"Fuck a rubber duck! Danu! Get your Goddess ass here, now!" I shouted, but nothing happened. "This sucks! It's worse than sifting! Ouch," I said as pain coiled in my stomach.

"Synthia, what aren't you telling me?" Ryder asked as he moved to help me up.

"I feel her pain, and it is raw and fucking beautiful," Asrian said as he came around the corner of the nursery doors.

"That's not good," I said as I watched his eyes glowing as he fed. From me. My pain was his food of choice at the moment.

"She's feeling enough pain that I'm full, brother," Asrian said as he watched me as if he was afraid to let me out of his sight. I stepped back, not out of fear, but because Ryder looked as if he wasn't sure if he should attack, or be amused.

"Describe it," Ryder growled after a moment of uneasy silence had passed.

"I've never felt anything like it before," Asrian said smoothly as he stepped closer, his lime and grass-green eyes glowing like a beacon. He was normally pretty reserved aside from the occasional smart-ass comment; right now he looked as if he was intrigued.

"Stop looking at me like I'm a Fairy buffet," I said, and turned back to Ryder.

"You are," he said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Adam," Ryder said as he watched me. "Synthia, wait here for me."

"We need to go," I pointed out.

"Yes, but we need a plan before we move or take our children anywhere," he argued and I hated that he had a point.

"Fine, Fairy," I conceded. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and smiled.

"Synthia, try to stay in this room until I get back," he said as I looked up at him.

"Do not kiss my forehead, please," Adam said with a wink at me.

"Why would I kiss you?" Ryder asked and I hid the smile as he looked at Adam in confusion.

"You wouldn't," Adam said with a wide grin.

"Watch her," Ryder said and sifted out.

I felt like I was jonesing for a fix, and that Tree was it. I'd pretty much told Ryder that we had to leave his castle unprotected and just get everyone to the Tree. I knew I was asking a lot, but we needed as many beings as possible to be at the Tree for Danu to gain her full strength and power to bless our children.

The Tree being enshrouded in ice was still a problem, and yet I knew somehow if I could just get there, that we could fix it. Ristan disappeared right after I had come out of the vision, so I couldn't ask him about the visions and his sounded as if they were different from the one I had.

I needed to speak to Danu, and she hadn't answered my call for days. She was probably dealing with her spousal issue, or whatever you wanted to call it. Hopefully she'd had more luck than we had if she was looking for a definitive way to remove the spell on the Tree. If she could break her husband, we could have a huge advantage for the upcoming war.

"Synthia," Adam said as he held his long tapered fingers out for me as he pulled out one of the chairs in the nursery.

"Adam," I said with a small smile on my lips and took the seat he offered.

Adam scooped Kahleena out of the crib and passed her to me, and picked up Cade who was fussing for a bit of attention.

"You really think you can do this?" he asked as Cade stared up at him.

"I do," I whispered as I rubbed her cheek to try to get her to feed from the bottle. "It's crazy how much has changed in our lives in so little time."

"I wish you'd have called for me before you'd gone all Leeroy Jenkins into the Guild," he said. "I still can't believe it's actually gone."

"There wasn't time. I feared that if we waited, we'd have lost both Alden and Ristan. Ristan still isn't back to himself yet, and Olivia is his personal toy right now, or at least that's what I gathered from Zahruk." I frowned. "Actually, that sounds like something the Demon would say. Anyway, they're keeping an eye on him, since he hasn't been this out of it since Alazander took his wings and tail. Did you know Demons really do have horns? Like actual swear-to-God horns."

"No," he said and smiled as Cade cooed. "You have three babies," he said and lifted his tricolored eyes to meet mine. "And you're actually getting married this time, unless someone else steps in and kidnaps you," he said with a wicked grin on his lips.

"I don't think anyone would dare try to steal me from Ryder, not now."

"Faolan is still out there," he said as he continued to watch me. I blinked and noted that he'd frozen, and I looked up to find Danu standing over me, watching Kahleena.

"You have to get her to the Tree," she whispered, and I noted that yet again she was a mere shimmer of light.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked softly as I placed the bottle aside and really took her in. She had a red dress on, but where she was normally vibrant, she looked pale and tired.

"You feel it as well, now," she whispered softly as she touched Kahleena's forehead. "The pain and torment; there's a reason I made you the Goddess of Faery, Synthia."

"Can we skip the riddles? My daughter's life-your granddaughter's life depends on it."

"Don't you think I would if I could? Think, Synthia, who is watching us? When a Goddess is born, she's given powers for a reason. Why would I make you the Goddess of Faery?"

"Who is watching us?" I looked around.

"Synthia, stop thinking like a Human or Fae, and started acting like the Goddess of Faery!" she shouted and I flinched.

"I am!" I growled and moved to place the sleeping girl in her crib. "I am thinking like the Goddess, but I don't know why I was given that damn vision, or how to fully articulate what it needs!"

"Why are you shouting, and who are you talking to?" Adam asked, and I spun around to look where Danu had stood just seconds ago.

"Nobody, obviously," I whispered.

"You think Destiny knew you'd be this person, the Goddess of Faery?" he joked but my mind was back on the Tree.

"We're running out of time. We have to go now," I whispered as a sliver of unease passed through me.

Chapter Thirty-One.

Ryder had called all of the Elite Guard to the war room to finalize the logistics of getting that many Fae to the Tree and a tentative outline of what we could potentially face. Ristan had reluctantly joined us; he still wasn't quite himself and Ryder had confided to me that Ristan had taken both his mother and Olivia somewhere and refused to discuss any of the details with anyone. Not even his King.

"Zahruk," Ryder said as the last of the guard walked in. "Floor is yours," he finished, sitting beside me and reaching for my hand.

I looked at where our fingers were combined. As his thumb rubbed tenderly in the palm of my hand, I felt his love, and it gutted me to know I felt empty inside instead of whole. I loved him, but the idea of losing our daughter and sons was all I could think about. I had to save the Tree, and I needed to concentrate on it and it alone.

I rested my head against his shoulder as Zahruk went over the final details, and I felt the pain as if it was my own. I knew it wasn't, and I'd begun to think this eviscerating pain wasn't only mine. I was a part of Faery, and Danu's words kept playing in my head.

She'd created me as the Goddess of Faery, and if so, what did it include? Was my pain tied to a dying world? If it died, did it mean I would also die? Or would I cease to be the Goddess of anything and just continue on? I'd tried calling for her again after Adam had gone to inform the Dark King and Queen of the situation, but nothing had happened.

"Synthia," Zahruk said softly.

I lifted my eyes to his, and nodded in agreement, of what I wasn't sure of. I'd agree to pretty much anything if it got me to that Tree.

"She wasn't listening," Ryder said as he pulled me out of my chair and onto his lap. "Zahruk is going to go scout the area in beast form. When they've cleared the area and are sure no Mages are near, we will go to the Tree."

"Sounds good," I replied.

I could feel another God or Goddess close to us, as if they were hovering. I watched as all but Ryder and Ristan cleared from the room, and then spoke slowly, clearly, and deadly.

"Show yourself or I'll kill you," I seethed as I felt myself growing angry. I hated being spied on, but this one had been privy to our entire plan. I wanted to know who they were and why they were here. A Goddess shimmered in and stood less than three feet away from me. I'd felt her power skimming over me. I'd felt it before with Danu, and yet somehow I'd known it wasn't Danu doing it this time.

"You never speak to another Goddess in such a crass way, child," she said gently as she came into focus. She was beautiful, and yet she had certain coldness to her. "Newborns have died for less-and how did you know I was here?"

"Who the hell are you?" I asked carefully.

"I am the Goddess of Destiny," she said softly as she watched me.

"Bitch," I growled.

"I could kill you," she warned.

"You can't kill me," I whispered as I watched her. "You've put me through hell. You've brought me to my knees and have enjoyed my pain. You're sick and twisted. I wondered who would be pulling the strings, since Danu is only powerful enough to set destiny on its path; someone else had to be pushing for it. That would be you, and I'd like to know why."

"And you didn't want your children, or the beast you so love and cherish? Or maybe you'd like to rewind and try it again?" she asked, but her coldness had been replaced with curiosity. "Pain is often needed to obtain the place one needs to be. Had you not been through it, Faery would die."

"No, I don't mind that part. It's the other things that are bothering me," I said. "I'm wondering why you've been interfering and why you're here now. Haven't I been through enough? If it's your intention to break me, fine. You win. You can have me, but not my daughter. She hasn't done anything yet. She deserves a fighting chance."

"You think I've put you through this just to watch you fail?" she asked and then exhaled. "Danu needed help, but she's about as stubborn as they come. She refused to ask for help even though she desperately needed it. I knew about you from the moment of your birth, even though she did her best to hide you from us. I watched you grow into a fighter, and I guessed at her plans for you. I am not an idiot, and I can foresee the future in a different way than your mother does. I saw that you'd love him," she said glancing at Ryder. "I knew that without a few pushes, you'd never get to him. I also knew the apple wouldn't have fallen far from the Tree, and that you'd be a lot like your mother, stubborn as hell, so to say. So I pushed the Humans to send you to him, and then I pushed more. I also know the rules of my people, and you didn't. I pushed the beast that day, the one when you became pregnant. The facts were pretty simple. If you were still Fae when you'd conceived children with him, then upon your rebirth, you could live here, with him. Our people don't allow us to remain with mortals, or..." She looked at Ryder for a moment. "...Whatever he is. You'd have had to leave your babies and him behind and you'd have gone into a century of silence. That's what we do in rebirth, but I made sure you'd be spared from that. I can't change your destiny, but I can alter it so that it's worth it. As Danu is tied against physically intervening, I am tied against telling you the future of your destiny, Synthia."

"You did this," I whispered. "You made it so I could stay with him, and yet I could lose the children you ensured I was pregnant with. Haven't I done enough? I've done everything you asked of me and I've accepted everything you've thrown in my face. I won't lose my daughter, so if you have any helpful pushes, push me," I demanded.

"You've been shown all you need to know; it's up to you now. Your children will have their own destiny, but I wasn't actually here for yours. I'm here for someone else."

"Who?" I asked, as I felt another wave of pain.

"I won't tell you that, but what I will tell you; is that your time of pain is almost over. You've secured your destiny, and you've almost made it. You're a fierce warrior, one I am glad to call my niece, as I am Danu's half-sister. I've blessed your children, and bought you a little extra time as well. Be well, and Synthia, be humble in the presence of the Tree, for everything in Faery depends on it."

I turned around to find both Ristan and Ryder watching me closely. "What the hell was that?" Ryder asked.

"What did you see?" I asked and watched as Ryder turned to Ristan and looked back at me.

"Blinding light, and you talking to the chair," he admitted as he rubbed his neck.

"I just met Destiny, and she's my aunt," I admitted. "Someone in this room is about to go through utter hell, or so I think," I said. "She wasn't here for us; she's been helping Danu. I guess I passed destiny's test, but it's not over yet."

"I need to go," Ristan said.

"You'll accompany us to the Tree," Ryder said, and it wasn't a question.

"I planned to," Ristan said as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at me. "I owe you both an apology."

"No you don't," I said as I watched him carefully. "You went through hell and we were too busy with our problems to notice you were gone. We should have been there sooner, and done better by you. You deserved better friends than I was."

"Synthia, your child is sick and could die. I knew when I left that something was off, and yet I chose to go. I said I owed you an apology, and I do. I'm sorry I yelled at you both, and I'm sorry, Flower, that I took some of my anger out on you. You didn't deserve it."

"Is Olivia alive?" I asked, noting his defenses were down.

"She's alive, and that's all you need to know," he replied harshly, as if he thought I'd ask for her immediate release.

"That's all I wanted," I admitted.

"Good," he said as he lowered his eyes and smiled. "So, the Goddess of Destiny was here, in this room?"

"Yeah," I said and then looked at Ryder as her words filled me. "Take me to my babies."

We sifted into the nursery and Darynda looked up at us with a beautiful smile on her lips. "She's awake," she whispered and handed me Kahleena.

Ristan and Ryder both watched as my golden-eyed beauty looked right at me as if she was aware of everything going on around her, and smiled. I smiled back at her. "I love you sweet girl," I whispered brokenly as I stared into her eyes, so like her fathers. "I'm going to fix the Tree, and you're going to live forever."

"Can I hold her?" Ristan asked. "I promise not to be long," he whispered as he traced a finger down her cheek. "I miss those beautiful eyes."

I handed her to Ristan even though I wanted to snatch her back and enjoy the moments of her being awake since they were few and far between. Unlike her brothers, she slept more than anything. They watched us and made noises, but she barely made any sounds.

I watched as a smile covered her tiny mouth as she watched Ristan's eyes. Silver and black patterns swirled, beautiful against his complexion, but to her, they drew her eyes and held her mesmerized. She was his calm, and he was her protector, as he'd said.

"My turn," Ryder said, as he reached out for Kahleena. She turned her tiny little head and gave him a toothless smile, and I watched as his heart melted for the little minx. "Kahleena," he whispered as he kissed her forehead, and totally melted my heart. "Fight for me," he said barely above a whisper. "Be my brave little fighter, just a little longer for me, please."

Chapter Thirty-Two.

"What did you find?" I asked as Savlian walked into the nursery.

"Nothing, just the Tree," he said as he turned to Ryder. "We scouted the surrounding area as well. I fear they know the power of killing that Tree, and what it will do to us. I think they figured with no way to break the spell, they had no reason to stand around and watch it."

"That's good," I whispered as I rocked with Cade on my arm, burping him. Darynda was a gem, and had known how to handle babies; Madisyn had joined me this morning and was holding Zander, who she couldn't get enough of.

She lifted her eyes and met mine with a soft smile on her lips. "Your father has called the Blood warriors to arms, and Kier, he has brought the Shadow warriors here to assist the Elite Guards, for the blessing. It's time; your daughter cannot wait much longer," she said sadly as she kissed Zander's soft forehead.

"Ryder, dress the children for the blessing, please," I whispered as my heart thudded against my ribs.