by Noah Harris
Dylan sunk deeper into the couch, hands moving idly over his bulging stomach. He could feel himself slipping into a daze, though he couldn’t tell if it was from exhaustion or the gentle power being emitted from across the room. He could have sworn he felt his baby stir.
Adalaide pressed her bloodied fingertip to the circle of salt. It lit up with a dull glow, so slight that Dylan would have missed it had he not seen it several times at this point.
She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, and began her incantation.
Dylan didn’t recognize the language she spoke, but he could feel the power radiating from her words, sending subtle vibrations deep into his bones. His hair stood on end, his breath became shallow, and his nerves were on edge as he waited. So slowly that he barely noticed it at first, the crystals around the circle began to glow, pulsing in time with Adalaide’s heart beat and the cadence of her words.
Though her voice remained monotone and she didn’t raise the volume of it, he could feel and hear the spell building. The cadence increased, pulsing and light getting brighter, more insistent. The power in the room hummed, radiating off of both the witch and the circle. Dylan found himself holding his breath, and he could tell from Blake’s stiff posture that he was, too.
Then she ended on a sharp note, pronouncing the words sharply and cuttingly, chopping them off and ending abruptly just as her eyes snapped open. Her irises and pupils were clouded over, making her eyes appear milky white. They glowed with the same dull light as the circle before her.
She stared unseeing, expression blank and distant, across the circle, across the room, straight in front of her. It was eerie. It would have creeped him out even more had he not seen her in a similar state, several times over, already today. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to witchcraft.
Then they waited. The seconds ticked by. He felt it in his heartbeat, loud and strong against his ribcage. The air in the room still buzzed, slowly increasing, pulsing, while pressing in on his skin and tightening his chest. He didn’t know how the others didn’t wake up with it, even from the other rooms. It was suffocating.
Sparks caught his attention. Quick sparks and flashes, but not like ones he was used to seeing when electronics shorted out. They zapped in the air around the phone, shorting and fizzling out. They seemed random, but they increased in intensity and consistency. They didn’t seem to be harming the phone, but he was worried they might.
The more the sparks ignited, the more Blake began to see a strange, almost dome like shape materialise around the phone. Like it had a bubble around it, and the sparks shot out where an invisible sword struck it, in some strange half-seen battle.
The pulsing light of the circle and crystals grew stronger. Adalaide’s stare was just as blank as ever, but her lips were moving again, forming words that she whispered so softly they were inaudible to even his shifter hearing. Her brows pinched, sweat breaking out across her paling skin.
Then, all at once, she gasped, loud and surprised. It was a sharp and long inhale of breath, her entire body jerking with it, straightening, eyebrows rising and mouth falling open. She blinked rapidly, coming out of her daze even as the glowing film across her eyes faded.
At the same time, the screen of Rajiah’s phone lit up.
Every one of their gazes snapped to it. The screen was on, and it displayed a ongoing call screen, timer already counting.
Blake jumped into action, turning to his computer and rushing to run the program that would trace the call. He glanced back at Adalaide to see her reaching out to the phone with fingers that shook slightly. Dylan wondered just how much magic and energy that spell had taken out of her. They’d tried so many things tonight already, and the witches had informed him that magic wasn’t a bottomless resource. It required time and rest to replenish. Not to mention this spell couldn’t have been easy.
The idea they had was to create an alteration on a tracking and locator spell, combined with more technologically advanced elements. The goal was for her to be able to focus in on the owner of the phone, which wouldn’t have been too difficult seeing as Rajiah’s energy was the most prominent surrounding the device. The hard part was locating that energy and getting the phone to call the closest phone to wherever Rajiah was.
It was complicated and had taken them nearly an hour to work through the logistics of the spell’s wording, aim, and ingredients. Despite his limited knowledge on the subject, Blake had helped as best he could, offering knowledge on how tracking and locator programs worked to help Adalaide figure out how to focus and route the magical equivalent.
Adalaide put the phone to her ear, brows furrowing and lips pursing as she listened. Blake waited, attention split between his computer and her. Then her face dropped lax in surprise only to scrunch up tighter, back straightening. She looked up at Blake, mouthing the words, “it’s them.”
He nodded his understanding, turning his attention to his laptop, impatiently waiting for the program to run its course. Dylan slowly stood, as quietly as he could so as not to disturb them. He crept across the room to stand behind Blake’s chair, hands falling to rest gently on his shoulders. He didn’t understand the program on the screen, but he knew it was working quickly. Blake continued to stare at the screen, brows furrowed with concentration, but he leaned slightly into Dylan’s touch.
They both watched the timer tick. Watched every millisecond turn into a second. None of them spoke for fear that their voices would make whoever was on the other end of that call hang up too soon.
Then the call hung up and the program came to a halt. A muttered curse slipped from Blake as his fingers moved across the keyboard, trying to further pinpoint the location while the data was still fresh.
“They hung up,” Adalaide said, stating the obvious as she stood. She had to put a hand on the table to steady herself, and he could tell her legs were shaking.
“Careful,” Dylan said, moving to her side to hold her steady before reaching out to slide a water bottle toward her. She took it gratefully with a muttered thanks before dropping heavily into the chair next to Blake. Her eyes were on his screen, but he knew it made little sense to her, no matter how much she tried. “So you’re certain that was them?”
She nodded. “Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, yes.” She said with a sigh, setting the bottle back on the table. “I don’t know what phone it called, because the spell opened up communication instantly without dialing first. I could hear a lot of static at first and vague, muffled voices. I recognized several of them as members of my old coven. Eventually they noticed the phone. They were confused, asked how that happened, said they didn’t recognize the number, and hung up. It only lasted for—“
“Thirty-seven seconds,” Blake finished for her.
She nodded, then glanced at him raising an eyebrow. “Honestly, I’m surprised the spell worked at all. We’ve tried so many combinations, and none of them were useful or worked. This one…did.” She sounded in awe and yet distant. “So…was it long enough? Did you find them?”
“Under normal circumstances, I would say, no. It wasn’t long enough.” Blake’s smirk widened. “Thankfully, I very rarely operate under normal circumstances, and things like this are my area of expertise.” He straightened, turning his laptop so the screen faced her. “I couldn’t pinpoint them exactly, but I narrowed it down to a five mile radius,” he said as the program generated a map, zeroing in on a wide circle. He shrugged, but his smile was still in place. “Not exactly a small location range, but when we’re looking for a few dragon shifters, a coven of witches, and a compound to house them all, I think a five mile radius will do just fine.”
When he glanced at her, she was smiling, eyes bright and hopeful as she looked between them. “Did we…did we find them then?” She whispered.
Blake grinned, relief making his body sag and his muscles relax. “Yeah,” he said, exhaustion hitting him all at once, even as adrenaline and excitement buzzed through his veins. He was tired, but he was wide awa
ke. it was such a strange mix of feelings that it left his body reeling. “Yeah, I think we did. Close enough that it should be easy to find them anyway. Once we get there, we can no doubt narrow it down even more.”
“We did it,” she said.
“We did it,” he echoed.
“I can’t believe you guys did it,” Dylan said softly, a small smile curling his lips.
7
Dylan couldn’t sleep.
Logically, he should have no problem slipping into a peaceful slumber. He was safe. He was with the Shadow Pack, which felt more like home than his own did. He was in the room where he first fell in love. His daughter was fast asleep in her bed, safe and sound. He had a second child growing healthy inside him. He had his mate sleeping peacefully beside him, warm and comforting, arm wrapped around him, lazily holding him close.
They had figured out roughly where Rajiah and Remi were being held captive. They would stop Thoric Jade and Adalaide’s old coven. They were about to put in place a plan that would successfully bring them home. His family would be safe once again.
He should feel at ease, but he didn’t.
He was restless. There was a nagging itch beneath his skin and a shadow lingering in the back of mind keeping him from sleep. More often lately, his thoughts hadn’t been good companions. The only time his doubts receded, the only time he felt at peace, was when he was doing something. Action and reaction were the only things that helped him feel at home in his own skin.
He curled into Blake’s side even more, unable to get as close as he wanted, his belly was in the way. In the early hours of the morning, while the light chased the shadows across their room, he found himself resenting it. He had wanted another child. He really had. Though he hadn’t realized how rough this pregnancy would be on him, mentally and emotionally. He’d thought things would get better, not worse. The moment he found himself resenting the child growing inside him was the moment he resented himself for having such thoughts to begin with.
It was selfish. He was selfish.
But…weren’t people allowed to be selfish once in a while?
His fingers idly played along the planes of Blake’s chest, cheek resting on his shoulder. His touches, soft and reverent, moved down to his stomach, feeling the lean muscles twitch in his sleep beneath Dylan’s fingertips. Powerful broad shoulders. A lean chest. A tapered waist. A flat stomach, tight with strength and muscles. His mate truly was beautiful.
Dylan had never thought of himself as beautiful, but he had been proud of his body and he worked hard on it. He defied most omega stereotypes, being powerful and strong, so much so that he was often mistaken for an alpha. Not anymore. As his stomach was swollen with child, it had become soft and padded as his muscles eased to protect what he held inside. His hormones raged, changing his body for the pregnancy. His hard cut lines and jagged shape softened in ways he honestly hated. Sometimes he barely recognized himself in the mirror.
Blake still looked at him like he was beautiful, but Dylan found it hard to believe most days.
His eyes shifted from his mate to across the room, where the satin curtain that hung from the ceiling was open, revealing the vague shape huddled beneath the blankets. Lily’s body rose and fell slowly and evenly with her breaths, her soft huffs blending with Blake’s. It was a unified sound that eased the ache in Dylan’s chest, even if it didn’t make it go away completely.
He squeezed his eyes shut, breathing in a deep breath and letting it out in a slow, shuddering sigh.
He was a mess. He knew he was a mess. He wanted so many conflicting things. The same things that made him happy also made him ache with worry and doubt. He had thought marrying Blake would lead to his happily ever after. It had been a foolish thought. He hadn’t really considered the fact that life was never that easy.
His sister had warned him about what pregnancy would do to his hormones, and how they would make his doubts and self-conscious thoughts even worse. Make him less able to control his mood swings. He knew that. He’d experienced it with Lily. But now, he had more doubts for the shadows in his mind to play on.
His eyes opened, and he focused them once again on Lily’s bed, watching her sleep peacefully and trying to find solace in that.
The sun continued to rise, lightening their room to a muted gray, a gradual and slow shift from the darkness of night to the light of day. He felt the moment Blake’s breathing changed. He felt and heard it as he came out of sleep, waking as slowly and gradually as the sunrise. Dylan waited, fingers still tracing aimless patterns on his mate’s chest.
He felt Blake’s arm tighten around him and felt his other hand reach over to rest on his hip. It was warm, heavy and comforting, his fingers long, slender, and protective.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked, voice low and rough, mumbled and slurred with sleep.
Dylan lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. “Feels like hours,” he whispered, voice hoarse and cracking in an attempt to keep it barely audible. Their daughter had yet to develop the enhanced hearing of their kind, but he still didn’t want to risk waking her.
Blake hummed, fingers idly rubbing up and down Dylan’s arm. “Any particular reason?”
Dylan shrugged again. “It’s nothing…”
“Dylan…” Blake’s voice was flat and low, almost reproachful and it carried with it, a small warning. “I know when you’re lying to me,” he said softly. “I know when something is bothering you. I admit, I’ve been too busy lately to notice right away, but…I’m noticing now. I’m here for you now. Don’t hide from me.” His hands moved on Dylan’s arm and hip, holding him tight as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of Dylan’s head.
He shuddered. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide things from Blake forever. His mate was exceptionally perceptive, especially when it came to him. He had wanted Blake to notice him, notice his struggle. To pay attention to him. But now that he was…Dylan felt the words he wanted to say catch in his throat, unsure how to voice the worries that plagued him.
Dylan hesitated, and Blake gave him time to try to gather his thoughts, but even his patience had a limit. Dylan felt Blake’s hand leave his hip, he felt Blake’s fingers beneath his chin, tilting his head up. Blake met his gaze, his eyes dark in the morning light, a soft, encouraging smile on his lips. “What’s on your mind, babe?”
Dylan sighed, sagging against him. When he went to bury his face in Blake’s chest again, he let him. “We have to tell Lily about…” He trailed off, using a hand to gesture vaguely to his stomach, hidden beneath the blankets.
“Yeah,” Blake said. “We do.” He paused, then continued, thoughtful and prompting, with only a little hesitation. “Do you…not want to?”
Dylan shrugged, fingers curling into a loose fist on Blake’s chest. “It’s not that I don’t want her to know, it’s just…telling her makes it feel…real…”
“Dylan,” Blake said, patient but not unkind. “It is real.”
“I know that,” Dylan huffed. “I can feel it. I can feel it changing my body, my mood, making everything…wrong.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Blake whispered, pulling Dylan in close, wrapping him up in his strong arms. He felt gentle lips on his forehead. “The changes aren’t permanent. You bounced back fast after Lily was born. I know you don’t like the physical changes, but it won’t be forever.”
He was right. Dylan knew he was right. Unfortunately, he was only quelling one of Dylan’s worries. “Kids are tough…” he breathed, voice barely audible in the early morning stillness of the room. He felt Blake stiffen against him, hands stilling where they had been rubbing soothing circles into his back. Nervousness clawed at Dylan’s gut, climbing up his chest and into his throat, threatening to choke him. He felt it coming, and it was too late to push it back down. He curled himself a little tighter against his mate. “Do you ever think…maybe we weren’t meant to be parents?”
Blake was quiet for a long time. Long enough that the shadows in the room shifted and Lily rol
led over before falling back asleep. Dylan’s stomach felt knotted and his chest felt tight, he was worried that he’d said something wrong. But Blake’s hands started moving again, tracing idle patterns against his skin and soothing strokes along his spine.
“Sometimes,” Blake finally said, a whisper into the stillness, a confession spoken under his breath. Then he continued, his voice stronger. “I honestly never thought I’d be a father. Part of me hoped, I think, but I’d carved out a life where it didn’t seem likely. It certainly felt like I didn’t need it to feel complete. I imagine…that’s how you feel?”
Dylan didn’t trust his voice, he could feel the burning of tears behind his eyes. He simply bit his bottom lip and nodded. Blake’s fingers found their way into his hair, scratching comfortingly at his scalp.
“But…even though this wasn’t how I imagined my life would turn out, I think this is what I was hoping for. A family. With you,” he added, a smile in his voice as he pressed his lips once again to Dylan’s forehead. Despite the prickle at the edges of his eyes, Dylan found himself smiling. “No one is perfect, and parenting is hard. Though we didn’t think we’d ever be here, I don’t think we’re bad at it.” Dylan could feel his smile against his forehead and felt the shake of his chest as he chuckled softly. “I think we’re damn good parents.”
It was meant to be soothing, but it only made the pressure in Dylan’s chest worse. “That’s easy for you to say,” he grumbled under his breath.
He felt Blake pull back to look at him, but he didn’t look up to meet his gaze. He kept his eyes on Lily’s bed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
