With that, she was gone, leaving behind only the faint scent of myrrh and invaluable information. We all stared at the space where she'd been standing. She’d given us a boon and a death sentence at the same time.
"Well," Nana said finally, her voice dry despite the tremor underneath. "That was cheerful."
"We have a lot to do in five days." Mom's hands were shaking. "We have to find out everything we can about the Thessmark."
"Why can’t we just catch a freaking break?" I whispered, testing the word. It tasted like ash and old blood. "At least we know who we’re dealing with now."
"We’re in a better position than where we were before.” Aidon pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
"We'd better get started looking into these assholes." Stella pulled out her phone, and her fingers flew across the screen. "I’m going to let Lilith know so she can have the coven looking for information and see if we can find the other families.”
Mom lifted a hand. “We need to coordinate protection for them, as well. No one should feel like they are facing these alone."
"I'll do as much research as possible from here,” Jean-Marc called out from the tablet, reminding me that he was still on the conference call.
Turning, I smiled gratefully at him through the camera. “Thanks, sweetie. Keep in touch.”
“Will do. Love you guys,” Jean-Marc said before hanging up.
I started moving to the cribs where Thaniel and Nyssa slept. Reaching down, I smoothed Thaniel's dark hair, then did the same for Nyssa. They were so small. So vulnerable.
"Phoebe—" Mom started.
"I'm okay." My voice cracked, betraying the lie. "I just need a minute."
She nodded, understanding written across her face. "We'll start planning."
I stayed there for a long moment, watching my babies sleep. Aidon stood behind me with his arms around me. We watched their tiny chests rise and fall with each breath. Layla padded into the room in wolf form, taking up position near the cribs. She lifted her head as I looked at her.
"Thank you for watching them," I whispered. She pressed her muzzle against my hand.
"I won't let them take you," Aidon murmured to all three of our children. "I don't care what I have to do. I don't care what it costs. You're mine, and I protect what's mine."
Stella sidled up and handed Melaina to Aidon, then bumped my shoulder. “You want to go on a little road trip with me? "I got two names. Both in the Portland area. Both willing to talk to us today if we can get there.”
My gaze skipped over my babies, then moved to Nina and finally Aidon. He inclined his head. “Go. We will hold down the fort here. We still have breast milk in the fridge. Just don’t be gone long. No one in the house can feed them if we run out.”
“We won’t be too long,” I promised. I pressed my lips to each baby’s head before hugging Nina and then kissed Aidon.
Aidon ran a hand over my shoulder. "Take your phone. Keep it on. If anything feels wrong?—"
"We leave immediately," I finished for him. "I know."
Grabbing my regular bag, I raced out the door with my best friend. Stella and I climbed into her car. "Ready?" Stella asked as she started the engine.
"No." I grabbed my bag, checking for the twentieth time that the emergency supplies were still there. "But let's go anyway."
"First stop is in outer Portland," Stella said as she pulled onto the road. "The family is of phoenix heritage. The mom'sname is Ember, and her baby manifested during an attack by a Thessmark two days ago."
My jaw dropped to my chin, as my head tilted in her direction. "Manifested how?"
"His fire. Phoenixes don’t usually manifest their defensive flames until they’re teens. And his was hot enough to drive the attacker back." Stella's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "At one month old, Phoebe. A one-month-old baby had to weaponize himself to survive."
The familiar combination of pride and grief twisted in my chest. "What else did you find out? Your work is very impressive. You got this information fast."
A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth, and she lifted one shoulder. "What can I say? People like talking to me. Anyway, the attack happened two days ago. She gave the same description as what we saw. A hooded figure with gray skin and those clawed hands. It came through a window while Ember was in the kitchen and went straight for the baby."
"Did they have any cameras around their house?"
