"Good to know," Nina said.
Through the window, I watched as Aidon headed straight for a bear-spider abomination. The thing was making a beeline for our bedroom window. Its cluster of black eyes locked onto me with the kind of focused hunger that made my stomach drop into my shoes. A cold certainty settled over me—these bastards weren't just testing our defenses. They were hunting me specifically.
"They want the babies," I said, stumbling backward from the window as the creature coiled its massive legs, preparing to spring.
That's when the triplets decided they'd had enough of this nonsense. Their magic detonated outward and caught the creature mid-leap. I could feel the effort draining them like someone had pulled their plug. Golden light blazed from Melaina, electric blue crackling energy from Thaniel, and deep purple tendrils of power from Nyssa. They wove together into abarrier that pinned the bear-spider thing in the air for maybe three heartbeats.
Aidon took advantage, and his power lashed out. Razor-sharp tendrils of darkness that moved like living whips. They carved through the suspended creature with surgical precision, turning the thing into chunks of meat and chitin before it could shatter the triplets' defense.
"That's my great-grandbabies," Nana said proudly, pumping her shotgun as another creature appeared at the window. "You're doing good, little ones."
The triplets managed to deflect the tentacled thing just long enough for Nana to put a silver-loaded shell right through its center mass. The creature dissolved into messy parts that scattered across the bedroom floor.
"Can they do that some more?" Stella asked as more abominations circled the house.
"Let's find out," I said, opening my communication channels to all three triplets.Can you help protect our family? The others just need a little help.
The response was immediate but tired.Protect family. Stop creatures.
Their magic flared again, freezing the creatures long enough for the others to take them out. Within minutes, the attack was over. The lawn was littered with creature remains, and the babies settled back into exhausted but satisfied sleep.
"Is everyone all right?" Selene called, appearing in the doorway.
"We're fine," I assured her, though my hands were shaking from the adrenaline. "The babies were a big help."
"They're remarkable," Iris said with genuine awe. "I've never seen unborn children actively defend themselves like that."
"They're something special,” I said simply.
"Just like their parents," Mom said with a smile that was equal parts pride and concern.
"Stubborn as mules, protective as mother bears, and scary as hell when you mess with their people," Nana added with a smirk.
"She'll escalate after this," Thalia warned. "When Lyra realizes her creatures failed, she'll stop holding back."
"Good," I said firmly, one hand resting on my belly where three little defenders slept peacefully. "Because we're done holding back, too."
CHAPTER 8
The silence that followed our victory against Lyra's abominations lasted exactly long enough for me to think we might actually catch a break. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either. Lyra was still out there and not going to stop anytime soon.
"The attack was designed to test us, but it’s not good that it exhausted the babies," Thalia observed, studying the creature remains scattered across our lawn like some demented art installation. "She now knows how much power they can manifest before depleting themselves. That’s dangerous information in her hands."
"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered as the triplets' energy signatures dimmed to barely detectable whispers. They'd given everything they had to protect us, and now they were sleeping harder than teenagers on summer vacation.
Thalia turned to face me, her storm-gray eyes intense with sudden purpose. "This is actually perfect. With their power temporarily dormant, I can attempt a purification ritual. The idea is to weaken the parasitic connections. It's a technique I learned from watching Lyra's experiments. Only I’ll be doing it in reverse."
"I am not okay with using Lyra’s method," Aidon said immediately. "It feels like we’re back to you being a Trojan Horse. Our defenses are down, and now you move in for the kill. We're not experimenting on Phoebe with untested magic."
"It's not untested," Thalia protested. "And I’m not on her side. I've seen exactly what Lyra does to strengthen connections. I can take her corruption rituals and turn the tables. It’s easy to use purification rather than the opposite."
Clio stepped forward, her healer instincts clearly warring with caution. "What exactly would this ritual involve?"
"Channeling cleansing energy through the parasitic bonds to try and burn away their hold," Thalia explained. "Think of it as if I were cauterizing a wound to prevent infection. The ritual targets the foreign magic specifically without affecting Phoebe or the babies."
I could feel everyone's eyes on me, waiting for my decision. The rational part of my brain screamed that this was dangerous. But the desperate part—the part that was tired of being Lyra's magical snack bar—found the idea appealing.
"How long would it take?" I asked.
