Page 99 of The Fate of Black Hearts

“You are on first name basis with some perceived evil beings. You do things some might think evil, but I wouldn’t label you as pure evil all the time. There was that one time you cast an amnesia spell on my entire family and fucked us over. I’d argue that’s far worse than a little girl having Lucifer over for tea.” She shrugged. “She got him to agree to bring teacakes this week. And she got him to fix this mess.”

The girl giggled when Evie squeezed her shoulder. “You thought I made it up.”

“I had doubts.” Evie knelt by her and kissed her forehead. “You’re amazing. Thank you.”

Dom rubbed his forehead, but it didn’t get his mind out of its stall.

Evie tugged the girl a few steps away from him. “Dom, I’d like you to meet Lyra.”Our daughter.

His head rocked with vertigo.

“Don’t you dare faint,”Evie thought. “A badass mage doesn’t faint. It’s going to be okay. Look at her.”

When he looked up, the small girl’s eyebrows drew together, and a pained look crossed her face. “He hurts, Mom. Not his chest, but I think I can fix that if he wants me to.”

“He’s been in pain fora long time.” Evie soothed Lyra’s hair away from her face. “He can fix his own chest wound.”

Lyra cocked her head and locked gazes with him. With a composure well beyond her years, she reached out mentally to him. He sensed her trying to deep read him. He couldn’t hide the curse circling in his head.

She stepped forward to wrap her small arms around his middle. She buried her face in the side of his thigh and squeezed tight. Somehow, she’d shot some sort of soothing energy through him that made him feel relaxed. Not happy or cheery, but more at ease.

Then she stepped back to stare up without an ounce of fear. “I’m pretty sure those words you’re thinking about are about right now.The child borne of great love, forgotten but never gone, will be the destruction of the world you know.”

“Are you going to destroy the world?” The words barely tumbled out. He couldn’t hurt her—even if she could phone Lucifer and order a being that powerful to show up.

“Not the big world, but maybeyourworld.” A wide smile crested on her face. “Why are you worried? If I started destroying things in the big world, I’ve got those four dufuses over there to stop me.” She threw a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of her brothers, who seemed still as stone as they stared at her. “That’s what they do, you know. They kill bad things like that demon lady who was trying to eat your innards the other night, although Mom got that one for you.”

“You were there too, Lyra?” Roman asked. “How’s that possible? Mom, how were you there?”

Evie waved a dismissive hand and glared him into silence.

Lyra lowered her voice to whisper conspiratorially, “She loves shooting the heads off demons with those new-fangled bullets she figured out.” Louder she said, “If those four fail, then they’re dead. That’s bad for everyone. That means Auntie Vivi and Auntie Nova will end me. If they don’t, I have no doubt Mom and Efrem will hunt me down.” She shot a fast glance at Evie before whispering again, “I’ve already destroyed the worldyouknow by existing. So, that prophecy has now come to pass. Not so bad, huh?” She marched back toward Flynn.

“Lyra, you didn’t need to scare him,” Efrem admonished.

She halted. Her eyes narrowed and she turned around to face Dom. “Do you want to see him scared?”

“No. That’s not what I said,” Efrem quickly added. “Lyra, stop! That wasn’t a dare.”

“Sweetheart…” Evie warned. “He’s already on edge.”

“You and I are scared of the same thing.” Lyra locked gazes with Dom and pointed at Evie.

“I’m not scared of her.” He broke a small smile.I adore her when she gets feisty.

“Notof her. You’re scared to lose her. As in her dying. We all are.”

True. With Evie gone, he’d gladly greet Death.

Lyra said softly, “She’s dying. Not in an eventually way. She only has mere weeksbefore she’s gone from us.”

Evie buried her face in her hands. “You weren’t supposed to know.”

“Whaa…” Roman gasped. “You’re in the decline? That’s why you’re not healing right? That’s why you’re slower?”

The bottom dropped out of Dom’s stomach. The decline was the natural end for a lycan.

“Mom?” Flynn looked horrified. “Tell me it’s not true.”