Page 30 of Langiappe & Lost Legends

"In New Orleans?" I snorted. "Coincidences are about as rare as a sober tourist on Bourbon Street."

Marie nodded as she frantically looked through what she'd gathered. "Found it," she announced as she flipped pages until she reached what looked like a hand-drawn illustration. It had six female figures standing in a circle around a crystal that could only be the Larmes du Bayou. "This prophecy dates back to before the first binding of the crystal. It speaks of a time when 'six daughters of two lines shall rise, bearing both the determination of guards and the intuition of seekers.'"

"That's oddly specific for a prophecy," Phi noted, which meant something coming from our resident oracle. Usually, her prophecies were about as clear as gumbo. All bits and pieces that only made sense after shit had already hit the fan. She snapped pictures with her phone like she was documenting evidence.

"It gets better," Marie said grimly. "They shall come in a time of temporal storms. When the past bleeds into the present and the future trembles on the edge of unmaking. The Lost shall return, seeking to unbind what was bound, to break what was whole."

"Well, that's definitely us," Kota sighed. "Though for once, I wish prophecies could be about someone else's family drama."

I couldn’t agree more. Noah's arm tightened around me. His shifter energy hummed with similar frustration. I could feel how much he hated this. It was hard for him to watch his mate face dangers his wolf couldn't fight. At least he was handling it better than Lucas, who was practically vibrating with alpha energy as he stood behind Lia.

A knock interrupted Marie's reading. She swirled her hand in the air and Cyran strolled in wearing his signature faded jeans and black t-shirt combo. It somehow made him look more dangerous than if he'd been decked out in tactical gear. Xinar followed wearing what had to be a custom-tailored suit that cost more than our mortgage. The man looked like he'd just finished a photo shoot for Forbes' ‘Sexiest Supernatural CEOs’ edition.

"What's the emergency?" Cyran asked, his eyes landing on the glowing book.

"A prophecy," Dre explained as she gestured to the text. "Apparently we're in it."

"Of course you are," Xinar muttered as he moved closer to examine the pages.

"And here I thought protecting you from demons was going to be my biggest challenge," Noah said softly against my ear. His wolf was close to the surface. I could sense his frustration at not being able to shield me from this threat.

Marie turned a dark expression on us before she refocused on the words. "There’s more. 'The crystal shall recognize its true guardians in these six, for they carry the power of both past andfuture in their blood. But beware, for others will seek to use their connection, to twist the natural flow of power for their own ends’."

"That explains Viktor's betrayal," Lia said. "And why they've been so focused on wedding venues. They're not just after the emotional energy. They're studying bonds. Probably trying to figure out how they can turn ours inside out so we fight one another."

"Or maybe they’re trying to figure out how to replicate our familial connection to the crystal," Dea suggested.

"So what you're saying," Lucas growled as his alpha authority made the air thick, "is that there's literally nothing we can do to protect you from this? We just have to watch while you six bleed out fighting temporal storms?"

"This is going to suck," Noah muttered. I squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him. His wolf was so close to the surface I could practically feel his fur.

"About those temporal effects," Cyran cut in, looking concerned. "How severe are they becoming?"

I shared a look with my sisters. It was difficult to explain with Noah itching to fight something to protect me. "Let's just say," Dre replied, "if we don't figure out how to control these temporal storms soon, we might end up being the prophesied sisters across multiple centuries. And I really don't want to deal with that kind of long-distance relationship."

"Not happening," Noah growled, pulling me closer. His protective instincts were in overdrive, but what good were teeth and claws against time?

I looked at the prophecy again and at the six figures standing around the crystal. "We do what we have to do. We were working on a trap for the Legends before Marie called. We’ll figure this out. It’s our legacy."

"Your legacy shouldn't require this much bleeding," Lucas snapped, his alpha protectiveness extending to all of us now.

"Pretty sure that ship has sailed," Phi said, dabbing at her nose. "Along with several timelines."

Noah's chest rumbled with a suppressed growl. "There has to be something we can do. The packs have resources and connections."

"You can help by being our anchors," I told him softly. "When reality starts splitting, we need something to hold onto. Something real."

"We're going to need more than anchors," Dre muttered, eyeing our mates' increasingly agitated states. "We're going to need a miracle. And possibly an intervention for these overprotective shifters before they try to fight time."

The look Noah gave me said he'd definitely try if he thought it would help. My phone buzzed with an alert from our emergency hotline. "Speaking of supernatural problems," I said as I read the message. "Reports of suspicious deaths have been filtering in. Three bodies just showed up at the county morgue with traces of temporal magic."

"Puich works there," Cyran said immediately. "He's been keeping an eye out for anything unusual."

"The brownie?" Xinar asked. "Good. He's thorough. And absolutely terrible at lying, which makes him perfect for this kind of surveillance."

Marie looked like she wanted to continue with the prophecy, but this couldn't wait. "We need to check those bodies," I said. "If the Lost Legends are killing people while trying to replicate our connection to the crystal..."

"Go," Marie cut me off. "But come back. There’s more you need to know."

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