Page 15

T he smell of Mom's spanakopita hit me like a brick to the face the moment I waddled into the kitchen.

My stomach let out a growl that no doubt registered on the Richter scale.

It woke the babies and had them scrambling.

It felt like they were all taking defensive positions in my womb.

That was when the magical tattoo on my belly pulsed in time with their movements.

My magical babies needed to voice their opinions about everything.

Even dinner. We were in deep trouble when these three were born.

"Someone's hungry," Mythia sang out as she zipped past. Her fairy wings caught the light and threw mini rainbows across my face. Show-off.

I rubbed my swollen belly, trying to calm the trio of food critics inside. "These three are worse than Yelp reviewers. And twice as demanding."

"Like mother, like children." Mom's voice dripped with amusement as she pulled a tray of baklava from the oven.

The honey-sweet smell made my mouth water, and the babies do slow rolls.

"Remember when you were pregnant with Jean-Marc?

Poor Miles had to drive across town for those pickled watermelons. "

"Don't remind me. Regardless of the trouble this mark has caused, I've been blessed with a better partner this time around.

Aidon doesn't give me any grief for my cravings.

" I shot my mate a grateful look. He was lounging against the counter, trying to look casual while hovering protectively.

He'd been my personal guardian for weeks.

"Though I still feel bad about making him drive to Portland at midnight for Thai food from Boda. "

"I didn't mind," he said softly. His dark energy wisped around his fingers like smoke. "Though keeping your Pad Thai from freezing solid during that snowstorm on Route 1 was interesting. Every time I tried to shield the food from the cold, I'd accidentally ice over another window instead."

"You didn't turn the Subaru into an ice sculpture again," Mythia said with a chuckle, nearly dropping the feta she was arranging.

"He did," I laughed. "We had to pull over in Brunswick to defrost the car. Then he had to explain to a very confused State Trooper why our vehicle looked like an ice castle in the middle of a relatively mild storm. Thank god for memory-altering spells, though I still feel bad about using them."

Nina and Selene's voices carried over from the living room, where they were engaged in their favorite pastime. The two of them loved doing research. Selene had also taught my daughter more about magic than anyone else. It was interesting to see Nina’s knowledge surpass Selene’s.

Nina spent every free moment she had reading various magical texts.

"But if we layer the protection spell with Fae energy like before—" Nina insisted, waving a pen around to emphasize her point.

"And watch it blow up in our faces like at The Newcastle Inn?

" Selene countered. "Some magical energies don't play nice together.

It's like mixing Allen's Coffee Brandy with important decisions.

Technically possible, but usually ends in disaster.

The Backside of Forty managed to find a way to mix Fae magic with witchcraft, but it can only happen under certain conditions. "

"Yeah, and they literally revolutionized mixing magic," Nina shot back. "They created that potion that can see through Dark Fae glamours."

"And we managed to increase the wards around the property with the pixies, but trying to do more under these circumstances feels risky,” Selene countered. “There are a lot of factors with your mother’s pregnancy and the mark and Aidon...”

"I don't know what you two are debating, but," Nana said, cutting Selene off, as she caught me sneaking another bite of spanakopita. "We aren’t doing anything right now except eating dinner. If there’s anything left for us.

" She gave me a pointed look as I tried to sneak another bite. "Save some for the rest of us, Phoebe."

I froze mid-chew, phyllo dough flaking onto my shirt. "The babies were hungry," I mumbled around my mouthful.

“They’re always hungry,” Nana countered. “Where’s the feta?”

Mythia produced a bowl of feta with a theatrical flutter of wings that sent more rainbow refractions dancing across the walls. “Maybe we should put this one out of your reach," she teased me. "At least until everyone fills their plate."

“I’m sure there is more in the fridge,” I replied as I made room for Stella.

Everyone converged on the kitchen island then and began filling their plates.

The warm aromas of oregano, garlic, and fresh-baked phyllo dough wrapped around us.

Nina squeezed in next to me, hip-checking me gently away from the spanakopita.

Selene was still muttering about magical theory while spooning tzatziki onto her plate.

Mom swatted Aidon's hand away from the baklava. "That's for dessert!"

Nana cackled at his shocked expression and beamed at Mom. “You show that god who’s boss, Mollie.”

Aidon quirked a brow and shot me a look.

I smiled at him and continued eating. It was chaos, but the good kind.

The kind that meant home and safety and love.

Mythia darted overhead with more serving bowls.

The triplets seemed to settle contentedly as I filled my belly with all my favorites.

Their usual acrobatics calmed to gentle movements.

"Can someone pass the dolmades?" I called out, watching as three different hands reached for them at once. This was how dinner should be. Noisy, messy, and absolutely perfect.

"Oh!" Stella brightened as her phone rang, grabbing it with a grin. She'd been checking it every few minutes, waiting for Todd's call. "That should be Todd saying he's picked up the kids from soccer practice.”

But something changed in her face as she answered. The warm anticipation draining away so fast it made my tattoo pulse with warning. Her smile crumpled at whatever she heard on the other end.

"Wait, what's—" Stella's voice cut off, her fingers whitening around the phone. "When? ... Hold on, let me put you on speaker."

I exchanged worried looks with Mom. Todd was supposed to be bringing their kids for a family dinner night. Nina was looking forward to practicing spells with Charlie and Reece later. Something must be very wrong.

Todd's voice filled the kitchen. His tension was evident even through the phone's speaker.

"The station got a call about suspicious activity at Mrs. Stavros's place on Maple.

I responded after Stella shared with me earlier that she was magical.

When I got here..." He paused, and I felt my skin prickle with foreboding.

"She's dead. And Stella, there are symbols carved everywhere. They resemble Phoebe's mark."

The room went silent except for the steady thrum of my magical tattoo. Mom set down her oven mitts with the kind of careful deliberation that meant she was trying very hard to stay calm. Aidon looked like he was ready to blow something up.

"When did this happen?" Stella asked.

"The neighbor called it in about an hour ago. Said she heard weird noises and saw lights. I've cleared the scene of regular officers. They think it's a normal break-in gone bad, but..."

"We'll be right there," I said as I stuffed my feet into my slip-ons.

"I'm coming with you," Aidon informed me. His power crackled around him like a Tesla coil that was about to go nuclear.

“Me too,” Nana announced as she climbed off her stool.

I shook my head. "Stay here with Nina. We don't know if this is a trap." I headed for the door. Walking while pregnant with triplets was more of a determined waddle.

"Mom—" Nina started to protest.

"No arguments," I cut her off, channeling my best mom-voice. I turned to face her. "Stella and I will check it out first. The rest of you stay alert. If anything feels off – and I mean anything – call us."

"Take this," Selene pressed a crystal into my hand. It hummed against my palm like a tuning fork. "It'll mask your magical signature. You know, just in case someone's trying to collect pregnant ladies with weird tattoos."

"Your timing with dark humor really needs work," I told her as I tucked the crystal into my pocket.

Twenty minutes later, Aidon pulled up to a large Victorian that screamed ‘magical practitioner lives here’ in about twelve different languages.

To normal people, it would look abandoned.

Maybe even slightly creepy. To magical eyes, the place practically vibrated with disturbed energy.

Police cars lined the street. Their lights painted everything in alternating slices of red and blue.

Todd met us at the yellow crime scene tape in his pristine uniform. His face was grim as he lifted the tape for us. "Thanks for coming. I knew this was our kind of weird as soon as I walked in."

"Good thinking, sweetie. We just saw her at the hospital earlier. This is so unreal," Stella said as we followed him up the front walk.

"It's..." Todd ran a hand through his hair, messing up his perfect appearance.

He and Stella were like Barbie and Ken but in a good way.

"You need to see it. Nothing's touched downstairs.

There was no forced entry, no signs of struggle.

But upstairs..." He shook his head, his face grim. "Someone wanted to leave a message."

My gut twisted into a knot, and I clasped Aidon's hand as we entered.

The front hall looked normal enough, but everything felt wrong.

It was like walking into a room where someone had just popped all the balloons at a birthday party.

Whatever protective spells Mrs. Stavros had maintained were now broken and unstable.

Fragments of her magic sparked like dying sparklers.

"Something tore through these wards like tissue paper," Stella murmured as she touched one wall.