A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series)

"Bernie?" A voice calls my name, but he sounds so far away. Like a dream through mist and clouds. "I think she's coming to," another voice says.

It isn't until I hear a heart-rending cry that I find my way out of the fog I feel I've been lost in for ages.

When I open my eyes, three beautiful faces stare down at me. Silver eyes that glow with an inner light. Forest green eyes that take me into the wilds of the woods. And eyes so black I am lost in their eternal darkness. "Welcome back," Rune says, his voice filled with worry. "You've given us quite a scare."

"Rune used every potion and herb on you," Zev says. "I've never seen his magic so useless."

Rune glares at the werewolf who just shrugs.

"Even my blood did nothing to revive you," Darius says, his voice choking on more emotion than I've ever heard from him. "I nearly killed you. You should never have offered yourself that way to me. I had no control."

Zev, much to my surprise, puts a comforting hand on the distraught vampire. "But you did stop. You stopped in time. Because you love her and would never hurt her."

It's the first time I've truly seen a glimpse of who they might have been had they not turned on one other so many eons ago, and it makes me hopeful for what might yet be. But also... love? That's a big word. One I'll have to unpack later.

I try to lift myself, to get a sense of where I am, of what happened, but the room is spinning.

Strong hands support my back. "Easy there. You've been out a long while."

"Rain?" I whisper, my throat dry as sandpaper.

Someone hands me a glass of water. "Drink," Zev says.

I do. And someone else hands me a bundle that squirms in my arms. "Rain." Tears fall as I hold her close to me. As my vision clears, I realize I'm in my bedroom. The Sexies are all here. I've got my baby. And AJ is sitting in the chair in the corner, her head lolled to the side in sleep.

"Is she okay?"

Rune nods. "She hasn't left your side. We didn't want to wake her."

"What happened?" I ask, instinctively pulling out a breast to feed my daughter.

Before they can answer, I notice my skin and pull Rain away, handing her to whichever Prince is closest. "What's wrong with me?"

It takes me a moment for memories to return. The power I inherited from my grandmother. The surge of energy I felt when my mother died. The glowing skin and glowing blood.

I stand, pushing away the hands that try to stop me, and stumble to the full-length mirror on my closet door. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

"I'm still glowing. How... why?" From

head to toe. My skin shines like diamond dust, my eyes shimmering like living sapphire and even my hair is streaked with gold and silver glitter didn't expect it to last past that night. It'll be real hard to live a normal life if I... sparkle. Oh Jesus, I can already imagine the jokes at the bar.

"The power you possess is too much for a single body," Darius says, the worry clear in his tone. "When your grandmother returned your magic, she also gave you what was left of her own. And then, when your mother died by her own flame, the magic in her blood flowed into yours."

"So, what are you saying?" I ask. "I'm three witches in one?"

Darius nods. "Essentially." The vampire comes up behind me and slips his arms around my waist. "You have more magic than your body knows what to do with, which is why you can't control the glow of your skin."

I cling to him and lean my head against his chest, feeling suddenly unstable, nearly blinded by my own reflection. My head is spinning and I twist away to vomit, but there's nothing in my stomach, so it's a painfully dry heave. "You're being poisoned by the magic in you," the vampire whispers, laying a cool hand over my fevered forehead.

I turn to face him, gripping his biceps. "What does that mean? What do I do to stop it?"Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

"I can bleed some off of you by drinking your blood," he says. "That seemed to help. But it's only a temporary solution."

Rune approaches. "Darius is correct. That won't keep you alive long term. We need a more permanent solution, and soon."

"The Council has reconvened," Zev says, approaching us. "All of our kind have united in one purpose."

My stomach tightens and my pulse races. "What purpose is that?"

"Rain," he says simply. "They all want your child. They've decided they will share her, to try and save everyone."

"Share her," I say, my brain coming to life slowly. "You mean kill her?"

They each nod solemnly.

"And you're going to help them?" I ask, pulling away, my voice full of hurt and accusation. As I do a blast of light rips out of me and slams into Darius, pushing him across the room and into my wall, where he makes a man-sized cut out. "What the hell?" I run over to him. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry."

Darius steps out of my wall and dusts himself off. "I will be fine. Your blood still flows in my veins, and it's very powerful. It's you we need to worry about right now."

I'm shaking as I look again at my hands, which seem to have a mind of their own. I pull away from all of them, retreating into a corner of the n like a scared animal. "What if I hurt one of you?" I ask, then my gaze lands on the bundle in Rune's arms. "What if I hurt my child?"

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