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Chapter 79
Mum pulls back first, though not far. Her hands stay on my shoulders like she’s anchoring herself with the proof of me, solid, breathing, alive.
“I have so many questions,” she says, brushing a thumb over my cheekbone again. “But… you don’t have to answer any of them right away.”
“I will,” I say softly. “But first, there are people you need to meet.”
I glance over my shoulder, and almost as one, the door creaks open behind me.
Noah steps through first, calm and steady, eyes scanning the room like a soldier on instinct, but his gaze softens when it lands on me. Haiden follows, hands in his pockets, his usual bravado tamed for the moment. Xavier nods at mum respectfully, while Levi lingers just a breath behind them, as if unsure how close to come, and then there’s Layah, who stands with me like she owns the place, eyes landing on Mum with the weight of ancient judgment and approval all at once. I turn back to my mother. “These are my mates. Noah, Haiden, Xavier, and Levi.”
Her eyes flick to each of them in turn, assessing, not with suspicion, but with the protective awareness of a mother.
“I see the bond,” she murmurs. “It’s special what you share.”
“They’ve saved me more‘ times than I can count,” I say.
“They’ll have my thanks,” she replies, gaze sharp. “But also a warning: If any of you fail her, I will not be merciful.”
There’s a moment of tense stillness, and then Noah nods once, solemn. “Understood.“;
And me?” Layah adds, settling beside me.
Mum’s eyes widen as she really looks at the hellhound now. “And you…”
“Layah,” I say. “My hellhound”
“We came into our power together,” Layah says. “And now that we have, the threads are unraveling.”
Mum’s lips press into a thin line. “What threads?”
I inhale slowly. “I need to tell you everything I know. About Marcus. About what he did. What he’s still doing.”
She gestures to the fireplace, and we all settle around it, some in chairs, some on plush rugs near the fire. Layah curls at my feet again, and Mum never sits far from me, her hand resting lightly on my knee as if still afraid I’ll vanish.
“When we found the hidden chamber beneath the Tolaris packhouse,” I begin, voice low but steady, “I remembered something. Not just a memory, something buried in magic. Marcus, Salira, Felix… they were all there, and children. Other children like me.”
Elira stiffens. Her hand tightens slightly. I tell her what we know, what we’ve uncovered, and what’s going to happen.
“Gods,” Elira whispers, face pale,
“He didn’t just want power,” I say, “He wants control. To remake the world through and he’s using kids, witches and me to do that.”
“He was always arrogant,” Elira murmurs. “But this… this is madness. That witch, Salira, was the one who aligned with him when the covens fractured. She believed the veil was a prison. That the gods were asleep behind it. But Marcus…” Her voice breaks into a growl. “It sounds like he’s not content with just opening a gate; it sounds like he wants to watch the world burn when he does.”
I nod. “And I am that key.”
The silence that follows is thick with heat and fear and anger. My mates are still, but I can feel the fury radiating off them, low and controlled but deep-
rooted.
“He didn’t finish the ritual,” I say. “Something stopped him. Or maybe someone. I don’t know what. But I was cloaked. Sealed. Hidden, even from myself. For years. Until the threads started to fray.”
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Chapter 79
Mum’s eyes close. “He cloaked you so well I couldn’t even feel your heartbeat. I searched, Evelina. I searched. If I’d known…”
“I know,” I interrupt gently. “But we can’t waste time on what should’ve been.”
She nods, breath shaky. “The others, the children. Do you think they’re still alive?”
“I don’t know. But if they are… they’re time bombs. Living spells. Just like I was.”
Mum stauds slowly, walking to the shelves, then pulling down a carved wooden box. Inside are old scrolls, cracked with age.
“If Marcus used the ritual Salita theorized about, it would have required more than bloodlines; it would have needed conduits. Hosts. Children tied to the key lines. I need to cross–reference these, but there might be a way to trace the echoes of that magic used.”
“Even if they’re cloaked?” Levi asks, standing now, too.
“If the cloak was tied to Marcus’s signature,” Elira says, “and if they’re weakened or dead… the bindings will be fading.”
“They’re not fully gone,” I say. “He’s still out there. But I’ve cracked something in that spell. I felt it. When I let go in the packhouse… when my wings unfurled and Layah came… I broke something.”
Mum’s gaze snaps to mine. “Your wings?”
I nod and she exhales, “Then it’s started. You’re not just unraveling the spell, you’re at the point of being able to rewrite it.”
There’s a beat of silence. Then Mum looks at all of us before straightening her spine with the quiet strength of someone who’s carried centuries of grief. “There will be time for more,” she says gently, glancing at the others. “But not tonight. You’ve traveled far, and your magic is still settling. Rest first. Tomorrow, we will face the past together.” She turns, gesturing for us to follow. “Come, I’ve had rooms prepared for you and your mates.
This work, Goddess of the Underworld
by Sheridan Hartin, is an exclusive intellectual property legally contracted with NovelSnack. Any reproduction, distribution, or upload outside NovelFlow, AnyStories, NovelaGo, and Readink is unauthorized and constitutes copyright infringement
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