My hands curled into fists, nails biting crescents into my palms. "How many times has this happened? And how the hell did we miss it?"
"At least a dozen separate instances that I can detect in the residue." Clio straightened, her professional mask cracking to reveal the kind of fear that made my stomach drop. "Whoever did this has extensive medical training in supernaturalphysiology. The level of detail they've collected is..." She swallowed hard. "It's enough to target each baby's specific vulnerabilities."
The door swung open behind us, and Nana breezed in carrying a tray of coffee mugs that smelled strong enough to resurrect corpses. She froze mid-step, sharp eyes cataloging the tension radiating off every person in the room.
"Well, isn't this cozy?" she drawled, setting the tray down on the dresser before she planted herself in one of the rocking chairs like a queen claiming her throne. "Someone want to tell me what fresh hell we're dealing with? Or are we all just going to stand here looking constipated?"
When none of us immediately answered, her gaze sharpened to a lethal point. "And why exactly wasn't I dragged out of bed for this little powwow? Last I checked, I could still throw down with the best of you. Or has everyone suddenly forgotten I've got more fight in me than sense?"
I exhaled roughly, running a hand through my hair. "Because it happened while we were all sleeping, Nana. Someone's been scanning the babies—multiple times—and we didn't notice a damn thing." The admission tasted like ash.
Nana's expression went from irritated to glacial in a heartbeat. She stood slowly, and the air around her seemed to crystallize. "I'm getting really goddamn tired of these assholes." Her voice could have cut glass. "How did they even find out about the babies in the first place? Someone who came into direct contact with them had to identify them as potential targets. We keep a tight lid on their signatures. I’m talking tighter than a demon's contract. No one could have just stumbled across their power by accident."
She was right. We'd been meticulous about masking the triplets' magical signatures from the moment they were born. Between my wards, Aidon's shadows, and the protections woveninto the estate itself, they should have registered as nothing more than normal babies.
Which meant... "Someone close to us," I breathed, the realization hitting like a physical blow. My gaze swept the room, landing on each face. "Someone we trusted enough to let near them."
"It might not be someone we trust," Mom countered, her tactical mind already racing through possibilities.
At the same time, Aidon's voice cut through, low and deadly. "We need a list. Everyone who's been in this house since birth. Everyone who's so much as breathed the same air as our children."
The shadows in the corners of the room began to writhe, responding to the lethal fury radiating off him. His eyes had gone completely black. There was no white or iris, just an endless void that promised violence.
"Not just the house," Clio added quietly, still examining the babies. "Anyone they’ve come into contact with. Medical staff at the hospital during their examination. Someone saw something they shouldn't have and sold that information."
I forced myself to focus and channel my terror into something useful. "Okay, we need to review every visitor we've had since the babies were born. Every single person who's come within scanning range."
"I can help with that." Tarja jumped onto the table beside the chair Nana sat in. "I've been cataloguing everyone who enters this house since the triplets arrived. It's instinct for familiars to monitor potential threats."
"Smart cat," Nana approved, scratching behind Tarja's ears.
We spent the next two hours compiling a list. Clio felt she had a good handle on their medical care, but I had insisted they see a pediatrician. They had visited Dr. Reeves four times, plus her nurse twice. Friends dropping by included Stella and the variouscoven members who brought meals. Delivery people for diapers, formula, and the specialized cribs from Hades and Persephone. The electrician who'd come after Thaniel had shorted out half the house. I doubted Fiona’s video calls counted.
"I think you should focus on Dr. Reeves and her staff." Tarja pointed out one of my memories. "As you were thinking about Dr. Reeves' nurse, something felt off to me."
"What was her name?" Aidon asked sharply.
I flipped through my appointment records. "Miranda... Miranda something. I don't have a last name written down."
Clio's expression went carefully neutral in a way that made my stomach drop. "Describe her."
"Late thirties, maybe early forties. Auburn hair, green eyes. Professional. Efficient." I searched my memory for more details.
"That matches someone I know," Clio said slowly. "Miranda Ashford. She used to work at a supernatural medical facility in Boston before it was shut down for... ethical violations."
"What kind of violations?" Aidon's anger was palpable.
"It involved overlooking critical safety protocols in exchange for research funding." Clio pulled out her phone, her jaw tight. "The facility claimed they were developing breakthrough treatments, but there were allegations that she'd been turning a blind eye to unauthorized experiments. Or worse, actively selling research data to less reputable buyers. She was never formally charged, but her career imploded overnight."
"Do you think she's working with the Thessmark?" I asked as my anger began to simmer.
"I think she's exactly the kind of person they'd recruit," Clio replied. "Someone with advanced medical expertise and a proven track record of flexible ethics. Someone who knows how to map magical signatures without being detected—and who's desperate enough or greedy enough not to ask questions about what that information will be used for."
The tablet on the dresser chimed with an incoming call before anyone could respond. I hurried over and saw my oldest son’s face on the screen. Jean-Marc looked tired. He'd clearly been up all-night working on Selene’s request to examine what his equipment told him about the scans.
“Hey, sweetie,” I greeted when I answered. “Everyone is here with me.” I turned the camera so he could see who was there.
"Good. I've got preliminary analysis on those magical scans," he replied. "The precision required suggests advanced training. We're talking someone with formal medical education and at least a decade of hands-on experience. This wasn't some amateur with a scanning spell they bought off the black market. Their energy use was too efficient. Inexperienced individuals would have left more residue."
