Page 91 of Magic & Secrets
“They’re far more likely to mate with you than cut off your heads. That’s another reason your quiet on the mountain might not last much longer.”
The Bane Shifters didn’t hide their disgust at the thought of mating with the New Armgard. My kind were their enemies. I suspected the Shifters would succumb to the mate bond in the same way Roque did when temptation stood before him.
After our talk, Roque wanted to show me a cabin close to his favorite spot on Mt. Elysium. He shifted into bear form, and I climbed on his back. We moved swiftly up the trails he knew by heart.
The night before, Roque had warned that the cabin wasn’t furnished. “It’s only four walls and a roof, but there’s an ingleside to cook meals and keep you warm. It’s the start of our home.”
Soon, I stood in the cabin and looked up at the high ceilings. The Bane Shifters had haphazardly renovated various buildings on the mountain over the last century.
“It’s beautiful,” I told him and leapt into his arms. “You spoil me.”
Roque kissed me tenderly, seeming afraid of my rejection. I draped my arms around him possessively. Roque rewarded my affection with a dazzling smile.
We walked outside and down a small path to a ridge overlooking the southern mountainside. Holding Roque’s hand, I admired the horizon and imagined my sisters on their way to Mt. Elysium.
My bevy had set out from the Citadel with doom clouding our hearts. When we met again, we would do so as the mates of creatures we viewed as our mortal enemies. Embracing our powerful lineage offered a future of endless opportunities. Embracing our mate bond promised a future of boundless desire.
Roque’s Epilogue
MAGIC BURNED HOT ATthe base of Mt. Elysium. I would have preferred for Calla to give birth in our cabin rather than a cottage in Haven Junction. However, the Witch midwives couldn’t survive the mountain’s toxic magic.
Above the cottage, the sky churned with black clouds and shocks of lightning, casting an eerie glow over the land. Thunder cracked as magenta rain began to fall in thick, warm drops. The wind howled and bent trees to their breaking point. More than a fury of nature, the storm heralded a new dawn for this world.
As Solme Divige unleashed her magic to prevent anyone from disturbing Calla’s delivery, Tyathossau also made his presence known. The ground shuddered with a low, guttural rumble. An ancient beast stirred deep within the mountain.
I wasn’t shocked by the display outside. The same happened days ago when Calla’s sister gave birth. My entire pack of Bane Shifters chose to linger nearby for both deliveries. Tempe’s eyes glowed silver from his spot in the dark woods. With the world in flux, my pack leader wanted a front row seat for the show.
Turning away from the window, I admired Calla on the bed, flushed and sweaty. She wore a white sleeping gown. Her golden hair hung freely down her chest. Calla never cried out despite her pain.
The Witch midwives were less agitated during this delivery. The first time around, they were nearly in tears, unsure what madness would take place next.
The Witches claimed they were ordered to travel to the mountain and assist in the deliveries.
“The beast in our dreams threatened to drive us mad if we refused,” Grindley explained upon their arrival at Haven Junction.
The Witch midwives quickly learned their usual magic was useless with the New Armgard. There was no way to know when the babies were due. We weren’t even sure how many would be born.
I settled next to Calla, adjusting her to lean against my body and use our mate bond to soothe her pain.
We soon stared at the four tiny bloodied younglings resting quietly on the bed. Calla pressed on her stomach to feel if more offspring would exit her body.
The Witch midwives hurried around the bedroom, cleaning the silent younglings and checking if their parts were in the proper places.
“Two males and two females,” Grindley told us. “Just like your sister.”
I picked up the nearest male and cradled his little body in my large hand. He had brown hair like mine. His eyes flashed a silvery blue. The tiny thing growled at me. Or perhaps, he yawned.
As much as I loved Calla, I refused to forget we were put on this path by an ancient one’s hunger for life. The four younglings were the next stage in Solme Divige’s grand plan.
Eyeing the male in my hand, I didn’t trust him or his siblings. Despite their normal appearance, I still harbored the fear they might be monsters. Calla watched me sniff the youngling as if waiting for a sign if our offspring were safe.
The thing in my hand exuded the same alluring scent as his mother. The cinnamon smell relaxed me immediately, and I found myself nuzzling the youngling.
Once Calla witnessed me snuggling our son, she reached for the other three younglings. Resting them on her lap, she admired our offspring curiously.
I saw the moment their scent reached her. A smile warmed her lovely face, and her gaze flashed to me. These creatures belonged to Solme Divige, but they were also ours to love and raise.
Settling next to Calla, I showed her the one I held.
