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TERRA
ONE DAY EARLIER...
Save the mortal world, otherwise known as Earth, from the grips of black magic.
Find and eradicate the traitorous black magic users who went through the portal to the other side.
Work as quickly as possible—and whatever you do, don’t expose your true nature to humans.
That was the task Lord Chrystell, ruler of Nitehelm’s Fae kingdom, Crystalla, dropped on the other kingdoms’ laps.
Damon Nightshade was one of four leaders selected to take part. Though in his case, he’d already offered to help long before Jarris and his henchmen reconnected the portal to Earth.
One thing led to another—and soon the Fae king’s request wound up on the laps of four unsuspecting individuals: Terra, Brava, Shen, and Rune.
The Fae king’s request sounded impossible even to Terra—an angel who’d spent many years working alongside the Wilds’ ambitious and driven king, Damon Nightshade.
Even without his beastly white panther, Damon rarely accepted anything as impossible these days. Not when he had mates to come home to and a family of his own—a reality the king had thought impossible until fate proved him wrong.
As his most trusted friend and confidant, Terra’s job was to turn the impossible into reality.
His loyalty and reliability landed him a spot on the first task force that would enter the portal to Earth.
Terra wasn’t sure how to feel about that, really.
On one hand, he had little else to do—what with Damon and Midas sweeping the halls, doing everything themselves. He couldn’t even serve as a babysitter for Damon’s newborn son, Ward. The king’s mates, Weace and Levi, already had that job covered. The merry trio was also well on their way to a second child.
Terra imagined his life would somehow be different once the new heir was born, but to his dismay, it changed very little. To make matters worse, once his halo returned, Terra assumed he would be summoned to fulfill a new purpose—one befitting of a crowned angel such as himself.
Yet instead, as the weeks passed with ease, Terra spent much of his time bumbling about the castle without a goal or job in sight. He wasn’t needed for more than his company and the idle lifestyle triggered his restlessness more often than he liked to admit. Terra couldn’t stand not doing something.
He longed for something more exciting—yet going to another world hadn’t been what he had in mind...
But if there was one thing he knew more than anything, it was how unpredictable fate and the universe were. With them guiding things, Terra hadn’t a clue what awaited him beyond the portal.
And although he knew there must have been a reason he was chosen to go to Earth—the ex-fallen angel couldn’t see it.
“I expect significant results from you,” Damon Nightshade told him, giving his shoulder a light squeeze.
Terra nodded and responded with a quick salute. In other situations, he would have been more playful with his longtime friend. But in a room crowded with more royal faces than Terra could count on his hands, he had to maintain appearances lest he besmirch his lord’s reputation.
“Yes, my Lord.”
Damon Nightshade returned his salute and offered a small smile of encouragement. Leaning close enough to whisper in his ear, he murmured, “you better not die.”
Terra hid a grin behind his hand. “I will try to come back in one piece.”
Lord Nightshade took one last, long look at him. Then he turned on his heel and left Terra at the front of the stage. His strawberry hair bobbed as he strode back into the crowd where other royals watched on with interest.
Lord Chrystell stood at the forefront of the grand room, gesturing towards a magic portal beside him that would transport them to the Ruins. There, they would enter the real portal—the one that would take them straight into the unknown.
To Earth.
Terra had little time to ponder or worry about the unknown, though.
The Fae king’s next words boomed from the front of the room. The attractive man with pointy ears, black hair and even darker eyes demanded everyone’s attention.
“This portal will take you four to the Ruins. There, my mate Markus will open the portal to Earth and see you through. From then on, you four must work as a team. No doubt your kings and queens have already informed you... But communication between our worlds does not work. Unless you return through a portal, you will be on your own.”
A soft chorus of murmurs rose from the crowd of onlookers. Terra risked a glance back.
Four groups of royals from different kingdoms crowded together behind the four chosen to go to Earth.
The demons from Blackhallow stood surrounding their king, Lord Ozai, who’d conjured up his own demonic looking chair to sit in. He glared at his own nails as Lord Chrystell continued to speak up front.
He’d heard rumors that the demon king never left Blackhallow—but today must have been an exception.
Terra watched longer than he should have. He found it strange how each of the demon’s men and women wore black pillbox hats with matching black veils attached for privacy. Some kind of magic obscured their faces in shadows. Taking their strange attire into account, the demons stood out the most to the curious angel.
To their left stood Damon’s group, much smaller than the others. Excluding the king, Damon’s two twin half-sisters, his right hand man Midas, and several guards filled the immediate space around the king of the Wilds.
To their right, Terra noticed Queen Ayaka—ruler of Sune Island—and her lot of bodyguards. The kitsune queen stood in the center, protected from all sides. She dressed to impress, as usual, and exuded an air of elegance without batting an eyelash. Beside her, Terra spotted a man who looked like the spitting image of the one standing up on stage next to him.
“Shen!” the twin called from the crowd.
Ah, so that’s his name, Terra thought.
Shen looked back and raised his finger to his own lips, a silent warning to be quiet. His twin scowled at him and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Terra felt a warmth radiate through his chest as he watched the brothers interact from a distance.
As Shen turned to face the front of the room, their eyes met. No matter how hard the angel tried, he couldn’t look away.
Shen was stunning. Spectacular, really. He was the first man to arouse Terra’s interest in, well, ever.
Despite having been on his own for so long, Terra recognized the symptoms of the fated pull and sucked in a breath. He offered a small smile and a wave, his heart racing.
He had to hand it to fate. Meeting a mate here of all places, under these circumstances, was a twist he never saw coming.
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SHEN
THE SHISA INSIDE OF Shen recognized the other three selected for the mission as his fated mates the moment he entered the room.
But with royals underfoot and the ceremony well underway, all they could do was stand and wait. Eventually, the king of Crystalla would run out of words to say—and then the four of them would be off.
The thought sent a tremor of excitement racing through his body.
As he waited for the next phase of the ceremony, Shen contained his emotions. Having spent many years training and meditating on Sune Island with his brothers, that was the simple part.
What would not be easy? Exerting that same level of control once they were on the other side.
He saw it as an opportunity for growth, though at some point, he knew the shisa inside of him would win.
It had a one-track mind: find its mates and settle down.
Shen would not stand in its way, either, for the two of them shared the same goals.
His brothers all had families of their own now. Even Ken, who had been (and still is) trapped in stone most of Shen’s life, had a mate on the way thanks to Lord Summers.
Someday, their son Percy would break his brother Ken out of the stone. They’d get their happily ever after—but what about Shen?
That he had found his mates—and three of them, at that—was a miracle.
“Shen!” one of his brothers called out to him.
He turned and shushed his sibling, but as he looked back to Lord Chrystell, someone else caught his eye.
One of his companions on this very important mission: Terra.
Shen didn’t know a lot about him, but looking into those gorgeous green eyes, he wanted to learn everything.
Terra was a book he wanted to read, a puzzle he wanted to put together.
And, judging by the halo hovering atop his head, he was an angel.
If the two of them ever had children, gods help the land.
The murmurs of the men and women behind them faded out of his awareness. Even Lord Chrystell’s voice, as loud and commanding as it was, became nothing more than white noise.
Terra was an angel in body and in soul.
Shen could tell just by looking at him.
Chestnut hair, emerald eyes, that lovely jawline and athletic, yet slim, physique. He longed to explore what lay beneath Terra’s many layers; both in bed and through intimate, heart-to-heart conversations.
What could he say? His shisa was a sentimental spirit, and he was a man of his heart.
Terra smiled at him and waved and Shen felt as though the floor had crumbled beneath his feet. He tried to give his best smile in return and winked.
Before them, Lord Chrystell sauntered over to the portal where his mate Markus stepped through and pecked his cheek with a kiss.
“Markus will take you to the Ruins,” the Fae told the four of them. Then he addressed his audience. “Everyone, take one more look at our four brave heroes: Terra, Brava, Shen, and Rune. Please give them a round of applause.”
Shen reluctantly peeled his eyes away from Terra’s as the room exploded with cheer and applause.
As they basked in the moment, Shen made eye contact with the other two men who were chosen as his companions.
The demon with pointy fairy ears and horns winked at him, clearly as aware of their being mates as Shen was. The other, a more reserved Magi with stunning white hair, offered a slight smile that made Shen’s shisa want to chase him to the ends of the world. The ends of Earth, if he had to.
The four of them took a bow as Lord Chrystell addressed the room for the last time.
“To those of you who wish to say your goodbyes, do so now. Our heroes will depart shortly.”
The room bustled with sudden activity.
“Shen!” Queen Ayaka beckoned to him.
He excused himself from the lineup and descended the stairs.
“Yes, mother?”
“Do not mother me,” she quipped, “I saw how you looked at those three up there. They are your fated ones, are they not?”
Nothing ever got past Queen Ayaka.
Shen gave his siblings pleading eyes. His brothers stood behind their mother with wide grins on their faces. His twin, Shoji, smirked and said, “you noticed it, too, mother?”
Some help you are, Shen thought.
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Ah, you saw that?”
“I think everyone here did,” Shoji snorted.
“I will remember this,” Shen warned him teasingly.
“As will I,” his mother interrupted. “It is not every day the universe drops three fertile, well-endowed men in your lap—”
“Mother, please!” Shen hissed, his cheeks burning from embarrassment.
“If you return without claiming them,” she continued, “do not expect Otoshidama from me.”
His brothers gasped.
“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Shoji asked.
“Not when our generation is on the line,” Queen Ayaka snapped. “Do you know how few shisa inhabit our world? I expect all of my sons to plant their roots before it is too late. If I must threaten your New Year’s money, so be it.”
Otoshidama—money parents give to their children on the New Year—is worth much more when a strong kitsune like their mother provides it. All of Shen’s brothers had grown accustom to their overabundant lifestyles, supplied by their doting mother who was obsessed with extending the family tree.
Truthfully, Shen didn’t mind not receiving New Year’s money—but he didn’t want to disappoint his family.
“I will give it my best effort,” he told his mother.
She kissed his cheeks, and they said their last goodbyes. As Shen climbed the stairs, she called out to him once more. “Do not forget our omiyage!”
Omiyage—gifts given when one returns from a trip—was a tradition so ingrained in his brain, there was virtually no chance Shen could ever forget it.
“I will!” he promised with a wave.
Shen returned to his spot before the portal, brimming with excitement.
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BRAVA
BRAVA FELT LIKE THE luckiest half-demon in Nitehelm.
He’d spent his entire life up to this point living under Sivan’s thumb in the slums of Tartarus. The demon never would have let him leave that horrid life behind if not for their king summoning Brava to the castle.
No matter what Sivan wanted, orders were orders—and so Brava had to go.
In the beginning, he worried the king only wanted to reprimand him for the poor life choices he made... Or for skirting the authorities by living in Tartarus to begin with. If he had to see Sivan’s face again, Brava wasn’t sure he’d last much longer. The life he’d lived on the streets had been difficult and Brave longed to settle down.
But once Sivan had someone proficient, he never let them go. Not willingly, at least.
Once Brava was an able-bodied adult—Sivan loaded him up with higher level jobs that only prolonged his suffering. But with only two choices—live in the slums or die—Brava felt he had little choice but to comply.
So when the king told him about his being chosen to go to an entirely different world—far, far away from Sivan and Tartarus—Brava couldn’t have been more excited.
Once he arrived at Crystalla’s impressive castle, he met the three men who would go to Earth with him.
The demon inside of him knew immediately that they were his fated mates.
Standing so near, Brava felt as though the heavens were shining down upon him.
He knew angels and demons had their differences—ones that undoubtedly made Brava an unlikely candidate for receiving such fortune—but someone must have been looking out for him.
How else could he explain the cornucopia of new beginnings fate practically shoved into his arms?
I’ll never have to see Sivan’s face again, he realized.
The thought felt more real than it had before.
When everyone was excused to say their goodbyes, he turned back and gave a respectful salute to his king.
Unlike the others, Brava had no family or friends who would worry for his absence. None who cared to see him off, either.
Soon, the time came for them to step through the first portal.
Markus, a man with striking features and dark hair that hung into his eyes, escorted the four of them to the Ruins—a desolate place where vegetation was scarce.
Once upon a time, Brava had worked with Markus on the streets—but that was neither here nor there. Markus lived a much different life now—something Brava was about to get a taste of.
The sand sunk beneath his feet as he stepped out into the dry, hot desert.
Beyond the horizon, massive clouds of dust covered the sky. Wind whipped around them, bringing with it sand and more sand. Some even got into his eyes and his mouth. Brava hated the place immediately.
“This desert sees many dust storms,” Markus, their guide, told them. “You four should hurry through the portal before the weather worsens.”
Brava gave Markus a friendly wave. Then he turned toward the portal—an ancient-looking structure that towered over them. The sun baked the desert with humid rays that made the marble of the portal difficult to look at. Brava shielded his eyes as he squinted at it, but feared if he stared too long, he’d go blind.
A beautiful blue magic quivered within the arch.
Despite having been abandoned for centuries, left in the desert to battle rough conditions, it still worked.
Brava’s demon could practically dance, it was so excited. Not that Brava could blame it. They had quite a lot to be hopeful for.
“What do you think awaits us on the other side?”
Brava snapped his gaze onto the angelic beauty with green eyes and chestnut hair. Yet the man wasn’t an angel in appearance alone. The halo floating over his head confirmed as much.
The half-demon always assumed angels would be a turn-off. His kind (well, half of his kind) had been at odds with them for centuries, after all. But standing so close, he knew they were fated to be.
Generations of strife would not be enough to stop Brava—or his inner demon, for that matter—from the chase.
“A beautiful world,” Brava whistled, his spirits high as the dust clouds in the distance.
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RUNE
RUNE’S DREARY SITUATION was turning out to be more of a win for him than he’d initially thought.
The punishment his mother, the Sorcerean queen, wished to force upon him would backfire. Sure, he could die while performing his duties on Earth... but if he survived, he would return home with four mates on his arms.
Rune lived to see the day.
He imagined his mother’s face scrunching up with disdain as she realized her punishment did not work.
The thought pleased Rune, and after daydreaming about it for several long moments, his companions weren’t the only ones in wonderful spirits.
“Are you four ready?” their guide, Markus asked.
He stood next to the Ruin’s portal—a large, marble arch that made them look like ants.
Rune was as ready as he would ever be. With a brave face, he trudged through the sand up to the portal’s steps; the others following behind him.
Secretly, Rune was more than happy to leave the Sorcerean queen and his old life behind.
He walked through the portal with his three new companions and didn’t look back.