Chapter 28 Krystal
Krystal
I was halfway down the porch steps before the world blew apart.
Vivienne’s arms shot up, blue light pouring from her palms. The blast hit me in the chest, hard enough to knock my feet out from under me.
I landed flat, the cold shock of it stealing every breath from my lungs.
Zaden crashed down beside me, the impact rattling my teeth.
For a split second, all I could hear was the hum of power and my own heart slamming against my ribs.
The grass sizzled where Vivienne’s magic had hit. She spun, eyes wild, and tried to bolt for the woods.
My body refused to move. I fought to suck in air, my head ringing. The mate bond shot panic up my back, hot and sharp, but my limbs were leaden. I caught a glimpse of Zaden, still down, scales flickering in and out as his dragon tried to stabilize. It was chaos.
Then, over all of it, I heard Bryce yelling.
It wasn’t a child’s cry. It was a roar, a broken, furious sound that clawed the air open and made me forget every single pain.
He was out of the house, barefoot, pajamas bunched at the knees, his hair wild. His eyes were no longer human-brown. They burned gold, the color of sunrise and fury, and light pulsed everywhere inside him. Under his skin, behind his teeth, through the tiny cuts on his knuckles.
Vivienne froze at the edge of the yard, halfway between threat and flight.
"No!" Bryce screamed, the word so loud it cracked the night. He threw both hands forward.
The world stopped breathing.
Energy exploded from Bryce. Not a clever spell, no measured release, just raw, wild force.
It slammed into Vivienne, picked her up, and spun her in midair, then dropped her where she stood.
The blue-white glow snapped solid, shifting to something iridescent and cold.
A crystalline shell formed around her. Clear at first, then shot through with veins of gold and blue.
Vivienne was stuck, mid-step, mouth open in an O of shock. Her skin took on a blue tint, her hair frozen mid-whip, her eyes huge and terrified. The crystal climbed up her arms, over her face, encasing her.
Then it was silent again. The only sound was Bryce, gasping, barely upright.
I crawled to my feet, knees scraping dirt, not caring about the pain. Zaden beat me by a second. He was already on his feet, his face a mask of shock and something like awe.
Bryce stood on the walkway, arms still raised, his whole little body shaking. He looked at us, then at Vivienne’s frozen form. His chest heaved. He staggered, then started to fall.
Zaden moved faster than I could. He caught Bryce just as his legs gave out, scooping him into his arms. I was there an instant later, cupping Bryce’s face. His skin burned hot, veins glowing. Sweat and tears streaked his cheeks.
"You did good, kiddo. You did so good." Every word was a struggle. I searched his body for wounds, finding none, but he sagged against us, limp except for the tremble of his fists.
Bryce tried to focus. "She was hurting you," he whispered. "I made her stop."
I hugged him tight, burying my face in his hair. Zaden’s arms wrapped around us both, the mate bond a scorching net pulling us close. I wanted to weep, but there was no time.
Vivienne didn’t move. Even her eyelashes were frozen in crystal.
Zaden stood, Bryce pressed to his chest. He looked at me, and I nodded. Move. Get safe.
We hustled to the truck, Bryce cradled between us.
I grabbed every blanket I could get my hands on.
A ratty wolf throw, two moving pads from the shed, the picnic quilt from the backseat.
Zaden lifted Vivienne like luggage, careful not to crack the shell.
She was cold, hard as glass, no give at all in her limbs.
We wrapped her tight, layers on top of layers, then Zaden heaved her into the bed of the truck. The shell glimmered even through the fabric, and the weight of it seemed to chill the air around us.
I checked the house twice. Lights off, doors locked.
Zaden slid into the driver’s seat. I settled Bryce in the center, seatbelt stretched across his chest. He was nearly asleep already, head bobbing. I clicked the belt and then curled myself around him. The mate bond buzzed with urgency, desperate to get us out of here.
Zaden peeled out, tires skidding on gravel. The headlights caught the yard, showing Vivienne’s wrapped form in the bed, still unmoving.
We hit the road, the town flying past in a blur. The world outside the cab was all shadows and thin moon, the woods crowding close.
Bryce shivered. I pulled him closer, cradling his damp head against my chest. Zaden kept one hand on the wheel and the other on Bryce’s shoulder, grounding all three of us.
We didn’t talk for a long time.
Every minute, I checked the blankets in the rearview, making sure the shell hadn’t broken, that Vivienne was still locked up tight. She didn’t move. I wondered if she could even breathe. Part of me didn’t care.
As the truck wound through the mountain, Bryce stirred. His eyelids fluttered. "Is she gone?"
"Yeah, baby," I said. My voice came out thin. "She can’t hurt us anymore." Hopefully.
He nodded, then burrowed into my side. I could feel his heartbeat, frantic at first, then slowing.
Zaden cleared his throat. "That was… damn. I’ve never seen anything like it."
I reached over and squeezed his hand. "You were right. About her. About all of it."
He nodded, jaw working. "Let’s get to Beck Manor. If anyone can help, it’s Aurelia."
Bryce mumbled something. He was fading fast.
I pressed my lips to his brow. "Sleep, B. We’ve got you."
He relaxed for real then, the golden glow fading from his skin. His breathing steadied. The mate bond hummed softer, like a beacon set for home.
The rest of the drive blurred together. The rush of trees, the breakneck turns, the way I kept checking the back for any sign Vivienne was waking up. Nothing. Just the three of us, flying through the dark.
Zaden took the final turn into the Beck Manor drive at a speed that would have shredded the undercarriage of a normal truck.
The headlights bounced off wet gravel and the ancient iron gates that guarded the lane, then we were in the parking circle, the mansion looming overhead in the dark.
I could barely see the roof, but every window was lit.
Zaden had been texting with one hand as we sped across town.
Bryce was a dead weight in my arms, his eyelids at half-mast but refusing to let go.
The mate bond pulsed steady and strong, knitting him to Zaden and me, a lifeline gluing us together.
Zaden threw the truck into park and jumped out, slamming the door before sprinting up the steps to the heavy oak doors.
He didn’t bother with the bell, just hammered the wood with his fist, each blow echoing through the mountain night.
Inside, I saw the heat of movement. Shadows flickering past ornate glass, urgent and ungraceful. Ashton wrenched open the door, hair wild, bathrobe only barely covering his gym shorts. His chin lifted, reading the danger on Zaden’s face before a word was said.
"What the hell—" Ashton started.
"Need the ritual room, now," Zaden barked, not bothering with pleasantries.
Behind me, Vivienne thumped against the side of the truck bed, still wrapped in every blanket we owned. Bryce’s magic had faded to nothing, but even asleep, he clung to my shirt. I kissed the top of his head and whispered, "Almost done, baby. We’re safe now," but the comfort was mostly for me.
The manor’s front door slammed open all the way as Ashton moved aside. Zaden swept past, leading the way to the truck. Ashton followed, his own power rolling off him in invisible waves. I hoisted Bryce onto my hip, bracing for whatever came next.
Aurelia appeared at the top of the grand staircase, hands fisted in the railing, hair loose from the sleep. "What’s going on?"
Zaden didn’t slow. "Vivienne. She attacked my son."
Erin appeared on the landing, feet bare on the hardwood, a blanket twisted around her shoulders. By the time we got back to the truck, half the family was assembled at the front steps, each face more shocked than the last.
Ashton and Zaden gripped the edges of the tarp in the truck bed, then lifted Vivienne onto the porch. Even through layers of fabric, the shell shimmered, catching the hall sconces and shooting rainbows up the wall.
Aurelia’s eyes widened. "Is she… What did you do?"
"Bryce did it," I said, my voice shaking. "She—I don’t know, he just stopped her."
Erin, expression unreadable, stepped in and held the door. We muscled Vivienne’s shell into the house. It was awkward, heavy, and cold, the shape so wrong for a human body that my stomach turned over.
Inside, the foyer felt too small for what we’d dragged in. Aurelia motioned toward the east wing. "Ritual room. Quickest way."
We carried her, leaving a trail of melting frost across the hardwood.
We set Vivienne down on the table. She filled it up. Her mouth was frozen in a half-snarl, one hand still caught mid-gesture. The crystalline shell looked delicate but was hard as stone. Aurelia rapped it once with a knuckle, then pulled her hand back, shaking it.
Ashton closed the door, sealing us inside.
Zaden’s chest heaved. He looked at Aurelia. "Containment. Now."
Aurelia didn’t argue. She ripped open a drawer, pulled out a satin bag, and started pouring salt in a dense circle around the table.
Next came a handful of crushed amethyst, ground to dust and glittering purple.
She wordlessly handed Zaden a tiny silver blade.
He didn’t hesitate. He sliced a shallow cut on his forearm, letting the blood spatter the salt in precise lines.
It hissed and steamed, releasing a metallic tang into the air.
"Back," Aurelia ordered. The rest of us retreated, Bryce still limp in my arms.