“I see the head,” the doctor informed me. “One big push now on the next contraction. You can do it!”
I waited for the pressure to build, and then the pain hit again. That was my cue.
I screamed as a new burn ran through me, one of magic rather than physical torment. All of the elements that had been blocked unleashed at the same time, searing me with their raw power as if I’d touched the sources themselves.
Fire blazed across my skin.
Water crashed into the walls.
Air swirled in a violent spiral, kicking up the chairs and medical supplies.
The floor split, sprouting life all around us.
Pink butterflies burst into existence, glittering as they fluttered through
the writhing elements unleashed in the delivery room.
This wasn’t me, but my child.
I didn’t have time to process what this all meant. All I knew was that my son needed me right now to bring him into the world, and no matter if I died trying, I would succeed.
All of my mates placed their hands on me, calming the inferno of elements as one final push gave me the sweetest relief. I held my breath and stared up at the ceiling as the swirling of colors mixed together, releasing bursts of sparkles like stars.
Then a cry sounded.
My son…
He was finally here.
“CONGRATULATIONS,” a dark voice whispered from the shadows of Claire’s room. “The perceptions of the medical staff have all been altered.”
I didn’t know Shade well, but he came highly recommended by Aflora and Zeph. They told me if anyone could help us clean up this mess, it was the secretive Midnight Fae with a penchant for playing with time and memories. “Did Kyros help you?” I asked him, very aware of his close friendship with the Paradox Fae.
“If he did, I wouldn’t tell you,” he replied, his lips curling as he stepped out from the shadows. “But everything is as it should be.”
I nodded. We’d already handled the elemental mess left behind from Claire’s childbirth. Now she rested peacefully in the bed with her son cradled against her chest. Cyrus sat beside her, his fingers shifting through her hair as he closely watched Shade. Titus, Vox, and Sol all wore similarly guarded expressions.
Shade wasn’t just a Midnight Fae. I could sense the otherworldly energy pouring off him like thick bands of wispy smoke, suffocating all those in his presence.
“Do you require anything else?” he asked, arching a dark brow, his icy gaze flashing.
“We just needed the memories altered,” I replied.
He nodded and turned, as though to walk into the wall.
“Let us know what you want in return,” I added, uncertain of what else to say to him. We barely knew each other, and he never attended the meetings with Aflora.
Shade glanced back over his shoulder. “I don’t require anything,” he said. “My mate requested a favor. And I never say no to my mate.” His icy irises flashed again, an array of secrets brewing in their depths. “I have a feeling you understand.”
“I do,” I admitted.
“Good.” He smiled. “Congratulations again.”
With that, he vanished into the shadows. Literally.
I shivered, his inky magic leaving an imprint in the air that was severely at odds with my spirit essence. I had no idea how or why he’d mated Aflora, but it was clear that he worshipped the ground she walked on, which was good enough for me.
Sol, however, didn’t seem to agree, his scowl firmly in place. “Willow stump,” he muttered.