Page 70 of Black Hearted
A calming sense of assurance filled me, making me believe I could find the strength to birth this final child. I turned to Aribella skeptically. “Are you using your magic on me?”
She just winked.
The next contraction pressed down hard, and I cried out. Isolde and Aribella were right—I couldn’t let anything happen to this child. I was strong enough.
Eowyn positioned herself at the foot of the bed. “I just need one good push. The baby is already halfway there.”
With Isolde fanning me with cool air to keep me awake and Aribella bolstering my confidence, I propped myself up on my elbows and bore down. A primal roar tore from my throat as I gave this last push every ounce of strength I had.
Mommy’s got you.
There was searing pain, then sweet relief as Eowyn lifted a tiny, screaming baby into the air for me to see before placing her on my chest.
“Another girl,” I whispered, a tear slipping down my cheek as my heart expanded even more.
How could I instantly love these babies so much? All I wanted was for them to have the very best in life.
Zander kissed the side of my head. When I looked up at him, he had tears in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you,” he said, steppingback as Aribella and Isolde did the same. They knew the drill by now. Eowyn needed space to perform the bonding magic.
Eowyn moved closer, ribbons of silver light swirling around me and the baby as she wove her magic. Slowly, the baby was encased in a thin protective bubble that would keep her safe until she grew stronger.
I smiled faintly as Eowyn worked, even as the bonding magic consumed the last reserves of my energy. I gazed down at my baby girl in awe. She and her siblings were worth every ounce of my magic. They, along with Zander, were my life now—the very beating heart of me. I would do anything for them.
The exhaustion became bone-crushing. Though I wanted to keep my baby close, I could barely hold her. “Take her,” I whispered to Zander.
My husband gently lifted his daughter from my arms just as Eowyn finished the protective bubble around her. My head lolled to the side as sleep finally overtook me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lorelei
Hiking up a mountain in the dead of night while black floodwaters tried to consume me wasn’t exactly what I had planned for this trip. Fatigue pulled at my limbs as we climbed higher and higher.
“The black water will eventually stop rising, right?” I asked Zane.
He’d been quiet, probably tired, but as hard as I tried to put it out of my mind, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“Normally, I would say yes, but I think this place is determined to kill us, so I’m not sure,” he answered honestly.
I chewed on my lip. “What if it floods all the way to the Tree of Transformation? What if it washes it away?”
He merely shrugged. It was too dark to see the far-reaching consequences of the flooding—something we’d probably have to wait until morning to figure out.
With a sigh, I trudged on. When we reached a steep incline justbefore the top of the mountain, I struggled to scale it. A few steps ahead of me, Zane reached back, offering his hand. I grasped it, and he pulled me up.
Finally, we made it to the summit. I was happy the climbing was over, but I was too exhausted to feel a sense of accomplishment. I collapsed onto my butt, panting, while Zane sat down slowly beside me, so close that our knees were touching.
I peered out at the open expanse. The moonlight cast strange, glowing shadows across the black, oily liquid below, and from what I could see, it covered everything. My view was limited, but it looked endless.
I could feel Zane watching me, so I turned to him. “What are you thinking?”
Rather than answering, he glanced away.
He was silent.
“Hey.” I nudged him playfully. “You’re too quiet. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
He sighed, turning back to face me, his gaze dipping to my lips. “I’m thinking that I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.”
