep peacefully. And it wasn’t long before he dosed off in deep slumber, where dreams reassured him of better moments to come one day.

  One day, he wished ruefully. It felt too farfetched a wish. But he could hope…

  Chapter Ten

  “She seems fine to me.”

  “I know, but she sounds so suspicious.”

  The voices seemed familiar, but too faint and muffled to make out as she arose from unconsciousness.

  “You guys were being too cautious and read into it too much.”

  “Cassie! She was an unidentifiable being in the middle of the woods with no clue how she got there! You’d think–”

  “I think everyone needs a break for once,” Cassie’s voice became clearer to Nina. “You haven’t slept properly in ages, sweetheart. Look at you.”

  “I’m not a baby, Cass. I’ll be fine.”

  “Lemme coddle you,” she demanded stubbornly, and Luke gave an indignant huff. Nina propped herself on an elbow and rubbed her eyes to drive out the sleep from it. Her back hurt from lying down for so long, and begged for a stretch. Her whole body was uncomfortable from inactivity. She needed to get up and move.

  “Oh, hey, you’re up!” Cassie chirped, and walked over to her with Luke right behind her. “How are you feeling?”

  “Downright awful, really,” Nina forced through a yawn. “I need to move. I’m sore all over and…oh!”

  Nina almost fell off the bed at the sight. Kevin lay beside her with their daughter in his protective embrace. The love and shock that surged through her heart was enough to give their bond a tremor and wake Kevin up from his slumber. His eyes flew open, lips curling faintly at the sight of Nina. He said nothing and removed his arm from over Dahlia, picking her up to place in her mother’s arms. Nina snatched her daughter and cuddled her close, peppering her with kisses. Kevin only laughed and drew them close to his chest as he propped his back against a pillow.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Luke and Cassie getting up to leave. He looked at Luke and gave him a grateful nod for watching over Nina while he was gone. Luke smiled at him warmly, patting his shoulder before he wrapped an arm around Cassie and guided her to the door. They left quietly, and Kevin breathed contently. He was finally in one place, feeling absolutely complete. He knew more dangers lay ahead for them, but he could care less for now. He had his daughter and mate back. There was nothing else that mattered more than that.

  Nina was sobbing lightly against his shoulder, her tears staining his shirt, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t bother trying to calm her down. God knew she needed to cry and let it out of her system. She needed a release. She needed peace. He only rubbed her arm and back, letting her know he was there to hold her through her worst and weakest.

  It wasn’t long before Dahlia woke up and started to cry, as if feeling her mother was upset. Kevin kissed her forehead, then her cheek.

  “I think she needs a change of diapers,” Kevin laughed.

  “I think she’s hungry,” Nina chuckled.

  “Probably both. She stinks, though.”

  “So do you.”

  “Well, what did you expect after I came back from trekking all over the woods for a whole day?” he laughed. He kissed her softly on the mouth. “I’ll get her cleaned up. I’ll be right back for you.”

  Nina seemed unwilling to let her go after already losing her once so easy in nothing but air. Kevin reassured her that Dahlia would be fine and pried her from her mother’s fingers, getting up from the bed. Nina’s hand slid off from her child, and Kevin grabbed it to place a tender kiss on her knuckles before leaving to find someone who knew how to look after children.

  Nina worked hard to convince herself that all would be well now that Dahlia was back. She felt the protection spell Ammara had placed on her and felt a little better. Kevin didn’t take too long to return, and he was soon on top of her, kissing her ravenously. Nina groaned as her hands went to his hair to return his love just as passionately. His hands dropped to her waist, holding her firmly against him, almost fearful she’d shimmer away into the light. He pushed her back, hovering over her and letting his mouth run over her neck and shoulders, lips over her face, and then back to her lips. His hands wandered her body, taking in every curve, committing it to memory and feeling her
presence and substantial existence. He was happy. He was so happy.

  “Kevin, baby.” She breathed against his mouth, lightheaded as his lips moved to her ear to nibble it, hand gripping her thigh. His thumb rubbed circles on her legs, soothing her. This felt different – a good different. He didn’t feel in the mood for anything more intimate than this. No sex. Just kissing and cuddling. He didn’t want to mindlessly lose control. He wanted to touch and taste her.

  The oddest thing was how much it calmed their hearts, where they should’ve been racing with adrenaline and hormones instead. Maybe Kevin was too tired and stressed out to go any further this time, but she didn’t care much. All that mattered was that they were all here in one place and not scattered far and wide, held away from each other by intruding forces.

  He pulled away from her face after what felt like the longest kiss they’d ever had and buried his head into her neck, running his hand through her hair and the other wrapped around her tightly. She stroked the nape of his neck and the back of his head, resting her cheek in his hair as she sighed.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too,” he replied back with a kiss to her collarbone. “So, so much. I’ll die without you and Dahlia.”

  Nina pulled his head back and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, but he pulled away too quickly for her liking to emphasize. “Really, Nina. I just can’t be without the two of you. I can’t bear losing you.”

  There was so much despair and desperation on his face that it broke it her heart. It must hurt him so much to constantly lose someone dear to him to momentary danger, never knowing if they’ll make it out alive or not.

  “We’re here now, Kevin,” she whispered to him. “We’re right here. It’s okay.”

  The air shifted, and the two felt an intrusion in the room. It was just Heather with a cooing Dahlia in her arms. “All cleaned up,” she said. “She seems happy about it.”

  Nina reached out to her and gave Heather a grateful look. Heather only smiled back, running a hand over Nina’s head. With a pat to Kevin’s back, she gave notice of Kalen and Ammara awaiting their presence for a feast in celebration of their granddaughter’s return.

  “Maybe you should sleep a little more?” Kevin suggested. “I’ll bring your food here.”

  “No way,” she laughed, “I need to move. I’m aching all over.”

  And so, the two got up with Heather leading the way. Once outside, Nina stretched her legs and back, hearing satisfying clicks from her joints. Kevin only gave her an odd, yet humorous look as they proceeded deeper into the forest. They entered a dense collection of trees blooming vibrantly with shimmering green leaves. Thick trunks and gnarled roots bordered a cobblestone path glistening with smooth pebbles under rays of sunlight breaking through the canopies. It was a wonderful sight, but it only got prettier the deeper they traveled. The leaves started to speckle blue, and the tree bark grew dark, the intensity of it only increasing until the black trees held nothing but blue leaves of various, shimmering shades. Soon enough, a pink wisteria brushed their shoulders. And another. A purple one here, a pink one there, hanging low from the dark branches and settling among the blue leaves so perfectly. As they walked further in, there were enough wisterias hanging to create curtains of them. The sight was absolutely magnificent to take in.

  When Heather parted a particular curtain of wisteria, they stepped into a splendid sight only found in fairytales. God knows how hard Kalen worked to make this happen. A green, circular clearing was spread out before them, with a river cutting right through the center, parting in two to encase the middle large enough for a long silver table to fit, and enough room for everyone to move about in. A small bridge curved over the river to provide access to where the feast arrangements had been made, and everyone was already there, sitting and chatting among themselves. No one had started eating yet, and plates were still empty, although the table was laden with food spilling from the edges of their serving dishes.

  Nina noticed Adelaide, Cora, and Willow also present. She wanted to thank them profusely for all their help. She wanted to thank everyone. She’d never felt so happy in all her life.

  Her parents were seated on one end of the long table, eyeing each other and transferring playful looks.

  There was also someone new: a girl. She looked young, and her presence startled Nina.

  Heather led them over, and it wasn’t long before everyone felt their presence. They all looked over at the couple with their child, faces bright and happy with relief. Ammara and Kalen were simply glowing as they walked over. They stood up to greet them. Dahlia was handed over to her father as Ammara went in for a hug. Nina embraced her and held on tight as her mother wrapped her arms around her just as strongly. It awed her to know she had someone as powerful as Ammara for a mother. And it awed her that her own daughter would soon grow up to be even more powerful than any other witch to exist. But all that didn’t matter.

  She had a family. And she was here with them together.

  “May I?” Kalen asked Kevin as he reached for Dahlia. Kevin was skeptical, but still placed her gently in Kalen’s arms. Dahlia awoke and cooed, and the look on Kalen’s face melted the hearts of those who saw. People were right when they said children were a blessing. Hardly anything besides Ammara warmed him up that way.

  Ammara led the couple to their seats as Kalen joyously announced for the feast to begin. Fairies tumbled in, filling wine glasses to the brim. Everyone waited for all to be seated. Nina found herself next to the new girl, and she smiled kindly at her nervous face. She felt uncomfortable and left out.

  Kalen cleared his throat and called for a toast, but Nina had other things in mind.

  “I’m Nina,” she held out her hand for a shake. The girl reached forward timidly. “What’s your name?”

  “I don’t have one,” she whispered. Nina felt sorry for her, but the girl seemed okay with it.

  “What should I call you then?” she inquired gently, but the unnamed girl shrugged.

  “Whatever you find suitable, I guess,” she replied meekly. Nina gave it a thought and smiled.

  “You look like a Kaia to me,” she responded. The girl smiled and nodded in approval. An uproar interrupted them as everyone else raised their glasses. Nina and the girl now called Kaia followed suit and clinked their glasses together, taking a small shot of the drink.

  “Should you be drinking, sweetheart?” Kevin asked concerned.

  “I handle my alcohol better than you do,” she nudged him jokingly. He gave her a playfully evil grin and pinched her nose. Nina laughed, and she offered to spoon out some beans for him. The feast proceeded with laughter and happy chatter. It was the happiest they’d all seen each other in a while.

  Nina only wished it could last forever.

  ***

  Nighttime had fallen and Nina was taking a walk with her mother, Dahlia in her arms, fast asleep and snoozing away. Nina had tucked Kevin in with great difficulty. He’d insisted on going to bed with the two of them, but once she revealed she wanted to spend time with her mother, he willingly and happily obliged and promised to be asleep by the time she came back.

  “The girl – she’s never had much contact with the outside world, or people for that matter,” Ammara revealed. “Seems to me she’s rarely ever comes in contact with humans or Others. Quite strange, don’t you think?”

  “Probably a runaway of some sorts,” Nina suggested, remembering her past.

  “From some sort of torture camp, I’d say. No memories, no name, no possessions. Nothing at all.”

  “She doesn’t seem human, though,” Nina pointed out. “She smells different.”

  “She’s a witch.”

  “Can’t be,” Nina claimed. “She doesn’t smell like one at all!”

  “One who hasn’t used her powers. Even she wasn’t aware until we told her. Maybe she is lacking in some aspect. There is still a reason we came across her, didn’t we?”
r />   “I’d suppose so, but we ought to be careful, shouldn’t we?”

  “Well, she seems all right, I guess,” Ammara said slowly, “but I don’t want to worry,” she smiled at Nina. “I want to spend some time with my daughter without worrying for once.”

  Nina grinned at her like a child would when getting candy. She hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment with an onslaught of waterworks. Ammara linked her arm through Nina’s and drew her close. “Now tell me. How on Earth did you come across such a beast like Kevin? I would’ve thought a bear would stay behind after he shifted.”

  Nina gave a nervous laugh and blushed, proceeding to tell her everything that had happened.

  The two had much to catch up on.

  But very little time…and the silhouette behind the trees was to make sure of it.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kaia bugged Samuel. She definitely felt off. How could Ammara be so relaxed about this? Had sleeping for centuries actually taken a toll on her skills of deduction?

  He kept a suspicious eye on her over the rim of his wine glass as he took a sip. The sweetness slid right past his tongue, not being registered. He was too tense, too aware.

  Kaia had been introduced and welcomed by Nina too warmly. She’d been given new clothes to wear, bathed, and was accommodated for. And everyone else was enjoying too much. This seemed to unnerve him. He didn’t know what to feel about it all. Was everyone too tired to care anymore? Will this carefree demeanor be momentary? Could they even afford to be this way? What if they became too careless?

  The thread of events had led to an anxious cacophony in his head. And so, he had decided that if everyone was going to be as carefree, then he wouldn’t be. He’d seen too much to be able to rest anymore. His heart was always a tense frenzy. Had it been a normal human being in these circumstances, they would have had a cardiac arrest already.