While Raven worked with her father to organize the Bree for the move, Minx took Midas to find Talbot. She explained the plan and Talbot got excited. He was able to quickly give him 30 earth users.
He already had another team expanding his own shelter, but planning was becoming difficult. They had defenses built into their walls. While some expansion was okay, further expansion required dismantling and moving defensive equipment, leaving them vulnerable and spreading their assets thin.
Back at home, Minx noticed the shelter below was filling up. Her brother got their team together quickly and Minx briefed all the new people on the rules and why the rules were in place. If people wanted to hunt beasts, this was not a place for them.
She also offered them the same deal she had with the businesses in her surface shelter. She would provide start-up costs to get them going.
After spending so much of the day helping people get settled, Minx decided to go to the Blades, who now inhabited several high-level homes near the library. She wanted to know what happened on Blade Island.
Vorden and Raten sat with her and explained. Both beast bodies had changed since they left. Raten now looked human, not muddy at all, but it was a transformation. The mud was his natural armor. Vorden's fur was incredible, with wings that made Minx envious.
They explained they consumed a bunch of crystals to evolve. Vorden still had more room to grow. In terms of their mission to protect the dragon, they failed.
They were assaulted by never-ending clones of Jim Eno. They fought a bunch of dalki as well. Wevil was killed by them which devastated Linda who had gone to the vampire planet with Fex to take some time away.
Logan had set up a teleporter at the temple with anti-jammer devices. They defended it until all but Quinn was there and they went through. Ultimately, they watched as 6-spike dalki overpowered the dragon and were able to take it away.
When they went through the teleporter, Sil was on the floor, knocked out. He had gone through the teleporter Eno set up to get abilities on the ship and the dragon destroyed it. Eno placed the teleporter near the dragon thinking it would be safe.
Sil was unable to return so he waited in the teleporter room. Bliss shared some information for Quinn, specifically, then left. Quinn then went to a special place that Eno created with Mona and Logan.
Once they were done, Quinn went to the vampire world while Mona and Logan returned to the Cursed ship.
Minx was shocked to hear how that all went. Part of her was happy to have missed out but another part wished she had been there to help. Minx's tummy was swelling a bit more each day. She was realizing the strange way pregnancy affected the body. Her wondered if her changed body also changed this process. She decided she needed to get her people in the field as soon as she could. She needed to contribute something.
Minx thanked Vorden and Raten for catching her up. She hugged them both, giving Vorden's wings a jealous stare before returning home with the Caser. She was feeling very tired. Shalt took one look at her and sent her to bed. Caser's kittens were getting big so he climbed in bed with Minx to help her sleep.
Minx slept until the next afternoon. She woke to find Fiza sitting next to her bed in a chair.
"What time is it?" she asked, holding her head as she sat up.
"2 in the afternoon," Fiza replied.
"Wow. I guess I was more tired than I thought. Is everything okay?"
Fiza chuckled, "the question is you. Apparently, you really like to push yourself regardless of the task. You didn't even tell anyone you were pregnant. We all found out thanks to Shalt."
Minx sighed, "there's just so much to do. I need to get you guys in the field. I need to get stronger, and now need to find out how to go support my father… I need to do right by my people here and see if I can help Quinn save humanity!"
Minx looked up at Fiza with sadness in her eyes, "am I doing right by the family? Sil is almost never here and I'm doing all the things I'm doing…. I don't want my baby growing up in a world that has dalki."
Fiza chuckled, "your kids are going to have a great life because they have a family that loves them. We are all here. Even the Blade kid, Deal, stopped in this morning to see how you were. He said you looked tired and wanted to check on you. The purpose of family is to take care of each other. We've had this shelter for over a year now and you still haven't figured that one." Fiza chuckled. "Go get a shower and come out here and rest."
By the time Minx got showered and left her room, the table was covered in dishes the traveler's center sent over for her. Minx chuckled, "I'm not that hungry…"
"Eat and then save the rest for later." Fiza urged her. She knew Minx had not been eating the way she should, much less sleeping the right amount. Despite her protests about the number of dishes, Minx ate everything. She was stuffed but she ate half of it.
Minx soon discovered Shalt had put his nanny hat on as well as the girls and a few others. While she was eating, her door was hardly ever closed as people kept coming to check on her. She sighed. This was worse than what Quinn, Midas, and Shalt did to her when she wasn't even pregnant.
Shalt chuckled, "I gave you space to figure it out and this is what it led to. You were too busy worrying about others and not tending your own needs. Now we will do it for you."
Minx just nodded. She had been down this route before and survived. She'd do it again. At least she didn't push herself as hard this time as she did last time when she was placed in shackles.
Not long later, Minx had been sitting in her home, reading while watching Adam and Alice play fight, when Raven came running in telling her to turn on her tablet. Quinn had landed on the Daisy planet that was overrun with dalki and had magically manifested several vampires around him.
Minx turned it on with the help of Raven and she recognized some of them. "The Vampire Council."
Shalt came over and watched as well. "I don't recognize some of them. Did we lose more leaders?"
"Maybe. Let's keep an eye out. Did you see Quinn take out a hundred dalki with dalki blood? What was that?"
Shalt stared at the hologram in wonder and awe, "Quinn, the 10th leader…. He has the King's absolute blood control! They must have crowned him King!"
Raven had no clue what they were talking about, not having been told about how the vampire world works, much less that there even was such a thing as "vampire world." The screen split and multiple cameras followed different people. The leaders were not challenged at all by the dalki with the exception of one. Based on his ability, Shalt said he belonged to the First family which meant Bryce was no longer leader. What happened back home?