Mayari’s POV.
I looked at Eryx’s outstretched hand, that pale, mocking hand that expected me to crumble and I scoffed. I didn't need his help to stand, and I certainly didn't want his touch. I forced my trembling legs to steady themselves, pushing off the cracked marble of the sanctuary floor. The second I was upright, I lunged toward my children, wrapping my arms around Vaxen and Kezabel and pulling them into my chest.
They felt so small, yet the heat radiating from Vaxen’s skin and the static hum coming from Kezabel told me they weren't the same babies I had tucked into bed the night before.
Just as I took a single step forward, intending to put myself between my kids and the monsters who sired them, I froze. The air shifted. The frantic, chaotic heat of the demon fire seemed to hit
