Page 35 of Pregnancy Pains & Mystic Chains
"We need to check it out," Stella said immediately as she reached for the purse she set down.
"Hold on," Aidon interrupted, his expression grim. "This could be a trap. The Keepers have strongholds all over the area. Some of them are even in antique shops."
"But Madame Rosewood's has been here forever," Nina pointed out. "I've heard Lilith talking about the place many times."
Mom frowned. "That doesn't mean anything. The Keepers play the long game. They could have taken it over years ago."
"Or Lilith might not know she’s a Keeper," Jean-Marc added quietly.
I shifted uncomfortably, another wave of magical energy rolling through me. "But if it's not a trap... if something really is awakening there..."
"We can't ignore it," Selene finished. "Especially not with everything we just learned about the suppression of maternal magic."
"Agreed," Aidon said after a moment. "But we go in smart. We keep our guard up and have multiple exit strategies ready."
The others nodded, and I could feel the tension in the room shift from uncertainty to focused determination. We couldn't afford to ignore any potential lead, but we couldn't walk blindly into danger either. Not with so much at stake.
"No way," Clio protested, moving to block my attempt to stand. "You need to rest, Phoebe. Those magical labor pains earlier weren't a joke. And with everything we've just learned..."
"I'm going," I said firmly. The babies kicked in agreement or possibly protest. It was hard to tell sometimes. "If there are answers I need to know. It’s just about me. There are other mothers. We can't just hide and hope for the best."
"At least take another dose of the concealment potion," Mom insisted, already pulling out a vial. "We don't need every magical sensor the Keepers have lighting up when you walk in there."
I grimaced at the swirling liquid but downed it in one gulp. The bitter taste coated my tongue as the magic took hold and wrapped around me like a second skin. "Better?" Mom asked, studying my aura with narrowed eyes.
"Much," Clio confirmed before I could answer. "Her magical signature's practically invisible now."
“I’m going to use the restroom before we go,” I told Aidon. Nodding, he placed a kiss to my lips before I waddled off to relieve the pressure in my bladder.
By the time I was finished, Aidon brought the car around. Mom pressed a small bag of calming herbs into my pocket ‘just in case.’ Even Nina got into the protective spirit. She cast a subtle comfort spell on the car's backseat before Stella helped me down the front steps.
The drive to Madame Rosewood's was tense. Even with Aidon behind the wheel, carefully avoiding every pothole and bump, I couldn't help wincing as another wave of magical labor pains rolled through me. The babies were unusually active. Their movements triggered surges of power that were causing false contractions. Every few minutes, one of them would kick or shift, sending little pulses of energy through me that made me catch my breath. I had to stop this shit or they were going to turn around and take me home.
"Try to stay calm," Aidon murmured as we pulled up outside the shop. "Your energy affects theirs."
"Easier said than done," I muttered. "Especially when the local magical antique shop is doing its best impression of a rave."
Aidon pulled into a spot at the far end of the parking lot, away from the few other cars. The shop's windows pulsed with an ethereal blue light that seemed to reach for us even at thisdistance. Aidon and Stella flanked me as I eased out of the car. Both of them pretended they weren't hovering while actually hovering. Another wave of magical labor pains hit just as I straightened up, making me grab the car door for support.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Stella started, but I waved her off.
We started across the lot, but Aidon held up his hand, stopping us. "Wait." His eyes scanned the building, tension clear in his shoulders. "Remember what we discussed before leaving. This could be a Keeper stronghold. We need to be on guard."
"Let’s cast a protective spell before we go in," Stella suggested as she moved closer to me.
I nodded in agreement and we paused to cast a spell that covered all of us before we continued. The gravel crunched under our feet as we proceeded more cautiously, the shop's glow intensifying with each step. Aidon positioned himself slightly ahead of our group.
The door opened at our approach. Its bell chimed with an odd resonance. Inside, the antiques seemed to vibrate with barely contained power. And the air felt thick with old magic, like walking through honey that sparked with electricity.
"Welcome, welcome," a voice called from the shadows. A woman emerged. Her appearance was striking and otherworldly. There was something almost urgent about her. Yet, her ageless eyes held a hint of fear. "We've been expecting you."
"Have you now?" I asked. One hand moved to rest protectively on my belly as the babies stirred restlessly.
"The old powers stir," she said, moving closer. Her movements were odd, like she was walking through water. "We feel it. The return of what was lost. The awakening of what was bound." Her gaze fixed on my concealed mark. She couldn't have felt it. It was masked completely from detection. It must bebecause I was pregnant. "They fear it, you know. The ones who would control such power. They fear what it means."
"I don't understand. Explain?" Aidon demanded as his dark power crackled around him.
"The return of protective maternal magic. The power that let mothers shield their children from those who would harm them. Magic that could not be corrupted or controlled." She gestured to the glowing artifacts around us. "These remember. They sing with echoes of what was. Each piece holds a fragment of the old ways, waiting to be awakened."
