Page 22 of Postpartum Spells & Infant Hells

The mirrors remained covered. Stella's warning still hung over the microwave. And every person in the room had their chilled glass next to them. They also looked as though they were pretending not to be worried.

“I stuffed these with the pistachio cream and added the kataifi to the batter,” Mythia explained as she flew in with a platter of brownies.

Aidon picked one up and held it up for me to bite while I rubbed my hand up and down Nyssa’s back. A loud groan left me. “Holy shit, Thia. These are delicious.”

"I’m going to take a couple of these to go and head home,” Stella announced. “It’s late, and I’m beat. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“See you then. Thanks for driving up there today,” I told her as she kissed the babies.

"I’ll finish this upstairs,” I interjected as Stella left. “I’m about to pass out, and I’d like to put these guys down before they fall asleep down here.”

“I’ll see what I can find on Kal... those two entities,” Nina offered as we headed to the stairs. “Hopefully, I will find something more on them. Especially the one in charge.”

“Thanks,” I told her and gave her a side hug after she put Thaniel in the crib they’d moved to our bedroom.

Aidon put the brownie on the side table and helped me get the babies situated. Having lost my appetite, I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. Unfortunately, Aidon knew me too well, and I wasn’t able to climb into bed unhindered.

“You left something out,” he challenged

I changed shirts, keeping my eyes on the dresser. “Ava built a bridge to save the echo children. It cost her half her power and the ability to have children.”

Aidon's shadows shifted restlessly along the floorboards before curling back toward him. “Do you know what I heard when you said that?” he asked quietly.

I looked up from the dresser. “What?” I couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. He’d closed our bond.

Aidon crossed the room before answering. “I heard you say you were considering whether you'd pay the same price,” he told me.

My stomach tightened. “I’m doing no such thing.”

“You weighed the possibility because you think there’s going to be a need,” Aidon countered. He stopped in front of me and held my gaze. “Listen to me before you become brave in that terrifying way you have when you stop asking whether you should bleed and start asking where the knife is.”

I tried for humor and failed. “That's colorful coming from a man who hunts down and kills demons.”

Aidon didn't smile. He cupped my face instead. “I'm not afraid of what's coming,” he admitted. “I'm afraid you'll convince yourself there's a version of this family that survives without you. There is no way that is possible. Do you hear me?” He demanded.

“If we build a bridge for you to confront these beings,” he continued without waiting for me to respond, “it will happen because there's a path forward where you survive and come back to us. It doesn't happen because you've decided you're expendable.”

“I didn’t mean to even consider the possibility.” I rested my forehead against his chest and closed my eyes. “I would do anything to save our children. I hate that you figured it out before I even acknowledged my thoughts,” I muttered.

His laugh rumbled softly beneath my ear. “You'd hate it more if I were stupid.”

“Probably,” I admitted while wrapping my arms around his waist.

Aidon kissed my hair and held me tighter. “Let’s get some rest. They’ll be up before long.”

After pulling on my sleep shirt, I sat on the bed while Aidon stood between the cribs. Tarja joined us and occupied the windowsill, her tail puffed to twice its normal size. No one talked as we watched and waited for something to happen. I fed the babies as they woke. They were sleeping for longer stretches but still eating every few hours.

The clock crept toward 3:33 when the room grew steadily colder. Frost spread across the windows in branching white veins. The air tightened until it felt almost solid.

“Phoebe,” Aidon murmured as he turned toward the cribs. “Tell me you see them too.”

“Holy shit. How did they get in if we covered everything?” I blurted as I rose from the bed and stared. Seven children occupied the room.

They formed a loose ring around the cribs without touching them. They were of different ages and wore various styles of clothing. Clearly, they’d come from different eras. The most notable feature was that every one of them had silver eyes.

A boy stood near Thaniel. And a toddler watched Melaina. Beside Nyssa's crib stood a thin girl with two braids and a patched dress. None of them looked alive. But they didn’t look hostile either.

Aidon's shadows rose around him like a wall. “They haven't crossed the ward line you guys placed around the cribs,” he reported.