Page 46 of Magic & Secrets (Twisted Magic #1)
MAGIC BURNED HOT AT the base of Mt. Elysium. I would have preferred for Calla to give birth in our cabin rather than a cottage in Haven Junction. However, the Witch midwives couldn’t survive the mountain’s toxic magic.
Above the cottage, the sky churned with black clouds and shocks of lightning, casting an eerie glow over the land.
Thunder cracked as magenta rain began to fall in thick, warm drops.
The wind howled and bent trees to their breaking point.
More than a fury of nature, the storm heralded a new dawn for this world.
As Solme Divige unleashed her magic to prevent anyone from disturbing Calla’s delivery, Tyathossau also made his presence known. The ground shuddered with a low, guttural rumble. An ancient beast stirred deep within the mountain.
I wasn’t shocked by the display outside.
The same happened days ago when Calla’s sister gave birth.
My entire pack of Bane Shifters chose to linger nearby for both deliveries.
Tempe’s eyes glowed silver from his spot in the dark woods.
With the world in flux, my pack leader wanted a front row seat for the show.
Turning away from the window, I admired Calla on the bed, flushed and sweaty. She wore a white sleeping gown. Her golden hair hung freely down her chest. Calla never cried out despite her pain.
The Witch midwives were less agitated during this delivery. The first time around, they were nearly in tears, unsure what madness would take place next.
The Witches claimed they were ordered to travel to the mountain and assist in the deliveries.
“The beast in our dreams threatened to drive us mad if we refused,” Grindley explained upon their arrival at Haven Junction.
The Witch midwives quickly learned their usual magic was useless with the New Armgard. There was no way to know when the babies were due. We weren’t even sure how many would be born.
I settled next to Calla, adjusting her to lean against my body and use our mate bond to soothe her pain.
We soon stared at the four tiny bloodied younglings resting quietly on the bed. Calla pressed on her stomach to feel if more offspring would exit her body.
The Witch midwives hurried around the bedroom, cleaning the silent younglings and checking if their parts were in the proper places.
“Two males and two females,” Grindley told us. “Just like your sister.”
I picked up the nearest male and cradled his little body in my large hand. He had brown hair like mine. His eyes flashed a silvery blue. The tiny thing growled at me. Or perhaps, he yawned.
As much as I loved Calla, I refused to forget we were put on this path by an ancient one’s hunger for life. The four younglings were the next stage in Solme Divige’s grand plan.
Eyeing the male in my hand, I didn’t trust him or his siblings. Despite their normal appearance, I still harbored the fear they might be monsters. Calla watched me sniff the youngling as if waiting for a sign if our offspring were safe.
The thing in my hand exuded the same alluring scent as his mother. The cinnamon smell relaxed me immediately, and I found myself nuzzling the youngling.
Once Calla witnessed me snuggling our son, she reached for the other three younglings. Resting them on her lap, she admired our offspring curiously.
I saw the moment their scent reached her. A smile warmed her lovely face, and her gaze flashed to me. These creatures belonged to Solme Divige, but they were also ours to love and raise.
Settling next to Calla, I showed her the one I held.
“They need names,” Calla said.
“One, Two, Three, and Four.”
Smiling at my nonsense, she offered, “Or Male One, Male Two, Female One, Female Two.”
“I’ve never named anything before, but we’ll come up with something.”
Calla nuzzled each youngling, seeming more attuned to motherhood now. Over the last several months, her body changed quickly. She barely slumbered and ate constantly. We'd both feared what she might birth.
“Four,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “Just like your sister.”
“This here,” Calla said and gestured at the four tiny creatures watching us, “was how Solme Divige intended my sisters to be.”
While the Witches busied themselves with cleaning after the birth, Calla and I watched the four newborns resting in the soft bed. Their delicate features were bathed in an eerie magenta glow from the storm outside.
The two males sported thick chestnut hair and blue eyes. I imagined I looked similar when I was born.
The two females were mirror images of their mother with golden blonde hair and curious emerald eyes.
One of the males grunted and reached upward. Instantly frowning, Calla looked at me as if I might know why he made the noise. The little thing shifted into a wolf cub and crawled closer to his mother.
“He knows what he wants,” I said proudly. “Look at him already shifting.”
The other three reacted to my words by shifting into various animals. The other male was a hyena. The females transformed into a jaguar and a panther. The four of them stumbled unsteadily into their mother’s lap.
Calla’s joyful expression erased my worries.
She stroked their little heads and cooed over their transformations.
I scooped up one of the females and nuzzled her with my nose.
She purred in response, wanting to be closer.
One of the males bounced between Calla and me before losing his balance and nearly tumbling off the bed.
Calla echoed my laughter. The male who nearly had a rough meeting with the floor shifted back into his human form. He watched me and then his mother. A smile warmed his face.
“Is that normal?” I asked Grindley.
“Nothing about this situation is normal,” she muttered before shrugging her scrawny shoulders. “Then again, nothing’s been normal in the Territories since I was a wee girl.”
The other Witch smiled at Calla. “Your sister’s younglings behaved the same way. So, in that way, maybe it is normal.”
Calla shared the Witch’s smile. My mate looked at me and searched for my mood. I held on to the two younglings in my lap and used my free arm to wrap Calla closer.
“Never in my life did I think any of this was possible.”
“For too long, our choices didn’t belong to us.”
“Do they belong to us now? You were given to me by an ancient being. That same creature gave us these four younglings. Two boys and two girls, just like your sister. Nothing has been an accident.”
“Well, I guess we possess no free will,” Calla said as she nuzzled my jaw. “But our mate bond feels extraordinary. I wasn’t sure what to think about motherhood, but how can I deny these beautiful creatures? If this is the life Solme Divige has orchestrated for me, I have no regrets.”
“Solme Divige has proven to be a good master. You’ll hear no complaints from me, either.”
Despite the nearby Witches and our playful offspring, in that moment, Calla only saw me. She had accepted our mate bond quickly. Her love for me was more powerful than her self-preservation. Calla was a gift.
No matter what Solme Divige had in mind next for us, I believed it would be as bright as Calla’s smile.