Chapter 107: Fun, Feast & Shadow Creatures

Aeloria POV

A few minutes later we were both sprinting toward the water.

Laughing. Shoving each other. Competing to reach the waves first. Nyra cheated. I cheated harder. Neither of us acknowledged it. The ocean swallowed us in cool blue water. Immediately my mood improved. The stress. The fear. The responsibility. All of it faded. For a little while. When we surfaced farther out, Nyra pushed wet hair from her face. "Okay."

She pointed at me. "Show me the cool magic thing again."

I laughed. "The breathing bubble?"

"Yes."

A moment later shimmering blue magic surrounded her head. Nyra took an experimental breath. Then another. Her eyes widened. "No way."

"Way."

"That is incredible." She immediately dove beneath the surface. I followed. A few seconds later my own body shifted. Silver and blue scales shimmered as my powerful tail replaced my legs. Leviathan and mer magic flowed through me like liquid starlight. Nyra stopped swimming entirely. She simply stared. Her eyes slowly traveled from my tail to my face. Then back again. Then back again. I couldn't help grinning. "What?"

"You're beautiful."

The words slapped the breath right out of me. Especially because she sounded completely sincere. Heat flooded my face. Which was ridiculous because I was underwater. "You can't just say things like that."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Excellent argument."

I glared. She laughed. The sound echoed strangely through the water. For a while we simply explored. Swimming through reefs.

Following schools of fish. Talking about everything and nothing. The farther we swam, the more relaxed I felt. Then I made the mistake of actually looking at her. Really looking. Nyra floated effortlessly beside me. Her blonde silver hair drifting around her. Strong shoulders. Confident smile. Entirely too pretty. My attention wandered, right to her breasts. I couldn't look away. Unfortunately, Nyra noticed. The woman noticed everything.

"You're staring."

I immediately looked away. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Aeloria."

I kept swimming.

"You're blushing."

"I am underwater."

"You're still blushing."

Traitor. Absolute traitor. I risked another glance. Which turned out to be a mistake. Because Nyra was already looking at me. That smile was still there. Warm, playful and dangerous. I promptly swam face-first into a rock. The impact echoed through the water. Pain exploded across my forehead. For one horrible second everything went blurry. Then Nyra completely lost her mind.

She laughed so hard she nearly inhaled half the ocean despite the breathing bubble. I surfaced, clutching my forehead. "Oh my gods."

Nyra surfaced beside me. Still laughing. "A rock?"

"Don't."

"A ROCK?"

"Nyra."

"You literally swam into a stationary object."

I groaned, and she laughed harder. Eventually I splashed water at her. Nyra retaliated immediately. Soon we were both laughing. Both soaked. Both acting like children. By the time Nyra and I finally started swimming back toward shore, the sun was hanging low over the horizon, painting the ocean gold and orange.

Nyra looked toward the beach. Then immediately started laughing. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Aeloria."

"What?"

"You are so dead."

My stomach dropped. We reached shallow water and I finally saw what she was looking at. Six very unhappy mates and one amused frost giant. And approximately zero smiles. "...oh."

Dorian's arms were crossed. Calren's foot was tapping. Rhyven looked disappointed. Which somehow felt worse. Tavren looked concerned. Zorath looked entertained. Riven looked like the ocean before a storm. And Arren...Arren was trying very hard not to laugh. "Oh boy."

I quickly waved my hands. Magic surged. Sea shells flew together over Nyra's chest. A flowing skirt of woven seaweed and shimmering magic wrapped around her hips. Then I shifted back into my normal form. Nyra looked down. "Huh."

"I am a genius."

"You are many things."

The moment we stepped onto the sand, six pairs of eyes locked onto me. "Aeloria." Dorian's voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Yes?"

"It's been five hours."

My eyes widened. "WHAT?"

Calren pointed toward the horizon. "The feast starts in twenty minutes."

"Oh shit." I squealed. Then immediately spun toward Arren. The giant looked entirely too pleased with my panic. I grabbed his face, kissed his cheek, and grinned. "See you there!" His entire face lit up. Then I turned and ran, straight toward the house. Unfortunately six males immediately took off after me.

"AELORIA!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH NYRA?"

"WHY WERE YOU GONE FIVE HOURS?"

"WERE YOU UNSUPERVISED?"

"THAT'S NEVER GOOD."

"GET BACK HERE."

I laughed so hard I nearly tripped. Behind me, the men continued their pursuit. Ahead of me, the house was already opening the front door. Like it knew exactly what kind of chaos was heading its way.

Honestly? It probably did.

A half hour later...

The feast should have made me feel better.

It didn't. The food had been incredible. The company had been incredible. The island had practically thrown a celebration worthy of royalty, and yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something was coming. Something old. Something hungry.

By the time we gathered for the council meeting, the energy inside me felt electric. Like lightning trapped beneath my skin. The massive council chamber buzzed with conversation. Leaders from both islands filled the seats. Village representatives. Builders. Farmers. Warriors. Healers. Historians. Everyone who mattered. Everyone who would help us survive. Tavren stood at the front of the room. He looked nothing like the quiet bookworm most people assumed him to be. Tonight he looked dangerous, determined and fierce. His beautiful eyes swept across the room, captivating all. "Listen carefully."

The room immediately quieted. Tavren spread several ancient maps across the table. "After reviewing approximately thirty percent of the recovered trunks, we've identified several immediate concerns." Several people shifted nervously. They should be nervous. I certainly was. "The first issue is defense." His finger tapped one of the maps. "Every ancient source agrees." Another tap. "Strengthen the wards." Another. "Fortify the islands." Another. "Prepare for siege."

The room grew darker somehow. More serious. "The second issue." Tavren inhaled slowly. "Bring your families." Murmurs immediately erupted. He raised a hand. "They were very clear." His gaze moved around the room. "Bring your loved ones."

Silence. "The warnings specifically reference bloodlines." A chill ran down my spine. "Anyone you trust." Another pause. "Anyone you care about." His eyes met mine. "Bring them here."

The room exploded into conversation. Questions. Arguments. Concerns. Fear. Exactly what I'd expected. Eventually Tavren slammed a book shut. The crack echoed through the chamber, and everyone jumped. "Enough." Silence returned immediately. "The ancient records are unanimous." His voice hardened. "If what is coming arrives..." He looked visibly uncomfortable. "...the outside world will not survive."

Nobody spoke. Nobody laughed. Nobody called him dramatic. Because everyone knew Tavren wasn't dramatic. If anything, he usually understated problems. Which somehow made this worse. Far worse. Eventually plans began forming. Supply runs. Housing expansions. Messenger routes. Defensive positions. The entire room sprang into action. Exactly what I wanted. Exactly what we needed. Hours later, exhausted but energized, I found myself walking along the beach beside my mates. Moonlight painted silver across the waves and the ocean hummed softly. For a little while everything felt normal again. Calren bumped my shoulder. "You look insane."

"I feel insane."

"Good, I was hoping I wasn't the only fucking one."

I snorted. Dorian walked beside us. Rhyven and Riven discussed sea defenses. Zorath was attempting to convince Arren that launching himself from a catapult was a valid military strategy. It wasn't. Apparently. The debate continued anyway. Nyra laughed so hard she nearly fell over. Even Seris looked amused. Then the screaming started. Every conversation died instantly.

CRASH. The sound echoed across the entire island. Another followed. Then another. Then dozens. The ground trembled. The ocean surged. And suddenly the wards lit up. Every single one. Blue. Silver. Gold. Ancient defensive magic exploded across the night sky.

"What the hell?" I looked up. Then froze. People. No. Not people. Things. Dozens. Hundreds. Hovering in clusters high above the island. Black silhouettes. Winged shapes. Living shadows. They slammed into the wards again. And again. And again. Each impact sent ripples across the magical barriers. The beach erupted into chaos.

"What is that?!"

"Enemy attack!"

"Positions!"

"GET THE CHILDREN INSIDE!"

The entire island exploded into motion. My pulse thundered. Fear. Adrenaline. Rage. All at once. I shifted instantly. Leviathan power surged through me. Bones cracked. Magic exploded. Silver scales covered my body. Massive wings erupted from my back. My tail lashed. Claws extended. Fangs descended, and power flooded every inch of me. Beside me, Riven transformed too. The other Leviathan roared, and the sound shook the shoreline. Calren threw back his head. "ZEPHYROS!"

The massive hawk exploded from the darkness. Rhyven summoned Nyros. The ocean erupted as the giant orca surfaced. Zorath whistled sharply, and Pyrrhos dropped from the clouds like living fire. Within seconds the beach had become a battlefield. I launched skyward with Riven beside me, and Zorath riding Pyrrhos close behind. The wind screamed past us. The wards flashed continuously overhead. Whatever those things were...There were a fuck ton of them. Far too many.

As we approached one of the clusters, my stomach dropped. "Oh gods."

The creatures weren't flying. They weren't hovering. They were wrong. Twisted. Humanoid shapes formed from darkness. Empty eyes. Black wings. Shadow leaking from their bodies. Their mouths stretched too wide. Their limbs bent incorrectly. One turned toward me and smiled. I almost threw up. "What the FUCK is that?!"

Riven's voice echoed through the bond. "Shadow creatures." Another one slammed into the ward. The impact shook the sky. The barrier dimmed slightly. Not enough. But enough. Fear punched through me. They were testing it. Testing us. Learning. "We need to go."

Zorath's eyes were enormous. "Those things are disgusting."

"That's your contribution?"

"LOOK AT THEM."

Fair. They were horrifying. A shadow creature suddenly launched toward us. I reacted instantly and my claws tore through it. The creature exploded into black smoke, then reformed several feet away. My blood went cold. "Nope." Another one charged. Then another. Then ten more. "We're leaving."

Nobody argued. We turned immediately, diving back toward the beach. The moment my feet touched sand, I knew exactly what needed to happen. The wards weren't strong enough. Not yet. But I could make them stronger. Maybe. Hopefully. Possibly. Or explode. Fifty-fifty. I spun toward my mates. "Everyone, I need all of you."

My voice cracked like thunder. They immediately gathered. Dorian. Calren. Rhyven. Riven. Zorath. Tavren. Seris. Nyra. Arren. Everyone. "What?"

I held out my hands. "Join hands." Nobody questioned me. Which was concerning. They should absolutely question me more often. Instead they obeyed immediately. The circle formed and power hummed around us. Above us the shadow creatures continued hammering the wards. The barriers flickered, then dimmed.

I looked at everyone. The people I loved. The people who had become my family. Then I closed my eyes and reached. Deep. Deeper. Past the ocean. Past the island. Past myself. Into the ancient Leviathan power sleeping beneath reality. The response was immediate. The ocean answered. The island answered. The wards answered. Everything answered. Power slammed into me. Enough to shatter mountains. Enough to drown kingdoms. Enough to destroy me. My knees buckled. Hands tightened around mine. Holding me up. Supporting me. Anchoring me.

"Aeloria." Dorian rasped. "Aeloria stop."

"No." The word emerged as a growl. I wasn't stopping. Not now. Not while those things threatened my people. The power continued building. And building. And building. The air began vibrating. The ocean pulled away from the shore. Trees bent. The sky darkened. People across the island stared. Fear spread through the bonds. Not from my mates. From the island. The island was afraid. That terrified me more than anything. Then I screamed. Not a human scream. Not even a Leviathan scream. Something older.

Something primal. A sound that seemed to split reality itself. Power erupted from me in vivid blue, silver and white.