Page 33

A scream jolted me awake. My heart raced as I struggled to orient myself in the darkness.

The mark on my belly pulsed with steady warmth.

It was a stark contrast to its earlier weakness.

My relief was heady. Whatever rest I'd gotten had helped restore my magical reserves.

The babies stirred contentedly. Their combined presence was a comforting weight.

"Mom!" Nina's voice carried urgency but not panic. "You need to see this. Now."

"What's wrong?" I called back as I hauled myself out of bed. Moving wasn't the herculean effort it had been earlier. Thank the gods for magical recharging.

"I’ll send Aidon up to help you get down here." The edge in her voice had me moving faster.

“I’ve got it,” I called back. “I’m already out of bed, and that’s the hardest part these days.”

My feet were surprisingly nimble on the stairs.

The scene that greeted me in our kitchen stopped me in my tracks.

Selene stood there with her glamour flickering like a bad TV signal.

Blood trickled from a cut above her eye, and her clothes were singed and torn.

But what drew my attention was the stack of papers she clutched.

They were emitting enough magical energy to make my mark flare in response.

"The destroyers," she gasped out, stumbling slightly as Stella rushed to support her. "They're moving tonight. They're going to the lighthouse to destroy everything. All their records, all the evidence. They know we're close to something."

"How did you-" I started, but she cut me off with a sharp gesture.

"No time. They're right behind me. We have to get to those archives first." She pressed a hand to her side, wincing. "They were talking about something called 'the original binding.' Whatever's in those archives has them spooked.”

My heart started racing, and I stuffed my feet into my boots. “Then we need to get it before they do."

Aidon came in from the office with Jean-Marc. His power crackled around him like dark lightning. "You're in no condition to-"

"Don't even start," I interrupted, meeting his concerned gaze.

"I've rested. I'm recharged. And I'm not sitting this out.

" I straightened my spine. It would have looked fierce if I didn’t have one hand resting on my swollen belly and the other on my lower back.

"These are our children they're threatening. Our family. Our future."

A crash from outside made us all jump. Nina's eyes went wide as she stared out the window.

Her new sight was clearly showing her something alarming.

"They're testing the wards. Their auras feel desperate.

Maybe even scared." She tilted her head as she analyzed.

"It's like watching cornered animals. They know something's changing and they can't control it. "

"How many are there?" Mom asked as she hurried to grab some potions. She and Nana were fully dressed for action.

"At least twelve," Nina reported. "There could be more arriving. Their energy signatures are chaotic. There is a lot of offensive magic building up."

My heart skipped as an unfamiliar sensation rippled through me.

It wasn’t the usual flutter of movement.

It was something that made my breath catch.

The ancient mark blazed to life and this time it transformed.

It split into three distinct streams of power.

There was a deep purple that coiled like living shadows, an electric blue hat crackled like lightning through storm clouds, and a brilliant gold that made every enchanted object in the kitchen hum in harmony.

My hands trembled as I pressed them against my swollen belly, feeling the pulse of magic sync with each tiny movement within.

"Holy shit," Nina whispered, her jaw practically on the floor as she stared at my stomach. "Those signatures are insane. Like, each one is completely different, but they're all..." She waved her hands around, at a loss for words.

"Ridiculously powerful?" Mom supplied helpfully, though her own eyes were wide as she studied the light show.

"Like maybe we should be concerned that my uterus is currently housing three magical nuclear reactors?" I suggested, only half-joking. The purple energy was doing something weird with the shadows that had Aidon looking entirely too interested.

"They're establishing their dominance early," Nana preened as she thumped her staff against the floor. "Good. They'll need that backbone for what life is going to throw at them."

"Could they maybe establish it after we deal with the horde of nasties heading our way?" Stella's fingers were already crackling with defensive magic. "Because I'm picking up some serious incoming clusterfuck energy."

"Language," Mom chided automatically, then winced as another wave of triple-threaded power pulsed outward. "Though in this case, that might be an understatement."

"No one touches them," Aidon's voice carried that edge that usually preceded violence.

Shadows gathered around his shoulders. "Not tonight.

Not ever." I would have found his protectiveness sweet if I wasn't so busy trying not to throw up from the magical light show in my abdomen. Pregnancy was so much fun.

Mom took care of it for me as she lifted her hands. “You never have to worry about that in this house. Each one of us would die to protect those babies.”

Shadows in the corner began to writhe and take shape. I grabbed Aidon’s arms and was about to ask him to dial it back when they formed into distinct figures. Nana stepped closer and turned back with an uncredulous look. “Who created the replicas of the people testing our wards outside?”

“Aidon?” I choked out as we watched what our enemies were doing.

"Not me. It’s, Nyssa," Aidon breathed, pride and awe mixing in his voice. "She's controlling the shadows like a true child of the Underworld."

"Look at their movements," Stella pointed out. "Something's wrong with how they're-"

Time slowed around us. It gave us precious extra seconds to process what we were seeing.

The air felt thick, like moving through honey.

Each moment stretched like taffy. "Thaniel," I blurted.

Somehow, I knew he was responsible for the temporal energy rippling outward from my belly. "He's affecting time itself."

Aidon nodded with pride shining in his eyes. “He’s powerful like his mom.”

"Damn," Nana whistled. "That's going to make family dinners interesting."

Another wave of golden energy rippled outward from my belly. A second later, I could feel every magical current in the room. Every spell, every ward, every flicker of power became crystal clear. The complex weave of protections around our house shimmered in my awareness like a living tapestry.

Aidon shared a look with me and nodded before he confirmed, "Melaina can sense and influence other magic. They're trying to help us."

"Then let's not waste their gift," Nana said as she clapped her hands. She had put on combat boots at some point before I’d come down.

Selene nodded in agreement. "We've got maybe ten minutes before those wards start to buckle," she relayed. “Less if they bring in reinforcements."

"We need to count on less," Nina corrected grimly. "Their energy is building faster." That was the last thing I wanted to hear. A glance out the window showed Tseki shifting into his dragon.

"We need to focus on the lighthouse," Selene insisted, pressing the papers into my hands with trembling fingers. "These mention something about 'the original binding.' Whatever's in those archives, they're terrified we'll find it."

I scanned the documents quickly, my eyes catching on phrases like ‘fractured power’ and ‘preventing total control’.

My breath caught as realization dawned. "They didn't just bind the First Song," I said slowly, looking up at my family.

"They intentionally broke it. They scattered its power so no one group could control all magic.

" My free hand went to my belly where the babies power began pulling back.

"And now our babies are somehow putting it back together. "

"Which explains their desperation," Mom said. "If they lose control of how magic flows..."

"They lose everything," Stella finished. "Their whole power structure collapses."

Another crash shook the house. This one was strong enough to rattle windows. Outside, the wards flared like aurora borealis as they absorbed the impact. "We need to move. Now," Aidon growled as he grabbed my arm.

"I was able to rest and will be ready to handle anything you might need me for," Clio said from her spot behind Selene. She had healed the witch while we were talking. "All I ask is that you use caution at the Lighthouse."

“I always do,” I assured her. “If I’m lucky, the babies’ protective magic will be even stronger now, too.”

“Don’t put even more pressure on your poor babies,” Stella cautioned. “We will be with you, so you don’t have to take any risks.”

Mom nodded in agreement and gestured to the window. “Tseki and Murtagh are already in position. They'll run interference while we make for the lighthouse."

"I've been saving these babies for a special occasion," Nana grinned, patting her oversized purse. The distinct clink of glass vials made me seriously question what she considered 'herbal remedies.' "Nothing like a little botanical warfare."

We piled into the SUV and Aidon raced down the driveway right as Tseki and Murtagh attacked the destroyers.

The sound of growls mixed with inhuman shrieks as Aidon gunned the engine.

I gripped the 'oh-shit' handle. My stomach did flips that had nothing to do with pregnancy as we swerved around a destroyer that got too close.

The thing's face peeled back in a scream before Stella threw a blast of power at it and reduced it to ash.

"Three more on our six," Nana called from the middle seat.