Shifting Shadows

by Barb Shuler

  “What the fuck is this?” I ask no one in particular. Jasmine’s healing Horacio as he leans against the porch railing. I let my head fall back and try to control my bear. This is turning out to be one colossal clusterfuck. I look toward the house when I hear the back door close. Horacio, having put on a new shirt, was rolling up his sleeves and moving over to where we are standing. He looks a little worse for wear, but seems to be okay.

  “What do we do now? If they aren’t Reapers... what in the hell are they?” he asks. Zyla and Horkan exchange a look, then turn their gazes to us.

  “The only creature able to change someone’s appearance is either a mage, or a Fae. We need someone to read the magic used and see what we are dealing with. There has to be a reason for this. The creatures in the clearing are not Reapers either, however, the few Reapers we have seen and killed have been the real deal. I’m not sure who is playing this game, but it needs to end.” Zyla’s words send a spike of fear through me.

  We’re standing in the yard, debating and talking out the possibilities of this fight when the air around us shifts. My eyes flare gold. I can feel my bear pushing forward. Danger! Someone’s inside the wards. I turn to head for the house when I hear Jasmine scream.

  I burst through the backdoor just in time to see two fae disappear with Jasmine in their arms. I roar and move back outside, my body shaking with an anger unlike any other I’ve ever felt before.

  “KELANIE!”

  Time seems to pass in slow motion. When Kelanie pops into the yard, her ragged demeanor only adds to my anger.

  “Hurry, we must get to her now, before it’s too late. We have to cross the veil,” she shouts as she moves to the Drakes. “Let’s go. We will need a ride. Horacio and I exchange a brief look and then quickly follow after her.

  Thirty-Four

  Jasmine

  One minute I’m in the bathroom, drying tears of frustration off my face, and the next I’m walking into an ambush. In my own fucking house, mind you. I’d just managed to scream when the two men - fae - grabbed me and poofed us from the cabin. Seriously, like today day hasn’t already been a plate of crazy with a side of nerves, someone felt I needed to deal with being kidnapped as well.

  I was pissed to high heaven at Tiberius for leaving me and Horatio at the cabin earlier. But, I get it. He wanted to keep us safe. I could feel it when he walked away. The pain of leaving us behind was almost suffocating, yet the resolve to keep us safe had won out. However, I’m capable of taking care of myself dammit.

  I don’t think he expected us to be attacked by the Reapers, who, as it turns out, weren’t really Reapers after all. Talk about a clusterfuck. I still have no idea what is going on, but I swear, as God is my witness, I’m about to unleash a can of whoop ass on these people. Well, I would if I hadn’t been shoved into a dark room that consisted of nothing other than a bucket, a cot, and a barred-off window when the door was shut. That had been three days ago. Three days of sitting in a hole in the ground with no idea of what had happened.

  I paced and fumed, as I waited. What was happening? Why was I taken, and not my boys? I wasn’t sure of how much time had passed before I had to lay down and try to straighten out the kinks in my back. My hips, back and stomach had started to hurt like a mofo around, what I assume, was a few hours ago. I guess too much of this man-handling crap was getting to me. When the doors to my hole in the ground opened I jerked up. I wasn’t asleep, but close. I’m pulled off the cot by my arm and drug up a set of old brick stairs. And when I say old, I mean, they were so old they crumbled in places as we made our way up them. That was comforting. Not!

  We enter a big open room, where I’m shoved unceremoniously to the floor. I’ll bet this room used to be elegant, but the years of chaos had worn it down to the dull place it was now. There’s a tiled mosaic design under my hands that I inspect closely as I try to get air to fill my lungs again. The anger rolling through me is almost too much to take. I’m dizzy with rage. I let out a frustrated breath. I’m more than tired of being pushed and shoved around like a damn ragdoll. I’m pregnant, for fuck sake! Didn’t anyone care about that?

  I snarl at the men around me as struggle to my feet. I push my hair from my face and slowly bring my head up. It’s only then that I see him. The growl that leaves me reverberates throughout the room. His red eyes shine brightly and a devilish smirk pulls at his lips.

  “Now that you are here, we have work to do,” he says, clapping his hands together. “Bring her to me.”

  “Not a chance,” I mutter.

  Yet again, he claps his hands together as he speaks. I think he’s talking to himself, because he’s making no damn sense. Seriously, the mofo had clapped his damn hands together. I hear him utter Tiberius and Horacio’s names and before I know what I’m doing I fling a hand out. The magic leaves me so fast I don’t think anyone could guess what I was doing. The words fill my brain, so I go with it.

  “Grab her!” The red eyed man snarls at the men around me.

  I flip around, my hand connecting with one Fae’s jaw, my foot coming up to catch the other in the gut. Two dominos down, one to go. Or so I thought. Three more Fae pop in and rush me. I move out of the way of one, but another grabs me. I fight to get free. I pull to get my arms free but they don’t budge. I fling my head back, cracking him across the face. My hands start to tingle. He screams in pain as the magic runs through him. I’m left fighting back the stars that fill my eyes, but I’m free.

  Another man grabs me. Before I can react, the unthinkable happens. My water breaks. I’m hoping that what it is anyway. I’d hate to think I’d just pissed on myself in the middle of a fight. For one, I’m not scared, I’m pissed. The pain that rips through my abdomen confirms my first thought. Not now! This isn’t the time or place to deal with this!

  “You will come with us!” The hiss of the voice from behind me has me turning.

  My hands are covered in the blue of my magic. His hands - which are the size of dinner plates - match the rest of him. He must be at least eight feet tall, and he's at least two times Ty’s body mass. I swallow hard and take a step back. My hands come up and I blast him before he even has time to react. His body vibrates and, I shit you not, when he falls forward I’m staring at something I have never seen before.

  “Holy Mary…” I mutter as I take another step back from the massive creature before me. He’s the size of an elephant, but he is no elephant. His large, leathery looking body has small spikes down his spine. The short, fat tail has a spiked ball on the tip. Shit! This is not good at all. His snarl vibrates throughout the room. I realize I have only two choices - run or be squished. I’m not stupid, so I run for the door. Now, now would be a good time to piss on myself.

  My feet carry me across the room only to be herded back towards the big monster when three more Fae pop into my line of sight. I say a quick, silent prayer and move towards the big monster. I run as fast as I can, shifting to slide across the floor, putting myself under his big body as he moves over me. When I can get to my feet again he turns. His eyes, that were dead looking before, now have a spark of fire in them. He quickly shifts back to his huge human form.

  “She is mated to a Guardian!” His words were little more than a growl, demonstrating his anger. How had he known that? My eyes went wide as he shakes his head and starts to stalk towards me. I backpedal, but the wall finally stops my escape. He holds out a hand and bows his head.

  “Do not fear. I will not hurt a mated female.” Were his words supposed to reassure me? He’d just attacked me. How did he know I was mated? I growl as he comes closer. I raise my hands and let my magic manifest.

  “SHE IS MINE!” The crazy man with the red eyes says. I knew who he was. He was the Fae Prince from the book grandmother had given me. The large man before me spun and shook his head.

  “My Prince, she is mated to another-”

  “I have two mates!” I say. I want to say more but my body chooses that time to shoot a pain through me so strong that I fa
ll to my knees. Holy! Shit! I gasp in pain and clutch my stomach. Not now, kid. Please, I beg you.

  “Kordmeyn, you will bring her to me!” The Prince shouts. Really, dude, I’m right here. You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here. The pain shooting through me is all I can focus on. The pressure I can feel in my hooha is not fun. Shit is about to get fucked up on a whole new level.

  “She is with child?” Kordmeyn, says. Uh, was he just figuring that out? Did he just think I was fat?

  “That abomination means nothing!”

  I growl at his words. My baby is not an abomination! I breathe through the next contraction. Holy crap, that hurts! There’s a commotion from somewhere. People are shouting. I am just focusing on trying to not burst in half. I’m scooped up from the floor and taken down an empty hallway. I cry out as another pain burns through me. It hurts so bad I’m seeing stars.

  “Do not fret, we will get you to help.” It was Kordmeyn’s voice. Great! This is not how I imagined this would happen.

  Thirty-Five

  Horacio

  Three days. Three fucking days have passed with no word of whether Jasmine is okay or not. As soon as Kelanie popped into the yard and said we had to go, we rode. Now, I’m all for shifting and running, I’ll walk for days if need be, but riding on the back of a Drake, which for lack of a better word is a fucking Dragon… yeah, no. That shit sucks. Your ass hurts, your legs go to sleep and the wind in your face, is not as nice as dogs make it appear.

  But I’ll do anything to find our girl. After we crossed the veil, things got hairy, fast. It took the Drakes and a lot of persuasion on our parts to get some of the Fae beasts still on this side of the veil to help us. They were afraid of what might happen to them if they did. Valid point. Others were just crotchety old fuckers. I understand their apprehensions. The Prince is one twisted puppy. He’s just as crazy as the original Fae Prince that set Faery on fire all those years ago.

  It’s taken a lot of arguing with Zyla to get a straight answer on who this crazy Prince is, and what he might possibly want with our mate. Xorlan is currently giving us a full rundown of what has been going on here in Faery. His words are doing nothing to keep us from shifting and running off after our girl. Tiberius has been so volatile at times that Kelanie has had to step in and spell him to keep his bear from coming forth. I’m not far behind him. The longer we are here, the more my Jaguar wants to push forward.

  “What do we need to know?” Ty growls out. I pull him back to stand beside me. My fingers bite into his forearm, which causes him to glance my way. I give him a hard look, but I understand. I really do. I’m having the same thoughts and feelings as he is.

  “Relax, baby. Let him explain. We’ll find her and bring her back home.”

  “Xorlan, please tell us what you know,” Kelanie pleaded with him. He glanced at Zyla, who was looking a little green, before turning back to us and nodding.

  “As I was saying, the Prince - he’s a little unbalanced. When he first set Faery ablaze, it changed the way we as creatures were. With the change of landscape, and the demolishment of so many, we were left no choice but to adapt or die. Some crossed the veil, and as you saw, some did not. The ones that remained here have had to stay hidden. Over time, the blackness inside the Prince spread to his son and now to his grandson.” Xorlans’ gaze moved to Zyla.

  “What does that mean!? For fuck sake, spit it out so I can go get our mate!” Ty roars. His canines begin to lengthen, distorting his speech. His claws extend. I have to fight to keep a grip on him.

  “It means my crazy ass cousin is just as twisted as the rest of those fuckers!” Zyla snaps. She spins, glaring at us like it’s our fault we’re here. “I’m sorry. I had no idea he’d take her. I should have expected something. I should have known. We should have done a better job of tracking him down.”

  “Oh, for the love of all things magical. Stop this. What do we do now? I’m growing tired of just sitting here. I could go get her myself if I knew where she was. Any ideas?” Kelanie asks. I notice Amandrell, Lalamke and even Alec stand flanking her. Each has a determined look on their faces.

  The thunder of feet hitting the earth fills my ears. Ty snarls and pushes me back. I shove back to stand beside him. My eyes move across the creatures that stop only a few yards from where we are. Zyla moves past us and greets a tall man with shaggy looking hair. His smile is wide as he embraces her.

  “Easy Guardians, they are here to help,” Xorlan says, as he too pushes past us. He moves to the group and drops to a knee. The man before him says something I’m unable to hear. When he stands I can see the man is looking our way. With a nod of his head, he and two others move closer to our group, with both Zyla and Xorlan flanking him.

  “Guardians, Council members, I am sorry you have to visit our lands under these circumstances. My daughter has alerted us to your problem. Please allow my warriors and I to help you. The Prince has finally bitten off more than he can chew. It’s about time he chokes on it.” I raise a brow. My gaze darted between Zyla and the man before us. He’s tall, which explains her height. There are some similarities, but he is no drake. I’m not sure what he is. I guess my confusion is written on my face ‘cause she answers my unasked questions.

  “My mother was the Drake Princess, father is... well, he and his clan are something special.” She smiles as she glances at her father.

  “I am called Xypher, King of the Crichons. At your service.”

  “I don’t give a shit who you are as long as we can get our mate back.” Ty walks off and heads out across the grassland before us.

  “Stubborn ass Guardian,” Kelanie growls as she watches him stalk off. I hurry to catch up to him.

  “Ty, we have to think this out. We can’t just march in there and start a fight. We have to find out where he has Jasmine.” His reply is cut off when a loud cry comes from the sky. Everyone looks up and the two Drakes in the air soon land on the ground. Within the blink of my eyes they’re changing to their human forms. One male, and one female stalk towards Zyla and her father.

  “My Lord. Your Majesty,” they both say as they drop to a knee.

  “Rise, my friends. Tell us what you have found.”

  “They are in the old Castle. It’s ready to fall apart in sections so they must be in the front throne rooms. I fear we must hurry. There are others like you, and Gobi’s close by. We were not able to get too close or we would have been seen.”

  “Thank you Cylor, Myling,” Zyla says, her voice a soft whisper on the wind. She looks at her father worriedly.

  As he’s speaking, a few more people move from the back of his group. One is a cat of some sort. I can smell its scent on the air. Two others move closer as well. They have golden eyes. Guardians? I tilt my head as Xypher turns to greet them.

  “The Sabers and Ganters are here to help,” Xypher announces.

  “We are as well,” a big man says, coming through the crowd, a trail of men behind him. They are as big as Ty, if not a tad bit bigger. Xypher nods his head and turns back to us.

  “The Polti are here as well. Now, let’s move. Zyla, my child, you take the scouts and your warriors to the castle. Stay out of sight. We will be there as fast as we can. We are bound to gain attention as we approach. You will be in charge of the distraction.” He gives her a wicked grin, which she returns.

  “Yes, Father.” Zyla turns, the sword she wears across her back glistens in the light of the day. “You heard the King, saddle up. I want two warriors to every flier. Saytor, with me.” They mount the now shifted Drakes and as one they take to the sky. My attention moves back to Xypher.

  “Now, please allow us to lead, as we know this land and the way. I would advise you to not run off half-cocked. This is not like your side of the veil, things here may not always be as they seem.”

  “We shall move as one. If you will allow it, we can make our approach silent, but you will have to allow my people to move along with you,” Kelanie says.

  “Yes, that w
ill be fine. You are amongst friends here. No one will cause any of you harm.”

  Without another word the Fae spread out through the group. Kelanie, myself and Ty are in the front with Xypher and his fellow warriors. As we move across the lands I try to focus on Jasmine. I have a very bad feeling. Something is wrong, very wrong.

  Thirty-Six

  Tiberius

  The closer we get to the castle, which looks like it has been here since the dark ages, the more my worry and anger build. Jasmine, our mate, is in there somewhere. We have to find her. She has to be alright. If anyone has touched her, I will rip them into a million pieces and feed them to the Drakes.

  We’re at the gate before the guards can see us. It’s a free for all as we make our way inside. I fight my shift. I can’t do that right now. I need to stay alert and in control. My bear is all about mayhem and bloodshed. I shoulder through the door and am brought up short when I came face to face with… something. What in the blue balls is that?

  “I got this one!” One of Xypher’s men says as he pushes past me and morphs into something just as big, and twice as ugly, as the thing before me. Shaking my head, I move through the room and around the massive creatures who are tearing up each other and this rickety ass castle. When one of the walls starts to crack I realize there’s a big, nasty creature coming through it, but not by its own choice.

  “Tiberius!” My head spins around at the sound of Horatio calling my name. “This way!” I move to follow him into another room. A man, one we have been told about, stood there. How I know it’s him, I’m not sure, but I do, and my bear instantly takes over. I shift mid-stride. My roar escapes me and he turns. Fucker hadn’t even noticed we’re here. I see the glowing red eyes, the sneer on his face and I leap. My body slams into his and we roll. The magic pulsing from him sends pain radiating throughout my body, but I push it back and continue my struggle with him. I swipe a paw out, connecting with his body, which only serves to piss him off.