After Desdemona finished dressing, she met Titus back in the living room. He’d showered and changed in a separate bathroom, letting her have space to prepare for the day. She’d seen the gleam of lust in his eyes and hoped he might join her. But when she found him pacing in front of the antique couches in their suite, Desdemona knew something was wrong.

He had his glass pad gripped in his hand and was rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at it intently.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“The dragons I left to investigate the missing shipment found further evidence of immortal involvement.”

“Maybe it’s time to take Lucia up on her offer to help.”

Titus nodded and took Desdemona’s hand. He led her out of their suite and down the hall to the elevator, texting Orion as he walked. Titus pressed the button for the top floor and it came out into a large workshop where Orion and Lucia were sitting at the back of the massive room full of computers, robots, and magical items. Lucia held one child and the other was in a playpen. There was also a box of adorable kittens close by on the floor.

“Come in,” Lucia said, the baby nestled in her arms.

She waved them over to the sitting area. Orion walked across the room to slap Titus’s shoulder. Desdemona slid into a chair across from Lucia.

The Arch-Priestess gazed at Desdemona with that enigmatic look in her green eyes, like she could see into Desdemona’s soul. And maybe she could. She knew she probably should have let the more experienced priestesses tell her about her past before leaving with Titus, but things had turned out well in the end. The men joined them in the seating area and Orion poured them all tea while Lucia held the baby.

“We want to take you up on the offer to use your second sight to locate my missing shipment,” Titus said.

“Of course, I’d be glad to. What is it again?” Lucia said.

“A shipment of zero-point energy devices went missing in Lake Michigan several months ago. I’ve found evidence of immortal involvement, but I haven’t found who or why.”

“I wish I had known sooner,” Lucia said, putting her sleeping baby in a bassinette before she stood.

Orion stood quickly and helped her up. She looked from Titus to Desdemona and back again.

“I can see now that this has been a great weight for you, Titus. Come, we’ll scythe it in dragon fire.”

Orion walked with Lucia through the workshop to the elevator where they got inside and took it down to the first floor of the mansion. Once to the door outside, they turned to the eastern stone circle at the top of the hill.

They took the well-tended path. The forest dripped with moss in the late morning sunlight. The chill of winter had given way to the fragile warmth of early spring.

They trekked the top of the hill and stood in the stone circle surrounding a central fire pit. Orion stood back and shifted into his massive dragon form, glistening with silver scales. He blew dragon fire at the stack of logs at the center of the fire pit. The logs burst into flames and Lucia stood beside the fire, her gowns swirling from the heat of the flames and the burst of Orion’s dragon breath. She held a long slender oak wand in her hand.

Facing the flames, Lucia waved her wand in an intricate design, her eyelids fluttering as she spoke the words of her spell. Her other hand drew waves of raw white energy into her palm. She gazed into the sparking fire. Orion had shifted again, his nanotech clothing shifting with him.

Desdemona watched, enraptured as Lucia pushed her energy ball into the flames. Lucia stepped back, blinking her eyes repeatedly, and she almost buckled at the knees. Orion was there to catch her, helping her stand on her own feet.

“What did you see?” Titus asked carefully.

“There is a dark shadow over a small island in the center of the lake. These dark shadows usually mean magic of some kind. It’s too powerful for anything a dragon or vampire could cook up. Definitely witch magic.”

“Are you saying witches did this?”

“This magic feels ancient and dark. I sense Xander and his Surge.”

“They are nowhere near Lake Michigan. Their forces are focused in Paris.”

“Not from what I can tell,” Lucia said. “I would check that island closely. It may have gone unnoticed by you and our instruments because of the magical shield. But if you are aware of its coordinates, and go directly there, you should be able to see through the magic.”

“This has been incredibly helpful,” Titus said.

“What will you do if it is the Surge?” Orion asked.

“What else can we do but fight back?” Titus said.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Orion said.

“Believe me, I won’t be. Just remember Denver, Orion.”

“I’m sending you the coordinates now,” Lucia said, typing them into her glass pad.

Desdemona could sense the tension between all of them, but she was relieved that Titus finally had what he needed to solve the mystery that had been plaguing him for so long.

“Thank you, Lucia. This is a huge help to me.”

Lucia stepped forward, reaching up to kiss Titus on the cheek. “Any time, brother. And I want to add how happy I am that you two finally found each other.”

“I am too, Lucia. Thank you for everything. The wedding was beautiful,” Titus said.

Lucia hugged Desdemona and smiled at her. “Are you satisfied with the result of the mating ritual?” Lucia asked.

“Yes. More than a billion times, yes,” Desdemona breathed. “I finally found my Titus. I wish I had known everything sooner.”

“We did try to tell you.”

“I know, I’ve been stubborn.

“How have your studies been? I know it can be hard to continue after you’ve been mated.”

“I’m trying to stay on top of it,” Desdemona said. “I haven’t had a lot of call to use my skills in Titus’s penthouse.”

“You need to find a venue for your music, my dear. I’m sure your husband can help you.”

“Of course,” Titus said, taking her hand.

He led her down the trail, Orion and Lucia behind them. When they made it back to the mansion, they had their things packed and taken to the jet while they said their farewells to everyone. Desdemona’s mom clung to her and made her promise to write. Desdemona stopped right then and told them she’d send them one of Titus’s free energy devices. Titus immediately agreed and the shipment was quickly arranged.

“This will change our lives,” her father said.

“I wish I could do more to help,” Desdemona told him.

“Just knowing you are happy is more than enough already,” her mom said.

She hugged them both one last time before they got into the jet with Bridget. She waved goodbye and her heart felt truly light for the first time since the Dark Sun. As Desdemona was about to climb into Titus’s jet, Lucia suddenly grasped her hand and leaned into her ear.

“You’re pregnant,” she whispered. “And I have a kitten for you. Her name is Snowpuff, because she’s white and fluffy.”

“I’m…” she said with a shiver.

“Good luck,” Lucia said, letting go of her arm.

Desdemona climbed into the jet holding the purring little kitten, her head a daze and her heart blazing with emotion. She sat in the chair beside Titus as he powered up the glass pad dashboard. He looked over at her, concern in his eyes.

“What is it?” he asked her after he’d leveled off above the coastal mountains.

“Lucia told me I’m pregnant,” Desdemona said, still stunned.

“A baby?” Titus said, sweeping her up in his arms, careful of the kitten in her lap.

She clung to his chest, her emotions raging. She didn’t know what to think. In her ancient lifetime, she’d wanted children so much’ she’d wanted hundreds, if not thousands of them. In this lifetime, she couldn’t even imagine one at her age. But now, she had Titus’s baby growing inside her. Their love had created a new life inside her womb.

She pressed her hands to her belly and smiled. A sweet sense of satisfaction washed over her and she realized how much she truly wanted this. She snuggled the little kitten in her arms, feeling love overflow inside her.

“I’m going to finally give you a child,” she whispered, feeling the weight of time press against them from every side.

“Yes, my beloved, and you will be the best mother.”

“I hope so,” she whispered into his ear.

He rubbed her still flat belly with his massive hand. She would give him the heir he was required to produce, but more than that, they would finally heal the wound that had been them for so long. Two thousand years ago, Desdemona had felt it was her life’s purpose to be a birthing goddess for Titus. He wouldn’t hear it then, but now that she had his child in her womb, she understood the deep desire of her former self.

Titus was the true Alpha of the Silverdrake clan. Somehow, Desdemona had sensed that in ancient times when Orion was still Alpha of the clan but living at the temple of Gama. She’d wanted to give the bounty of a birthing goddess to the great clan. And her gift had been denied. She finally understood herself and the rift that had been created between her and Titus so many years ago.