Deserted (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 4)
Deserted: Chapter 18

In the deserts, most of the clothing was made from a combination of different plant materials. A few pieces had to be imported from other worlds, but for the most part they’d figured out how to use their resources to create soft and durable materials.

The formal outfit for this event consisted of tight red pants, stretchy and thick, hugging my thighs and calves. Over the top was a knee-length, short-sleeved red tunic. It was also made of thick and heavy material, with gold stitching and a huge black jackan across the back. The front had a diamond-shaped cutout, exposing some cleavage. Unlike Mera, after years of honing my warrior body to limit its softness, I wasn’t overly blessed in the boob department. But in this particular outfit, my size was perfect.

It was all finished off with a pair of black boots, which zipped up over my ankle and gave me another few inches of height.

‘So, that tunic is literally never getting over my stomach,’ Mera said, holding up the pieces of her set. ‘And what are the rest of these items for?’

Grabbing a bracelet with thick gold links, I said, ‘This goes on your right wrist to show that you’re unmated or left for those with a bond.” Dropping it I moved to the solid band with a cut-out piece. “And this cuff is for your biceps. It doesn’t matter which one since it’s purely decorative.”

‘And this?’ Mera asked, lifting some wispy red material.

‘For our hair.’ I demonstrated how to curl it over my crown like a headband, then loop it through the long strands of my ponytail, allowing the rest to trail down my back.

Mera watched it all with wide-eyed fascination, and when I was done, twirling on the spot to give her the full picture, she let out a sigh. ‘With your new fiery coloring, you look just like an—’

‘Angel,’ I interrupted with a laugh, since it was her favorite descriptor of me.

She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at me. ‘No, smartass. I was going to say you look like a goddess of fire and light—different than Shadow and me with our darker powers.’ She clasped her hands, eyes shiny. “You’re so beautiful, Angel. Any male would be lucky to have a chance with you.”

My heart squeezed. ‘Thank you. Your support means everything to me. I couldn’t have made it through this rebirth without you.” I was thousands of years older than Mera, but at times it felt like she was the rock on which I was growing my new foundation.

‘Girl, I would literally not be able to exist in this world without you,’ she said, that sheen to her eyes spilling over. ‘When I thought I’d lost you—’ She broke off and shook her head like there were no words to truly describe it.

I understood because the thought of losing Mera cut me just as deeply. It would be akin to losing another sister. Thankfully, that should never happen since she could be reborn in the Nexus, and for that, I was eternally grateful.

‘We are going to be in each other’s lives for a long time,’ I said, running my hand through the long length of the silky red material threading through my hair. ‘No more talk of death. Not tonight.’

Mera nodded, wiping her eyes. ‘No more talk of death. Tonight is for living, and—’ She broke off, looking around. ‘Weren’t we in a rush? Where the hell are the guys? I’m starving.’

That made two of us, and with her pregnant…

‘They should know better than to leave you hungry,’ I said with a snort, before leaning down to grab her tights. ‘But first, let’s see if we can fit you into this.’

She groaned but didn’t fight me as I helped her into the pants, which, thankfully, stretched up over her belly. The tunic, while more fitted, had fasteners under either side that allowed for adjustment. Some of her skin was exposed in the gaps at her waist, but she didn’t give a shit. The bracelet went on her left wrist, the cuff on the same biceps, and by the time I’d adjusted her red scarf to wrap around her mass of hair, the others had finally arrived to collect us.

Shadow was the first one inside, pushing through the tent door and striding straight to Mera. His eyes traced across the red outfit, lingering on the exposed skin down her sides and the way her generous breasts were, as predicted, spilling out of the diamond cutout.

‘We won’t be at the dinner tonight,’ he drawled, his voice a deep rumble as a smoky scent filled the room. ‘I’ve made other plans.’

From the glint in his eyes, it was clear what those other plans were.

But Mera was having none of that. ‘Dude, I just spent a damn hour getting my pregnant ass into this outfit. I will be going to the ceremony. I will be eating all the food. And if you try and stop me, I will strangle you with my fancy hair scarf.’

She caught my eye and gave me a wink before returning her attention to Shadow, who was wearing a look of amusement. ‘And after you’ve eaten?’ he pressed.

‘You will dance with me,’ she said quickly, ‘and then you will take me back to our room here and strip this freaking thing off me.’

‘Deal.’

He said it so fast that everyone laughed. The others started to get dressed in the formal attire as well, unconcerned about stripping off their regular boots and cargo pants. All except Reece, who was standing near the entrance, his gaze tracing over my outfit and lingering on the bracelet on my right wrist.

The wrist that advertised me as unmated.

A stormy darkness descended over his features, but before I could overanalyze that, I looked away. This moon, my focus was on fresh starts and having fun. Desert gods were not on the list.

‘We’ll head out in five minutes,” Reece said gruffly.

The others made noises of agreement, most now taking their half-naked asses out of this room and into their bedroom areas to wash up and dress. When they returned, one by one, Mera and I got to take them all in. And by all, I meant my eyes were locked on Reece, unable to look away.

The men’s outfits consisted of red pants too, only theirs were trouser-style with pockets. Their tunic was made of the same thick material and gold stitching, but the cutout was rectangular, exposing most of Reece’s thick bronze chest muscles. His biceps were also on show in the short sleeves, a gold cuff around one, while the other was covered in marks—tattoos as Mera called them—made up of what looked like symbols of this world and a few I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t easy to brand the skin of those long-lived, but all of these guys had figured out a way to do so.

I’d never seen Reece’s marks up close, since he’d gotten them after our time together, and I tried not to examine them now. No need to make it obvious that my fascination with him was as strong as ever. Lifting my eyes, I found a blue pair boring into me, and since I couldn’t fall into those depths, I flicked my gaze up past his dark, shaved hair, pretending I was interested in the intricate arrangement of the tent’s structure.

Why the hell did he look so perfect all the time with his stupid height and broad shoulders and cocky smil—

‘Ready to go?’ Len asked interrupting my mental berating when he appeared in the room. ‘I think I wear this outfit even better than the last time I had it on.’

He propped both hands on his hips, looking confident as he swaggered forward. It was odd to see him in such a bright color when he lived and breathed his silver status, but there was no denying the glowing beauty of this fae. In fact, all of the males looked like the gods they were revered for across the worlds.

Mera hadn’t been around long enough to truly understand the power of these six. Everyone either wanted to be part of this group or fuck their way through the six.

I’d been the only one sitting on the outside watching them rule it all, never for a second considering I’d one day stand among them.

It was a change I was still processing, but in the spirit of embracing change, I was walking into this moon with as much confidence as these males had.

It was my new beginning after all.