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Elal nods his head. "The key is not looking at it while eating it, I think," he says, patting his husband on the hand.

Ifi walks back to the kitchen, beaming. "I told you. Best chef ever."

"Can we work on the presentation?" I ask, avoiding direct eye contact with the green goo while I eat.

"I'll see what I can do."

We visit for a bit before I pull out the sketch I made for them. This one was a bit tricky to create, and I actually used my magic for the first time while drawing. I hand them a piece of wood with their portrait burned into it. In it, they are looking at each other with such love and devotion, you can feel it in your heart.

Ifi starts crying the moment he sees it, and Elal pulls his husband into his arms.

"This is just the most touching gift we've ever gotten," Ifi says. "And I look hot!" Then he looks to Elal. "So do you, of course."

Elal smiles. "Of course."

Our goodbyes are bittersweet, and when I hand them their Memory Catcher, they know what it contains, but Elal pockets it anyways. "This isn't the end," he whispers as he hugs me. "You may be a Fate, but you're also a Phoenix at heart. You will always rise from the ashes to be reborn."

His words stay with me long after I leave.

* * *

Over the next few days,I wait to hear from Lilith. I have a portrait for her as well, drawn with blood, which was…an interesting medium. In the picture, she’s at the tree of knowledge licking blood off an apple while a snake slithers around her ankles. I am eager to show her the gift, but Lilith is still not back from her trip.

And then finally, the day has come. We have run out of time, and our plan is iffy at best.

"One hour," Liam says, staring into the dancing flames of the fire.

"Lily and Kaya will be here soon to take the kids away," I say. We decided it would be best for them to be out of the world ahead of time, just in case. I wish I could convince the Night brothers to go as well, but without them to help me, we don't stand a chance, and we need to try at least. Too many lives are at stake.

I walk over to Alina and pull her from the crib, cuddling her against me. I try not to cry as I imagine what will happen if we don't succeed.

The Night brothers surround us, forming a group hug with me and the baby in the center. Their power flows through me and I soak it up, hoping it will be enough.

Lily enters the room, Kaya at her side. "We're ready," she says.

I hand Alina to Kaya and Lily goes to pick up Zara who instantly starts screaming. She shifts from baby to dragon form, and her screams become the shouts of a dragon in distress. They echo throughout the castle and reverberate in our bones. Water begins spewing from her mouth, and Alina joins in, screaming, crying, thrashing and throwing fire balls indiscriminately.

"What the hell is going on?" Liam shouts over the noise.

"I have no idea," I say, scrambling to catch Alina's fire and neutralize it before she burns the damn castle down. "They were fine a second ago."

"Maybe they know we're trying to take them away," Lily says, nearly dropping Zara when the baby dragon spreads her wings and tries to fly.

The pitch of the dragon scream changes and nearly splits my eardrums, and then my flash buzzes and I clutch my head. "Oh, shit."

Outside, thunder rattles the rooftop as a new storm brews from a previously clear sky, and the sound of dragon wings fills the air.

A loud roar shakes the foundation of the castle and a dreadful cracking sound is the only warning we have before the entire top half of the castle is torn off to show a giant golden dragon looking down at us, lightning pouring from her. "Give me my grandchild!"

Chapter 17: The Storm

“Love makesthe ocean boil like a pot. Love grinds mountains down to sand. Love splits the heaven into a hundred pieces. Love shakes the earth with a mighty shaking...If not for pure love, why would I give existence to the spheres? I raised the Celestial wheel on the high so that you might understand love’s elevation.”

~Rumi

With the lower level ofthe castle now exposed to the elements, rain pelts us, soaking everything. Lily backs away, still holding a screaming baby dragon.

Everything is chaos.