Page 43 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

"Guys!" I yelled, panic clawing at my throat. But I didn't have time to worry about them. Lyra was advancing on me and using Hattie like a macabre puppet.

I fired off blast after blast of magic to stop her advancement. There were a couple of hits that made her stumble and pause. But it was like trying to stop a tsunami with a squirt gun. I wasn’t doing shit to stop her. Lyra just laughed to really rub it in. The sound grated on my last nerve. "Come now, Phoebe," she cooed, her voice a sick parody of caring. "Don't you want to give your mentor back her magic? It's only fair, after all."

"Lady, the only thing I want to give you is a swift kick in the ass," I snarled, backing away. My preggo state wasn't exactly conducive to a speedy retreat.

Before I could blink, a familiar power grabbed hold of me. It resonated deep within my core and connected with my Pleiades magic. It caused a chilling sensation that made my blood run cold and my skin prickle with goosebumps. This was Hattie's magic. It was twisted and corrupted by Lyra's influence and still trying to take power from me. Would this be theft since the power belonged to me now? It seemed not because it was responding to Hattie.

A violent tugging sensation erupted in my belly then. Concern for my babies made it easier to ignore how someone was trying to yank out my insides through my navel. Lyra, that psychotic witch, was attempting to force Hattie's magic out of me like some demented magical repo man. The pull was relentless. Each wave was stronger than the last, threatening to tear me apart from the inside out.

But my little ones weren't having any of it. The triplets' power surged within me. It was a warm, fierce presence that spread from my womb outward. It was like being wrapped in a blanketwoven from pure, untamed magic and unconditional love. Their energy pulsed and swirled as it formed an impenetrable barrier around us.

Lyra's magic slammed against this shield, again and again. Each impact reverberated through my body like a thunderclap. The triplets held firm. Their protective bubble flexed and wavered under the onslaught, but it didn't break. Even Lyra, with all her stolen power and madness, couldn't penetrate the defense my unborn children had created.

Yet, I could feel the strain of the magical tug-of-war in every fiber of my being. My muscles trembled with exertion, sweat beaded on my forehead, and my breath came in short, sharp gasps. Beneath the pain and fear was a fierce pride. My babies weren’t even born yet and were already kicking ass and taking names.

"Looks like these kids inherited their mama's stubbornness," I snarled through gritted teeth. The battle raged on. It was my magic against her magic. My will against her will. And for now, at least, we were holding our ground.

"No!" Lyra shrieked, her face contorting with rage. "Give it to me!"

"Sorry, but I've got a strict 'no giving magic to psychopathic witches' policy," I quipped, though my voice was strained. The effort of resisting was taking its toll.

For a moment, Hattie's eyes cleared. "Phoebe," she gasped, her voice her own again. "I'm so sorry."

Then, pain exploded behind my eyes. The world tilted sideways, and darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. The last thing I heard before everything went black was my own strangled gasp.

CHAPTER 20

You know how they say, "It's like herding cats while juggling chainsaws”? Yeah, well, try being a heavily pregnant witch squaring off against a psycho who was trying to kill you and had your mentor's soul on lockdown in an asylum that'd make Stephen King wet his pants. Talk about taking challenging to a whole new level of ‘holy crap on a cracker’. Let me tell you, I've had my fair share of those moments lately. Like, enough to fill a book titled ‘A Witch's Guide on How to Find World Ending Trouble in Three Easy Steps’.

The world slowly swam back into focus when I came to. How the hell did I end up propped up against a crumbling asylum wall? My head throbbed like I'd gone ten rounds with a troll. I lifted a hand as I tried to focus. The triplets were doing what felt like Pilates in my womb. Clearly, they'd inherited their mother's penchant for terrible timing.

"Phoebe? Phoebe, can you hear me?" Aidon's voice cut through the fog in my brain. I blinked and my vision cleared to reveal his worried face hovering inches from mine. Even disheveled and covered in magical dust, he still looked like a GQ model crossed with a supernova. Sometimes I still couldn'tbelieve I was mated to him. Other times, like when he left his socks on the bedroom floor, I wondered what I'd gotten myself into.

"I'm fine," I groaned, attempting to sit up straighter. "Just peachy. Nothing says 'relaxing Friday night' like getting your magic yanked on by a psychotic witch and her brainwashed puppet, right?"

Aidon's relief was palpable as he helped me to my feet. "You had us worried there for a moment. You've been out for a couple of minutes."

"Minutes?" I yelped, suddenly alert. "What happened? Where's Lyra? Where's Hattie?"

Stella stepped into view. Her hair was a wild mane and crackled with residual magical discharge. She looked like she'd stuck her finger in a light socket or decided to dress up as Einstein for Halloween. "Lyra retreated after you passed out. She's still here in the asylum somewhere...”

“We can feel her oily presence,” Nana barked, cutting Stella off. “She couldn’t go far. Whatever she did to you backfired on her like a pistol with a rusty firing pin.”

“As for Hattie..." Stella's voice trailed off, her expression grim.

My heart sank. "She's still under Lyra's control, isn't she?"

Nana nodded. Her usual mischievous glint was replaced by a rare seriousness. "Afraid so, kiddo. But we've got a plan. Well, half a plan. Maybe a quarter of a plan. Let's call it a plan-ette."

I raised an eyebrow, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through my skull. "That sounds about as reassuring as a chocolate teapot. Care to elaborate?"

"The spell to free Hattie is ready," Stella replied as her gaze darted around us. "But we need to get close to her – and keep Lyra distracted long enough for it to work. Think 'magical shell game’, but with potentially world-ending consequences.”

"No pressure or anything," I muttered as I rubbed my swollen belly. The triplets were doing somersaults, clearly as excited (or terrified) as the rest of us. I swear, one of them was practicing roundhouse kicks. I think it was Nyssa. She was the feistiest. Note to self: cut back on the action movies during pregnancy.

Aidon’s aura pulsed with barely contained power as he smiled at me. "My sister has engaged Lyra's minions," he gestured to the right where the Tainted witches were trying to corner the goddess and the other half were rocking and crying. I hoped to never experience Melinoë’s powers. “I’m going to join her. We'll keep them off your backs while you go for Lyra. Channel your aggression for a game of 'keep away' with more teeth and tentacles."

I raised an eyebrow. "Tentacles? Really? I thought we agreed after the octopus encounter that tentacles were off the table."

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