Chapter 21 #3
But despite the threatening tone of the letter, Zera didn’t get the sense that it would involve the death and destruction Gareth had rained down on her life.
From her very limited experience with Kraven, in tandem with his story of his strife for power against the gods and goddesses who promised destruction if they learned he was alive, she felt that they had a commonality. Survival.
Why would he have divulged such a secret to her if he was going to kill her? If what he said was true, then she was certain he wanted her to succeed as much as she did. The thought gave her a hint of comfort.
“What does it say?” Jade prodded, but Zera quickly pocketed the letter, keys, and mystery box that was barely larger than her palm. She tossed the satchel in with the rest of the ruins.
“It’s nothing.” She gave Jade a reassuring smile. “Just the keys to this place. Guess that other guy doesn’t have use of it, but I’m not sure I want to set up shop here.”
Jade grimaced. “Yeah, it’s not exactly kid friendly.”
“I want to go home,” Zera said with a heavy sigh. Her bones ached to the very core, and she could use a shower and a bath. And a glass of wine.
“Too bad our home’s been burned,” Jade said glumly as they walked back to where Sloane had managed to prop herself against the wall.
“Yeah, I know.” Zera grimaced. She’d almost forgotten about that. “Guess that’s the end of an era.”
They had shared so many memories in that home, but perhaps it was time for something new.
“You’re not upset?” Jade furrowed her brow.
Zera let out a sigh. “Not really. I’m mostly relieved to not have to go back to that house with all those memories lingering around. Perhaps this is a chance at a fresh start.”
A look of awe and pride washed over her sister.
“And at least we’re all safe. That’s what matters most to me.”
They approached Sloane, and Zera gently unlocked her bracelets.
“Finally,” Sloane said with a deep inhalation once her bracelet was off and her magic came rushing back. She whispered a spell, and the shackles at her ankles snapped in two with a wave of her hand.
With a few more muttered spells, the swelling in her leg vanished along with the bruise under her eye.
“Let me see the boy,” Sloane said, nodding to Zera’s little baby, who was still strapped to her back.
“Here,” Zera said, carefully unhooking the fabric and setting him in her lap.
The little bundle of cheeks and light curls was so still that Zera had to keep reminding herself he was alive. Sloane crouched in front of them, her corkscrew curls tumbling over her shoulders and her hands extended over the sleeping baby.
“Wait,” Zera said suddenly, glancing around the room. “Not here.”
She didn’t want this to be what her son saw when he first woke up. He’d never remember it, but she would.
As if Jade had read her mind, she paved a path through the carnage to the dining hall doors and out into the vast network of halls leading off to various levels of the stronghold.
Zera didn’t know who else lurked in them, but she didn’t want to be here to find out.
The hall to her left she knew led down into the cellar.
Once she ensured that Sloan and Jade were safe with Cole, she would return to save Maverick.
Again. Her lips curled upward. She would be sure to remind him of that.
Jade shut the doors to the dining room, and once they were safely out of sight of the horrors that had taken place within, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“We made it.”
Zera smiled weakly, her lavender eyes scanning the halls just in case.
“Here’s good,” Sloane said, motioning to a surprisingly soft rug placed in front of a steel armchair. Cold with hints of comfort was the overall theme of the place.
Zera carefully placed her son on the carpet and sat back to give Sloane room to work.
She watched the witch’s fingers dance with a subtle grace as they wove threads of magic in the air.
The warm glow emanated from her palms, enveloping Cole in a tender luminescence.
It was a gentle undoing, a spell unraveling, as each thread of protective enchantment rose with care not to wake him.
“Come on, baby,” Zera whispered, her voice laced with both urgency and comfort. “Time to wake up.”
Sloane finished with a final flourish, and the magical light dissipated back into the darkness.
Cole’s little chest rose and fell more deeply, and his eyelids fluttered.
Zera held her breath as she waited for those tiny eyes to open, to look into hers and see the world they’d inherited—a world she would move the sky and earth to make safe for him.
In fact, she already had, and she would do it all over again to ensure he grew up without fear. Safe. Secure.
“Is he…” Jade began, but the question hung incomplete as they all watched in silent anticipation.
“Shh,” Sloane hushed gently, a knowing smile touching her lips. “The spell is broken. He’ll come around when he’s ready.”
And then, at long last, Cole opened his eyes—big, bright, and bewilderingly aware. They fixed on Zera, and it was as if an entire ocean of love crashed over her. Her heart swelled so fiercely that, for a moment, she feared it might burst right out of her chest.
“Hi, baby,” Zera cooed, cradling Cole against her.
His tiny hand reached out, fingers curling around a lock of her hair.
She pressed her lips to his forehead, inhaling the sweet scent of innocence and warmth that only a child could possess.
Her world narrowed to this single, perfect point in time.
Nothing else mattered—not the danger, not the chaos, not even the letter or mysterious box burning a hole in her pocket.
“Thank you,” she mouthed silently to Sloane, who nodded with a soft, empathetic smile.
Cole’s excited laughter echoed off the stone walls, his eyes lighting up when he beheld his mom, and they all laughed.
“Looks like somebody missed his mama,” Sloane teased lightly, brushing a thumb across Cole’s chubby cheek.
“Can’t blame him,” Jade chimed in, stretching her limbs. “With a mom who kicks ass and takes names? This kid’s going to have stories for days.”
“Let’s hope it’s a while before he understands any of them,” Zera replied, a laugh bubbling up despite the weariness that clung to her bones. Her arms tightened around Cole, and she gave a silent promise that she’d never let harm befall him again.
Shouts sounded from down the hall opposite them, and they all froze.
“Where is he?” a deep voice filled with rage growled.