Laylah made a sound of choked disbelief. For years she had treated the babe as if it were her own. She had held him in her arms and slept with him in her bed.
Granted, the stasis spell made it impossible to truly touch Maluhia, but she had sensed him deep in her heart. Hadn’t she?
She shook her head, refusing to believe that it had been part of the spell to compel her to care for the child. The stasis was broken after all, and she could still feel the connection to Maluhia. It was in every beat of his tiny heart.
Her baffled gaze shifted over two babies lying side by side.
They were both the size of a three-month-old human child and both naked to reveal that while one was male the other was undoubtedly female.
The alpha and the omega.
Cassie’s words echoed through her head as the male, who she was convinced was Maluhia, turned as if sensing she was near. He had a bit of blond fuzz on his head and his blue eyes were filled with trust as they locked on her, a smile curving his lips.
The female lay still, although Laylah could see her chest move as she breathed. Her eyes were closed and her downy hair the same shade as her twin’s, but she appeared unaware of the world around her.
As if she was still locked in the spell.
Laylah was jerked out of her fog of astonishment as Marika stepped toward the babies, a scowl marring her brow.
“What have you done?”
The mage took a step backward, bafflement etched on his lean face.
Yeah, bafflement seemed to be the word of the day.
At least she wasn’t alone in feeling like an idiot that she had never suspected there was more than one child.
“There’s two of them,” Sergei stated the obvious.
Marika inched forward, her gaze locked on the babies. “How is that possible?”
Sergei shrugged, licking his dry lips. “I don’t know. There’s a boy and a girl.”
Belatedly realizing she was wasting a perfect opportunity, Laylah cursed her stupidity and edged backward. What was wrong with her? The two were completely obsessed with the children. It was now or never.
Keeping her gaze trained on the vampire, Laylah bent downward, blindly searching for the large sword that Ariyal had been carrying before being tossed down the tunnel like a broken doll.
It took several swipes before her fingers brushed over the hilt. She swallowed her premature moan of relief. For the moment Marika was distracted. The last thing Laylah wanted was to remind the female vampire that she’d left unfinished business lurking behind her.
Clenching her hand around the leather-bound hilt, Laylah hefted the sword off the ground, nearly tumbling onto her face at the unexpected weight of the thing.
Gods.
Obviously size really did matter to the Sylvermyst. Shifting to hold the sword with both hands, Laylah straightened and with a slow, steady pace moved back down the tunnel.
Oblivious to the approaching danger, Marika imperiously held out her hands.
“Pick up the children and give them to me.”
Sergei dutifully bent, but Laylah didn’t give him the opportunity to present his mistress with her long awaited trophies.
With the last of her strength she managed to lift the sword and with one smooth motion she was swinging it through the air, hitting Marika on the side of her neck.
She was braced for the impact. She didn’t have a lot of experience in decapitating vampires, but she assumed it would take considerable effort.
Instead the magnificent blade slid through the muscle and tendons and bone as if they were butter.
Laylah blinked in shock as Marika’s head tumbled from her body.
It was … astonishing.
One minute it had been sitting on her neck, and the next it was rolling across the dirt ground. A part of her was horrified.
Before that moment she’d only killed to protect herself or her child. It had never been a premeditated decision.
But a larger part of her was drowning in fierce relief.
The female had deliberately arranged for her own sister to be raped and tortured for the sole purpose of returning the Dark Lord to the world. She had hunted Laylah as if she were an animal. And she’d used her pet mage to try and kill Tane.
Unforgivable.
Dropping the too heavy sword, Laylah met her aunt’s dead eyes. “Go to hell you evil bitch.”
Tane rounded the corner of the tunnel just in time to witness Laylah slicing off Marika’s head.
He skidded to a halt, his shock being quickly replaced by sheer pride.
That He-man part of him that drove Laylah crazy might regret not being the one to slay his mate’s dragon, but damn if there wasn’t something intensely exciting about a woman who could take care of business.
Stepping to his side, Jaelyn gave a low whistle, her gaze on the rapidly disintegrating vampire.
“You’d better watch yourself, Charon,” she drawled. “Your mate’s not a woman to screw with.”
“No, she’s not,” he murmured in agreement, his hand absently rubbing the spot over his unbeating heart.
He was still adjusting to the intensity of his feelings for the tiny Jinn mongrel.
It was more than the mating bond, more than sexual attraction.
It was an all-consuming love for the one woman who completed his soul.