Even Shadow was impressed when we reached the next wall in her main room, which was covered top to bottom in weapons. From swords to small blades, axes and other lethal chop-off-your-own-arm items, there were so many, I couldn’t take them all in. Each one was mounted upon what appeared to be bone, displayed to perfection. “They sit on the remnants of our enemies,” Angel explained.

Remnants of her enemies? Bone was correct.

“I remember some of these,” Shadow said, leaning in close, but not too close that there was any chance of him touching her items. If I knew anything about ancient Honor Meadow weapons, they did not like to be handled by those who were not family.

“When our bond is complete,” she told me, “you’ll be able to call any item from these walls.”

Now that was exciting. Except… “You don’t have to die first, right?”

She actually cracked a smile. “No, the wall can be called by more than one. Any who are in our bonded family are gifted with these ancient battle materials.”

Okay, then, sign me up.

When we were finally able to tear our eyes from the wall “art,” we moved farther into the cabin. Angel led us into a lounge room containing a few wooden chairs. “I like to carve in my spare time,” she said, gesturing for us to sit on the intricate pieces. “They’re stronger than they look.”

That was probably meant for Shadow because they looked plenty strong to me. I was the first to sit, and before Shadow could move to the bench beside me, Angel stepped in front of him.

“Free the rest of my memories,” she said in a rush. “I’ve been able to release some through my current awareness of the spell, but… the being who cast it is too strong for me to best their energy completely.”

“All of us needed help to remember.” I piped up from my spot. “Nothing to be ashamed of.” They both shot me a glare and I shrugged. “Just trying to help. I figured it’s tiring being a badass all the time. It’s nice to let others support you on occasion.”

Angel had actually imparted that advice to me in the realm, which she may not remember.

Their glares didn’t cease. “Completely not tiring,” Shadow said bluntly.

“Agreed,” Angel added, and I just smiled because they were adorable… and scary. Always scary.

Shadow wasted no time placing his hand on her forehead. Angel closed her eyes briefly, and I felt the burst of power that came from them both, near knocking me off my seat. Angel flew across the room, her wings shooting out to stop her from slamming into the walls. Scrambling to my feet, I was prepared to jump between them if a battle broke out, but Angel just shook her head a few times, finally meeting my gaze. “Mera.”

She’d known me before, but until this moment hadn’t truly known, known me. I ran toward her because of course we had to hug again, both of us holding on for many minutes.

It had been too close to almost losing them all.

When we were all hugged out, we sat and caught up. I quickly got her up to date on what had happened on Shadow’s and my side after Dannie, and where we were at now.

“What’s the plan to defeat the Danamain?” Angel asked, leaning back in her chair, mulling over everything she’d heard.

“Shadow’s friends have all gone to their worlds to gather their most powerful spells, energy, and artifacts,” I said quickly. “Len has some stones that will hopefully prevent her from stealing our memories again, and the others are bringing their strongest weapons and abilities to the table. We need the firepower to trap her in a prison, which will drain some of her energy. If that works, we’ll attempt to remove the stone from her… in whatever way necessary.”

“Mera is hoping that she’ll release it on her own,” Shadow added, “always trying to save us, even when we’re barely redeemable.”

He wasn’t just talking about his mother. “I would never give up on you,” I assured him, squeezing his hand. “And while I’m mad at her as well, I believe Dannie deserves a chance.”

Angel tilted her head, probably considering my words. “The stone itself is neither good nor evil. It was just too much power for her to handle. She wanted to return the balance to how it had been before Ixana. Before Shadow was expelled from the realm. Dannie’s logic was flawed, though, because the path of destiny was long changed from that time.” She waved at me. “Take Mera, for example. Until Shadow was exiled from his world, Mera’s path did not exist in the cosmic plan. Her life came about to match the new Shadow who would emerge from the flames of the wreckage of his last life. There’s no turning that back, which was why neither of you embraced the world Dannie tried to create for you.”

Shadow nodded, reaching out to drag me closer to him; he’d hardly let me out of his sight or hands since we’d found each other again, and I was one lucky shifter.

“Not even with her current power could she change our fates,” Shadow said. “She was only muddying it up, but thankfully for all of us, Mera is too damn stubborn to accept that sort of subterfuge.”

I found myself feeling strangely proud. Sure, I’d had some help from Shadow’s spell, but those niggling doubts and inconsistencies wouldn’t have meant much without the stubborn part of my personality forcing me to dig deeper until I uncovered the truth. I never gave up. My time being the pack’s punching bag, of refusing to roll over and die, had prepared me well for my future.

A future that was now in grave jeopardy.

Hopefully, a few of my other life skills would come in handy because I was not ready to lose my current fated path. Not when it meant losing Shadow and the rest of my pack.

Yeah, hard pass, Dannie. Hard fucking pass.

33

With Angel up to speed and the countdown clock still ticking, we decided to head back to the library. “I’ll take some energy from the layers of my ancestral power,” Angel said as we left her cabin. “I don’t need as many levels of protection as I have, and if we all die because we lack the power to best Dannie, it’ll be useless anyway.”

She had all of my attention now because I really wanted to know how she planned on taking energy from a “layer” of her world.

She didn’t touch the forest level, leading us back to the spot we’d first entered it. “This is a main connective point,” she explained, motioning to the exact area Shadow had used to step through. “From here, I can take as many layers as I need.”