“Thank you, again.”
“I need to learn to live with you—metaphorically speaking—rather than focusing on the past crap. I see what Baba Yaga is like now, and I do not want to be like her. Anything I can do to avoid that fate, I’ll do it and put on my big girl panties.”
Elain was relieved to find that, when she returned to the nursery, she was alone in the room except for Connor peacefully sleeping in his crib. She quickly changed Ellie’s diaper, onesie, and the baby blanket out to fresh ones, just in case, and tossed the dirty clothes into the hamper.
It would really suck donkey balls if anyone, especially Lina, got a whiff of Marston on her.
I know one day that’s a hurdle I’ll have to jump, but I’d rather it happen in the future when I know I can protect Marston without hurting Lina, and not right now.
Especially not after just having given birth.
Elain wanted at least a couple of days to try to bask in this milestone and not have to play Seer or Triad member or whatever.
After turning the baby monitor back on, she stood by Connor’s crib and smiled down at him. He was huge compared to Ellie, but he was a gorgeous baby, and smelled like a wolf.
It might suck for him in some ways that he wouldn’t be able to shift. Elain had already decided they’d be honest with him that he was adopted by them practically as a newborn, but Ortega was already working on piecing together a detailed and fake history in case Connor ever wanted to know his “roots.”
She only hoped she could use her powers to turn her son’s focus away from wanting to know about his past and instead thinking about the family who loved him and raised him. That he’d go on to do damned good things in his life.
Other than knowing he’d been Eiselman, among others, in a past life, she couldn’t see a lot about him or his future. Then again, she hadn’t really tried, either, afraid to do that until she’d had a chance to talk—alone—to Gigi.
The last thing Elain wanted to do was accidentally jiggle loose the spell or magick or whatever it was Gigi had done.
Connor was the future. He’d be the proof that a full-blooded cockatrice baby could choose the path of light, the path of peace. He was Elain’s living hope, and the reason she knew she had to learn how to use her powers for good reasons, positive outcomes. For him, for Colleen, for Fiona.
Even for BettLynn, who would have more than her fair share of protection with two dragon mates to keep her safe. Although, her biggest challenges would come from her Down syndrome, not from having cockatrice genes.
These children were the new embers of the future flames, a bright, shining future without stupid blood oaths or senseless fights. They’d clean out the vicious cockatrice, hopefully turn the ones who didn’t have an interest in being evil toward a path of light, and end this ancient battle for good.
At least, that was her plan.
Goddess help me.
Elain carried Ellie back into the master bedroom, got her settled, turned on the baby monitor, and slid into bed without waking her men before she finally dropped the little barrier.
Almost immediately, Brodey stirred on the other side of the bed. “Huh?”
Elain fought the urge to snicker and talked to him silently through their mate bond. “It’s okay. Ellie woke up, and I took care of Connor, too. Go back to sleep, sweetie.”
He was lightly snoring again almost before his head hit the pillow.
* * * *
Brighton sat up in bed, his head tipped back against the wall, the ear buds playing him everything from the baby monitor feeds. He’d gotten an earful earlier when he’d played back the captured feed from the women’s conversation.
If they were powerful enough to have mastery over things like fireballs and lightning bolts, he would have to carefully engineer his plans so as not to end up dead in the process.
It was also interesting news that Rodolfo Abernathy was dead. And he hadn’t realized Elain was so closely associated with the jaguars.
When Elain had gotten out of bed and made noise, it’d triggered a vibrating alert on his smart watch. He’d immediately got up, opened his laptop, and tapped into the WiFi feed.
Then Elain had taken the baby into Connor’s nursery and…
He’d tuned out and clicked through to some blogs he followed while he listened.
Then…silence. He thought at first maybe there was a problem, when he realized the feeds were off. With the nursery just down the hallway, he’d heard her open the door and go in, but had not heard her emerge yet.
The baby monitors shouldn’t be able to be shut off, because he’d swapped the units out himself with specially modified ones he could easily control. Even when they were turned “off” they were still on, with special hidden backup batteries to keep them running for hours. When out of curiosity he’d quietly climbed out of bed a few minutes later, he’d discovered the nursery empty except for Connor asleep in his crib.
As he stood there staring down at the infant boy, he felt the hackles rising on the back of his neck. The amulet lying against his chest suddenly flared with warmth, forcing Brighton to take a step back, his heart racing until the amulet finally cooled again.
There was something damned wrong going on. Elain’s mystery power was now known to the others, so he couldn’t dangle that over her head.
But where had she gone?
And why?
And who had she gone to see?
He’d fully expected to find Elain in there, that it’d simply been an equipment failure. Then, he would have mumbled an apology that he’d been on his way to the kitchen for a drink of water and had heard something and wanted to check on the little tyke, of course, being his nephew and all that bollocks.
He cast one last glance down at the baby in the crib and headed back to his bedroom.
He suspected he wouldn’t get any more sleep tonight.
Back online, he went in search of answers. Around his neck the amulet lay dark and cool again.
Sometimes the cursed thing behaved like that, as if it had a mind of its own.
Something else I’ll be glad to be rid of once this is over.
The amulet and the book. And the knife and other items, although they didn’t give him any of the feelings that the book and amulet did.
He stared at the dresser, where he’d set his knapsack, in which he always kept the spell book.
Then again, he really couldn’t afford to get rid of the spell book…yet. It had come in handy over the years.
Which meant holding on to the amulet as well.
Must know one’s enemy.
Plenty of times, snippets of spells from the book had helped him locate and overcome cockatrice.
I suppose it’s my albatross.
Hopefully he wouldn’t have to say the same thing about Elain and her spawn for much longer.
Just being in the same house with her set his nerves on edge.
But ridding the world of evil was a noble, just cause. It was well worth suffering through his own discomforts when his sisters hadn’t even had a chance to grow up and raise families of their own, thanks to those evil aberrations of nature.
It was why he hadn’t ever wanted to take a mate of his own. One more vulnerability. Any time he’d thought he’d scented his One, the amulet around his neck would flare with heat and remind him exactly why he must stay true to his cause.
Vengeance.
Justice.
His brothers would never—could never know how much he’d sacrificed over the years to protect the world. It was best many of the things he’d seen and done never came to light. Some people might not understand.
Sometimes, it required taking actions which appeared to be evil to combat evil.
Fighting fire with fire.
His conscience was clear. Now he would have to carefully plan his next steps.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Elain awoke, alone in bed, to the sound of Ellie fussing in her bassinet.
Afte
r pulling herself to a sitting position, Elain finally climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom first before seeing to the baby.
“Hey, little girl. Let’s see what’s what.” Ellie’s diaper was okay, so Elain settled back in bed to nurse her, sitting propped up against the headboard. Grabbing the TV remote, she tuned in to a network morning news show.
Part of Elain’s mind wondered if she was a bad mom for not feeling those nearly magickal feelings everyone always talked about when having a first baby.
Then again, they already had Connor.
Or it could be she was judging her emotions against what she felt when holding BettLynn. That wasn’t fair to anyone, because BettLynn was admittedly so special in the good way that she was beyond special in quite a few ways.
Elain stared down into her daughter’s face as Ellie nursed. Elain tried not to think about Yellowstone, about what Mercedes had voluntarily done to help them save Jim.
About the stench of the decomposing wolfatrice corpse Elain had disinterred in the Maine woods and moved to Lacey’s garden.
It would be too easy to think dark thoughts.
About the day she and Lina and Mai blew up Aliah—or whatever it was they did to her—on the rock pile.
About how Elain had ripped Paul Abernathy’s balls off during the challenge to the blood oath and then wiped her bloody hands on Rodolfo’s shirt.
Standing in the dungeon and staring down at Rodolfo’s increasingly decreasing body while clinging to Ortega Montalvo’s arm.
Ripping the cockatrice man’s throat out with her bare teeth at the meth house.
The ceremony she participated in where they forced the curse out of Callie and into the bison.
Altering Ain’s memory to make him forget not only Connor’s true origins, but his deep pain of having accidentally killed an infant after his sisters’ deaths. A cockatrice infant, but still a guilt that had haunted him and darkened his soul for centuries.
Killing Rodolfo.
Helping to hide and protect a man pretty much everyone in her family rightfully wanted dead. A man she’d actually let see and hold her baby the night before.
How can anyone even trust me with a baby? How am I qualified to be a mother to one, much less two babies?
A woman appeared in the shadows of the corner of the bedroom. Elain didn’t even flinch at her appearance.
She’d halfway expected it.
“Why do you always seem to appear when I feel most conflicted?”
Baba Yaga the matron tucked the amethyst amulet under the collar of her Vera Wang dress and walked over to the bed. “May I?”
Elain nodded.
Baba Yaga sat on the end of the bed and watched Elain for a moment. Elain didn’t miss how the woman kept her voice low.
“Shades of grey. Never forget that. It will pain you in grievous ways, sometimes. As you’ve already experienced a little of first-hand. Never forget to consider the greater good. By the embers dies the fire.”
“But what the hell does that mean?”
“It means that conflagrations start with the merest spark. The hottest blaze can die out if the embers are not kept stoked. It works both ways, good and bad, light and dark. Never forget.”
Elain gave the matron her best Grumpy Cat look.
“I shall be avoiding Lina as much as I can for the foreseeable future,” Baba Yaga said.
“Okay, I know I’m going to regret asking this, but why?”
“For all the reasons you yourself already know. My powers are not what they were. While I believe I can hold a barrier against her in my mind, unfortunately, I cannot ensure it. Not anymore. Not with what I’ve seen the three of you capable of doing. The power of you three is nearly beyond comprehension.”
Elain didn’t want to think about that and chose to ignore it. “I wouldn’t let her do anything to you.”
“You might not be there to stop her.” A wistful sigh escaped the matron as she stared at Ellie. “Also, stop questioning your mothering capabilities. That’s such a common human emotion that it should be banned. Take comfort in the fact that you do question your abilities. It means you’re a good mother.”
“Are you really worried that Lina might try to interrogate you?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.”
“Is this something you’ve seen?”
“No. It’s more a gut instinct.”
“Should I be worried that you’re not talking to me in fortune cookie riddles anymore?”
“I’m being honest, Elain. I’m tired. One day, you’ll understand.” She stood, walked over to the baby monitor on the side table, unplugged it, and turned it off. Then she walked over to the sliding glass doors, opened them, and chucked the monitor out into the pool.
For some reason, this didn’t even shock Elain. “What the heck was that about?”
Baba Yaga didn’t look away from the pool. “Watch your back.”
Elain’s hackles rose on her neck. “Why? And against who?”
Baba Yaga closed the sliders and turned to face her, dropping her voice even more. “There’s already a traitor among you.”
Somehow, Elain didn’t even need to guess. “Brighton. What the fu-reak did that nutjob do?”
I really need to remember not to swear around the babies.
Baba Yaga hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the pool outside. “Those are not the baby monitors you bought. He replaced them. Right now, Brighton is out with his brothers. I made sure to cast a barrier around me when I appeared here so he couldn’t spy on us or hear what we said. Neither can Lina or Mai. Get rid of the other monitor immediately. Destroy it with water before throwing it away.”
Now Elain was creeped out. “What is going on?”
“I don’t know, and that is the problem. My powers aren’t what they used to be, so I can’t tell for sure. Brighton doesn’t like or trust Liam.”
“We’d already guessed that.”
“If you can, get Brighton out of here sooner rather than later. Keep extremely close tabs on him, though, especially while he’s living here.”
“Isn’t that enough proof right there? How creepy is it that he’s been listening to us? Does that mean he overheard what Lina, Mai, and I talked about?” She blanched. “Did he overhear sexy time between me and my guys? I’ve had those monitors for weeks!”
“No, it’s not enough proof, because he’ll talk his way out of it. He’ll leave you doubting your own sanity. He seems rather skilled in gaslighting techniques.”
Baba Yaga returned to the bed. “He might not be able to lie to his brothers, but he can loophole every bit as well as you can. Also, yes, no telling what he’s overheard, since I don’t know exactly how long those have been in here.”
Baba Yaga held her hands out to her. “Elain, I do not wish to alarm you, but I cannot see you in the future any longer. It’s not necessarily because of something bad happening to you. It’s a byproduct of the barrier in your mind and of your new powers and rank. It’s not just you, but Lina and Mai as well. That means there is a massive blind spot in my abilities. I can only see events and people around you, some outcomes, but not you three in particular.”
Elain’s mental chill grew deeper. “That’s why no more riddles from you, huh?”
“The mantle has been passed. I am no longer bound by certain…restrictions. I’m a civilian, so to speak.”
“Not exactly.”
“Close enough. Please, be careful. I know you don’t wish to hurt your men’s feelings—”
“But Brighton’s a nutter. Got it.”
“I’m sorry. I know you wanted to reunite their family. He’s also not the only family traitor you must be concerned with.”
Elain didn’t need her to break out the sock puppets. “My uncles. And the guys’ cousins. The ones who worked with Rodolfo.”
“Among others.” She reached out and gently clasped Elain’s wrist. “Please use Marston as much as you need to. He’s now your tool, and one you should
not hesitate to employ when necessary.”
“He’s a tool, all right,” Elain muttered.
The former Immortal rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Your instincts regarding him are spot-on. He has knowledge of things he’s seen and heard while working for Rodolfo that will prove invaluable to you. He absolutely would die to protect you and yours. The oath he made to you is every bit as strong in his soul as the blood oath he was trying to fulfill for all those years. Do not doubt him or his word. He cannot lie to you.”
She released Elain and sat back. “You might find him able to…do things that you yourself don’t wish to. It’s all right to ask it of him, because he will see it as helping you and fulfilling his oath, and it will only brighten his karma. Atonement.”
“But darken my karma?”
“Not necessarily. Depends on the cause.”
“Be honest with me. Is that nuclear vision a literal one or metaphorical?”
“It’s my belief that it is literal. That Lina and Mai both saw it in a literal way tells me that the message should be interpreted as such. Unfortunately, the blind spot that I now have means I can’t really see what happens to resolve it. I can ‘loophole,’ as you yourself say, and try to see others, but it’s still very iffy. Considering the unholy mess that once was the Soviet Union, it is not beyond the realm of belief that a cockatrice nest could buy or steal a device capable of that kind of destruction. ‘Remember the Maine.’”
“Huh?”
“Oh, for goodness sake. You were raised in Florida. Did they not teach you regional history?”
Elain struggled to think. “Is that the ship that blew up in Havana well over a century ago?”
Baba Yaga touched her nose. “Cockatrice have been around and causing trouble for eons. They thrive on creating chaos, darkness, and reaping the benefits of it. Opportunists. This would be a modern version of it. Do you honestly think it was merely the Japanese who created kamikaze pilots? No. They had influence from the cockatrice. Pearl Harbor was one of the greatest cockatrice achievements in the last century.”