A Shift in Power (Shadow Claw Book 5)

by Sarah J. Stone

  She turned to her side, her tears leaking silently out of her eyes and running down her face. She felt nothing but an emptiness that consumed her, and she hung there silently, crying softly to herself. She closed her eyes and waited for death, but it didn’t come. Instead, she hung there not knowing what would happen to her. It seemed like hours had passed, and she had stopped crying now. She had no more tears to shed.

  Suddenly, she felt a strange warmth in her heart, and she could see a golden thread running through her body, as slowly, a silver thread started to wrap itself around it. She gasped and touched her heart. It was beating fast now, and she knew that she was no longer alone.

  “Kevin,” she whispered, softly at first, and then louder and louder until she was screaming her mate’s name.

  And then, softly – softer even than the slightest whisper – she heard him say, “Nina.”

  ***

  Kevin raced into the room, throwing the door open, unable to contain his excitement at the prospect of seeing Nina awake. But when he burst in, he saw the witches there no longer holding hands as they gazed down in horror. Nina wasn’t awake. She was still lying on the bed, unconscious, and there was no baby in sight.

  Kevin rushed to Nina and demanded to know, “What happened?” He touched his mate’s forehead and was surprised to feel that her skin was warm and there were beads of sweat on her face.

  Cora shakily spoke up, “We delivered the baby, it was in Ammara’s arms and then–”

  “And then it vanished,” Ammara said, visibly shaken. “I don’t…” She shook her head trying to fight back tears. “I don’t know what happened.”

  Adelaide rubbed her temples, and said, “It was dark magic. Dark smoke enveloped the baby, and then she was gone. Somebody took her. They were waiting for her to be born, and then they took her.”

  Kevin didn’t understand, “Who’s ‘they?’ Who took my daughter?”

  Ammara was sobbing hysterically, and Kalen burst in and held her as she cried, “It’s happening again. They’ve taken the child from me once more.”

  Kalen held her and shook his head firmly. “No! This is not the same. Asther is gone, Ammara. This is different. We will get the child back. We will bring our granddaughter back.”

  Ammara wept, her shoulders shaking, and Kalen held her as he said, “Come with me. We’ll find Samuel; we’ll ask Gael; we’ll get the whole Council together if we need to.” He looked up at Kevin, and said, “Stay with Nina. I’ll talk to Samuel.”

  Kevin nodded and stroked Nina’s hair, gently kissing the side of her head.

  Blanche moved forward, and said, “You are mated. There is a bond running through you two. I can sense it.”

  Kevin nodded, still able to feel the bond inside him growing stronger and stronger.

  Blanche shook her head. “But you are a shifter and she is a witch…you can only bond with your own kind. How is this possible?”

  Kevin looked at Nina, and said, “When she first came into my life, she was weak and she was running from hunters, and somehow, she tapped into my life-energy. It flowed from me and into her, and it was as though we were sharing a soul. That forged the beginnings of a bond, and when we…when we came together…” He hesitated, and said, “When we came together physically, the bond was complete. She is my mate.”

  Blanche sat down at the foot of Nina’s bed, and said, “You love her, don’t you?”

  Kevin nodded, and said, “With all that I have.” He paused and turned to look at Nina, and then he turned back to Blanche, and asked, “Will she be okay?”

  Blanche nodded, and said, “She’s out of her coma, but she is exhausted. She’s asleep for now, a good, dreamless, healing sleep.”

  Kevin felt relief flooding through him. Sleep was something he could handle. He turned to Nina and kissed her hand as he said, “She deserves a good sleep after what she’s been through.”

  “You have no idea,” said Cora darkly.

  Kevin looked up and Cora continued, “She was stuck in a prophecy. That takes a toll on one’s body and soul. She’s been through trauma – real trauma. We felt it when we delivered her baby. We felt the pain in her body.”

  Kevin suppressed a shudder.

  Blanche stood up. and said, “Sisters, we should go help the Council leaders and see if we can locate the infant.”

  The three witches left, and Kevin was alone with Nina. He watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed slowly, and he rested his head against the bedframe. He stayed like that for a little while and only moved when he heard a sound from the doorway.

  He turned to see Violet standing there, sucking on her thumb. He smiled, and Violet slowly entered the room. Her long, black hair was falling into her eyes, and her dimpled arms were wrapped around a plush teddy bear.

  “Uncle Kevin,” she said softly, removing her thumb from her mouth, “will Aunt Nina be okay?”

  Kevin held out his arms, and Violet slowly made her way to him. He picked her up and sat her down on his knee, looking into her big, silvery eyes. “She will,” he said softly. “She’s just sleeping.”

  Violet looked at Nina, and said, “And is the baby here yet? Mommy says she’s like my baby sister.”

  Kevin smiled, and said, “Yeah? Will you be a good big sister to her?”

  Violet nodded, her eyes wide as she said, “I promise,” and Kevin laughed.

  “That’s good to know. It’ll be nice for her to have someone like you taking care of her.”

  Violet turned to look at Nina, and said, “So, where is she?”

  Kevin furrowed his brows, and said, “She’s not here yet, but she will be soon.”

  Cassie’s voice was distraught as she called out her daughter’s name. Violet jumped off Kevin’s knee and ran toward the door, running into Cassie as she announced, “I’m in here, Mommy!”

  Cassie held her daughter tightly and kissed the top of her head as she said, “You scared me.”

  Violet giggled, and said, “Uncle Kevin said I’ll be a good big sister to the baby.”

  Cassie smiled and looked at Kevin, who smiled back. She picked up Violet, and said, “Come on. I think we should let Aunt Nina sleep for a while, and it’s time for you, Miss Violet, to have a bath.”

  She carried Violet out of the room, and Kevin heard them talking as they made their way down the stairs.

  He stood up and walked over to the window. It had stopped raining, and the dark clouds had rolled away, leaving a clear, balmy night behind. He pressed his forehead against the glass and let his breath fog it up as he waited.

  Chapter Seven

  It was late in the night when Nina opened her eyes. She blinked, not recognizing the room she was in, and her heart sank as she thought she was in another dream. She heard movement near her, and she desolately called out, “H-hello?”

  Kevin whipped around when he heard her voice, and he ran to her to side, crouching by the bed as he said, “Nina, baby, are you awake?”

  Nina sat upright and said, “Kevin? Oh, God, is it really you?” She reached out and touched his face, and once convinced, she was no longer dreaming, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest and breathing in his scent. She sobbed, and Kevin held her close.

  “I missed you so much, Nina. I’m so happy you’re awake.”

  Nina continued crying as she broke away from the hug and looked at him tearfully, “I was so scared, Kev. I didn’t know where I was, and I saw awful things. I felt so much pain.”

  Kevin wiped away her tears and kissed her deeply, relishing the feel of her lips.

  Nina instinctively ran a hand over her belly and her eyes grew wide as she realized the bump was not there. She looked down and gasped, grabbing at her stomach, and she said, distraught, “Kevin, where is the baby?”

  She looked at him, terrified that her dream had been real and that the baby had been snatched away from her.

  Kevin cupped her face in his hands, and said, “We
needed to separate the baby from you. It was making you weak. There are these witches from the Moon Coven who did that, but the minute you gave birth, the baby vanished. Everyone is trying to find her, and they will, okay?”

  Nina’s eyes were wide, and she looked so scared that Kevin wrapped his arms around her, and said, “It’ll be okay. I promise you,” but even as he said it, he didn’t know if that was true.

  Ammara suddenly appeared at the door, and said, “Nina! You’re awake!” She ran to her daughter and held her hands as she said, “Darling, we were all so worried.”

  Nina smiled shakily, but it slipped off her face as she said, “Did you find out yet, about my baby?”

  Ammara swallowed nervously and looked at Kevin before she shook her head. “Not yet, but Gael and Samuel are working with the witches, and I think they’re close to getting a location.” She stood up, and said, “I’ll go check on them,” and walked to the door. She turned back to Nina, and said, “Everyone has been really worried about you, Nina, but I know you’re tired, so should I tell them you’re awake?”

  Nina chewed on her lip, and Kevin said, “You don’t have to see them all now if you’re not up to it.”

  She shook her head, and said, “They’ve all been here to support me and care for me, so yes, tell them, please. I’d like to see everyone.”

  Ammara smiled and left.

  As soon as she told the others, they all started to rush upstairs to see Nina. Within moments, the room was full as Gael, Fergus, Diana, Heather, Luke, Cassie, and Kalen all jostled each other for space, vying for Nina’s attention. Though she was genuinely happy to see them all, she was also distracted by the thought of her baby, and she just wanted her daughter in her arms.

  Nina met everyone with a smile, assuring them that she was okay and thanking them for taking care of her. After meeting everyone one by one, she then announced that she had a bit of a headache, and then she softly said to Cassie, “Can we talk?” She looked at Kevin, and whispered, “I just need to get up and walk around a little.”

  Kevin shook his head and said, “No way. You stay in bed and Cassie can sit here with you. The rest of us are gonna go downstairs, and I’m going to get you something to eat.” He kissed Nina on the cheek before he stood up and walked out of the room with everyone else following him.

  Cassie turned to Nina once they were alone and smoothed her hair as she said, “What’s wrong?”

  Nina shook her head, but she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “I just…” She stopped, caught her breath, and said, “I really am happy to be back here, but I can’t be happy if I don’t know where my baby is. And I feel like I can’t let Kevin see that because he was so busy wishing for me to come back that I don’t think he gave that much thought to our daughter.” She sniffed and went on, “But I carried that child in my body for so long. She was a part of me, and I just want her back.” She broke down crying.

  Cassie took Nina’s hand in hers, and said, “Nina, Kevin loves you very much, and yes, you were his absolute priority, but I know he was thinking of the baby, too. He was distraught when he found out about your daughter being missing. I think he’s just putting on a brave face for you.”

  Nina sniffed. “You think?”

  Cassie nodded, “Babe, he’s your mate. He’s the love of your life. You can talk to him about anything, and come on – he won’t think you’re a bad person because you’re concerned about your baby. Of course, he won’t.”

  Nina nodded and wiped her tears away. “You’re right.”

  Cassie smiled, and said, “I can hear him on the stairs. I’ll go out and tell him to come inside, okay?”

  Nina smiled gratefully as Cassie walked out, and she heard her exchange a few words with Kevin before he walked in, carrying a plate with some fruit and a glass of water.

  “I didn’t know what you can eat and not eat – I mean, what your body can handle right now – but I figured fruit would be good, right? I mean, I guess you’re half-fairy so you must be wild about fruit.”

  Nina grinned at that, and said, “I don’t think I’m half-fairy. I mean, Kalen is the fairy king, but he isn’t a fairy himself…I think.”

  Kevin shrugged, and said, “Well, he’s some sort of magical creature for sure, and so are you.” He kissed her nose and placed the plate in front of her. She picked up a strawberry and bit into it.

  “Kevin,” she said after swallowing her bite, “I’m really worried about the baby.”

  Kevin sighed, and said, “So am I. I don’t wanna pressure the witches, but I really wish they’d hurry up.”

  Nina drank the water and placed her plate and glass on the side-table as she said, “Will you come lie with me for a bit? I miss you.”

  Kevin smiled and got into bed with her as he said, “I’m right here, baby.”

  She snuggled into him, and said, “I need to take a shower.”

  He wrinkled his nose, and said, “Yeah, you do.”

  She punched his arm lightly, and he grinned, scooping her up and pulling her closer.

  “I love you, no matter how bad you smell,” Kevin said, kissing her all over her face.

  “I’m scared, Kev,” Nina said with her face buried in his chest.

  Kevin didn’t say anything and just tightened his grip on her. He fiercely wanted to protect her from anything, but he knew that there was nothing they could do except wait.”

  They lay like that for a little while, and Nina relished the feeling of Kevin’s arms around her and his scent enveloping her. It felt familiar and comforting, like she was home. The thing was, she never had a home before Kevin. He was her home, and it didn’t matter where she was as long as she was with him, she would always be home.

  It was almost dawn, and Kevin and Nina were still awake, talking softly to each other when there was a soft knock on the door. Heather poked her head in, and said, “Kevin, are you awake?”

  Kevin sat up and said, “Yeah- what happened- any news?”

  Heather nodded and said, “Samuel and the coven witches said they have a lead.”

  Kevin was already out of bed, and Nina started to follow him. He turned around, and said, “No, Nina, you’re staying here.”

  She pushed the sheets off herself and staggered out of bed. “Like hell I am!”

  “Nina, please…” Kevin started to argue, but Nina pushed past him and headed for the door.

  “She’s my daughter, Kevin. I have to know where she is.”

  Kevin knew it was pointless to argue with Nina when she had made up her mind about something. Nine out of ten times, she would listen when Kevin told her to take it easy, but the tenth time, she would put her foot down, and nothing in the world could dissuade her from what she had decided.

  They hurried outside where the three witches and Samuel stood. At the sight of Nina, Samuel smiled, and the witches bowed their heads and simultaneously whispered, “Caillagh.”

  “Hi, I’m Nina,” she said to them. “Thank you for what you did for me.”

  Cora shook her head, and said, “Please do not thank us. It was an honor serving the Caillagh.”

  Nina didn’t know how to respond to that, and instead, she asked, “Heather said you had a lead?”

  Blanche nodded and snapped her fingers. A wisp of iridescent smoke was conjured out of thin air, and Samuel said, “We have to follow the magic. It will lead us to the child.”

  Blanche licked her lips nervously, and said, “My sisters and I cannot travel to where the magic may lead us. There are those who wish to cause us harm on the lookout for us. We are being hunted for allying ourselves with Others. Our coven did not like it.”

  Samuel said, “I shall go and find your child, Nina. It’s magic I’ve encountered before.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Kevin said, before turning to Nina and adding, “Unless you want me to stay?”

  Nina quickly shook her head, and said, “No, go with Samuel and bring back our baby g
irl.”

  Ammara had stepped out of her bedroom, and she said, “I’ll go with you as well. I can handle the magic in case something goes wrong.”

  Adelaide said, “We’ll keep the incantation going from here. You just have to follow it where it leads you.”

  Ammara hurried to change her clothes, and Samuel packed a few things. Kevin turned to Nina and hugged her.

  “Come back quickly and safely,” she whispered, and Kevin nodded.

  “I’ll bring our daughter back.”

  “Dahlia,” whispered Nina.

  “What?” Kevin asked, furrowing his brow.

  “Her name is Dahlia.”

  Kevin smiled. “Did you name our daughter without consulting me?”

  Nina shook her head, and with a faraway look in her eyes. she said, “I didn’t name her. The name chose itself, I think – in a dream.”

  Kevin kissed the top of her head, and said, “Dahlia – it’s pretty.”

  Ammara returned, and Samuel said, “Let’s go. We should aim to make it out of the forest before sunrise.”

  Nina followed them downstairs, and she kissed Kevin goodbye. They left, and Nina stood in the doorway, watching them go as the pale dawn light filtered into the front lawn through the leaves of the surrounding trees.

  As the three of them started their journey, they could hear the fairies waking up from their sleep and going about their day, sleepily chattering as they did. The fairies seemed used to their presence in the forest by now and didn’t bother them at all.

  “Samuel, you and I should shift. We’ll go faster that way. And Ammara, you can climb onto my back. It’ll save your energy, and we’ll be quicker.”

  Samuel and Ammara agreed, and after the two bears shifted, Ammara climbed onto Kevin’s back as they made their way through the forest.

  Chapter Eight

  “Do you see the smoke?” Samuel said, squinting through the leaves. “I seem to have lost it.”