Day 3 dawned with a brutal, biting frost that coated the stained-glass windows of the Iron-Wood Manor in thick, jagged sheets of ice.
Inside the master suite, Roxy slowly pushed herself up against the headboard. The deep, throbbing ache in her lower abdomen had finally begun to recede, replaced by a lingering, manageable soreness. Her transmigrated core was slowly stitching itself back together, pulling ambient magic from the heavily warded walls of the estate.
She looked toward the hearth. Iris was sitting on the woven rug, meticulously braiding Tanith's dark hair. The young snake-shifter had been cleared to leave the medical wing late last night, her magical core stabilized, though she was still under strict orders to rest.
"Good morning, Mama," Iris chirped, her violet eyes bright.
Roxy managed a soft smile. "Good morning, my sweet girls. Where is everyone else?"
