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A dozen corrupted creatures slunk from the shadows behind her.

Their bodies resembled wolves, but everything about them was wrong.

Their limbs were too long and jointed in impossible ways.

It was as if someone had taken a wolf's skeleton and added extra knees and elbows.

Obsidian fur rippled over gaunt frames. Their eyes burned with an eerie purple light, and when they opened their mouths, rows upon rows of sharp teeth gleamed.

Each breath they took wheezed through bodies that seemed barely held together by whatever twisted magic had created them.

They moved as if they were puppets being pulled by strings that occasionally tangled.

"How did you know?" I demanded through gritted teeth as another contraction seized me. "How did you know you'd be able to invade?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice when your wards weakened?

" Lyra's smile was razor-sharp. "Your little fight with the Keepers left such convenient gaps.

Though I must admit, I didn't expect you to deliver my opportunity quite so perfectly.

And you even added a bonus. Triplets, each already showing such unique magical signatures. It's more than I could have hoped for."

Another contraction hit, doubling me over. My magic combined with the babies rippled out of me, making her wolves step back. Their distorted throats turned their whining into a sound that was like fingernails on a chalkboard.

"Get her upstairs," Aidon ordered Clio as his shadows rose to meet Lyra's creatures.

"I don't think so," Lyra purred. She flicked her wrist and said something under her breath. Dark energy crackled across the floor and up the walls. "No one's going anywhere. Not until I finish what I started."

"These things are everywhere!" Mom's voice carried from upstairs, followed by the sound of combat magic exploding. "We need to get to Phoebe!"

"We've got four more in the garden!" Nana called out. Her tone was more annoyed than afraid. "Nasty pieces of work!"

The wolves attacked in perfect synchronization, moving like pieces of a well-rehearsed dance.

I tried summoning my Pleiades power, calling on the magic that had served me so well in the past. The effort sent another contraction ripping through me.

The pain disrupted my focus, and my power sputtered uselessly.

"Normal spells won't work!" Stella shouted as she burst in from the kitchen with Nina right behind her.

Jean-Marc's string of curses followed them as he engaged two of the wolves.

Their first attempts at offensive magic – bright bolts of pure energy that should have torn through any normal opponent – passed harmlessly through them like light through smoke. "They're immune somehow!"

"I can't get a clean shot!" Selene's voice rang out from outside, followed by the distinctive sound of Tseki’s dragon. "They're moving too fast!"

Aidon's magic proved more effective as he tore through two creatures that lunged at us.

The beasts collapsed in a spray of black blood and twisted limbs.

I grimaced at the mess on my living room floor.

Those stains would never come out of the hardwood.

There was no time to worry about that as more emerged from the shadows.

Hades moved to support his son. Horror washed over me when his power flickered weakly.

Creating the portal had drained him. Still, he managed to catch one of the creatures with a burst of dark energy that sent it crashing into my coffee table.

Persephone swayed beside him, but her hands still rose, determination etched on her pale face as she called what little power she had left to help defend us.

I tried to help, to summon even a fraction of my usual power, but another contraction doubled me over.

It was impossible to focus. My huge belly made it hard enough to move—each shift in position sent new waves of discomfort through my lower back.

Still, I managed to blast one of the creatures with a burst of raw energy when it got too close to Clio. Though, the effort left me gasping.

" Phoebe! " Tarja's voice crackled through our connection. " Don't overdo it. Those babies are your priority right now. "

" Where are you ?" I panted through another wave of pain. " Are you and Binx safe? "

" We're in the Sanctuary below. Thankfully, Binx insisted we go down there the second you left. "

" Stay there ," I ordered through my mind as I felt another contraction building. " Keep the Sanctuary sealed. We can't risk— " I broke off with a groan, clutching my belly.

" Don't you dare play the hero ," Tarja warned. " We've got your back if you need us, but focus on keeping those little ones safe. "

Stella’s command to my daughter snagged my attention away from my conversation with Tarja. "Nina, get the Sunburst potion!" Was she insane? They could blow up the house!

Nina threw the vial before I could object.

It smashed against three wolves, exploding in a burst of liquid sunlight.

The creatures howled as the potion seared through their corrupted flesh.

The smell turned my stomach, and I nearly lost the contents all over Clio's pretty purple shoes.

Their obsidian fur bubbled and sloughed off where the golden liquid touched it.

Before they could recover or spread the caustic liquid, Persephone contained the volatile reaction in a cage of thorned vines.

Each barb pulsed with divine power to keep the destruction focused on our targets.

The success spurred everyone into coordinated action.

Aidon and his parents fought back-to-back.

Their divine powers were nothing close to what I was used to seeing.

But I swear they were slowly strengthening as they recovered from creating the portal.

Persephone's thorned vines whipped through the air, and caught another wolf.

They crushed it while Hades' power blasted two more into my favorite armchair.

The beasts' blood left dark stains on the cream fabric as their bodies twitched and went still.

Their death howls joined the cacophony of battle.

It made sounds no natural wolf should make.

Stella, Nina, and Jean-Marc pressed their advantage and fell into a deadly rhythm.

Nina's next potion caught a wolf mid-leap.

The liquid sunlight ate through its chest while Stella's spell knocked three more into the killing zone.

Jean-Marc pushed them through the broken window.

Each beast they took down left behind mangled corpses.

The tide seemed to be turning in our favor.

Hades and Persephone's power grew stronger with each passing minute.

Their divine energy merged in bursts that lit up the room.

More of Lyra's wolves fell. Twisted bodies littered our once-pristine living room.

I cast a magical bomb spell and lost control of it when another contraction hit me like a lightning bolt.

The detonation took out the television along with the wolf gunning for me.

Everyone staggered under the magical surge. Even Lyra.

Hades was the first to recover and lunged for Lyra. In reaction, she reached into her robes and withdrew a vial that made the gods freeze. Inside was sickly green liquid churned and bubbled. The liquid writhed like it was alive. And I swear steam rose from the glass itself.

"Ah, ah, ah," Lyra sang, wagging the vial back and forth like she was scolding a child. The deadly-looking liquid sloshed from side to side. Aidon and both of his parents flinched with each motion.

Hades froze mid-attack, his power faltering. The color drained from their immortal faces. Persephone's hand shot out to grip her son's arm as they both took an instinctive step back. Even Hades, Lord of the Underworld himself, couldn't quite hide his unease.

"By the Fates," Persephone whispered. "Where did you get that?"

"Recognize this?" Lyra's smile was cruel as she held up the vial.

The green liquid cast an unhealthy glow across her features.

"I know Aidon is intimately familiar with it.

Care for another taste? It really is amazing what you can find in ancient temples if you know where to look.

Hydra venom is so rare these days." Her words froze the blood in my veins at the same time rage burned through me.

The vile witch knew precisely how to throw us off our game as she stood there holding the vial almost carelessly.

"One drop could put even the mighty rulers of the Underworld out of commission. Imagine what the whole vial could do."

"You have no idea what you're playing with," Hades warned in a low and dangerous voice despite his obvious concern. His power flickered around him, but he didn't dare release it. Not with that vial so casually dangling from her fingers.

“Oh, but I do. That’s why I came prepared. We’re going to leave now,” Lyra informed us with a smile. “But I will be back. After all, Phoebe and I are not done yet.”

The remaining wolves prowled closer as we were forced to pull back. Lyra's laugh echoed through our home as she stepped backward. "You can consider this a preview of what's to come."

With a flourish of her hand, Lyra threw something at her feet that exploded in a cloud of black smoke.

For one heart-stopping moment, I thought she'd dropped the hydra venom.

My scream caught in my throat as I imagined the deadly liquid splashing toward Aidon and his parents.

Thankfully, the smoke was just smoke. It was thick and acrid, making everyone's eyes water.