An invisible force locked her in place as power began pouring into her like a flood. Not the familiar energy she’d spent her life learning to wield, but something infinitely greater. Ancient magic surged through every cell within her, filling spaces that she never even realized were empty. Along with that power came knowledge. Vast, incomprehensible volumes of knowledge thatstretched back through countless ages. The laws that governed life, death, and magic no longer felt mysterious.
They simply existed within her.
There to be used, but not quite yet understood.
The flood of information was overwhelming. Languages she’d never heard suddenly became familiar. Forgotten histories unfolded inside her mind. For one terrifying moment, she thought it would tear her apart. That she wouldn’t be able to contain all that the magical source had to give.
Then, she stopped resisting.
Surrendering completely, she opened herself to the impossible force consuming her. The ancient magic filling her wasn’t just transforming her into something new. It was altering her very existence until the being who had tumbled into the enchanted lake no longer existed.
She was now a goddess.
One of the most powerful beings to walk the six realms.
The realization barely had time to settle in her mind before the brilliance slowly began to recede. The impossible light faded back into the shimmering sea, and the invisible force imprisoning her finally released its hold. Her body drifted weightlessly once more, but she didn’t try to move.
The magical source wasn’t finished with them yet.
Mordecai’s stubborn ass was still in the process of being transformed. It didn’t surprise her that he had spent more time fighting the change than she had. That was simply his nature. Reaching out to him through their bond, she tried to coax him into relaxing. Instinctively, she knew that he was more worried about what was happening to her than what he had been going through.
Once he realized she was okay, he immediately gave up resisting. As she waited for him to finish, she closed her eyes and breathed slowly as wave after wave of newly awakenedmagic settled inside her. Entire lifetimes of divine instincts and knowledge continued unfolding through her mind in endless layers, each revelation larger than the last. It would take years to sort through it all, but there was no rush.
They had eternity to learn together.
When she opened her eyes again, she discovered they were no longer submerged in the shimmering sea of iridescent light. They were still wrapped around one another, but now stood on the wooden deck of what appeared to be either some sort of vessel or a small island platform floating on the glassy lake.
She glanced around in stunned silence, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Somewhere beyond the thick wall of pale pink clouds was the prison where Mordecai had been held captive. She knew it was still there, concealed from view just as it had been before. However, there was no sign of the shoreline, so they must have been far away from land.
She heard Mordechi exhale as he was released from whatever trance he’d been under, then she let out a squeak of surprise when his arms tightened around her, and he lifted her off her feet. She felt his big body trembling against her as he buried his face against her neck, and she moved her hands over his back in soothing strokes.
“What the fuck, Lana? I thought I’d lost you. I fucking felt you stop breathing, then…the magical source—”
“It chose us,” she cut in. “I don’t know how or why, but it transformed us into gods.”
“That makes no sense.”
He pulled back enough to glare at her, then his expression changed to one of absolute reverence. Slowly setting her down on her feet again, he reached up to brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek.
“You are glorious, mate,” he said softly. “The same, yet different.”
She knew exactly what he was talking about because she could see just how much their magical upgrade had changed him. His bronze eyes glowed as bright as twin suns, and his short black hair was now long enough to spill down his back in a silky waterfall. Her eyes widened as she noticed her own long locks were now a shimmering white blonde color that was as luminous as a pearl.
“Are my eyes glowing?”
He nodded. “The loveliest shade of blue I have ever seen.”
Stroking a hand down his chest, she admired the set of purple and black robes he was wearing. It looked the same as in their shared dream, but the color and silver threading seemed more vibrant as it glittered in the moonlight. She was dressed in a similar set of robes. The only difference was her were mostly purple, while his were mostly black.
“So, we are gods now?” Mordecai asked. “How the fuck is this even possible?”
“I guess you could say it was destined.”
Lana gasped as the sound of a familiar voice came from behind them. She spun around to see Gildor, Consort to the Queen of Fairies, standing a few feet away. His lips curved in a slight smile, and he bowed his head slightly in greeting.
“Welcome to the Fairy Realm, Goddess and God of Justice.”
Mordecai fought the urge to shove Lana behind him as they turned to greet the male who had spoken. His mate was now a powerful goddess, but that didn’t change his need to protect her. Then, the male’s words finally registered.
