Page 34 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
Another crash from downstairs. This one was accompanied by the distinctive sound of Selene's war cry being cut short by splintering wood. It reminded us of the immediate threat hammering at our door.
"We need more time to prepare," Clio said, repacking her medical bag with brisk efficiency.
"Then we buy time," Hades decided, his power expanding to fill the room like a physical presence, cold and ancient. "Aidon and I will reinforce the perimeter. Stella, Nana—coordinate our fighters. Jean-Marc, work with Nina on creating the Trojan horse. Clio, stay with Phoebe. She needs medical monitoring."
As everyone moved out with purpose, Aidon lingered by my side, his cool hand clasping mine. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, his eyes searching mine.
I met his gaze steadily, squeezing his hand. "No. But I'm done being helpless while Lyra threatens our family. If she wants a fight, we'll give her one she never expected. One she'll regret starting."
He kissed me fiercely, his lips cool againstmine, before straightening. "Rest while you can. Conserve your strength and the babies'. You'll need it soon enough."
As he left, darkness trailing in his wake, I settled back against the pillows, hands protectively over my swollen belly. "Hear that, little ones? We're changing the rules. Lyra has no idea what a mother will do to protect her children." I smiled grimly. "She's about to learn."
Three distinct pulses of magic answered me. They were an agreement, a promise, and a declaration of war. My children weren't even born yet, and already they were ready to fight.
The house shook as another wave of corrupted beings slammed against our defenses. Outside, the sky darkened unnaturally, clouds spiraling like a brewing hurricane. The time for defensive strategies was ending. We were moving to the offensive. Lyra would learn that underestimating the Duedonne family was the last mistake she would ever make. Because when you threaten a mother's children, you unlock a special kind of hell. The kind even gods fear to face.
CHAPTER 11
The house had become a fortress under siege. Nearly two days had passed since Stella and Aidon had been followed home. The change was palpable in every corner. The walls hummed with constantly shifting magical barriers as Aidon and Hades reinforced them against increasingly aggressive attacks. The air was electric from the residue of clashing power systems. And I had officially hit thirty weeks of pregnancy with triplets who seemed determined to save their family from inside my womb.
I shifted uncomfortably on the bed that had been my prison for what felt like an eternity. My belly was a mountain before me. My skin was being stretched to what had to be its absolute limit. The babies were more active than ever. Their movements were punctuated by random bursts of magic that sent objects flying across the room without warning.
"Damn it," I muttered as one of my favorite mugs levitated off the nightstand and smashed against the wall. That was the third one this morning.
"Language," Nana scolded from the doorway, though hereyes twinkled with amusement. "Those little ones have ears, you know."
"If they're offended by my language, they must be appalled by yours. They need to stop breaking stuff," I retorted, wiping sweat from my forehead. The room temperature had been fluctuating wildly all morning. It was a lovely side effect of my Pleiades power deciding to dance the tango with the triplets' developing abilities. It was beyond my control and something Clio was monitoring closely. Poor woman had to be beside herself living in our crazy house.
Nana crossed to the window and whistled low. "Would you look at that? We've got ourselves quite the light show."
I struggled to sit up enough to see outside. The sight stole my breath. Shimmering curtains of light—greens, purples, and blues—rippled outward from our house in expanding rings. It was like the northern lights had decided to relocate to our backyard.
"That's new," I said as we watched the magical aurora pulse in rhythm with the babies' movements.
"And attracting attention." Nana pointed to the tree line where shadowy figures gathered. Some even looked human. "We've got admirers and enemies alike coming to gawk."
I placed a protective hand on my belly. "My power is as restless as I am."
"Stubborn power for a stubborn woman," Nana quipped. "It knows what's what. It’s trying to stop that vile bitch without putting you or the babies at risk."
The door opened as Mom rushed in, followed by Clio and Persephone. All three women carried an assortment of herbs, crystals, and strange-looking instruments. "It's happening again," Mom said. Her eyes moved to my growing belly. The triplets' magical signatures were becoming visible through my stretched skin. I’d become a live aurora borealis.
"The magical infrastructure throughout the house is destabilizing," Persephone explained. Her divine power was constantly stabilizing the energy around us. She did the light lifting while Aidon and Hades handled the bigger energy problems. "Two light fixtures exploded in the kitchen."
"Sorry," I grimaced. "The triplets are particularly frisky today."
"It's not just them," Clio said, setting down her supplies and immediately checking my vitals. "Your magic is fluctuating in ways I've never seen before. It's amplifying them in unpredictable ways."
As if to emphasize her point, the windows suddenly frosted over despite the summer heat blasting outside like a furnace. The frost melted into a perfect water droplet that hung suspended in midair. It defied gravity like it was giving the middle finger to physics. It danced a sassy little jig in front of Nana, making us all burst out laughing.
Mom's eyes widened as she stared at the water sculpture. "That's Thaniel showing off, isn't it? He’s the one with precision and control over matter, right?"
"Yep," I nodded, popping the 'p' sound. "Total show-off."
The water droplet suddenly shifted, expanding and contracting like it was breathing. Thaniel was just getting started. It froze into a perfect crystal, then shattered into a thousand tiny shards that hung suspended in the air. Those pieces darkened and then caught the light, making prisms dance across the walls. The fragments rearranged themselves into a miniature version of our family. Each detail was perfect, right down to Mom's perpetually worried expression. Melaina and Nyssa hijacked Thaniel’s show.
"His sisters couldn’t let him get all the glory," I chuckled as pride swelled in my chest.
