Page 181 of The Night Firm

Sebastian raises an eyebrow and I smile. "Thank you. This looks delicious."

While I eat, Derek and Elijah join us, with Liam following behind holding a baby dragon in one arm and Alina in the other. "She ate!" he says to Elijah. "You were right. Cooked shark was the way to go." He glances at me in exasperation. "We tried every kind of meat we could think of. Then it occurred to us maybe seafood since she's a water dragon. It took a bit to get to shark." The Fire Druid grins at the dragon in his arms. "You're such a good eater, aren't you?"

"This might be the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life," I say, watching them.

Elijah rises and takes the dragon from Liam. Zara hiccups and spits water all over him, but he just laughs and puts the baby in the crib so he can dry off.

"Here, let me," I say, and I place a hand on his chest and channel fire and air together, drying him in an instant.

"Thank you," he says, his smile almost boyish.

"What will the rest of you do today?" I ask as I take Alina from Liam and give her some love. She pulls at my hair and laughs as she singes the edges with her fire.

"I'm staying with the kids," Liam says. "I thought I'd take them all on a hike and let these two practice their magic somewhere safer."

"I'll join you," Elijah says. "I need to get out of the castle for a bit and enjoy some fresh air. Plus, you'll have your hands full with three kids."

I look to Derek who shrugs. "I'm going to go back to the crime scene to see if I can find any new leads."

"Where's Matilda?" I ask. I haven't seen her around much since Lyx's death.

"She left last night and said she'll be back soon, that she had something to look into," Sebastian says.

With plans in place, Sebastian and I head to the carriage. I could offer to fly us or teleport us, but I'm just learning these abilities and taking another person with me seems risky at best. Besides, there are worse ways in the world to spend a morning than in a carriage with a sexy vampire druid.

I'm about ready to climb into the front, assuming Sebastian will be driving, but he ushers me into the back. "We've got a driver," he says.

"Who? Lily isn't home and everyone else is busy."

I watch, and see the reigns to the horses shift and move through the air… and I smile. "Mable?"

She flicks the reigns to let me know she's there, and Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "You learned her name? How?"

"I have my ways," I tell him with a wink as we crawl into the back of the carriage.

He sits across from me, our knees touching as he leans forward so we're closer. "I'm glad we'll have some time together," he says reaching for my hand.

I take his, squeezing it, and enjoy the feel of our skin touching, even if it's just our palms. "Me too. I feel like we haven't had a minute to ourselves in ages, with all the work we're doing in the new world and now this."

"You've done an incredible job helping build a new community," he says. "I see how the people look at you. You're a hero to them, and they don't even know you're a Fate."

I laugh at that. "I'm 100% sure they do. Nothing stays a secret in this world for long. Y'all are quite the gossips."

He grins, unable to deny it. "Either way, you've healed a lot of hearts. Mine included."

I know he's still broken about Cole, but it's good to hear some healing has occurred. "This is my home now too. I wasn't exaggerating when I told the Mother of Dragons that this world is part of me now. Or maybe it's more correct to say I'm a part of it. I don't know how it happened exactly, but when I did that spell, it changed something inside me, and added something of me to the fabric of this world. I haven't wanted to admit this to myself, let alone anyone else. But Sebastian, if this world is destroyed, I think I might be destroyed along with it, regardless of where I am. I don't think I'll survive if Amora gets her way."

Sebastian sucks in a breath, his grip on my hands tightening. "How certain are you?"

I drop my head, not wanting to see the heartache in his eyes when I tell him. "I could be wrong, of course, but I don't think I am. I'm… " I look up, unable to pull my gaze from his any longer. "I'm pretty certain. I can feel my life force attached to this world. I know after we found out what I am, we all speculated about my life span. But the more I've used my powers, the more I've felt this connection. I don’t think I’ll die naturally unless this world does. Which felt like it would be a long time, but now it has the life expectancy of less than two weeks. And so do I."

He's quiet for a few moments, his face hardened against this news. "Maybe Elijah's books can uncover someway to fix this," he says.

"I think the only fix is solving the murder," I say.

"Assuming the Mother of Dragons honors her word," he whispers, pressing his lips into a tight line.

"Why wouldn't she?"