The Broken Barrier (Shadow Claw Book 4)

by Sarah J. Stone

  Kalen kissed her back, and then he came, and Ammara started to gasp and moan until she stopped moving. He collapsed off her and onto the wet grass, lying down beside her. The two of them lay like that as their sweat cooled off their bodies.

  Then, Kalen sat up suddenly, and said, “I should shower and get some sleep.”

  Ammara watched him walk away from her, silently praying that he would turn back and say something to her–anything at all.

  “I love you,” she called out, once she was sure that he wouldn’t.

  He stopped, and without turning to even look at her, listlessly said, “I love you, too.”

  Far away in the distance, Asther choked on his anger as he scrutinized the affair, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth, slowly feeling his bile rising.

  Chapter 10

  Back at the Shadow Claw den, a group had gathered to compare notes and make sense of the events that had transpired over the last couple of days. Ammara had called them all for a meeting on an urgent basis. Fergus had just arrived with his mate.

  A short inspection of the room showed that the Council was present along with the bear alphas. The atmosphere depicted the gravity of the meeting, making Diana gulp as she neared the group. A thing of this sort hadn’t happened in centuries, since Ammara was no more. The nervousness was clear on everyone’s face. They had no idea what was coming for them.

  Before long, Kevin, Ammara, and Kalen walked into the room where the group had gathered.

  “Thank you all for meeting with me,” chanted the Caillagh. All heads in the room shook in a firm nod.

  She smiled, soft and forced. “There is something important I must do before I begin.”

  She moved backward before anyone could pose a question, distancing herself from everyone and closed her eyes. Silent murmurs of incomprehensible chants escaped her lips as she tossed her head back and waved her hands slowly about her.

  Everyone stared in awe and felt the Caillagh’s power surge through the air.

  Nina breathed in haphazardly, staring at the woman, who had just left her shocked as Ammara lifted her eyes open. “I’ve just raised another barrier across the den. Surely, this should do the trick.”

  Nina stammered, “It’s a-a whole lot s-stronger t-than mine.”

  Ammara smiled softly, raising her hand to caress the young Caillagh’s cheek, but it was Kalen who spoke to her. “You still have time to grow, little one. You’ll get stronger with time.”

  He was smiling at her, too, making her wonder if Ammara had done something to get him to soften his tone so drastically. Kalen had always been nice to her, she was aware of that, but something was different now. His composure had changed altogether.

  She couldn’t help but think that this Kalen was the real Kalen. The other one she had faced on the day she had wandered into the fairy territory in search of the Council and all the other ones she had come across since then had just been pretending, hiding the real him.

  But then again, what if this was just her naivety speaking?

  Ammara noted that Nina had been staring at nothing in particular, clearly lost in thought, so she cleared her throat to drag her back to the room. Now looking directly at her, she started, “I want to tell you all the tale of two brothers today.”

  Her honey-like voice was soft and determined. It fell upon everyone’s ears like dewdrops on a humid summer night.

  All eyes in the room were fixed on her, and not a single mouth dared utter a word. The Caillagh, completely satisfied with her impact on the group, continued speaking.

  “These brothers had a very strong bond and were the subject of everyone’s envy on account of their closeness. They did everything together and couldn’t stand being apart for even a short time.”

  She sighed deeply. The story was clearly upsetting her. Nevertheless, she continued.

  “A girl, however, made her way into the picture one day.” She paused again, and Kalen placed his hand on her back to signify that he was there for her. “One of the brothers fell in love with her, but she had already fallen for the other brother.”

  Gael spoke up, “You’re talking about Kalen and Asther…” He let his voice drift off, and every eye in the room fell upon him and then back to Ammara as though asking for confirmation.

  The Caillagh nodded before she continued, “Yes Gael, you are correct.”

  Nina’s thoughts ran amok. Kalen had a brother? Had she met this brother? If so, how many times?

  “Asther was always more reserved than Kalen. He was more reserved than most everyone I knew.” She was looking at Kalen now.

  “He had eyes only for me, but I was deeply in love with Kalen. It was already too late. I couldn’t change the way I felt. And even if I could, I wouldn’t have done it. I couldn’t imagine belonging to anyone else. I wanted him and only him. So much so, that I promised not to marry anyone if Kalen and I would not be one.”

  She was now determined to complete her story as soon as possible. The burden on her chest was too heavy, and she had to get rid of it now.

  “Kalen reciprocated my love, and nothing in the world made me happier than that. Asther backed off after Kalen confessed his feelings. We were foolish enough to think that he respected our relationship and how we felt about one another. He disappeared out of the picture, and it was only us left. We lived in peace for a while after that. Everything was right with the world. I had Kalen, and he had me, and we had no troubles that were dire. Whatever came our way, we dealt with it together. We were in love and happy, and that love resulted in a beautiful baby girl being born.”

  Her eyes darted toward Nina again who inhaled deeply, gradually gaining sense of the entire situation.

  Her head was spinning, and she had to close her eyes for a minute. Realizing what was happening and the path the story was taking, Kevin rushed to her side immediately and wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered softly in her ear, “I’m right here. Stay strong.”

  He felt her shoulders fall in relief, and he placed his head down slowly on her right shoulder.

  Ammara began to speak again. “One night, Asther snuck into our baby’s room in the dead of night and stole her,” she recalled, her eyes tearing up. “From what we gathered later, we figured out that he tried to kill our baby, hoping to break our bond once and for all, but because the baby had my blood running through her, she could not be killed. With no other option, he handed her over to a clan of witches, telling them that the baby harnessed unimaginable powers. Of course, they were greedy and thought they would be able to use it for their own benefit, so they took her in and raised her as their own.”

  She paused to take in a deep breath.

  “I spent every waking hour looking for our baby, and sleep almost always eluded me for this reason. I tried everything in my power to locate her, but the barrier that he had placed over her was too strong, and I simply was not able to penetrate through it. I was so desperate that I combined my powers with Kalen’s in an effort to find her, but nothing seemed to work.”

  She continued telling them how Asther, in the end, had gotten what he wanted anyway. Losing their child had caused their bond to weaken significantly. The friction between them was too strong, and their mating bond refused to form altogether because of the underlying tension. They had grown apart completely, and neither of them tried to understand the other.

  Until, that is, Kalen figured out what Asther had done, and he immediately rushed to his mate’s side.

  “We were in the midst of a battle,” explained Ammara. “Asther had a hard time accepting that I could never develop any feelings for him. He had thought that sending the baby away would rupture the bond Kalen and I shared forever, figuring that, with the first product of our love gone, we would never be able to patch up our differences and would keep growing further apart. When he found out that Kalen was onto his plan, he became furious. I told him that I would never love him regardless of what happened between Kalen and I, and that made his fury grow
further. I had never seen such intense hatred in anyone’s eyes. He was out for blood. He refused to let me be anyone else’s if I couldn’t be his.”

  The room was silent. All eyes had dropped to the floor, processing the information she had provided, but Nina kept her gaze fixed on the Caillagh, her mind spinning out of control. So many questions were running through her mind, but she chose to ask the one with the most obvious answer.

  “What did he do?”

  Her voice cracked when she responded. “He stabbed me.”

  Nina already knew the answer, but she chose to ask her anyway just to make sure.

  Ammara continued, “I remember Kalen rushing to my aid, but it was already too late. The dagger was too far into my chest, and there was nothing he could’ve done to save me, so I did the only thing that I thought I could do at that point.”

  Nina spoke up, “You put yourself in a deep healing sleep.”

  Ammara nodded, saying, “I had no other choice.”

  Ammara surrendered to the floor now, completely exhausted and Nina, loosening Kevin’s grip on her waist, sat beside her, not wanting to leave her side. A wave of emotions was unfurling inside her now. She fought to breathe, and being next to Ammara helped a little. Her presence had always comforted her in a strange way, and now she was beginning to know why.

  Kalen took his cue to offer his side of the story now.

  His voice was firm when he spoke, showing no emotion at all. He knew he had to go through with it immediately.

  “Asther disappeared after that.” He paused for a bit to let his words sink into the crowd who gave him just as much importance as they had given Ammara, clearly keen on knowing the entire story. “I looked for him everywhere. Every creature in my realm was put on duty to search for him. It had taken a while for him to be found. I had him in chains and imprisoned immediately.”

  Gael’s eyes fell on him now. His gaze burned into his skin, but instead, Kalen gazed at Nina’s face staring up at him, speaking directly to her now.

  “When I saw you, Nina, that very first day when you had wandered into my territory, I knew.” Her eyes widened with disbelief, and he continued, “You had the same eyes, the same charisma, the same aura as Ammara, and I just knew you were mine.”

  Moisture gathered at the corner of the eyes of most everyone in the room. No one had guessed in their wildest dreams that this could happen.

  “Every creature in my realm was shocked that day as to why I helped you and why I let you go. This was why. You’re my own flesh and blood, Nina. You’re my daughter. And I cannot tell you how hard it was for me to keep this from you all this time.”

  Ammara was crying now, and she held Nina in a tight embrace.

  “I tried to find you. I have spent my entire life looking for you, but I couldn’t find you, and I am so sorry if I let you down. I tried my best. I had lost the two most important people in my life. I had broken down, but I never gave up on you.”

  The young Caillagh had no words. She didn’t know what to say. Her voice was stuck somewhere at the base of her throat and refused to leave. She choked and struggled to speak.

  “You’re…my parents?”

  She sobbed out of happiness, and Kalen ran toward her to wrap her in his arms.

  Chapter 11

  “Asther has no purpose but to destroy.”

  Kalen’s voice was firm and he spoke in a matter-of-factly manner. His eyes depicted no emotion but anger.

  Kalen had always thought that, if Ammara had chosen Asther over him, he would never resort to measures like his brother had done. He always thought of himself as a fair person. He understood that there were certain things in life that were impossible to get and that things did not always work out in your favor, and he had made his peace with that.

  However, the thoughts that now ran through his head had him thinking otherwise. Maybe he and Asther weren’t different after all. Maybe he would’ve been out for blood had Ammara chosen his brother instead. Maybe the thought of losing a loved one could really turn you into someone you’re not.

  One thing he knew for sure was that Asther wasn’t always this way. Something snapped in him. Something caused him to change. And sometimes, Kalen couldn’t help but blame himself for what was happening. Had it not been for him, Asther and Ammara would’ve been together; they would’ve mated and would’ve been happy, and none of this would’ve been happening. Everyone would’ve been at peace. There would be no chaos in his realm, and Asther would’ve probably been king. Everything seemed to work out with Kalen out of the picture. But then again, it worked just as fine with Asther out of the picture, too.

  He had always loved his brother. Growing up, they had been completely inseparable, but as of that moment, the only thing that occupied and over-flooded Kalen’s mind was to bring an end to this immediately. If that meant killing Asther and bringing peace upon all the realms once and for all, so be it. People he loved were in danger, and he had to come to a decision now.

  He had lost Ammara once to Asther’s selfish desires, and he wasn’t about to let that happen again. He had made his decision, and he was going to stick to it. There was no other way. All options were equally as hard. He never thought he would have to do something like this.

  Kalen couldn’t help but think that, if he hadn’t been so weak, none of this would have been happening right now. Out of the love he harbored for his brother, he had kept him alive. He had no choice but to imprison him, but he had made sure that he was provided for. He hated him for taking Ammara away from him, but he figured that, now that she was gone, there was nothing that could be done.

  Harming Asther wouldn’t bring Ammara or his baby back, and he was in no way ready to succumb to his spiteful brother’s level. Now, all he had was regret. Perhaps killing him off would’ve have been for the best.

  He decided that he had granted him the gift of life once, but he would not make the same mistake again. There was too much at stake. After centuries of loneliness, he had finally gotten his family back and he wasn’t going to give them up again.

  The solution was clear: Asther had to be killed once and for all. He had made his decision.

  Clearing his throat and gaining everyone’s attention in the room, he announced, “Asther was already twisted to begin with since Ammara refused to reciprocate his love. The rejection has changed him, made him spiteful, has filled him with hatred for everyone. All those centuries of being locked away would have made him even more twisted. He has had ample time to think and to plan, and now he will come for his revenge. We cannot let that happen!”

  The bear alpha finally felt like it was time for him to speak up. “Of course, we can’t, and we definitely won’t. We have too much at stake, too much to lose.”

  “Exactly,” Samuel followed cue. “People have trusted their lives upon us. The pack depends on us to keep them safe.”

  “And the cubs,” added the alpha’s mate.

  “We have no other choice now,” Kalen declared.

  Everyone in the room understood what he meant and nodded affirmatively. They all knew it was wrong at some point, but Asther had to be stopped, and this was the only way. The future of their people depended on it. If strict measures weren’t taken immediately, their entire existence would be wiped off the face of the Earth, and none of them would stand by to watch that happen.

  This is why Ammara had created the Council in the first place. She knew that the people she had selected would always come to the right conclusions. The right decision–the decision that is to be followed–is always the most difficult one of all. She knew that the people she had selected understood that, and that is why they had the honor of holding a position in her Council.

  “We have something important to ask of you.”

  Everyone had their eyes fixed on Ammara now. The tension rose in the air in anticipation of what she would say next. She pondered over her words before she spoke, thinking of the proper way to frame her sentence. Was there even a proper way?


  “Neither Kalen, nor I can deal the killing blow.”

  Pausing for a bit, she let that sink in.

  “What does that mean?” Abigail’s question lingered in the air between them momentarily.

  Ammara explained, “We cannot kill him ourselves.”

  “So what you’re saying,” Diana inquired, “is that someone else has to be one to finish the job?”

  “Precisely,” replied Kalen.

  “Look,” explained Ammara, “Asther has spent years learning how to shield himself from the powers that we possess. We can’t risk him getting away.”

  “So, what exactly do you have in mind?”

  That was the question everyone had been thinking about. The million-dollar question. How is it going to be done? Samuel made it easy on everyone by being the one to ask it.

  “Kalen and I will be there,” she started, assuring the crowd of their presence. “We’ll be by your side through it all.”

  Kalen picked up from there. “We’re all going to be in it together, obviously. What we need is the element of surprise.”

  “So, someone is going to attack him, while the others divert his attention?”

  “Yes, exactly. Someone just has to assume the responsibility,” stated Kalen.

  The group exchanged glances with one another, each thinking about the severity of what the fairy king was asking of them. Picking up on their hesitance, he added, “I know this is very dangerous. There are risks and we are aware of that. You all should know that Ammara and I would never put any of you in danger had we been able to do the job ourselves. Right now, we have no choice. Nevertheless, we promise to be there every step of the way. We just need your support.”

  Kevin stepped forward before anyone could say anything. “I’ll do it.”

  Nina bolted to her feet immediately upon hearing this. “No, Kevin. You won’t!”