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“Lily feels the magic inside,” Lily said and patted her chest. “It’s warm and …” she thought about it a moment, “… angry, but Lily’s not angry. She’s happy and has happy family.”
“Who else are you working with?” Caleb asked my adoptive mother.
She shook her head. “We were the last.” Looking at her dead companion, the man I had once called dad, she sobbed. “We were the last. We were so close to finding a way to permanently destroy hybrids. If only we’d had more time. More resources. More of her blood.” She looked at me with such hatred that I cringed back.
“I’m going to teleport her to the mage prison,” Caleb informed me. He waved Lily towards him and she obediently skipped over. Squatting down, he hugged her with one arm while the other one still held my adoptive mother in the chains. “When we get home, we’ll have Great Nana Kara check you over, okay?”
“I’m okay, Papa,” she said and patted his shoulder. “The magic doesn’t hurt. Promise.”
He scowled and I could tell he felt the same as me, even more concerned for her. “Stay with Mama and no more jumping in front of strange magic, okay?”
She giggled. “Okay, Papa.”
Ezio picked her up and tapped his finger against the end of her nose. “You’re so naughty. Wasn’t the rule to stay back and let us protect you?”
“Ezio was in pain,” she grumbled. “And …” her little eyes filled with tears, “… I didn’t want to lose another Mama.”
He hugged her so tight she squeaked, but she let him continue to hug her.
“Come on, let’s get back inside the walls and wards,” Branson said, and picked me up in a bridal carry. “Your magic is depleted, my queen.”
“I won’t be the last,” my adoptive mother shouted. “Others will come.”
“And we’ll defeat them as well,” I said without looking at her, letting Branson carry me. “Together, the hybrids will stand and defeat all who oppose us. Just like we defeated you and the H.E.”
She sobbed quietly and Caleb teleported them away.
Clark and Stan followed us inside, frowning hard.
Once we were at the bonfire, Branson set me on one of the logs and took a water bottle out of his pack for me.
Lily jumped out of Ezio’s arms and ran up to the kids, who all approached and took turns examining her hair. Once they had all expressed their awe, they ran around us playing tag, the horror and drama forgotten.
I wished to be able to live a life like that.
“Eat,” Triston ordered me and put a bag of jerky in my lap.
“Are you okay?” I asked Ezio as he sat next to me, eating and drinking as well.
He nodded. “You cured me before the curse could full take effect. Thank you. I felt an urge to kill you all and was fighting it, but I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t acted so quickly.” He glanced at Lily. “It was terrifying to think it could force me to harm her.”
I set my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We’ve experienced this a few times before. I’m glad I could cure you before something happened.”
“I know I’m a werewolf and not part of your clan, but call me anytime and I will come.” Looking over at Lily where she was wrestling with another little girl, he added, “Especially if it concerns her.”
“It sets my nerves a bit to know that she has people like you who will be there for her … if anything should happen.”
Riddick growled at me as he sat down on my right side. He linked our hands together and rubbed his face against mine. “You scared me again.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I still can’t believe they had clones,” he whispered. “That’s terrifying to consider.”
“What if there are more?” I asked.
“Then we will take care of them when we find them. No need to worry about something that may not come to pass,” Caleb said as he teleported back behind us. He pushed Ezio over so he could take the spot beside me. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder.
