Page 6 of Hexy Bear
"The disturbance is spreading," Leo said grimly. "What started as localized magical chaos in the eastern quadrant is now affecting nearly half the preserve. Trees aren't just growing wrong anymore, they're actively hostile. And something's been leaving symbols burned into the ground, forming patterns that Dr. Vasquez says match pre-Columbian binding rituals."
At the mention of symbols, the shadow figures became agitated, their forms wavering between terror and urgency. One of them broke away from the group and moved toward Leo, gesturing frantically at something only it could see.
"It wants to show you something," Tilly translated, her young face creased with concentration. "Something about the burned pictures. It says you need to see them before the pretty lady makes them all disappear."
"The pretty lady?" Leo's voice sharpened. "What pretty lady?"
"The one from my dreams," Tilly said matter-of-factly. "She has dark hair and star eyes and shadows that follow her around like pets. She says she's been waiting a really long time for all the right people to be in the same place, and now she can finally wake up properly."
Mara felt ice form in her veins. The description was almost identical to the entity that had terrorized Boston's supernatural community, the one whose influence had slowly corrupted her protective wards until they shattered completely.
"Leo," she said urgently, "I think we need to call that meeting sooner rather than later. And we might want to consider the possibility that what we're dealing with is connected to the supernatural attacks that have been happening in other cities."
Before Leo could respond, the air in the living room suddenly grew thick with magical pressure. The shadow figures scattered like startled birds, their forms dissolving into wisps of darkness that fled toward every part of the room. Tilly gasped and pressed closer to Mara, her small body trembling as her own magic reacted to whatever force had just made its presence known.
"Someone's coming," she whispered. "Someone really, really old."
The front door, which Leo had left open in his haste, suddenly filled with a figure that made everyone in the room go still with recognition and surprise.
Nico Beaumont stepped across the threshold, but this wasn't the casual, eternally amused fae who ran the town's bookstore with charming efficiency. This version of Nico looked like he'd aged a decade in the seven months since anyone had seen him, his usually pristine appearance replaced by travel-stained clothes and the kind of bone-deep exhaustion that spoke of weeks spent in dangerous places doing dangerous things.
His arms were full of ancient texts that practically vibrated with their own magical energy, and his pale eyes held the hollow intensity of someone who'd discovered truths they'd rather not know.
"Well," he said, his cultured voice rough with fatigue. "It seems I've returned just in time for the family reunion."
"Nico," Griff said, rising from his protective crouch beside Tilly. "Where the hell have you been? The whole town's been wondering if you'd disappeared into whatever fae realm you came from."
"Research," Nico said simply, setting his burden of books on the coffee table with reverent care. "Seven months of very thorough, very dangerous research into questions that I should have asked decades ago." His gaze moved around the room, taking in the lingering traces of shadow magic, Mara's obvious magical signature, and Tilly's wide-eyed stare. "Questions about bloodlines and destiny and the reasons why certain families keep finding themselves drawn to this particular town at this particular time."
He looked directly at Tilly, and something in his expression made Mara's protective instincts flare. "Hello, little one. You've grown quite powerful since I last saw you."
"You're the book man," Tilly said, tilting her head with the bird-like curiosity that marked her fae heritage showing through. "Mr. Gruff says you smell like old magic and secrets."
"Mr. Gruff is very perceptive for a stuffed animal," Nico said, a ghost of his old humor flickering in his eyes. "And he's not wrong about the secrets, I'm afraid."
"What kind of secrets?" Leo demanded, his law enforcement instincts clearly triggered by Nico's dramatic reappearance and cryptic comments.
Nico opened one of the ancient texts, revealing pages covered in diagrams and genealogical charts that looked like they'd been compiled by someone with access to records that officially didn't exist. "The kind that explain why Griff's daughter carries magic from different founder bloodlines when that should be genetically impossible. The kind that explain why a certain herbal witch with Beaumont fae ancestry was drawn to this town at exactly the moment when her particular talents would be most needed."
Mara's heart stopped. "What did you just say?"
"Your great-great-grandmother," Nico said, his attention focused entirely on her now. "Eloise Beaumont Voss. She wasn't just connected to the old bloodlines, Mara. She was my sister."
The words hit the room like a physical blow. Griff stepped protectively closer to both Mara and Tilly, his bear rising in response to what he clearly perceived as a potential threat. Leo's hand moved to his weapon, though they all knew conventional firearms were useless against fae magic.
"That's impossible," Mara whispered. "My grandmother would have mentioned something that important."
"Your grandmother was protecting you," Nico said gently. "Just as Griff's mate protected him by never mentioning that her bloodline traced back to Helena Whitaker's descendants. Just as no one in this town has ever spoken about the fact that Griff'sown ancestry includes wolf shifter heritage from the Halloway line and human descendant from the Whitaker line."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Griff's voice carried the dangerous edge that meant his control was slipping.
Nico turned to face him directly. "I'm talking about the fact that your great-great-grandfather was Marcus Halloway, Cade's ancestor. That your bear magic has always been anchored by latent wolf energy you never recognized. That Tilly isn't just a powerful child with unusual abilities, Griff. She's the first person in two centuries to carry active magic from two primary founder bloodlines."
The shadow figures suddenly reappeared, materializing from every corner with desperate urgency. They swarmed around Tilly, their figures solid and defined than they'd been before, as if Nico's revelation had somehow strengthened their connection to the physical world.
"They're excited," Tilly said, her voice filled with wonder. "They say it's finally happening. The thing they've been waiting for and trying to protect. They say we're all here now, all the right people with all the right magic, and maybe this time it'll work."
"What will work?" Mara asked, though she was beginning to suspect the answer would change everything about their understanding of the current crisis.
