"Louis needs our energy, we'll be right back," Jacob whispered to me and Jessa. My twin was all ashen features and ragged breathing. Sweat beaded across her face, and her knuckles were white where she was gripping the pillow beside her.
"Help them," she murmured. "Don't worry about us, we're okay."
The healer was still performing magic over her. So we weren't alone, and it would be far worse if Kristoff got free. Jacob and Braxton joined their brothers and energy filled the room as their quad bond kicked in. I was distracted for a moment as the babies on my chest starting to fuss. They wiggled and cried, then two tiny hands found each other, reaching out and linking together. The sight had tears pouring silently down my cheeks, and I tilted my head to the side and met my twin's gaze. "They already know each other," I said, my voice breaking.
She nodded. "Yes, and their brother, the protector, is on his way."
Louis gave a shout, and my eyes opened wide trying to understand what he was doing. He was dashing across the room to directly engage the sorcerer. What? … we weren't supposed to touch him. And Louis was so powerful that if his soul ended up demon touched, we were all screwed.
Maximus Compass
I never knew a heart could be so full, and clench so tightly at the same time. When Mischa pushed one last time and my daughter slid into my hands, everything in my world changed. Everything. My daughter was this tiny little supe, and she was the most important thing in this life. Her and her beautiful, strong mother.
Now it was time to make sure they both remained safe. Tyson had explained through our bond that the only chance we had now was to shoot Louis with as much of our energy as we could, then he would take the demon into his soul and expel it back to the underworld. It was a very risky maneuver, which is why he'd never considered it as an option before, but it was the only chance we had. We just had to hope he was strong enough to do it, especially with his energy so drained. If the demon was stronger, we'd all be dead.
When I'd pulled free the blade, the one gifted to me in China, Louis had pretty much snatched it from me, saying it was the perfect channel for his power. I didn't question him. I would give anything to keep my pack safe.
The sorcerer took off then. Tyson and I continued to shoot our energy into him. Braxton was right on Louis' heels; his role was important too. Kristoff crouched down, preparing himself for a fight. The pair of them clashed, sparks flew around the room, and energy ricocheted outwards.
Louis slammed a hand down on Kristoff's chest and shouted. "Now, Braxton!"
The shifter turned his hand into a dragon claw, and with ease struck out and severed Kristoff's head. The dark spirit of the demon gushed from the severed neck, but before it could dissipate out into the world, Louis lifted my blade and thrust it into the dead sorcerer's chest. He then closed his eyes and called for the demon-kin, taking control of the specter.
Louis was the strongest of sorcerers; this had to work. Braxton backed himself across the room toward us, and then as a group we surrounded the twins, who were still laid out on the ground. Jessa was about to birth her second child, and Mischa had the two little girls on her chest.
All of us kept our guard up, eyes locked on the mage. The battle he was fighting was internal, and there was no doubt it was a tough one. He shifted around to face us and the purple of his eyes was streaked with black.
"He's so strong," he muttered, sinking to his knees. "This is going to hurt."
Dropping my blade, his hands landed on the floor. He remained on all fours for a long time, then the darkness started seeping out of his mouth. Flames burst to life beneath him and slowly the darkness faded, agonizingly slow, taking forever before finally Louis collapsed.
His body went still, no movement at all. "No!" Jessa screamed. "Louis!"
Tyson was up and across the room in a second. He reached out and felt the sorcerer's neck. We all waited breathlessly.
"The demon's gone and Louis is still alive," he finally called out. "His energy has been severely drained though. He needs to be placed into a healing sleep."
The medical mage lifted his head from Jessa. "I'll be done in moments, then I can help."
He wasn't kidding either. With one last guttural cry, Jessa pushed her son out into the world, and Braxton was right there to cradle the little one. The medic cut the cord and wrapped him up.
Before he could leave, I pointed him toward Mischa so he could do the same for her. I'd left the cord intact, not wanting to hurt her or our daughter.
I watched closely, but the male healer did not waste any time. He was quick and professional, checking all three children before dashing across the room, his hands already held out toward the sorcerer still unconscious on the floor.
I gently lifted the little white-haired girl off Mischa and handed her across to Jessa, who had both arms out. She wanted her babies. Braxton crowded closer to his mate and children, surrounding them with a ferocity to be expected from a dragon.
I gathered Mischa and our daughter closer to me. "I love you," I said, my voice desperate. I had come so close to losing both of them again. So goddamn close. The demon had planned to kill her, to kill my perfect, black-haired, blue-eyed daughter. It made me want to destroy him again and again. Hopefully both the demon and Kristoff found a lifetime of torture waiting for them in the dead lands.
Tears sprinkled Mischa's long lashes. She hadn't taken her eyes off our child for many minutes. "Have you ever seen anything so perfect?" she asked me. "We made something so pure and perfect."
I laughed and pressed my lips to the smooth skin of my baby's cheek. Someone had rubbed the gunk off her face, and I was surprised to see she wasn't all wrinkled and newborn looking.
"Do you know what you want to call her?" I asked, my hand gently rubbing across her soft black curls. I couldn't stop myself from touching the precious child.
"Did you have any thoughts? My mind is all frazzled right now. I can't think around the mass of love filling me."
I hadn't really had a chance to think about her name yet. I'd expected something to feel right when she was born. Staring down at her cream and peach features, my heart so full, my soul peaceful for the first time in a long time, I knew what I wanted to call her. "Lily."
Mischa's eyes widened, and she blinked a few times slowly before a smile spread across her face. "I love it. What made you choose that?"
Jacob answered from over my shoulder: "Lily means "chosen of my heart" in the ancient language. The stories say that the lily was a flower crafted by the fey gods for the one who held their soul. It's a sacred name. It's a strong name." His hand wrapped around my shoulder. "Good choice, brother."
Braxton and Jessa were still murmuring between themselves, before finally separating out. "We have named our two Jackson and Evie. Named in honor of our beloved family members."
Jackson had been the grandfather we were closest to growing up. He lived in Ireland now and was very reclusive, but he was one of our favorite supes ever. Our father Jack was named for him too. Evie was from the twins' maternal grandmother. Evelyn was a powerhouse shifter; she ran a pack in the New York area. Mischa didn't know her yet, but one day we would go there and introduce our Lily to her.
The healer had placed Louis on our couch and was working over him still, Tyson assisting where he could.
"Louis' vitals are strong," he said, from across the room, "but the healer isn't liking the lack of brain activity. For now he'll keep him in the healing sleep. Whatever energy he lost should be replaced soon enough."
We nodded, all of us taking a second to acknowledge the depth of gratitude we owed the sorcerer. The healer briefly checked out the girls and babies one last time. Jessa and Mischa just needed rest, time for the natural healing of their bodies to kick in. He spent extra time on Jackson and Evie, checking that their early forced entry into the world had done them no harm. Eventually, the babies all got a clean bill of health.
The healer left then. Tyson followed behind, carrying the sorcerer. Louis would remain under constant watch and have additional healing through the day. By this time Mischa was able to stand, with some help from me, Lily still gently clutched to her chest, sleeping, content. Jacob remained behind to help Braxton while I assisted Mischa up the stairs. It was slow going at first, but then her body started to move more freely.
"I'm probably trailing blood all over the place," she murmured.
"Don't worry about it, Tyson can easily clean it once he gets back."
Her bleeding had stopped and her body was healing. Which was a huge relief. Thank the gods that shifters bounced back fast from childbirth.
When we reached our bedroom, Mischa entered the bathroom. "I'd like to clean up," she said. "But I don't want her out of my sight. Do you mind?"
I turned the shower on for her, letting it warm thoroughly before gently bringing Lily into my arms and pressing her tiny body to my chest. She shifted, grumbling a little at the disturbance of leaving her momma's warm embrace. Mischa wasted no time stripping off her ruined clothing and stepping into the stream of water. It ran red for a few minutes before the blood was washed away.
She was cleaned up and drying off in record time, her face pale, exhaustion riding across her entire body.