I jumped to my feet; my heart leaped out of my chest.

“M-morda,” I muttered, not believing my eyes.

“Hello, dear Thea.” Dragging her long, black gown across the floor, she walked closer and took a look around. “So this is where you’ve been hiding? Not too bad.”

I stepped back, putting the coffee table between us. “How did you know where to find me?”

“To be honest, it was a surprise, really. A very good one.”

“What do you mean?”

She offered me a wicked smile. “It was all because of that wretched Ebby.”

“So she did betray us. Again,” I whispered.

“Oh yes, dear, but not the way you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“After I tried to kill her, I thought I had seen the last of that girl. But to my surprise, when the Blackmarsh and the Bluemoon covens attacked a couple of hours ago, she was with them. And she came straight to me, begging for mercy. She said that if I allowed her back into the coven, she would tell me where you were.”

I gasped. Morda hadn’t sent Ebby here. She really had escaped death, but she thought that if she offered something better, Morda would forgive her. Foolish girl.

“Of course, I told her I would welcome her back, and she told me where to find you.”

I took another step back. “Where is she now?”

“Being tortured by Soraya.”

“But … she told you where I am.”

She brushed at her shoulder as if there had been a speck of dirt there. “She’s still a weak and incompetent witch who failed me several times. At least she told me one useful thing before her petty life came to an end.” She waved her hand and the coffee table flew away. It exploded against the wall; the glass shard and wood splinters flew across the room. “Now I shall end another life.” She looked at my midsection. “Or shall I say two lives?”

The blood drained from my face. I took another step back. “Morda, you are a princess of the Silverblood—”

“I’m a queen!” she yelled. “I’m the freaking Queen of All Witches!”

I shook my head. “Please, Morda, listen to reason. You did everything for our coven. You were a great leader, and you can still be one, but you have to recognize that my daughter is the queen. If you let me, I can show you her power, and you too will believe—”

“She’ll never be queen, because she won’t be born.”

The murderous gleam in her eyes sent a chill up my spine. I shut my mouth and ran. Despite the pain coursing through every one of my muscles, despite the tiredness overcoming my senses, I ran. The bolt Morda had conjured hit the shelf on the wall instead, burning a hole into it.

There was no talking to her. Morda was incapable of hearing, of understanding anything right now. Even if I tied her down and showed her my daughter’s power, she would still deny it. She would still fight against it.

But I had no power of my own to fight her, either.

My only option was to run.

So I ran.

I pushed past the pain, past the aches. I bumped into furniture. I tripped over rugs and steps. No matter what I did, I was neither faster nor more powerful than Morda, not now. Not at this stage of my pregnancy.

Trying to get away, I went up the stairs and entered the small library. Morda followed me, always shooting spells at me. I didn’t know if it was dumb luck or if there was something else going on, but none hit me. I felt them zooming past my shoulder, my ear, my hair, but other than a scare, the spells didn’t get me.

I crossed the library and ran into the adjacent office, then I exited through the main door and locked it. Again, I knew it wouldn’t hold Morda, but it would give me the one or two seconds I needed to save my life, to save my daughter’s life.

Out in the hallway, I threw my shoe down the hallway, as if I had gone into one of the bedrooms but had tripped on the way, and ran down the stairs again. Three seconds later, the office’s door exploded and Morda charged out.

“Where are you, little witch? Don’t you know I’ll kill you no matter what?”

As long as I still had breath in me, I wouldn’t stop trying.

Careful with my movements, I tiptoed across the kitchen and left through the broken door. The shards of glass dug into my bare feet, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

Out on the porch, I ran again.

I dashed down the front steps and—

Morda jumped in front of me.

I fell on my butt and hit my back on the steps. Tears of pain and desperation filled my eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going?” She threw a bolt at me.

I raised my hand and closed my eyes, praying that it was quick.

A sound like sparks made me open my eyes and I gasped. A shield of blue light was between Morda and me.

“By all that is sacred,” I whispered, amazed at my daughter’s powers. And she hadn’t even been born yet.

Morda let out a scream and a stream of magic. The shield trembled, but held. And I pushed the stairs to help me stand up. Pain ricocheted through my back, down my legs, but I gritted my teeth and blinked back tears. I could die of pain later. Right now, I had to ignore it as much as I could and run away.

I dragged myself up the porch steps.

Morda threw a wave of magic.

The shield broke.

In a flash, she was on me, pushing me against the wall, one hand on my throat, the other over my belly.

“I will kill you,” she said in a snarl.

She pulled a red mass from inside her gown’s pocket—the heart of the first witch of the Silverblood coven.

My eyes widened.

Using the heart’s magic, she pushed against my stomach. I extended my arms and tried pushing her away, but she didn’t budge. I was too weak and drained of magic.

A current jolted through me and a faint shield pushed Morda back.

“That won’t cut it this time.” She threw a big spell against the shield and it broke instantly.

Another shield blinked into existence, but it faded away by itself.

I was tired. My daughter was tired.

We were no match for Morda and the heart.

My legs gave out, and I fell to my knees.

“Oh no, not yet.” Morda’s magic wrapped against my arms and pulled me up. Her eyes glinting with madness, Morda leaned over me. “Now, I shall kill your daughter. Then, I’ll kill you. Very slowly.”

She pressed her hand against my belly.

I cried out.

A wind like a hurricane pushed us to the side. When I blinked, Morda was down on the other side of the porch.

And Drake stood between us. “No, Morda. I’m the one who’s gonna kill you.”