There was no way out.
The baby was coming—whether I wanted it or not.
Then, the cave shifted.
The temperature dropped.
A sudden, suffocating stillness fell around us.
And just like that, the last sliver of sunlight vanished from the crevice above. The eclipse had begun. TheEclipsarum Obscuraswallowed the world in unnatural night.
The cave pulsed with energy—chaotic, ancient, alive.
I clutched my stomach as another wave of agony tore through me, my body rebelling, my soul trembling.
“No!” My screams ricocheted off the cave walls as I fought against the contractions tearing through me—an unforgiving clash between my will and the forces of nature. I cursed God, fate, and every soul who had led me here, while the shadows of the eclipse pressed down like a suffocating veil.
At the peak of the eclipse, a final, primal cry tore from my throat as the child burst from my body. Darkness swallowed the cave whole. Every droplet that fell into the stone basin echoed like a funeral drumbeat. A chill swept through the chamber—one that whispered of death.
The baby wailed as Jack fumbled to hold her. “She’s here, Alina. She’s here. Keep pushing. The placenta—you need to deliver it now.”
The lantern suddenly flared, casting a jarring light. And there, at my side, lay a black dagger etched with arcane symbols, its blade slick with shadow. A dark mist bled from its edge, coiling into a formless entity before vanishing, sucked away by an invisible force. My heart raced in terror as I understood what I had unknowingly unleashed—a force of evil, just like me.
Chapter 38
Alina
The plane banked hard as it descended toward the runway. I clutched the armrests, struggling to maintain my composure while everything inside me unraveled.
Beside me, Jack cradled our newborn, his eyes glassy with joy. He beamed down at her, oblivious to the storm gathering inside me. The entire flight home from Peru, I’d wrestled with one terrifying truth—my daughter was a Timeborne—a rare, powerful being capable of bending time and space to her will.
The knowledge filled me not with wonder, but dread. Power like hers would make her a target—a prize. And somewhere in the darkest corners of my soul, a deeper fear festered—Balthazar—the love I could never bury—would come for her. He’d see her potential, her strength, and he’d love her more than he ever loved me. I couldn’t let that happen.
I would bury her gift before I let her be taken, even if it meant destroying the very thing that made her extraordinary.
Jack turned toward me, eyes wild with manic excitement, his breath quick and shallow. “It’s a miracle!” he whispered. “She’s a Timeborne! She can travel through time!”
I wanted to silence him with my hands around his throat.
“Your theory is wrong, Jack,” I said through clenched teeth. “And if you don’t shut up right now, you’ll regret it.”
The air thickened as the threat settled between us. His glee faded.
God, I’d done it again.
My heart sank with what I’d become—trapped beside Jack, a man I could barely stand to look at. I’d managed to leave Emily behind with Philip. But this time, I couldn’t run. Not with this child. Not with this husband.
If I failed to keep Jack satisfied—if anything happened to the baby—the Scholar would find me. Zara would hunt me like prey. And Balthazar… he was already out there. A shadow at the edge of fate, waiting to strike.
And I knew—deep down—I had just lit the signal fire.
Everyone was watching me.
I glanced at Jack.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” The words tasted bitter. I had never apologized more in my life than I had with Jack. I felt like a puppet—tugged by invisible strings, dancing to someone else’s design. “But we can never speak of your theories again. Time travel, the Moon Dagger… It’s over. I’m done.”
Jack tilted his head, studying me. “What is it that has you so afraid?”
