ILONA ANDREWS

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The Cool Aunt

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Today is the day everyone gets access to The Cool Aunt, a very short bonus story of Connor and Nevada’s baby being born. The honor system didn’t work very well, so the next time we will likely do a password wall. But there were over 1,000 printed copies sold, so you guys really helped the book stores during a very tough time. They are grateful.

Click here for the access to The Cool Aunt. The link to this story has been added under Arabella section of the website. Please use the comments of this thread for spoilery discussions, speculation, and wild theories.

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Comments

  4. I bought a book, so I had access already, but noticed that I could find the page just by searching you site for “cool aunt”. If you do it again, I would suggest you have it at a link that is not searchable off your site.

    Great short, but it created a lot of questions, that I can’t wait for he answers to.

  5. Thank you so much for the temporary distraction! I live in Washington state and my husband and I have been locked in the house for days because of hazardous smoke levels.

  7. A new learning curve to exploit for the rest of the series. I foresee much “OMG” for the family archives! ????

  8. I very much enjoyed THE COOL AUNT. Thanks for always going above and beyond for your readers. But shades of Conlan – what a note on which to end! heehee

  9. Yaaaasss!! That was everything I wanted it to be!! ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you so much for making such an amazing series!

  10. Thank you!
    Thank you!
    Thank you!

    OK.
    How did I miss this!?!
    Who the HELL is “Grandfather”!!!

    Definitely NOT Linus.
    Right?

    • Very much Linus. I believe he is the one that Arabella would know and he speaks in the tone of Linus when he tells her that we will not speak of this.

      • I agree and I think Alessandro caught a family resemblance or something the first time they went to Linus’ house.

        • I agree!!! I love linus too lol and to be honest if it turns out hes not the grandfather than ill cry and be depressed

          • I think so! We got that story from Victoria Tremaine so I bet she lied or left out some details. I reread the whole series and noticed every time Nevada meets Linus or talks about him; she mentions how charming he is and how everyone likes him. Maybe it’s a secondary power but he’s not a prime like Catalina??? I hope that means Arabella will inherent some of Linus’s gift!

            After the Cool Aunt, I’m thinking maybe this was their plan along…especially considering how powerful Nevada and Connor’s baby is!

            • Exactly! He’s always charming and it’s as if you’re overlooking something when you’re close to him.
              Anywaaayy…

              I love it!

              • Also… is it just me or is Linus maybe Caesar? Because all that stuff from early in the series about how Caesar has an iron reputation and is a true man of honor and all that, combined with him possibly being their grandfather, combined with the “I do so hate to be bored” thing that he says one time and than the mystery dude says to Victoria Tremaine, seems like a LOT to be a coincidence.

            • I believe Victoria, when telling Nevada, mentioned that the father had to be a Prime (and then she went into a long explanation of how she got one). But remember how people don’t know what Catalina is and how for all of her life, she has to hold her talent in? Linus could easily be like that–he could have to hold that talent in because it causes him too much trouble (i.e., similar to Catalina’s problem when her family has to get her the hell away from her ‘victims’ because they’d literally love her to death).

              But he’s likely a dual prime, which could also demonstrate how some of the weaponry acuity has passed down to the g-kids.

              • I suspect the weaponry aspect is from their mother’s side: mechmage and Maguss sagittarius are/were the talents of Frida and Grandpa Leon

      • The only other one I can think of is the guy who did the testing. But that’s assuming we’ve met all of the older gents that the family knows. It could be someone they’re familiar with that we just haven’t met yet.

        • Yes. I don’t want Linus to be the grandfather, it would require to much retconning for me. Also, with what Rogan said about life expectancy for Deputies it means Linus put Catalina in a very dangerous position. Not very kind-old-grandfathery.

      • But it’s a little odd that Arabella would know that he’s their grandfather and Catalina wouldn’t, right?

        • Arabella is incredibly perceptive and has a very quick mind. Catalina is a bona fide genius, but Arabella has the ease with people and interactions that Catalina can only dream of.
          The fact that everyone dismisses her and thinks silly must mean stupid is just a great set up. She’s going to eat them all whole. I can’t wait.

          • Completely agree! Plus she totally knew that dude from Emerald Blaze was the actor from the tv show. No one else recognized him but she knew right away. Of everyone in the family, Arabella would be the one to know Linus is their grandfather.

          • i agree. she has a underline strength that others don’t see or understand. and yes it is Linus…He is really involved with this mess .
            i’m wondering if the EVIL grandma story is true. That her first LOVE died…or did he survive and re-invented himself. Thus she mind melt all who known him at that time

        • I got the impression that Arabella figures it out on the spot – watching Victoria and ‘grandfather’ bursting with pride as they fuss over the new grandchild.

    • I feel like it has to be Linus? Otherwise it’s a bit odd how she classified Trevor as “someone she doesnt know” and the older man as grandfather.

      Also, there really are no other candidates lol

      • We now that duals exist, and almost everytime Linus is introduced in the books he’s been described as charming and that everyone likes him, plus he dotes on and has family get-togethers with the Baylor kids like he’s their uncle…or like another older male relative

        • Yea, the comments about your stories are like a really good dessert (chocolate)after a good meal.
          I always keep nodding my head and chuckling with every comment .
          What do we callCatalina, pragmatic aunt?Realistic aunt?
          I am so bad with coming up with titles.

        • That makes so much sense. And his fear at the end of EB asking her talk is because he knows how the power can go wrong since he shares the power.

        • Yes – when I reread everything in anticipation of Emerald Blaze, I picked up on the use of “charming” to describe Linus. It seems like a very specific word choice. I seem to remember a quote, something like, “If you walked Linus into a room with 50 people, and asked them to describe him in one word, they would all say, “Charming.” That sounds very much like a Siren talent!

        • *And*… for the siren house to still exist after claiming siren-ism only manifested in females, of which there are no more (by choice), they would HAVE to have a dual talent to remain a house.

          Plus, we’ve never heard anything about any other members House Duncan, no parents, no children. There “have to” be 2 Primes in 3 generations to get House qualification.

          Start-up money had to come from somewhere (like Vicky’s stud fee), and Linus has been described as “charming” so many times. Adroit use of siren magic, Vicky’s connections, and money could have built House Duncan against all traditions.

          But *what* does Arabella mean by “depends entirely on you”?

          • Regarding the “That will depend entirely on you.” line – I think that she means that the ball is in their court. It’s up to (very likely) Linus if he tells the Baylor girls he is their grandfather. And it’s up to Victoria whether or not she acknowledges that she is proud of her granddaughters and loves them (in her own special way).

      • The books also state that the siren abilities come from a family in Greece. Linus is a Greek name. That Baylor girls’ paternal grandfather was excised by his family, which is why not a lot is known about him; he has Siren ability, and the family’s last name, Volpe, means Siren. Victoria even said the family had a different name now.

        Linus’ last name in the books is given as Duncan, which can translate into dark warrior, and he is a Hephaestus mage …

        Pretty sure grandfather is Linus. Even if this guess is wrong (which would be awesome, btw), I am even more sure that Arabella is waiting for the perfect “AhA!” moment to spring that on her family. I am really looking forward the THAT reveal!!

        • Yeah, I think Linus is the grandfather , but he’s probably not as nice as he seems and Victoria is not as “evil”. Both are just extremely manipulative and have been putting plans in place for decades to control other magical elites. Maybe it’s a good cop, bad cop routine that they have going. Nevada cannot detect a lie if someone believes what they’re saying is true. Also, omissions or lying by telling the truth are common ways both Catalina and Linus deal with Victoria (and Nevada).

          • Since Linus is also (probably, not yet explicitly confirmed) Ceasar his dark side is pretty well established and these dual powers make sense.
            We will see where IA take this…oh why does it take so long till the next book comes out.

      • Victoria might be the only person in the world who can lie to Nevada.
        My guess would be that Linus has duel talents. It’s frequently mentioned how everyone is at ease with Linus and they know they can trust him.

        • And he’d also have motivation to see his lineage continued.

          Will be interesting to see if Arabella also manifests a second talent.

          It’s also going to be interesting to see how they create situations that are actually dangerous for her. In a number of scenes in both Navada’s and Catalina’s books, the authorlords have found ways to make sure she’s not present for big fights (she needs to protect Catalina, or guard the baby, or had to go to Austin to tell at the insurance company, etc) because her abilities are so dominant in physical combat that it would take the danger out of them. So will be super interesting to see how she’s legitimately put into tough spots she can’t just muscle out of.

          • Might have something to do with the color threads Arabella chooses to see through. could also help control her talent, or use different aspects of it. I do not remember reading about the color threads before.

            Anyway, Thank you for this!

            • This just keeps getting better and better…I love House Andrews, they never disappoint. 🙂

              In “A Misunderstanding” it is explained that there is a lot more to metamorphosis mages, they aren’t just one-trick ponies. That story suggests that she perceives her magic as “a glowing mass of rainbow colors” and she picked the blood red one and channeled monster strength. In “The Cool Aunt” she plucked at the blue color and sudden super smell (I think) happens. Maybe “Grandfather” smells like family when she is channeling that part of her power? I wonder how many aspects Arabella’s powers have? The stories both mention/suggest “a riot of colors” or “a glowing mass of rainbow colors.”

              I love how rich and multi-layered the worlds of House Andrews grow with more stories they gift us.

            • Yes, I’m very interested that she has (and can see and manipulate) multiple color magic threads. Hints at possibility of a much more complex magic than other characters, though we consistently find out through the series that what seem to be straightforward powers are much more layered and nuanced.

    • My thoughts exactly! I am re-reading everything because I don’t remember her as married. Am I just forgetting or what?!

      • She isn’t married, she payed a Prime Siren for his sperm and had it implanted in Misha Marcotte (not sure about the name….)
        Charming Linus might be this Siren Prime Grandfather and he has been hiding behind his other talent (weaponry building) in plain sight.
        It is finally coming together in canon and I can put my crazy theories to the test

  11. OMG you still didn’t tell us who Grandpa is! Mean author-lords /grin. Thanks for the wonderful added story. I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy and all of Arabella’s stories.

  13. That. Was. Awesome!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much! I loved this story. I think Arabella is great and I can hardly wait to read her stories. I/we hope!

    Thank you! Hope you enjoyed your vacation!

  14. Thank you!

    Arabella is definitely a cool one. She finds her evil grandmother and (previously) unknown grandfather with her nephew and she’s like “Ehh, happens everyday” ????

  18. Whoa, A knows her gramps!

    Re: childbirth, I was kinda hoping they would show First Embrace, part of Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC). First Embrace is “sustained skin-to-skin contact between the mother and child shortly after birth. This simple act transfers warmth, placental blood and protective bacteria, and promotes exclusive breastfeeding.”

    • This is a story, it shouldn’t have a complete account of the birth or it’s immediate aftermath, it wouldn’t be a good story if it did, and it is a good story 🙂

      • I am kinda sorry that Nevada’s first childbirth was so difficult. Especially as she wanted something more intimate. But traumatic childbirth happens.

        • Having had 4 children, I wouldn’t say that was necessarily “traumatic”. The crowning hurts, plain and simple, it was the baby freaking out and throwing shit, which I loved, but I didn’t read any of that as Nevada or the baby needing medical intervention.

        • I went through natural childbirth with both of my children (my choice both times). Except for the flying things it sounded like mine. I did break the arm of the chair/bed and almost broke the nurses wrist (she told me to grab during a contraction). Including husband quitely panicking, freaking out with a very locked expression.

    • This I probably because of Arabella’s POV. She wouldn’t have focused on that but rather the fact that she is never having kids of her own 😀 cute moments like this don’t penetrate into a teenager’s brain (18/19 years?)

  20. Awesome! I love all your series, but for some reason I find the Hidden Legacy series particularly compelling. And I especially love the quirkiness and humor of Grandma Frida, Leon, and Arabella, so thank you ever so much for this! 🙂

  21. grandfather. Grandfather. GRANDFATHER!
    Okay so I thought that the grandfather was some European prime that was disgraced. If that’s the case though why is this person in the U.S. Why does Arabella seem okay with this person.
    If it’s Linus why hasn’t his magic manifested in any of the children?
    I have so many questions!!!
    Fantastic job as always!

    • Could be Linus. We don’t know the full extent of Catalina’s power – maybe she can do what he does as well (could be what the black wings are for?). Or maybe he is dual siren and Hephaestus – chooses not to use the siren part. Perhaps Nevada’s son will manifest Hephaestus powers with his telekinesis?

    • I think it’s Linus and his secondary talent is Siren. Everyone is always so trusting and at ease around him.

      • It has been a DAY! Thank you for this. Its wonderful!!!

        PS, You picked the right week for your vacation!

      • Like Rogan and his empathic power. Not his primary but his secondary power, Not as strong as Catalina, more “manageable.”

  23. Thank you! I read this before a webinar I needed to attend for work. That baby is going to be a little demon who won’t want to hear the word “no”. I loved the end of the story. The baby had the last “word”. 😀

    I knew it was Victoria when I read Emerald Blaze since she mentioned Trevor in the book. Now the question is who is grandfather? Hmmm…let the speculation abound.

    It was great to read this from Arabella’s point of view. Can’t wait to read more.

    To be continued!

  26. Thank you so much! I got to read it earlier, but I’m looking forward to the re-read.

    You do such a wonderful job of making each character have their own unique voice. I may be reading too much into it, but did Kid 2 have a hand in “voicing” Arabella? I seem to think that she had a short story posted a long time ago (there was a doctor in it), but I could be mistaken on that. She reads as completely different than Catalina or Nevada (definitely sounds more youthful, as she should) and I really appreciate that!

    However it happened, I loved Cool Aunt (and the doctor short too)! Plus, Emerald Blaze was awesome! ????????????????

    • “You do such a wonderful job of making each character have their own unique voice.”

      I’ve especially noticed this with Catalina. Nevada and Kate from the Kate Daniels books have a lot in common attitude-wise, but they’ve done a really good job writing Catalina as having self-doubt that just doesn’t really plague those other lead characters.

  27. I just want to say I was a little stressed out with the way Emerald Blaze ended but this makes me feel much better! Thank you!

  31. Thank you so much! I loved it especially since in December I’m also having a baby boy. I can’t wait. But I’ll have a C-section.
    <3<3<3<3<3

  35. (Sigh) I so wanted Bug and Arabella together. He is the perfect geek….but obviously he has a huge amount of hidden talent since he is still alive!

    • Bug is very cool, but suspect Arabella may be a bit much for him. There is possibility of Bug being a Prime swarmer and hence why he survived when the other die – he has enough power to maintain them and his life force (think there was something about the magic warped using their magic to survive and still having short life expectancy since not enough magic). Would be fun to have a side character fall for Bug though – would be a very funny, and likely many cringe worthy moments during a courtship. We also don’t know anything about Bug’s family, why he accepted the swarm, etc. So lots of room for short stories and/or novella around Bug I suppose. But no demands, very happy with what House Andrews chooses to write.

      See Arabella more with the younger Montgomery that we have yet to meet since she is so fascinated with Augustine’s talent. Also we have seen quavers of Augustine’s talent a few times, will be interesting to see what he really looks like (and his brother). Of course, room (if the writing mood strikes House Andrews) for novella on Augustine finding someone – there has been some interesting backstory mentioned around him searching for his family’s killer.

      • In Nevada’s books somewhere, it’s mentioned that Bug accepted the swarm because his wife was sick and they needed the money for her medical bills. As I recall, she died before the money came through.

        • I don’t remember this. J
          I think it even said that he never told her what he spend his paycheck on.

          What I fantasiese that the symbiotic relationship between Bug and his swarm is passed to the next generation as well 😀 I want baby swamers who rule the playground. But Bug doesn’t seem ready to indulge me with a spontaneous careless onenight stand or somesuch….

      • I also thought the younger Montgomery was a possibility, since Augustine is too old for her. But maybe not too old. A 10-13 yr age difference isn’t that odd.

      • i see Arabella with the records assistant. He is a Prim and also in training for a
        very high intense job..in which deals with all the Primes and House affairs. Also he has tattoos and a quiet deep strength.LOL…just can’t remember his name right now..UGH!!!!

      • One of my old friends pointed out a few years ago to me about Victoria’s treatment of her son, “He -survived-” and that that was what Victoria wanted to make sure he did. He had no active talents of his own, and in a world he was a member of House Tremaine with no talents of his own to protect him, he was not only a target, but one with no defenses again any enemy of House Tremaine out making an attack in a House to House conflict matter.

        Victoria was doing whatever it took, in her view, to ensure he survived/his survival.

        She was delighted to find out that her three granddaughters were all Primes–which also would meant they could defend themselves.

        And the great-grandchild is a Prime, and empathic, and did not lash out when hustled out to be met with by Victoria & entourage. For that matter Mad Rogan acceded to it, and Mad Rogan has empathic abilities [and with the description of the birth precautions, no wonder Rogan has no siblings!] .

        Additional note: Victoria offering Nevada to Rogan–Victoria knew what the genetics which went into Nevada were, and offering her to Rogan, meant the Victoria felt that the genetics of the two were compatible for producing a powerful Prime with a high or at least reasonable probability of Nevada carrying to full term and the baby being health and sane… She would not have wanted to have Nevada paired with someone with a low compatibility for those, especially with |”you probably will have only one shot at a live birth, I went zero for many attempts before finding a suitable surrogate host.”

        And he did survive, though it was not by responding to her lessons in any apparent way Victoria had intended.

        The friend approved because pragmatically, James had -survived.

  37. What an Amazing story. What does code PPB means?And what are the powers of prime laborist? I am asling this because as a doctor myself I find this interesting.

      • Ok. That’s what I thought too. I mean PP is prime/prime but B is for baby or birth? That’s what I want to know. Thanks for replying and confirming.

        • Since they are going into a maternity ward for delivery I would assume B is birth.

          Otherwise if the child was going in for some other procedure they would just say they have a Prime Baby ????

        • Since Primes tend to marry Primes , isn’t Prime/Prime Births the norm for Houses? Or due to the telekinetic powers of baby they had to do different procedures?

          • It’s prime/prime as in the mother and BABY are primes. Not always known at birth as most manifest powers later.

          • I tend to think that is why the OBGYN was a prime laborist to deal with different prime/prime pregnancies. And in the short story it was mentioned that they had a team to deal with the telekinesis but since Rogan decided to deal with it they were not required.

    • Agree. As a physician, can be hard enough some days. The powers really complicate everything. Trying to do basic procedures on a child are hard enough – one who can fight back with arcane powers – you would need someone on hand to nullify their powers to do basic vaccinations. Trying to put stitches in, doing various procedures and tests that can be uncomfortable – don’t think the papoose board will do the trick (though maybe they have a magic nullifying papoose board?). Teenagers can be the worse, too big for papoose boards, too bratty to behave (at least with adults you can say, patient informed and refuses…).

  39. I waited. I’m glad the stores did well, just couldn’t do it at the time. Thank you for even doing this. Sorry that folks couldn’t follow basic rules.

  40. Snicker. I think Catalina is my favorite of the three sisters, but Arabella is a hoot. And a really Cool Aunt.

    Thanks for this story – I’m looking forward to Arabella’s books.

  41. Thank you…loved it, explained something I was starting to wondering about. Now I’m questioning none of the them have been comment.

  42. First of all: Thank You.
    Second of all: Thank You.

    You have caught the Terror of Childbirth … just like You might have been involved in it. I ran across spoiler link for this and resisted, because I knew the time I needed to wait until continuing this would have been even more exruciating. Cool Aunt experience is exactly same as me being the non-fairy god-father to number of my nephews/nieces, farts (and worse) included. I needed this. So for third time:
    THANK YOU!!!

  44. I just had my first baby and this feels so realistic. Obviously not telekinetic and no armed guards but all that insanity is what it feels like!

    • Congratulations. I hope everyone is okay. Grab sleep when you can. You might not get much over the next 18 years.

  45. Very cool! Thank you so much.

    Also, grandfather. Hmmm, is it Linus. I’m so confused.

    When I read EB I assumed the older man in the room WAS Linus. Now I’m not sure.

    I love a mystery!

  49. Thank you for the story. We loved it, House Andrews.

    Glad Gordon arranged a restful relaxing vacation for all of House Andrews. Well I am sure the boarding group are giving you the evil eyes for leaving them and going on vacation. I don’t doubt the black and white varmit missed you too. Grin

  50. Outstanding deeply appreciated. In 10 hrs temperature outside dropped 33 degrees. Sight breeze grateful to push dense smoke around. Burning eyes tight chest must wear googles mask and hat to keep off ash. Anxiety cope bought too much stupid stuff online. Will 2020 ever end? BEE well.

    • As an Australian who existed through months of our 2019/20 bushfires I’m feeling for you, and thinking of you and your loved ones.

      I’m glad that you have masks, goggles, hats, etc. If you are able to stay inside as much as possible with your house as sealed up as absolutely possible (wet towels around doors, kitchen rangehood and exhaust fans sealed up with plastic or Saran-wrap, etc) that will help too. We managed to eventually buy some HEPA filter air purifiers via Amazon and other online stores. They made the most difference, especially since my teen daughter was diagnosed with asthma not long before the smoke became really bad. We all needed Ventolin (asthma reliever) at various stages even though the rest of us don’t have asthma.

      Stay safe. I’m thinking of you and yours.

      • Thank you for this story! I loved it and feel so much better after the anxiety of the epilogue.

        I needed this distraction. I spent last week re-reading Ryder posts. Air quality peaked at 608 today but grateful to have a home, water, and power after evacuation last week.

        Theory: No one talks about Linus’s house or family. What if Linus used the money Victoria paid him for his sperm donation to get the Osiris serum and get a dual power (hephaestus)?

        It’s clear from both books that Alessandro knew Linus was the Baylor’s grandfather but I want to know how. Familial resemblance? Italy and Greece aren’t far apart so maybe he knows the House formerly known as Molpe? Linus probably told the Keeper that if a Siren ever registered he wanted to be a witness.

        on indoor air quality tips:

        I second sealing the bathroom and laundry room fans. I taped a gallon plastic freezer bag over the fans with masking tape and taped garbage bags over the fireplace. Placed packing tape over the sliding doors and windows where they meet. We sealed off the laundry room (because of the dryer vent). I didn’t think about the rangehood, thank for the idea. The air quality indoors is still poor for the kids but every purifier/filter was sold out last week. Hoping Amazon gets them to us soon.

        Natural disasters + pandemic have almost pushed me over the edge. Decompressing with your writing is saving me. Thank you!!!

        I’m so glad you got a vacation to the coast. You deserve it. Loved the pictures you shared too. It’s like we are on a different planet with ash floating down, gray skies, and no visibility. It’s like reading the Brandon Sanderson novel. . . mistborn?

  51. Thank you Ilona and Gordon.

    It was beautiful.

    When the next book will be released?

    You are one of my very favourite authors!

    Thanks again for bringing sunshine in theses dark uncertain days.

    It means a lot to many of us!

    I wish you both health and happiness.

  52. Wow – great short, thank you House Andrews!

    From the fact that Arabella pulled on her sense of smell again I’d be willing to bet she *didn’t* know that Grandfather was Grandfather *before* she smelled him – there’s that ‘…wait a minute…’ and ‘…Well, imagine that. That certainly cleared some things up…..’

    From that I’d say it’s someone she knows *of* but hasn’t met before in the context of using her magic – and Linus was at the Trials, so she’d’ve smelt him before and assuming she has ‘scented’ the fact that grandfather smells of family, it must be someone else – mustn’t it?

    Or would she need to be closer to them – I mean in this instance she’s just behind the doorway – as opposed to being in a large auditorium?

    Although the ‘…that will depend entirely on you…’ implies it is someone they have contact with.

    Definitely more questions posed than answered – although at least we know now it was a kidnap!

    • Yes, Arabella’s sense of smell seems to be something she needs to do actively, and may not have done before around Linus. She may be able to smell the ‘relatedness’ – some animals are able to do so (some studies even say humans can smell HLA markers at some levels – search HLA and mate selection). She is really working on developing her magic – will be interesting to see the full extent of what she can do; she won’t be a one trick pony with the transformation. So far, no dual power mentioned for Arabella – that will be interesting to see. Could be pattern mage (from Grandma Frida) allowing her to compile the information from her senses beyond what would be ‘normal’ – she has already demonstrated how powerful they can be in ‘Cool Aunt’, she can tell there are 18 people around from smell alone.

    • so true… Q—- wouldn’t that make Linus great grandpa..??? Nasty Grandma had James…. then James and Ma got together…Then the girls were born…Hmmmm

    • I think she deduced the grandfather relationship from his beaming with pride and not the smell. And first with the smell she just realised who was waiting for her.

  53. I know this is a gift, and I am thankful. But someday, I would love to have a copy for my kindle… Would happily pay! Someday! Thank you for this story, as it resolves the cliff-hanger-ish feel of Emerald Blaze for me. Also, It was nice to “meet” Arabella!

    • I am hoping for an outtakes book with short stories and bonus snippets that got cut. Since we will otherwise never read this “favourite truthseeker” story (nevada reveals that she is pregnant) again as it was deleted from the blog

  55. I think Trevor is the assassin Alessandro is looking for. Doesn’t he also freeze people? Or maybe his son? ‘Cause I don’t know Trevor’s age. I got the feel he was young, but maybe I’m wrong?

  56. Arabella for the win!!

    Made me cry – glad Nevada, Connor, and Baby Boy are ok. What a handful that kid is going to be.

  57. Yeesh. Didn’t think Grandpa was in the picture. This is…not better. I really hope Arabella is as bad-ass as she thinks she is. What a nail biter ending.

  58. Thank you! Thank you! This was so much fun to read. It was wonderful to read about Nevada and Rogan again. Now the sitting on the hands begin. ????

  59. eeeeee! Love it! Really really hope Arabella gets her own book eventually. She’s such a breath of fresh air!

  60. Wonderful. Thank you. I was losing sleep after finishing Emerald Blaze. Now I now the baby is back in safe hands. Thank you for all the wonderful stories you tell.

  61. I don’t understand how there’s still confusion about the identity of the grandfather ㅠ.ㅠ There’s been so much foreshadowing, the authors are practically reaching their hands out of the pages and throwing the hints into our laps. The only way they could make it more obvious is if they circle it in red and point a giant, redundant arrow at it like a YouTube thumbnail lmao

    • I admit to being one of the confused ones. I have theories, but nothing I’ve seen so far has solidified a name to me yet.

      • Who are your candidates? I feel like the only viable one is Linus. None of the other existing characters have been remotely hinted at as a possible grandfather, and I don’t think there’s a possibility of an entirely new character being introduced as the grandfather at this point of the story arc (unless maybe it’s as an imposter to deceive or bait the Baylors).

          • Sometimes the authors want obvious and what might be obvious to some is not obvious to others. I remember Ilona wrote that they’ve included stuff (hints, etc.) in previous books or stories that they thought the readers would pick up on right away, but were surprised that the readers started speculating instead and were not able to get the seemingly obvious clues. (For the record, I think Linus is both Caesar and great grandpa, but what do I know?)

            • Grandma Frida has a “history” with Linus also, that would explain a lot, and as marshal he could have infiltrated the movement, it would not be the first time an undercover cop ended up the figurehead in an organization he was investigating

              • I thought he started Caesar because there was stuff he couldn’t do because the Houses wouldn’t let the National Assembly. Remember the assassin house? Also he is a disillusioned idealist. He will do anything because of the ideals.

            • Yup! It’s obvious because they WANT us to know, but it’s boring to tell us directly by naming him. It’s more fun for readers to put together all the hints.

              There’s no point in having someone else be the grandfather from a storytelling point of view anyway. Linus being the grandfather makes for a good story. He’s their grandfather and a big part of their lives, but he’s also Caesar, there’s conflict of interest! He cares about his grandkids but his goals oppose theirs! How will this drama be resolved? Tune in next week for another episode of He’s Right Under Their Noses But They Have No Idea!

              It’s not as fun if the grandfather is some random with no significant connection to them in the story previously other than DNA.

            • I think Michael Latimer is Caesar and Linus is grandpa.

              Latimer appeared in two of the Nevada books and one of Catalina, always at high-profile events.

          • I think in this case the authors have deliberately laid out a trail of breadcrumbs for readers to follow and it doesn’t matter if the identity itself is obvious. Because for the readers, our payoff isn’t so much in knowing who the grandfather is, our payoff is in reading how the identity reveal goes down and how the Baylors feel and react to it because we’ve connected with them emotionally. The intrigue for us is more in how the pieces will fall after the characters find out what we already know from whats been shown to us through the storytelling.

            A lot of media like to add in plot twists. Some do it well and audiences are surprised but satisfied, but some have a twist even when it doesn’t make sense. They just add one in for the sake of proving the audience’s guess wrong as a “gotcha!” device. I don’t think it would make sense here to have a plot twist for the grandfather, because the groundwork hasn’t been laid for one. At this point, having the grandfather be some character out of left field or a new one entirely would be kind of hollow, because for there to be a twist there needs to have been some clues sprinkled around for anyone other than Linus in the narrative. It’s obvious he’s the grandfather yeah, but it’s meant to be. We’re not getting a twist for the sake of it, we’re getting follow-through.

      • The neon sign should read “you now know who grandfather is” or “you are here”. ????????????????

    • I agree,this is canon now and will probably be revealed explicitly a bit later in the books when the Ceasar story line is also tidied up with him joining grandma in prison 😀

      This reminds me of a explanation post by IA regarding “King of Fire” and how a lot of people didn’t recognize Julie. They pretty much spelled it out and thought it was obvious 🙂

    • I’m one of the ones who was clueless but then I wasn’t looking. For whatever reason it never even occurred to me that grandfather was someone who would ever show up in the story let alone be in Texas. It does explain several things from the last book I thought were strange though.

      I’m still not sure he’s Caesar but that might have more to do with the fact that I don’t want him to be than anything else.

  62. Thank you so much! The story gave me chills and happy tears.

    While I may not have psychic powers, this took me back to giving birth to my children and what it felt like emotionally.

    My youngest sister attended one birth and had the same reaction as Arabella. Never getting pregnant!

  63. I’m due in 7 weeks… If this kid could make things fly around the room from my womb, it might save everyone from listening to the swearing that will inevitably come out of me before this little one does. And the nurses always forget to shut the door all the way too.

  64. Cool Aunt, very cool story. So Linus is Grandpa. Hephaestus powers mixed with
    those of the Italian pauper prince (through Catalina) Good Grief! And Arabella has considerably more control over her transformation than we thought. Possibilities abound, and multiply like healthy rabbits.

  69. This made my week. Thank you so very much!! I really was worried she’d hurt the baby or implant something or have subliminal suggestions etc. It is 2020, after all. Big smile on my face!

  71. Oh my God, thank you so much for this short, loved the story and loved Arabellas voice, I am totally looking forward to her story. I hope there will be third Catalina book, and more about the baby and the mysterious Grandfather. I can’t wait another year.

    • It’s great. You take the kid, have a fun experience, drop tired kid off for parents to deal with. Also give great but annoying gifts – musical instruments, a carpenter set with a little saw that actually cuts (my nephew is third generation carpenter in business with my niece Google Beautiful Chaos Companies MN – shameless bragging), etc. I didn’t come close for sister in law of the year.

  76. Thank you so much! I consider this my birthday present! I wasn’t expecting to see this quite so soon. I bought a digital copy on the published day so I didn’t get the short story.

    FYI: there appears to be a waiting list for both Emerald Blaze for both the ebook and the audiobook on Cloud Library.

  77. So… if Arabella chooses to pull up one color of her multi-colored magic to turn into the Beast, what else can she turn into??

      • In the other Arabella short story she uses the dark red thread to be super strong in human form.

        So we’ve had strength & smell…there’s got to be enhanced vision in there somewhere, and possibly the ability to change hair colour (or is that too much like Tonks?) – maybe just to the blue colour of her beast? Sharpened nails/claws for ripping with….

        Giant Arabella…like Antman? Big but in human form? Or is that too out there?

    • I kept waiting for someone to mention the colors. Maybe she has some of Linus’s power. Maybe that’s why she says things are starting to make sense

    • she sees the full spectrum of colors…and each color is for a specific ability. she might be able to increase/decrease her size. Just wish she could acquire the ability of speech. i could see her arguing with her family and telling them off… grandma cackling with a wrench in her hands….LOL

  78. Thanks for the Cool Aunt. Fun short story and love Arabella’s voice. Glad you had a lovely holiday. The pictures were beautiful

  79. I think the childbirth scene was fantastic – regular aspects of labour and birth that most people can relate to, crazy ouch factor at doing it with no epidural or other pain intervention, and then going apocalyptic with all the Prime power – I loved the portrayal of Connor being so tuned into Nevada and so absolutely in control of the environment, that Nevada could let her guard down and just try to bring the baby into the world safe and alive, and not worry about equipment shattering or exploding. Such a great image of the tv screen shattering violently, and then depositing itself neatly into the waste bin. Loved it!!

  80. Oh man, thank you for resolving that baby scene. I’ve been low key stressed about it. Tremaine is so menacing! Even when stealth cuddling an infant. Arabella to the rescue. Whew

  82. I think I’m a bit puzzled about all the people who think Linus is the grandfather here. Grandma Frida met him, and asked Nevada, in fact, if he still had that “hot Scottish thing” going on. Linus is not Greek, and Victoria said the father of her only child was a Greek siren prime. I thought it could be Linus who visited her in prison and told her they both hate to bored, since he also told Nevada that he hates to be bored in the hospital cafeteria before the trials. He danced with Victoria at the wedding. But no matter how you slice it, if he were Greek, it would show, wouldn’t it? Also, the Greek was tossed out of his family, and Linus was not. Linus has a life history that is known, all his years serving in the military and then as the Assembly leader, then as the Warden. When was there time for him to be so broke as to take money to donate sperm to Victoria’s quest for a child? In any event, I am willing to wait to find out who the grandfather is, because I’m as sure as anything that he’ll be a surprise to us all when he is finally revealed. Our favorite authors are not ham-handed about things, and having it be Linus would seem to be to a little bit too “cutesy” to me. No doubt, I could be wrong, but that’s my take on it all.

    I am thrilled that Arabella was the one who caught them in the act and took the baby back where he belonged. Her control over her shifting has been proven time and again, so I’m not surprised that she is able to pick and choose which powers to use from it without shifting. Arabella grew up.

    This came out at a perfect time for me. I had actually forgotten about it, because I knew that when it was released, I’d read it, and I waited without impatience. The child was born alive, we all knew that already from Emerald Blaze, and everyone was fine. Now I’ve read it, and I’m thrilled that you wrote it and held it back until now. VERY well done!

    • Greeks are white Europeans, same as Scottish people. I don’t know how exactly it would “show”. Sean Connery could pass for Greek on sight alone, but we know better.

    • It’s TOTALLY Linus–I will be floored if it isn’t. In Sapphire Flames, Alessandro meets Linus for the first time, looks at him and Catalina (as if noticing a resemblance), reaches a conclusion that isn’t shared with the reader, and later in the same scene assures Catalina that Linus is invested in her survival. I knew right then that Linus was her grandfather. I’m guessing either Victoria lied about her son’s father being Greek, or Linus has some Greek blood in him.

      I’m also reasonably confident that Linus is Ceasar–Ceasar’s familiarity with Victoria echoes Linus’s strongly, and they both said something similar about not liking to be bored in Nevada’s trilogy. I imagine he helped Victoria have a child, not because he needed money, but because they share similar goals in remaking society. If I’m right, that’s going to be a doozy of a betrayal when it comes out….

      • Again… I think it’s a bit too obvious if it’s Linus. I think it’s a very clever bait-and-switch.

        Firstly: At the end of Nevada’s trilogy, while yes the “Mystery Man” says the same line as Linus does in the Cafe, Victoria never ACTUALLY identifies the speaker to us… she just says that his secret as Caesar is safe with her.

        Secondly: Caesar’s social aims are the OPPOSITE of what Linus tried to do when he led the Texas Assembly. (Please see the second Nevada book when Cornelius talks about Linus at the Assembly.) There are two major factions… the faction that is in favor of limiting House Powers to coexist with non-magical people peacefully, and the opposite faction in favor of Houses wielding far greater power over the masses. Linus was part of the peaceful faction and pushed for that approach until he was basically de-throned, and Cornelius says something like it was much better when Linus was there.

        Thirdly: Who better to be Caesar than a powerful outcast from a family of Sirens who fanatically hide their magic for generations, going so far as to ABORT ALL FEMALE BIRTHS, just to hide their power that makes people fall in love with them… do ANYTHING for them… inspire UNWAVERING loyalty and devotion to them? Who best to manipulate others into these drastic schemes that could pull down EVERYTHING they and their families had built up for generations and commit heinous acts against others including the innocent? The Siren Granddaddy would be the best fit in my opinion. He would KNOW how to use and control his magic while poor Catalina just flounders around on her own trying to figure it out. It would take a PRIME Siren to pull all of that off…. not a Prime of another type with a Dual Talent because those Duals are usually at a much lower power level. So far there have been no Primes mentioned with DOUBLE Prime-level abilities… only a strong secondary at Notable or Significant… it’s why that asshole assassin in Nevada #2 was such an evil little shit… his House associated talent had been only Significant I think, so he didn’t get Prime privileges because his House made him hide his Prime Ice Mage powers and made him into a Dark Horse.

        Lastly: These authors are VERY clever in their foreshadowing. Linus being Caesar/Granddaddy seems far too obvious. Whenever we find out this dude’s identity, I think we will all be going, “WAIT! HIM?!?!?! HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS?!?!?!”

        • I forget to say in my second point that Caesar is obviously in favor of Houses wielding GREATER power… to him and his followers, powerful mages should basically be allowed to do as they please.

        • not correct, Alexander Strum had double Prime level in Wildfire.
          Also, we see Xavier go from not Prime to Prime level in EB ????

        • At first I thought Linus could be Caesar, since that kind of plot would be sure to identify the a$$hole primes so they could be dealt with. Pretty risky operation, though. However, I DON’T think it could be Linus because he has the wrong kind of magic (Haephestus) to be their grandfather.

          I’m willing to be wrong.

    • I think Victoria lied because either she didn’t want them to know who their grandfather was or Linus didn’t want them to know.

  83. Thank you so much! I am astounded by how much you reveal and keep hidden. Thank you for sharing your incomparable talent with us!

  85. Thank you! Thank you so much for sharing it with all the fans!
    Soooo glad I decided to re-read the whole series again while I was waiting for my Emerald Blaze pre-order. I just finished the hospital cliff-hanger this morning and found this wonderful surprise in my mailbox – so I only had to worry about the baby being kidnapped for a couple of hours instead of weeks or months!
    It’s amazing how easily you can read and recognize the sister by the tone of voice. Can’t wait to read more about Baylot house!

  87. I’m 8 months pregnant. Thank God I’m not having a prime/prime birth!! My first was crazy enough! ????. Thank you for this lovely short! The last sentence is gold

  88. I’m so happy the BDH bought so many dead tree books. I confess I read it on my Kindle, but my “real” book is sitting by my chair. I just enjoy seeing the cover when I glance past the table. Yeah booksellers!!! Yeah House Andrews!!! Yeah baby, and all associates questions I can’t wait to have answered !!!!

  90. -Wriggle- That was so awesome!

    I love that each of the Baylor sisters has such a distinct voice. This is SO Arabella. So well done!

    I love the further amplification of how Arabella perceives her magic and is able to wield it with precise control, a fact in direct opposition to what those outside her family fear about her magic.

    I will be shocked if Grandfather is not Linus. I totally think it’s him. I come back around to what are the long games Victoria and Linus are each playing? Same game? Different game, but they are in alignment on some but not all things? Can’t wait to read more to find out.

    Thank you House Andrews for bringing us this choice morsel. Soooo good!

  91. Thanks for great story. I believe Linus is grandfather because in earlier book a discussion between Linus and Victoria hinted that there was something of Linus in one of Victoria’s granddaughters. Can’t remember which girl or which book.

  92. I loved this, thanks for sharing it. I’m tempted to go reread EB, even though I have a billion books in my tbr pile. Glad you got a vacation, my husband and I take one every year for our anniversary, we went to the UP of Michigan this year. About 50% of the people we saw outside were wearing masks, and people are pretty good about wearing them inside 100% (even though facebook posts would suggest otherwise). We rented a house in the middle of nowhere, no tv, no cell service, it was wonderful.

  93. The Cool Aunt was great!! Answered questions from Emerald Blaze-I was a bit upset when Victoria got her hands on the baby. That Arabella was there to take him back was perfect as was her response. I bought Emerald Blaze in ebook form but read it in bits and pieces because I didn’t want it to end!! You both are awesome to give us all the snippets and chapters of Blood Heir. You both work hard and Gordon’s plan for that vacation for all was the best. He rocks!

  94. Thank you for the story! But now I’m trying to imagine that freak Adam Pierce’s (or any pyrokinetic ppb) birth. o_o

    • They probably had fire proofing protection or something similar. I want to say asbestos, but since that’s an environmental no-no, I’ll go with something else.

      Burn ointment anyone? ????

  95. Thank you so so much!! I was a bit worried after Emerald Blaze ending and that was exactly what i needed!! Loved the story and loved Emerald Blaze!!

  96. Thank you for this story. I was so concerned that evil Grandmother Victoria was going to take the baby with her. This story makes me very happy, Yea Arabella.

  99. Wow. Arabella certainly kept her cool. That was so interesting. At least she knows who the old guy is. So shall we in time. Never ever getting pregnant. Talk about a red flag in front of a bull. That was a fun short story and it is good to see who Arabella is becoming

  100. I’d love to know what Arabella means by all her different colored threads and what they do for her. I’ve never really bonded with her character, but I see her differently because of this, more interesting.

    Linus is the grandfather! I think we now all agree on that. (I still think he’s Caesar and why is fed to us in little bits in the last two books.)

    This was truly awesome! Thank you.

  105. I bought Emerald Blaze for kindle. Then I bought a hardcover copy from one of the book stores. Unfortunately, I missed the cut off for the signed book plates.
    I do have a question about the epilogue. When Victoria asks “What if he’s a dud?” And the answer is “he is not a dud. none of them have been. Who are them???

  106. So it looks like who ever Grandpa is and I have my guess the Baylor’s have figured it out. I wonder if this is the first time, They let him know that they figured it out

  108. What about the Man who keeps the Book of Houses? He is respected by everyone and I always wondered how his power could force people to follow the Rules. Also Michael (I think that’s the name of the guy who works for him) or someone said it was a mistake for Nevada(?) / Catalina (?) too we him a favour when they needed his help.

    (Obviously I thought Linus was first choice but I would really, really hate for him to be so untrustworthy to the Rogans/Baylor’s. Unless he’s playing some kind of longer game than even Evil Grandmother knows.j

  109. Thanks for such a great read. I’m looking forward to Arabella’s series.

    I’m intrigued by this paragraph.

    “I reached for my magic. It swirled in my mind, a riot of colors. I plucked at the blue one and let it settle over me. The cobalt image of the Beast, huge and shaggy, crouched in my mind, waiting, staring out through my eyes. I inhaled. The world blossomed into a kaleidoscope of scents. Gun oil, metal, disinfectant, medicinal alcohol, skin cells, deodorant, perfume, soap…”

    If the blue is The Beast, what are the other colours.

    • I think they are less angry versions of the Beast. So she can control how she projects the Beast based on how she needs it/him/her: just for size and breaking vs size and more anger to destroy, etc

    • They are different aspects of the Beast’s power, which she can access whilst in human form. Blue is for scent/perception, red is for super strength (as seen in A Misunderstanding) and we have yet to see what the others one might do.

  110. Dear Cool Authors,
    I have a big smile as I write this. Thank you so much for the great addition to this dramatic family. Love it.

  113. I have a silly feeling that Linus may be related to Grandma Frida. Her power seems to be a low level version of his and we don’t know where it came from. Grandma could be his illegitimate sister (same father, different mother)

    It would explain any resemblance and the care which Linus has for the Baylor family

    • Totally agree. There is mention in Nevada’s books that they don’t know much for Grandma Frida’s family. Plus while they say Bern takes after her as a pattern mage, she builds things like Linus.

  118. An enthusiastic vote for an Arabella trilogy after Catalina’s is completed. If you have the energy to write it, your BDH would surely read it.

  121. I have a quick question.
    I’ve been rereading the Hidden Legacy books and I can’t find the story that includes the forming of House Baylor, the trials and the house warfare where Leon’s magic unfolds as he is helping his mother.
    Is there a short story somewhere?

    • That’s the end part of one of the main novels. It’s the epilogue of Wildfire (the trials) and Leon’s magic comes out when he’s helping his aunt, who is Nevada’s mom. I don’t think we’ve been introduced to his mom in other than referring to her.

      • She’s the sister/aunt that Catalina has investigators watching in case Evil Grandmother goes for her (in Emerald Blaze). Bern and Leon are half brothers since it appears Auntie Useless-Human-Being has played around.

  122. Okay, I get why I was limited in my initial analysis of Great Uncle vs Grandfather. I concede :p

    Great short story! Looking forward to more Arabella and understanding her magic as well. (Though still wanna understand more about antistasi/Alessandro’s too!)

    Also, I 100% agree with you, Arabella; never ever ever getting pregnant either x.x

  124. So I’ve read Emerald Blaze on my Kindle, but I didn’t have a print copy. So, to respect the honor system, I ordered a copy from Blue Willow before I read The Cool Aunt.

    Leslie
    w/a Artemis Crow

  126. After I read EB for the second time, I cried for two hours. I got the idea that Victoria is so proud of, loves all the Baylors, but cannot show it. She needs to keep them viewing her as the enemy because she needs them to learn to survive. She told Catalina that she had no interest in the Rogan heir, she she made a special trip to the hospital to coo over him.

    I also speculated as to how she got away with terifying almost every house when her son disappeared. …

  128. Thanks!

    “I was also reasonably sure that Stephen Jiang would be there. Which was why I was taking my time putting on my face”

    Squeeeeeeee!

    • I wouldn’t be surprised if the baby was named James William Rogan or William James Rogan after Nevada’s and Connor’s dads. Another possibility could be James Conner Rogan.

      Just a thought, Ilona and Gordon. ????

  131. Brilliant! So happy to get this right now. THE FORESHADOWING!!! omg omg omg

    Thank you so much!

    Looking forward to more Arabella, after Catalina’s arc is done.

  132. So great! I loved the humor, the details, the crazy-powerful baby, etc. I loved seeing Connor and Nevada some more. I loved hearing about Arabella’s birth. What a fun gift. Thank you!!

  133. Arabella is a really cool aunt and her powers are pretty cool as well. That is the amazing thing in Hifden Legacy, there are so many nuances to the magic and it all comes together to form a perfect picture.
    So glad to know the baby had his aunt watching him and now I’m really speculating as well how the grandfather angle is turning out- ha indeed. The BDHs case for Linus is sound, but I’m still betting there will be a masterful plot ahead that we haven’t thought of yet that’ll be something else. I do love the plots! And the Baylors.
    Thank you for giving us this gift so soon and I’m glad it worked for the bookstores.

  135. Thank God for this short story. I did not want to have to wait until the next book to know what happened after the last scene in Emerald Blaze. That, … and oh my GOSH, I don’t think any birth could be more dramatic. Awesome!!!

  140. So awesome. Thanks for another wonderful short story. I love delivering babies and seeing the all the happy family afterwards. It makes it worth being up at 2 am on an overnight call shift.

    Famous last words….” I was never, ever getting pregnant. Ever.”Hahahahhah!

    Yeah…that’s why the next baby comes two years later. Just enough time to think it wasn’t that bad after all. heh.

  141. I didn’t trust the post office to deliver Emerald Blaze on time so I downloaded it on my Kindle and started it one minute after midnight. Then I realized I had forgotten certain things from Sapphire Flames, so I re-read that, then read Emerald Blaze again (this time on the paperback copy that arrived two days later.) I was distressed about the kidnapping and am so thrilled and relieved by this story showing that the Cool Aunt has foiled the plot!

  142. I’ve always thought the best writing you’ve ever done was, “A Mere Formality,” but I think I’ll have to reconsider because, “The Cool Aunt,” is amazing.
    Thank you.

  144. I apologize for saying that you both are Evil,Evil people,when I finished reading Emerald Blaze. Thank You for the Cool Aunt….

  148. Omg!!!’ That’s was awesome. Thank you so much. Was that really their grandfather or was she just being sassy???

  149. Thank you. I have read Emerald Blaze and have now started the audiobook. Extended fun????The Cool Aunt is a great topper!

  150. I see why you wanted people to read this after Emerald Blaze. I’ve been so worried about that marvelous little baby. Way to go Arabella! Terrific added work!! Thank you so much! Everybody’s else can carry on, I’m content now that Arabella has the baby. I loved her POV. It’s just like my younger daughter while my older daughter was giving birth. LOL

  152. Excellent story! I hope you two decide that you never want to stop writing, because I’ll tell you straight up that the majority of my leisure time is spent with your books as my companion. Even when I am doing something else, I have the audiobook on. It is a joy to me and I appreciate it so much.

    THANK YOU!

  153. Okay, so a quick new theory. Never in House Andrews’ books have the main characters been single-sided heroes. They aren’t the pretties, most magically talented, best warrior, smartest people in the room all at once. So in this world, if everyone in House Baylor is a Prime with dual powers (which are also at really high levels it seems), then can it be possible that they are also the product of Osiris serum experimentation? James could be a dud because he was given the Osiris serum and thus could not exhibit the many magics mixed into his “creation” & it affected him this way?

    • It’s an interesting theory, but I don’t see much chance it’s true. There’s been no indication I can think of that any samples of the Osiris serum were ever stolen or out of pocket in any way before someone broke into the Northern Vault “a couple of years” before the events of Emerald Blaze. There’s also been no indication that any of the Baylors are double-Primes, and their powers have thus far all been explainable by some combination of Victoria, their siren (or part siren?) paternal grandfather, their father’s surrogate mother (the Beast of Cologne), and their mother. Plus there’s been no indication that being given the Osiris serum would ever lead to looking like a dud. I think if IA were going to do something like that, there would be at least SOME foreshadowing.

      • Actually, both Nevada and Catalina have dual powers. Both are magus sagitarius– which allows them to target effectively with their weapons. For Nevada, that’s firearms. For Catalina, its her sword. No confirmation on their rankings for that power.

        • It is true that their powers are explained by their lineage. I was focusing on how a smaller percentage of magic users have dual powers, and so far all 3 House Baylor children seem to have them (Arabella’s unknown). I was putting it out here because I truly don’t want Linus to turn up as their grandfather – he is Caesar! So trying to build an alternative theory that somehow ties him away from the mix. Didn’t get anywhere far with it.

  154. Thank you. I ordered EB from one of your bookstore recommendations and never received this short story. I’m excited to get to read it. Thank you!!

  155. I got on the waiting list as soon as Emerald Fire was available with the central Texas consortium library and I got it in a couple of weeks ! ????????

  157. That was awesome! Thank you!! If Arabella gets her own book(s), I look forward to the wild ride!

    Nagging thought from previous books and now really brought to the forefront: who is Trevor really??? Yes he’s Victoria’s assistant but you know that it can’t just be that simple with the twisty way HA thinks… ????

  158. I was so excited to read this short story! I completed Emerald blaze worried that the next book would be about the family hunting down the baby’s kidnappers. Glad baby is safe! Now I can go to sleep in peace lol

  159. Thank you so much for this as the ending of Emerald Blaze deeply disturbed me – I kept telling myself, “it’s just a great story for crying out loud!!” But it upset me – b/c true life baby abduction cases send me into agonies of distress which I attribute to a past life memory in which my babies were taken from me and sold down river. Anyway – this post brought me joy as well as eased my suppressed anxieties about Victoria stealing Nevada’s baby. I also enjoyed her birth scene as was identical to my daughter’s birth except for the telekinesis, I.e., labored at home until last minute, arrived at hospital too late for epidural, nurse wouldn’t let me in a room, saying, “The inn is full,” so I almost gave birth in the hospital hallway. Ah memories… PLEASE give us Arabella and Steven Jiang adventure/romance. More hot non-white heroes please!!!

      • Not so huge. Arabella is 19 and Jiang is 24. I think that’s a similar difference to Rogan and Nevada. Mentally, the difference is huge, Stephen is a steady businessman and Arabella still has quite a few spoiled teenager traits. She needs a few years to mature. I doubt she’d be ready for her story at 21 like Catalina is, but who knows? Something could happen in the next book that causes her to grow up fast.

  160. I’m curious as to why no one else can know but Linus is the grandfather. Like, why can’t Catalina know?

  162. 1 Thank you
    2 re all the fires comments; I live in Toronto (in Canada) over 3/4s of a continent away, we have smoke haze that is giving us brilliant red sunrises and sunsets. No breathing dangers, but as I have some stuff from my mothers (who heats with wood) have the smell of that too. Had some very strange dreams of fires when I napped today.
    3 now desperately need a reread of EB…

  163. Loved this!
    Your description of poor Arabella being traumatized by the birthing process was hilarious.
    Thank you so much for Cool Aunt. You always leave us wanting more!

    • I loved that, too. It made me think of all the tweens who read the birth scene in Breaking Dawn and thought, “Nope! Birth control it is.”

  164. She choked the doctor…! ROFL

    (Now I’ve got this image of a cute mini beast of Cologne, outraged about being forced out of her nice comfy place.)

    Thumbs up to Penelope, who popped magical babies with powers coming out of nowhere (if her husband didn’t know his own history, Catalina & Arabella WERE coming out of nowhere!)

    I also think Linus is Grandpa – that moment in SF when he drops what he’s doing to shake his head once at Alessandro from far away, that was the Ah-ha moment for me. (I also always found it weird that Catalina noticed the gesture, saw it shut Alessandro up, but didn’t wonder about it or pursue it.)

    Honestly though, I’m much more curious about Victoria’s Tremaine great love, the one that was murdered next to her.

    (Also, it never occured to me reading EB that Victoria would kidnad the baby o.0 It would be such a dumb move… as if she could get away with it. )

  168. It has been a DAY! Thank you for this. Its wonderful!!!

    PS, You picked the right week for your vacation!

  170. Thank you! My great nephew-Aiden Daniel-was born today, a huge event in our family’s life. This is the cherry on top

  171. Remember all that stress Rogan had over his magic not being compatible with Nevada? All I can think of is that these two badasses are gonna get the baby they deserve! So much fun & thank you so much. Beyond epic birth scene!!

    And – thanks for all of this. Your books have transformed 2020 for me!

  172. Thanks IA for the wonderful and entertaining short.
    And thanks BDH for the wonderful and entertaining comments!

  174. Ryder, EB, and now this short story . . . .
    AWESOME SAUCE!
    Isn’t it almost time for Maude’s and Arland’s nuptials?

  176. I can understand why people will think that it is Linus but to me that seems a little too easy for our authors 🙂 🙂

  177. Thank you, this story is so allegorical for my day, bless you! A stressful birth, of a sort! My daughter , moving past so many challenges during this year of changes, successfully (and with great satisfaction and closure) defended her doctoral dissertation to get her PhD in biomedical engineering with her new husband and familyncheering her on???? Did I mention she had to defend online and had to handle an amazing number of adjustments for security and authenticity that the University had only recently made the decisions on while presenting? My grammar and syntax has abandoned me, but I am so proud, and happy, and unbelievably relieved thatnit is done. My husband and I both got ours, Tabi girl literally in my arms when I defended. She has displayed her passion for disease research since childhood. Go with happiness and joy ya’all…..

  178. Thank you!!! ????LOVED IT???? Of course now I have some many questions….grandfather??? Looking forward to her story.

  180. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that short story. Especially after a nightmare week of forest fires, destruction and evacuations in our beautiful Northwest.
    thank you thank you thank you

  181. I live in Portland, Oregon and with everything going on, this was a much needed escape from the real world. Thank you for sharing your worlds and words with us.

  183. Yay so much fun, thank you!
    So many entertaining speculations now, including …
    – what skills will the small nameless one have (is there enough different magic in the mix for something new in addition to the telepathy?)
    – is the whole not really manifesting magic again until age five just for powers that affect the physical world?
    – how will Victoria and Duncan’s (great) grand-parenting style compare to Roland’s?
    – what will Arabella and Stephen’s labour be like? (presumably a hospital bunker won’t be big enough…)

  185. Just haaaad to throw in that last line, didn’t you? What’s a story of supernatural family love and birth without a fart joke?

  186. Yes linus is a siren he has a charasmatic power. Does no one else think he is caesar? From the first series. As the baddies all showed extreme loyalty to caeser, a sign of siren power. Plus Conner is very wary of linus

  187. Sorry to be slightly off-topic here, but reading through the discussion here made me remember how lately there’s been an unfortunate tendency (especially in TV/film) to shock the viewer at any cost.

    No matter the non-existent foreshadowing, out of character behaviour and illogical or straight dumb storytelling, some showrunners (still bitter about GoT) and directors (just think MCU) decided that to pull out a big unexpected surprise on their fans is the best thing they could possibly do. “Look how clever we are, we shocked them all, no-one could see this plot twist coming from the mile away, hope the stupid actors won’t leak it (just to make sure, we won’t tell them what kind of scene they are shooting today, hahaha)”.

    Slowly, we got so careful, so untrusting of the foreshadowing or hints that we really need the “giant, redundant arrow” as A has put it to point to us the obvious.

    Linus being the Grandfather would be a logical and foreshadowed development. It’s been supported by various hints in the previous installments and even his history and type of powers could fit with it.
    (we are still missing a lot of information here and while I don’t think that Victoria lied to Nevada during their talk in Wildfire, she definitely misdirected her)
    Btw the series is literally called “The Hidden Legacy” 🙂

    Whether Nevada and Catalina know is….questionable. Both Linus and Victoria are making sure they have their hands full and don’t really have time to look too closely at the connection. But I think that if they haven’t already, they will figure it out soon enough, my guess is that the connection will be revealed in the first half of the third Catalina’s book.

    Long Live House Andrews, thank you for the wonderful read, Arabella’s story made my day today!

  189. LOVE IT, thank you!!!!! As soon as I’m home i have to return to the last scene of emerald blaze to see if there are any more clues to the grandfather.

  190. Really enjoyed Emerald Blaze and expect to enjoy the Cool Aunt.
    I live in ohio and just heard the smoke from oregon and california is affecting our weather as well.

  191. Grandfather? WHAT GRANDFATHER? Oh I love the cool aunt ( I am one) but but GRANDFATHER. … Is it Linus?

  192. Grandfather? WHAT GRANDFATHER? Oh I love the cool aunt ( I am one) but but GRANDFATHER. … Is it Linus? Is he Caeser? Thank you so much. This is going to drive us NUTS.

  193. Very very interesting!

    Finally I can read it too… From Italy with love (without Amazon Kindle I would have to wait months to read it).

    Thank you for the amazing short story.

    It gives us something to think about until the next book 😀

  195. I’m just happy that the baby is okay!!! After I read the book, I was horrified at the thought that this tiny little newborn was being kidnapped, and I’m SO happy to read this and find it isn’t so!

  196. Your ability to transport your readers right into the thick of the action, drama, emotion of the characters is truly a Gift. Thx

  199. Between the words, “I … .” and “… farted.”, was such a wonderful story. It had everything I wanted from the Andrews. It had action, blood, destruction, love and mystery.

    The popular thread on, “Who is grandpa?”, leans to Linus mating with Victoria and Catalina’s genes coming from that union. An intriguing thread has him as a brother to Frieda with Catalina’s genes coming from her.

    A’s 11:24 Comment and the several Replies about, who was Grandfather; initiated this Reply from Ilona at 12:43. “Hahahahahahaha! I laughed so much.” What did that ultimate Reply imply? More smoke?

  202. Awesome little story. I was wondering what happened at rhe hospital!

    I’ve now read Emerald blaze 2x and would just ask for one little thing if possible… can we redeem Albert Ravenscroft? I mean the poor kid. I even felt worse for him the second time around!

  203. Thanks for the short! It’s been a rough week so I’m glad to escape into this world again.

    (Also, I apologize: I count as one of those accidental views. I didn’t know about the “buy the book at these stores and get the short story” promotion and I was so anxious after the end of “Emerald Blaze” I scoured comment threads for reassurance. When learned about “Cool Aunt” I searched for it right away and didn’t see the “please don’t read” post until afterwards. I’m sorry!)

  205. That was cute. Thank you.

    I’m sorry there were jerks. They really don’t deserve your work.

    Happy you got a vacation, so your art can keep supporting those of us who don’t. Rest well, stay safe.

  207. Omg I love it! But who’s the grandfather? Why is he just showing up now? Why has he been hiding behind the scenes? Is this some huge master plan?! I need more.

  209. Ohhh … You all are just awesome! After Blaze ended that way, I have to admit I had a little anxiety. Nobody should even mess with babies/kids.

    Cool aunt has it taken care of! Whew!

  210. I think “that depends entirely on you” is a threat. Arabella has leverage now and Victoria is a threat. If Rogan or Nevada find out that grandpa conspired with grandma– the woman who threatened their child the Scourge of Mexico will declare a feud and kill them both. With all the Baylors and allies joining in. Including Runa. He’ll nuke them both. And Arabella knows it. And she now has leverage to keep them BOTH in line.

    • Thinking about this some more…

      If Arabella can prove that Grandpa is Ceasar– if she uses this knowledge to go hunting for the truth about Grandpa’s background and his shenanigans she can have Catalina petition the rest of the Assembly to strip him of his status.

      And if I had to put Victoria and a Stripped-of-his-Position Linus up against The Scourge of Mexico, The Beast of Cologne, A Siren Prime and elevated to Warden Catalina, A Truthseeker Prime MOTHER protecting her child, And the most powerful Anastasi Prime on the planet, who can neutralize Victoria. Not mention their allies (if they can prove that they were impacted in the House Feud and they could with Cornelius) Beastmaster Prime and Significant. And two Prime Poisonmasters (not sure they could show a nexus), my money is on House Rogan and allies for the win.

      And it’s even worse if all the houses affected by the “Ceasar” conspiracy join Rogan.

      So, Arabella may have just neutralized some of Victoria’s threat. Smart girl.

      Smart Authors. THANK YOU FOR THE STORY.

  220. Totally Linus!!! He HAS to be grandpa. But it kind of doesn’t make sense in regard to the magic passed down with Catalina. But does explain why Linus always has such an interest in her specifically. What will Arabella do?

  222. OK, I’ve changed my mind after re-reading Emerald Blaze and this short story. I think Linus is the grandfather. Dual Hephestus/Siren mage? I do hope, though, that he is not Cesar as well…

  223. Ok, I will admit I only read about 3/4 of the comments but I did not see what appears to me as a plot thickener. Has anyone else thought about the Osiris serum in regards to the creation of the Baylors through there father?

  226. Thank you so much! I’m glad that scene at the end of EB wasn’t something awful like I was afraid.

  227. I know that Arabella is crushing on the cool aquakenetic guy, but does anyone else want to see her pair up with the gangsteresqe tatoo guy from book 3?

  228. Victoria had to use in vitro to get her baby. A Prime from House Molpe (House name changed later) who was a Siren but didn’t like to use his powers and a surrogate (Beast of Cologne). So unless Linus is also a Siren from House Molpe who was excised at the time and needed the money to agree to be Victoria’s donor…. Linus mentioned he met with Victoria shortly after she gave birth. Who knows? It might be Linus or someone from his family. There is a resemblance to Catalina according to Alessandro who was going to say something but Linus shook his head. And Linus is always described as charming. He also knew to make Catalina speak after the incident at the Pit. I can’t wait to find out.

  230. Thank you so much for this story!! I was so worried at the end of emerald blaze that something horrible would happen to the baby because his parents weren’t there to protect him. I’m so relieved that his Aunty was there! Go Arabella!

  231. Holy crap the ending of the book scared me fierce. Thank you so much for posting this. All the love that was awesome.

  232. I feel like grandfather can’t be Linus – why would he need to sneak in to see the baby? He would see the baby at some point in the future anyway since he is a family friend. I feel like Linus has some history with Grandma Frida. Victoria also wouldn’t have needed his help to see the baby since she has her own wiles.

    • Thank you for the short story!! Made me laugh out loud several times. I also feel like grandfather can’t be Linus – why would he need to sneak in to see the baby? He would see the baby at some point in the future anyway since he is a family friend. I feel like Linus has some history with Grandma Frida. Victoria also wouldn’t have needed his help to see the baby since she has her own wiles.

  234. Awww. ???? I needed that. Just finished Catalina’s big book with the cliffhanger. My heart is settled. Some. Thank you as always for the treats. Stay safe.

  235. I’d love to suggest a post for your blog.

    For context: I’m in the middle of re-reading Emerald Blaze for the….I’m not sure how many times it is now….and I’m at the scene where you are describing Catalina’s rooftop hideaway. I work in theater, specifically with props and set dressing….and I got curious. What might this really look like? What kind of couch is it? (Important because….sex….and Alessandro isn’t a small guy)…the fire pit….where does it sit? How big is it? Tabletop or freestanding?Lighting configuration…you get the drift.
    One of the lovely things about books is they leave so much room for our (the readers’) imaginations/interpretation. But (being a lover of behind the scenes peeks), I think it would be interesting to get a glimpse of what YOU might have pictured.

    So my question/suggestion is this: I’m guessing you have done quite a bit of visual, as well as oral and written research for all of your books. Have you considered sharing a photo or two of the research imagery that inspired you for location looks or considered challenging yourself to build the look of any of those locations in a video game or modeling program for shits and giggles?

    Also, thank you for the gift of your writing. Your books have been my constant companions and bright spots throughout the entire Covid-19 struggle bus season; I adore them. I won’t say they saved me from drowning, but they have certainly been a significant part of the literary element of the raft that has been keeping my spirits buoyant. (As is true, I am sure, for many of my fellow readers.) All of the time, discipline, blood, sweat, tears, laughter….it is loved and appreciated.

    Warmly,

    Curious

  236. I love, love, LOVE Emerald Blaze and The cool aunt! Also, glad you had such a good time on your vacation and especially that you kept yourselves safe! Unfortunately too many self I important, entitled jerks refuse to take the precautions that would probably end this health crisis. Stay safe and healthy and know that your readers both adore you and truly appreciate all you do!

  237. Next time could you give us a place to donate instead of having us buy hard copy books? I don’t have space for paper books but I would happily chip in to support our community. Thank you!

  239. Has anyone considered that Linus might be the Baylor’s grandfather on their mother’s side? Grandma Frida has a history with him.

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