Chapter 7 #3
I turned my attention to the electric blue presence that was Thaniel.
Hello, sweetheart. His response was completely different.
It was more analytical, like he was poking at the connection itself to figure out how it worked.
I got the distinct impression of a tiny scientist examining the magical threads between us.
He was fascinated by the mechanics of it all.
The emotion that came back was insistent.
"He's curious about how the connection works," I reported, laughing despite my tears. "Little smartass wants to understand the magic behind it."
“Just like his mother,” Aidon murmured as he kissed my temple.
Smiling, I reached for the deep purple presence that felt most like Aidon. My shadow princess. Nyssa. Hello, my fierce little one.
Her response hit me like a punch to the gut.
Pure, undiluted protectiveness rolled back at me.
It came with a fierce determination to keep her siblings safe.
There was an almost adult understanding there.
Way beyond what any unborn baby should possess.
The feeling she sent was crystal clear. She would protect her brother and sister, no matter what.
"Holy shit," I breathed. "Nyssa is already trying to be their protector. She understands there's danger."
"Divine children develop faster than mortal ones, but this level of awareness is extraordinary, even for them," Clio muttered, looking gobsmacked.
I spent the next hour learning to communicate with each triplet individually, figuring out their unique personalities through the emotions and intentions they sent back.
Melaina was pure sunshine and curiosity.
Thaniel was the little scholar, always questioning and analyzing. Nyssa was my tiny warrior.
By the time we finished, I felt like I truly knew my children for the first time. "This is the best part of having magic," I said as Clio started packing up her supplies. "If they can work together, we have advantages Lyra won't expect."
"It also means they understand the danger they're in," Aidon pointed out. I could hear the concern in his voice. "Is that wise?"
"They already knew," I said softly, one hand rubbing my belly where I could feel them settling down. "They've been trying to protect themselves from the beginning. Now they have a way to tell us what they need."
A soft knock on the door interrupted our conversation. "Come in," I called.
Mom entered with Nana right behind her, followed by Nina and Jean-Marc, who looked like they'd been hovering outside the door waiting for permission to intrude. "So," Mom said. "How did the meditation go? Were you able to connect with the babies?"
"I was," I said, unable to keep the wonder out of my voice. "I can actually communicate with them. They're all so different—Melaina's such a curious little thing like her big brother. Thaniel is a little scientist like his older brother, as well. And Nyssa's already trying to protect everyone."
"Of course she is," Nana said with a snort. "Girl takes after her daddy. Stubborn and protective as hell." She eyed my belly with interest. "What do the little troublemakers think about all this supernatural drama their mama's gotten herself into?"
"They understand there's danger," I admitted. "More than unborn babies should. And they want to help protect the family."
Jean-Marc leaned forward eagerly. "Is Thaniel really like me?"
"More than I thought possible. You and Nina were so different," I said. "I never dreamed kids could be so similar—"
The house shook with a tremendous impact that sent picture frames crashing to the floor. The windows rattled in their frames, making me try to bolt out of bed. I was grunting and struggling when, somewhere downstairs, glass shattered.
"What the hell was that?" Aidon demanded as he lifted me from the bed. His power was spreading outward to assess the threat.
Jean-Marc's expression darkened. "We're under attack. Can’t you feel it?"
"This is getting old," Nana muttered. "Can't even have a family chat without some asshole crashing the party."
Through the bedroom window, I caught sight of our attackers, and my stomach lurched. They were the ugliest creatures alive. They looked like someone had raided a butcher shop and a zoo and then decided to play mix-and-match with the parts. And they did it while high on hallucinogens.
The largest creature had the torso of a bear grafted onto spider legs that clicked against the patio.
Another had a head that was a nightmare fusion of an eagle and a crocodile.
It even had a beak full of shark teeth that dripped fluorescent green saliva.
The stuff was eating through the marble patio table like acid.
"Those claws are dripping with some kind of toxin," came a shout from downstairs. "It's dissolving our magical barriers!"
The bedroom door burst open, and a horde rushed in. Thankfully, they were on our side. Thalia, Selene, Vera, Iris, and Stella all looked grim yet battle-ready.
"How many are there?" I asked.
"At least six," Aidon replied from the window.
"Someone's been busy in their mad scientist laboratory," Nana quipped as she stood next to him.
Waddling over, I caught sight of it as another abomination crashed through the garden. That one combined the features of a mountain lion with the exoskeleton of some enormous insect. Its claws were easily six inches long and dripped with the same barrier-eating toxin as the others.
"At least we know how she’s getting past our wards," I said. "Lyra's trying to stop us from strengthening our defenses."
"These things are meant to test how effective our protections actually are," Thalia said as she pulled out a wicked-looking silver blade. "And to probe for weaknesses."
The bear-spider thing let out that grinding metal shriek again and launched itself at the house. Its claws raked across our reinforced walls, leaving deep gouges that sizzled with toxin residue.
"The babies," I gasped as their magic flared in response to the immediate threat.
"Stay with Phoebe," Aidon commanded as he headed for the stairs. "I'll handle the creatures."
"Like hell," I shot back. "We're stronger together."
"You're not going anywhere near those things," he said firmly. "Their toxins could harm the babies."
Before I could argue further, the house shuddered again as something massive slammed into the front door. The reinforced wood held. I could hear claws scraping against the barrier wards.
"The toxins are designed to eat through magical protection," Thalia reiterated. "If they breach the house wards, nowhere will be safe."
"Then we don't let them breach the wards," Nana declared, producing a shotgun from the gods knew where. "Time to take the fight to them."
A window exploded inward as one of the tentacled creatures forced its way through. Glass showered the bedroom as acidic saliva ate through the windowsill. "That's quite enough of that," Mom snarled, stepping forward with an athame.
The blade met the creature's tentacles in a shower of sparks and screams. Where her weapon cut, the toxins neutralized instantly. The thing's unnatural flesh began to wither.
"Silver disrupts whatever magic is holding them together," she called over the creature's death throes.
"Good to know," Nina said.
Through the window, I watched as Aidon headed straight for a bear-spider abomination.
The thing was making a beeline for our bedroom window.
Its cluster of black eyes locked onto me with the kind of focused hunger that made my stomach drop into my shoes.
A cold certainty settled over me—these bastards weren't just testing our defenses. They were hunting me specifically.
"They want the babies," I said, stumbling backward from the window as the creature coiled its massive legs, preparing to spring.
That's when the triplets decided they'd had enough of this nonsense.
Their magic detonated outward and caught the creature mid-leap.
I could feel the effort draining them like someone had pulled their plug.
Golden light blazed from Melaina, electric blue crackling energy from Thaniel, and deep purple tendrils of power from Nyssa.
They wove together into a barrier that pinned the bear-spider thing in the air for maybe three heartbeats.
Aidon took advantage, and his power lashed out. Razor-sharp tendrils of darkness that moved like living whips. They carved through the suspended creature with surgical precision, turning the thing into chunks of meat and chitin before it could shatter the triplets' defense.
"That's my great-grandbabies," Nana said proudly, pumping her shotgun as another creature appeared at the window. "You're doing good, little ones."
The triplets managed to deflect the tentacled thing just long enough for Nana to put a silver-loaded shell right through its center mass. The creature dissolved into messy parts that scattered across the bedroom floor.
"Can they do that some more?" Stella asked as more abominations circled the house.
"Let's find out," I said, opening my communication channels to all three triplets. Can you help protect our family? The others just need a little help.
The response was immediate but tired. Protect family. Stop creatures.
Their magic flared again, freezing the creatures long enough for the others to take them out. Within minutes, the attack was over. The lawn was littered with creature remains, and the babies settled back into exhausted but satisfied sleep.
"Is everyone all right?" Selene called, appearing in the doorway.
"We're fine," I assured her, though my hands were shaking from the adrenaline. "The babies were a big help."
"They're remarkable," Iris said with genuine awe. "I've never seen unborn children actively defend themselves like that."
"They're something special,” I said simply.
"Just like their parents," Mom said with a smile that was equal parts pride and concern.
"Stubborn as mules, protective as mother bears, and scary as hell when you mess with their people," Nana added with a smirk.
"She'll escalate after this," Thalia warned. "When Lyra realizes her creatures failed, she'll stop holding back."
"Good," I said firmly, one hand resting on my belly where three little defenders slept peacefully. "Because we're done holding back, too."