Page 62

I n a bright flash, the breath rushed out of me as I stared up at the shifted towering form of Emon’s beast.

A radiant and monstrous golden panther.

His fierce feline eyes, rich with the same gold light as Emon, lowered down to peer at me and the power that radiated off of him was terrifying.

Without any self preservation, I took a trembling step forward in awe. If I thought that being around Emon was like being burned by the sun, then his panther's presence was like being burned by all the stars in the sky.

Emon was correct. His beast was not of this world, perhaps not even this universe.

The cat’s regal head bowed. “Finally we meet, princess of the shadows.” His voice was dulcet and cultured, it boomed melodiously inside of my head.

My shadows rushed toward the giant beast the moment he spoke, draping over him like one would a lost friend. For a brief moment, the beast was a true panther in all black and within, there was darkness. A cold calculated killer that lurked beneath the breathtaking shimmer of his mystic self.

“Where is Emon?” I narrowed my gaze on him suspiciously, suddenly worried for the fae that was stealing the shattered pieces of my heart.

“Fairy boy is more than safe.” His bright eyes blinked slowly. “He is currently yelling at me to stop scaring you.”

My lips twitched. “Fairy boy.” I shook my head. “I am not frightened but merely intrigued.”

The panther’s great paw swiped at the shadows, peeling them off of him like the shedding of a cloak.

“Forgive me. He said that your look indicated either you were afraid of me or were going to kill me. I didn’t believe the latter.

” Lowering his body to the ground so that his massive head was only inches from mine, he regarded me thoughtfully.

His long golden tail flicked back and forth.

“We are trapped with each other as you see but worry not. He is still here. He’s always here.

Like an itch I can’t scratch. Like a parasite that won’t die. Like a disease with no cure.”

I laughed in the face of the universe's ultimate predator. “That is most unfortunate.” I said with mock sincerity.

The panther grinned, a terrifying sight of sharp gleaming white teeth that in length were as long as my arms.

“Are there any more like you?” I said breathlessly.

He shook his great golden head, sadness echoing in those mystic glowing eyes before answering. “I do not know. I cannot remember, princess of shadows.”

“I am sorry to hear that.” I said simply.

“As am I.”

My shadows rubbed against his front legs sympathetically and he turned his head into them purring affectionately before batting them down playfully into the ground. His dangerous black claws slicing through them without harm.

“You seem to know each other?” I watched the shadows curl around his front legs and he nipped at them friskily.

“Perhaps from a life that has long passed, I believe.” He rumbled, shaking the shadows off of him, growling. “ Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the outposts? Fairy boy is most anxious to get there before nightfall. ”

I opened my mouth to protest but snapped it closed when the regal panther moved closer, turning one eye on me. I could see my full silhouette in the reflection of his golden gaze and my nervous shifting in the presence of his greatness.

“I understand that you would prefer not to, but please spare an old cat the torture of listening to the fairy boy complain about it. He is already demanding that I will have to make you see reason.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. Swallowing down the numerous questions I wanted to ask the panther. “I’ll concede then, only to spare you the torture of course. But you will owe me.”

The great cat’s pink tongue darted out to lick his lethal sharp canine slowly. “To owe a fae is a dangerous bargain.” He smiled again and I suppressed a shudder. “But I find I am intrigued and will play this game.”

“May I?” I reached my hand out towards the side of his face, his whiskers brushing coarsely against my bare arms.

The panther inclined his head. “I am honored princess.”

My hand shook slightly when I tentatively reached out to touch his fur and sunk into his fine silky coat while I marveled at the dreamy texture.

The giant of a cat melted under my touch, purring happily when I continued my petting from his neck to shoulder, pausing only to wonder how in the goddess I would ascend such a beast.

The shadows decided for me, wrapping around my middle and suspending me upward until I sat astride the panther’s powerful front legs. His body was so massive I was forced to tuck my feet behind me, leaning forward into his enormous frame.

“Fairy boy insists that you hold on tightly. I am in agreement.” He looked back over his shoulders.

I nodded eagerly and I grasped fistfuls of his silken fur. I exhaled slowly. “I’m ready.”

He hummed and I felt his muscle tense before he bounded forward, soaring over the expansive river that bordered Finlandia.

A squeal of delight escaped me, watching the valley and water blur beneath us in more than a twenty foot drop that left me breathless.

He raced gracefully through the valley, speeding faster and faster towards the Red Cap Mountains.

His powerful body and pace created a strong wind that whipped back my hair and stung my eyes, cooling my body from the burning West Isle sun.

My shadows raced with us. Blasting in front of the panther with their smokey darkness, that in turn he would plunge through with zero fear, transforming his body from black to gold before the shadows rippled away, parachuting behind us to start their game anew.

Laughing, I tilted my head back and released my hands from their tight grip to raise them above my head. Closing my eyes, I breathed as the world passed us by.

“Amazing.” I whispered. This…was living.

“We are both glad you approve, princess of the shadows.” The panther's voice rumbled beneath me.

Bringing my hands back down, I leaned forward again. “Why do you call me that? I am no more a princess than the blades of grass beneath us. The faerie queen disbanded monarchy within the courts many years ago.” It was her way to unite all the fae under one ruler…to bring the courts together.

It was a facade. Deirdre coveted power and saw a chance to take it. Only one court did not follow. The shifters.

“Like Emon and I. You are more than what you realize.”

I paused, giving his words more thought. Unlike my people, my sentient shadows came the night I was born and never left my side since. My brother and I’s biological father was always a mystery to us, one not even our mother could explain or never wanted to.

“What is your name?” I wondered out loud.

“Cat. Beast. Unseemingly other things the fairy boy calls me that I will not repeat.” He grumbled inside my mind.

I laughed. “You are much too celestial for me to call you such names.” I teased.

He purred. “I held many names. Many titles. None of which I can remember now.”

“How does one forget their own name?” I stroked his fur sympathetically.

“Unfortunately, I do not know the answer to that either.” His gold eyes looked over his shoulder at me briefly. “What name would you choose for me?”

I frowned at the unusual request. Like all fae, I believed a name held power.

For one to know its true form was to have power over you.

Bravely, and with more trepidation than I cared to admit, I ran my hands through the panther’s silky golden fur once more and turned on my aura sight, something I had been avoiding since meeting him.

I gasped at the blinding infinite shimmer of white gold that stole my vision. His aura blocked out the sky, the sun, the moons, the land before us. I was completely encapsulated within its glow. Its stretch was vast with no ending to its divine light.

The panther was power, he was godly, he was universal, he was supreme, he was—“Ethereal.” I whispered, the name escaping from my lips like a soft prayer.

His aura flashed brightly before burning away, returning my normal vision. I blinked at the renewed shimmering sparkle of his golden coat.

“Yes! That is my name. I remember now. Thank you! Thank you, princess of the shadows!”

I was stunned. “You’re welcome, Ethereal.” I said baffled. “You are most welcome.”