~Samantha~

Black Moon finally went from taunting us to going straight for the kill.

“I’m going to fucking stop this!”

I threw myself in front of the twins before I could even think. His shadow slammed into my blood shield so hard my bones rattled. Behind me, Diana gasped and Devon tried to act tough, but they were just as scared as last time.

Lila jumped in from the side, swinging her daggers. “You lowlife bastard!”

She slashed him just enough to make him stumble, and that was the only opening the twins needed.

“Do it now!” I yelled.

Silver light exploded from their hands and smashed into the black crystal. A loud crack ripped through the air. Lines shot through the core like lightning under glass, pulsing so hard my teeth hurt.

Black Moon froze. Then he completely lost his mind. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“No!” he roared, sounding like he couldn’t believe his luck had run out. “Stop them!”

“And why would I want to do that?” I snapped, throwing more blood at his face.

He slapped it away and came at me even harder. “You shouldn’t have let this happen!”

“Because now I’m going to make you pay.”

“Maybe if you had shut the hell up like I told you to and left us the fuck alone, none of this would have happened!” I fired back.

He hit me again, I blocked the first one, but the second caught my shoulder.

“Mum!” Diana screamed.

“Don’t stop!” I barked. “Even if you see me dying, finish him!”

Devon’s voice was shaking. “Diana, hold on.”

“I’m trying!”

Lila sliced at Black Moon’s side. “I was going to ask what kind of guy picks on little kids but then I remembered you’re a loser.”

He whirled on her, shadows snapping around his arms. “It’s high time I shut you up.”

“Nobody tells me what to do,” she snapped.

She was moving fast, making him bleed, but he barely cared. The second he realized the twins were actually dangerous, everything got a lot more serious. I’d brought the one thing he was scared of right to his door. I’d deal with the embarrassment of being a "cool mom" later.

“Sam! Royal blood! Keep him distracted!” Lila shouted.

“I’m trying my best here!” I yelled back.

Black Moon lunged again and we collided. Blood and shadow hit so close to my face it stung. He smiled right at me. “I never actually thought of taking your powers but after imagining how much more powerful I could be, I want it.”

“I’d like to see a greedy thief try,” I told him.

“You made the bet, not me.”

“And still you’re going to lose.”

His face went cold. “Your daughter is already giving up.”

My heart sank. I looked back and hated it. Diana was pale and her hands were shaking.

“Diana, don’t even think of passing out on me,” Devon pleaded.

“Mummy was right, I should have recovered fully!”

“No, stay awake! Don’t drift off!”

Black Moon laughed. “Hear that? A good mother would stop her children but you just want to use them.”

Lila got hit by a shadow and stumbled back. “He’s sucking power from the floor! Break the crystal faster!”

“It’s fighting back!” Devon yelled.

“Push through it!” I said.

Black Moon looked at Devon. “Yes, keep pushing, little boy. Burn yourself out for me.”

“Don’t listen to the trash-talker!” I yelled.

Devon grit his teeth. “I wasn’t going to.”

“Good, because if you faint, I’ll wake you up just to kill you myself.”

Black Moon moved faster than I could track. He faked a move and then punched me right in the chest. I hit the ground hard. The world spun and I tasted blood immediately.

“Mummy!”

Black Moon stood over me, looking smug again. “This is what happens when you try to act larger than you are.”

I tried to get up but the pain was too much. “I’ll take you out myself even if it means dying.”

He kicked me back down. Everything went blurry for a second until Diana screamed. That woke me up.

Lila got between us. “Get up, Sam!”

“Lying there bleeding while he takes your kids is a bad look!”

I dragged myself up, one painful breath at a time. My whole body wanted to quit. The twins were still trying to break the crystal, and the cracks were getting deeper. It should have been a good thing, but it felt like a bomb about to go off.

Black Moon went quiet and still. That was way scarier than the yelling.

“Lila,” I whispered.

“I know.”

“He’s about to do something disgusting.”

Across the field, someone screamed. I saw the battle was a total mess. Wolves were everywhere. Dominic was fighting like a demon because he probably heard me get hit. Killian was trying to hold the line while everything fell apart.

Then Black Moon hit me with a shadow whip. I screamed, and Dominic heard it. His head snapped toward us. Our eyes met, and he saw the blood and the kids.

“Oh, no,” I muttered. I knew that look.

He didn’t care about the battle anymore. He just ran.

“Dominic, get back in here!” Killian roared, but it was no use.

Black Moon smiled. “Good. Bring me the father too.”

“In your dreams,” I spat.

Dominic hit the platform and slammed into Black Moon. The impact cracked the stone.

“You want my kids?” Dominic roared, looking ready to end a life. “Come get them through me.”

They started tearing into each other. It bought me a few seconds. I crawled over to the twins and grabbed them.

“You guys okay?”

“Yes,” Devon said.

Diana was crying. “Mummy, I’m so tired.”

“I know, baby. But we’re too deep in this to quit. Almost there.”

Devon stared at the core. “The cracks are getting huge.”

“That’s exactly why we have to do this faster!” Lila yelled, throwing blood knives to keep the shadows off us. “If you stop now, we’re all cooked for nothing.”

Diana swallowed hard. “I think I can do a little more.”

I grabbed the back of her neck gently. “Let your brother do the heavy lifting, just assist a little.”