Page 56 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
Another contraction hit. This time, I felt pressure. It was the precursor to the babies shifting lower in preparation for birth. "Not yet," I pleaded with them. "Hold on a little longer."
The wall nearest to us exploded inward. Through the dust and chaos stepped Aidon. His face was a mask of cold fury. His divine presence radiated power and rage. Behind him came others—Stella, Nina, Jean-Marc, Selene, and Mom. They were all battle-worn but determined. Beyond them, I glimpsed the massive form of Tseki's dragon. He was engaged with multiple Forgotten Ones in the corridor. As were Murtagh and Layla’s wolves.
"Phoebe," Aidon called, his eyes finding mine across the chaos.
"How touching," Lyra remarked, positioning herself between us. "Unfortunately, you're too late."
She gestured toward the ritual circle, where my magic continued to flow into her conduit despite the interruption. "The process is irreversible now. In moments, the Pleiades power will be mine."
"That's where you're wrong," Aidon replied in a dangerously calm voice. "Nothing involving my family is impossible."
He stepped forward, and the ground cracked beneath his feet. The air around him shimmered with power. "He doesn't have to defeat you," I called out, understanding suddenly what needed to happen. "He just needs to keep you busy."
Lyra's eyes widened in realization as she sensed the change in the triplets' magic. They were in perfect harmony to target the ritual's true vulnerability. "No!" Lyra screamed as she abandoned her confrontation with Aidon to lunge toward the altar.
She was too late. The situation reached criticalmass, and the conduit detonated. The explosion ripped through the chamber, shattering the ritual circle and severing the magical connections. My power rushed back into me like a tidal wave.
The spectral bindings holding me dissolved, and I collapsed forward. Aidon crossed the space between us in an instant and caught me. "I've got you," he murmured, cradling me against his chest.
Across the chamber, Lyra struggled to her feet. Her perfect composure was shattered along with her ritual. "This isn't over," she snarled before she vanished in a puff of smoke.
CHAPTER 18
Pain tore through me like a demon with razor-sharp claws as another contraction seized my body with unholy strength. This wasn't your garden-variety push-and-breathe labor. This was cosmic warfare using my insides as the battlefield. The magical chaos from the ritual chamber swirled around us like a tornado of pure power, unpredictable and hungry. I was going to kill Lyra for this torture alone.
Sensing my agony, the triplets unleashed their gifts with primal intensity. Nyssa's darkness unfurled like living ink. Her shadows coiled protectively around me. She tried to create a pocket where our enemies couldn't penetrate. It was impressive that she was able to keep anything out.
Thaniel's temporal magic rippled outward in concentric waves of energy. It caught parts of the chamber in amber-like suspension, making the enemies' weapons slow mid-swing. Falling debris hung suspended in the air. It bought us precious seconds when each heartbeat counted. The fact that he bought us close to a minute was impressive as hell.
Melaina's power manifested as light that pulsed from mywomb in rhythmic bursts. Each wave radiated with a warmth that strengthened our shields. It also scorched anything that dared threaten her family. The burns she inflicted might be small, but it was clear they were agonizing.
"We need to find an exit," Aidon growled as he searched for a path through the chaos. "Their combined power is too volatile."
Stella pressed closer to me. "I can’t counter their energy. This place is going to collapse any second."
She wasn't exaggerating. The walls of Lyra's ritual chamber were deteriorating. Cracks were spreading like spiderwebs across the stone. "Focus, Phoebe," Aidon commanded. "They need to stop making your labor worse. Tell them to chill, that I’ve got this. They'll listen to their mother."
"I really hope you're right," I replied, attempting to cajole my little nuggets while another contraction tore through me. I'd never felt pain like this. It went beyond physical agony and entered some new territory of suffering where magic and flesh were equally traumatized.
The marble columns surrounding us groaned in protest at the amount of power flowing around. No wonder my body was trying to have these babies. Even these blood wards and dark enchantments were struggling against the chaos Lyra had unleashed. Despite Lyra’s escape moments earlier, her corrupted magic remained. It was a vile, poisonous residue that seemed to infect everything.
"The babies—this is—" Another wave of agony cut me off, doubling me over.
"The collision of powers is destabilizing everything around us," Persephone said for me as her spring-bright energy pulled back. "It's not all the babies’ fault. That vile witch used blood magic in a sacred site. That’s like asking for your magic to go wrong."
My snort ended on a groan. “Lyra probably thought the rules didn’t apply to her.”
"There!" Stella shouted, pointing toward what appeared to be an exit into a corridor that was still intact. "We need to go now!"
Aidon wrapped his arm around my waist and started to guide me toward the opening. We'd barely taken a step when the air before us rippled and solidified into an invisible barrier. He slammed into it first and rebounded with a surprised grunt. I nearly fell when he stumbled back a few steps.
"What the hell?" he snarled as he sent his shadows out to probe the unexpected obstacle.
"They’re containment wards," Jean-Marc announced as he examined the shimmering air before us.
Nana nodded. "Looks like there are multiple layers of them. We can’t get out this way."
Terror clawed up my throat as another contraction gripped me. Through the pain, I realized with dawning horror that they were getting closer together. I was about to go into active labor in a collapsing dimensional pocket. That had not been in my birth plan.
