The House of Ash

Elara knew she was running out of time She could feel it in the way her legs shook beneath her, in the warmth of blood that had soaked through the side of her dress, and in the shallow breaths she could barely manage. She kept one hand over her stomach. The baby was still moving, that was all that mattered. She didn’t know how she was still alive. The forest around her was almost completely dark, except for the faint orange glow bleeding through the trees behind her. She didn’t look back. She couldn’t. If she stopped to look at what she’d left behind, she might not have the strength to keep going. Alaric was gone, her mate, her best friend, the man she had loved for years. Gone. Elara stumbled over a root and caught herself against a tree. For a moment, she simply stood there, fighting to stay conscious. She had to reach the safe house, Maggie would be there, She had to be. Elara pushed herself forward. By the time she saw the small house between the trees, her vision had begun to blur, The front door opened before she could knock. “Elara?” Maggie’s voice broke. Elara barely managed to smile. “Maggie.” Maggie rushed toward her and caught her before she fell. “Oh my God. What happened?” “There’s no time.” “You’re bleeding.” “I know.” Maggie’s eyes dropped to Elara’s stomach. “The baby?” “She’s alive.” Those two words seemed to take something out of Elara. Maggie tightened her grip around her. “Get her inside.” Damon appeared behind Maggie, already alert. He immediately called for the security team surrounding the safe house. “Lock everything down,” he ordered. “No one comes in or out.” Maggie helped Elara inside. The moment the door closed, Elara finally allowed herself to breathe. She had made it. At least for now. The baby was born before sunrise. A girl. Elara cried the moment she heard her first cry. She was exhausted and barely able to keep her eyes open, but when they placed the baby in her arms, she forgot about the pain. Elara stared down at her daughter for a long moment. “Serenity,” she whispered. The baby’s fingers curled around hers. Elara smiled through her tears. “Your name is Serenity.” Maggie stood beside the bed, watching them. She reached out and gently touched the baby’s cheek. “She’s beautiful.” Elara looked at her friend. “She looks like him.” Maggie’s eyes filled. Neither of them needed to say Alaric’s name. They both knew. The man who had once been the ruler of their world was gone. And Elara knew she would soon follow. She just didn’t know how much time she had left. Neither woman expected Maggie to go into labor that same day. It started in the afternoon. Damon barely had time to react before Maggie grabbed his arm. “Damon.” He looked at her. “What?” “I think she’s coming.” His expression changed immediately. The safe house became busy again. Security remained outside while the people inside prepared for another birth. Hours later, another baby girl was born. Maggie’s daughter. For a while, the house was filled with the sounds of two newborns. Then the reality of what had happened settled over them. Elara couldn’t stay. The people who had attacked the House had been searching for survivors. If they discovered that Elara had escaped and given birth, they would come looking. Maggie looked at the two babies. Then at Elara. “We can say they’re twins.” Elara stared at her. Maggie continued. “They were born hours apart. No one outside this house knows what happened. Damon can make sure there are no records that would raise questions.” Damon nodded. “I’ll handle it.” Elara looked down at Serenity. Her little girl was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the world she had been born into. “Then she’ll be yours.” Maggie’s eyes filled with tears. “She’ll be my daughter.” Elara nodded. For the first time since she had escaped, some of the fear left her face. “Thank you.” Maggie reached for her hand. “You don’t have to thank me.” Elara squeezed it. “I do.” For three days, Elara stayed with Serenity. She barely slept. She wanted to remember everything. The tiny sounds her daughter made when she slept. The way her fingers curled around Elara’s. The little crease between her eyebrows whenever she cried. On the third evening, Maggie found Elara sitting by the window with Serenity sleeping against her chest. “You need to rest,” Maggie said softly. Elara smiled. “I’ve rested enough.” Maggie walked over and sat beside her. For a while, neither of them spoke. Then Elara looked at her. “Promise me something.” Maggie’s expression changed. “Anything.” “Don’t tell her.” Maggie looked down at Serenity. “Tell her what?” “Who she is.” Maggie swallowed. “How long?” “Until you know she’s safe.” “And if she asks?” Elara looked away. “Lie.” Maggie closed her eyes for a moment. “I can do that.” Elara gently touched Serenity’s cheek. “Let her have a normal life, Maggie. Let her grow up without being afraid of what happened to us.” Maggie nodded. “I promise.” Elara looked down at her daughter again. “She deserves that much.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “Your father would’ve loved you.” Her voice broke. “I wish he could have met you.” Serenity stirred in her arms. Elara smiled and kissed her forehead. “Be happy, sweetheart.” That night, Elara closed her eyes. She never opened them again. By morning, she was gone. Outside that safe house, the world believed the House had lost everyone who mattered. They were wrong. One child had survived.