Page 13 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

I locked eyes with Aidon and saw the fury and fear warring in his gaze. I had to move my gaze to Stella, Nana, and Persephone. Each of them nodded. It was almost imperceptible.

I turned back to Lyra, a smirk playing on my lips. "How about we negotiate the terms of your go-fuck-yourself instead?"

With that, we unleashed every ounce of power we had left. The combined force of our magic with Aidon and Persephone's divine energy-including whatever the hell Nana had up her sleeve-shattered Lyra's cage like glass. The backlash sent everyone flying. Aidon caught me, steadying Stella, and raced toward the exit. "The portal! Now!" His voice cut through the mayhem.

Persephone held Nana, and we ran. Lyra's furious shout followed us as we dodged debris and stray spells. We practically dove through the shimmering tear in reality that led back toour basement. I heard Lyra's enraged scream just as the portal snapped shut behind us. Persephone did something, and the crack vanished. “She won’t be coming through there.”

Nana nodded once and headed for the stairs. "I was going to do that," she said, brushing off her cardigan as if we'd just returned from a slightly rowdy bingo night, "That was invigorating. Who's up for dinner?"

I let out a laugh that was half hysteria, half relief. "Dinner sounds great, Nana. But first, I think I need to sit down before I fall down."

Aidon carried me in his strong arms. "You've overdone it," he murmured. I looked up to the concern etched on his face. "You and the babies need rest and nourishment."

I wanted to argue and insist I was okay. The room chose that moment to start spinning rather alarmingly. "Alright," I conceded, "maybe a little rest wouldn't hurt."

The next few hours passed in a blur. I vaguely remember him carrying me upstairs. Mom helped clean me up while Aidon insisted that I settle onto the couch. The others bustled around, preparing food. By the time I felt somewhat human again, the house was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of chilaquiles and the chatter of familiar voices.

Our dining room had never been so crowded. Aidon, Mom, Nina, Mythia, Layla, Selene, Murtagh, and Tsekani had all returned. Likely drawn by the news of our impromptu dimensional field trip. The table groaned under the weight of enough food to feed a small army. Or one very hungry pregnant witch and her equally famished family.

The story of our adventure unfolded as we ate. Persephone watched us silently with an indecipherable look on her face. I couldn’t tell if she was bemused or horrified. And I didn’t care. I loved my family exactly like they were.

Stella regaled everyone with tales of our magical prowess with her usual flair for the dramatic. Nana added colorful commentary, most of which I was pretty sure she was embellishing. "And then I said to the witch, 'My dear, your dark magic is showing. You might want to touch that up.'"

Mom alternated between looking proud and terrified while Nina peppered us with questions about Lyra's realm. Mythia and Layla were already discussing magical countermeasures. Selene listened intently, occasionally offering insights from her vast knowledge of magical lore.

Murtagh and Tsekani, for their part, seemed to be having a silent competition to see who could pile more food onto my plate without me noticing. Tseki added to Nana’s plate as well. He’d taken a shine to her. I thought she reminded him of Hattie who was the closest thing he’d ever had to a mother. The gesture touched me, even if my stomach threatened to secede from the union.

As the meal wound down and the conversation turned to strategy and next steps, I found myself fighting to keep my eyes open. Aidon noticed immediately and announced, "I think it's time we called it a night." Without waiting for comment, he rose and gently helped me to my feet. "Phoebe and the little ones need rest."

There was a chorus of goodnights and well-wishes as Aidon guided me towards the stairs. I managed a tired wave before letting him lead me up to our bedroom. As I sank gratefully onto our bed, Aidon's strong hands already working to massage the tension from my shoulders. Today had been insane, even by our standards. We'd faced down Tainted witches, escaped a pocket dimension, and come home to a family dinner that put the "fun" in "dysfunctional."

After the chaos of the day, the quiet of our bedroom felt like a sanctuary. Aidon's arms around me were an anchor, groundingme in the here and now. It was nice to be away from the lingering shadows of our underground adventure. "You're thinking too loud," Aidon murmured, his breath warm against my neck. "Want to share with the class?"

I turned in his embrace. My very pregnant belly made the maneuver less graceful than I'd like. “Just contemplating how I went from supernatural troubleshooter to human incubator for a soccer team.”

Aidon's laugh rumbled through his chest. “A soccer team, huh? And here I thought we were going for a basketball trio.”

His hand found my stomach, and as if on cue, one of the triplets kicked. “See? Melaina is already practicing her jump shot. Or maybe that’s Thaniel."

I couldn't help but smile, placing my hand over his. "Your kids are overachievers. Clearly, they get that from you."

"Oh no," Aidon grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief and love. "The stubborn determination to do the impossible? That's all you, babe."

His lips found mine, and for a moment, the world fell away. There was no looming supernatural threat, no pregnancy discomfort, just us. Aidoneus pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. His lips were warm and reassuring, but there was an intensity behind it that sent a shiver down my spine. His touch became deliberate, slow, and almost reverent as his hands slid over my arms then up to my neck. Every kiss seemed to whisper promises of comfort and desire. Everything we were building together despite the chaos surrounding us.

His hand brushed over my belly, resting there as though grounding both of us in this moment. I relished this quiet, stolen moment away from the madness. The heat of his touch sank into me. Like usual, it stirred emotions I’d thought were buried beneath the weight of my heavily pregnant body.

I breathed out a soft sigh, feeling the familiar warmth pool in my belly. It mixed with the ever-present fluttering of our unborn children. Despite everything—the scars that crisscrossed my body, the extra weight I carried, and the exhaustion that seemed to press down on me like a constant reminder of how fragile I was—his touch made me feel whole. He made me feel like I was still myself. He still desired me, even though I wasn’t the woman I was when we met.

“That’s funny,” I murmured, my breath catching as he kissed the line of my jaw, slow and deliberate. “I was just thinking the same thing.” Yeah, I was stubborn and willful. It was hard to track our conversation when he was doing that so I gave up.

His lips curved into a smile against my skin, and his hands began to trace the lines of my body. His fingers slid over the soft fabric of my shirt. He made it seem so effortless and natural, that I forgot for a moment about the stretch marks and the swelling and the way my body felt foreign to me. His hands found the buttons of my top and began working their way down, each one coming undone with that same languid, patient care.

But as his hands neared the scar on my chest, my pulse quickened. It wasn’t my old injury that had me pausing—it was everything that it represented. Everything I’d survived. I found myself hesitating, suddenly self-conscious about my body in a way that had nothing to do with magic or strength and everything to do with the physical marks left behind.

Aidon noticed the shift. He stopped with a small frown of concern before lifting his head to meet my gaze. He didn’t say anything, didn’t push for words I couldn’t find. He just looked at me. His deep sapphire eyes filled with a tenderness that made my breath catch. It was like he was reminding me, with every glance, that he saw all of me—scars, curves, and everything in between—and still wanted me. No. He didn’t just want me. He cherished me.

"You’re perfect," he murmured, his voice soft but carrying the weight of certainty. "Every part of you."

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