Angel stood then, distracting us both. “My power is mine alone,” she told the room, even though we all knew she was talking to one giant desert deity. “Mine. And it always has been. What I’ve chosen to use it on should not be a factor that keeps you awake at night. Be grateful the burden is not yours, especially since inheriting it required my entire family to fall.”

She turned and walked off, her wings spreading out protectively behind her. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mera,” she called back.

Shadow didn’t argue with her, so clearly there was no plan to do anything else tonight. Apparently, we had one more night before all of us went up against the most powerful being to walk the worlds. That thought alone sobered my excitement over the intrigue of Angel and Reece. Tomorrow, we’d be in a fight for our lives, and I sensed deep inside that not all of us would walk away from this battle.

A fact that scared the absolute shit out of me because I could not lose anyone. Not again.

I wouldn’t survive it.

36

The room felt emptier and colder without Angel, but at least Reece stopped acting like a fuckwit, which told me his mood had been all thanks to my gorgeous friend. More specifically, my gorgeous friend at full power.

No one allowed me to pry further into the situation as we focused on war talk. “We cannot delay heading to the Shadow Realm,” Shadow said, still holding me down by my thighs, his very healthy erection wedged between us.

“We’re going to head into the Shadow Realm tomorrow?” I confirmed.

I felt him nod behind me. “Yes. We may have to practice some spells first, but after that, we will make our move on the realm.”

“Do we want to maybe go in stealthily?” I pushed for more information. “Or are we just guns blazing, racing across the realm until we find her?”

Alistair chuckled, the cool and calming nature of his energy caressing the room, keeping us all relaxed. “As interesting as the guns blazing visual is, Dannie might actually come to us. If she senses your energy, she will seek to rectify the situation.”

I felt Galleli’s essence a beat before he spoke in our heads. I’ve been observing her energy from afar. Taking into account the fluctuation of the realm’s power, Dannie grows in both strength and confidence. Her need to restore balance and order will destroy everything, but she truly believes she is doing the right thing.

“I have sensed the same,” Shadow said gruffly. “And while Mera hopes to convince my mother to release the stone on her own, I think she’s too far gone. I believe we need to create a fortress of binding power. It’s what we’ll practice to achieve tomorrow.”