The warm, radiant smile completely drained from Roxy's face.
It was as if all the ambient heat in the sprawling northern gardens had been suddenly, violently sucked into a vacuum. A cold, suffocating dread pooled in the very bottom of her stomach, instantly reigniting the terror she had felt during the System's cryptic crimson warning that morning.
She looked down at the little Basilisk. Tanith's bright green eyes were entirely innocent.
"What do you mean, sweetie?" Roxy asked, her voice trembling slightly. "What smells wrong?"
But Tanith did not answer. The toddler's incredibly short attention span completely hijacked the devastating moment. Baby Tyara, whose striking blue eyes were tracking a glowing firefly near the velvet cushions, let out a clumsy, aggressive little squeak and batted her hands at Tanith's dress.
Instantly distracted, Tanith giggled, her bouncing pigtails swaying as she immediately dropped to her knees to play with the one-month-old tiger cub.
