Page 19 of Scion of Chaos

“Oh no. Come sit,” she says, gesturing for me to follow her. She leads me into the dark interior. Hidden sconces along the walls flame to life with a wave of her hand, illuminating the cozy space in a warm glow. The flames reveal a comfortable sitting area of wood furniture. There are no cushions, but when I sit, I realize the chair isn’t wood at all—it’s cold, sculpted iron, contoured perfectly to the shape of a human backside. It’s also polished to a gleaming shine, though lightly patinaed with rust, which accounts for the color.

“When you’re flammable, you can’t exactly live in a house made of kindling,” Benedetta says, settling in the chair across from me. A low table rests between us. The two men remain on the balcony, guarding us like a pair of dark sentinels. “I’ve learned to control it when I’m teaching, but I prefer not to take chances in my own home.”

“I suppose having dragons for mates helps,” I offer. “They’re fireproof, right?”

“That they are. They also resurrected me. If not for their fire, I wouldn’t be alive today. They found my soul trapped in a globe on the tree in the campus courtyard, and somehow managed to find a way to release me from it. I’ve never regretted my powers, but living with them has required certain sacrifices.”

She gestures to the industrial decor of this room. I peer around, admiring the rustic look of the stone, in contrast to deliberate the angles and lines, and an even, patterned texture etched into the walls and floors that resembles wallpaper and wood grain.

I register something she said and frown at her. “How did you wind up in a globe on that tree?”

She shakes her head and shrugs. “Fate? That’s the only explanation I have. I was killed by dragon fire more than a thousand years ago. When someone dies by dragon fire, their soul is sent to the Ashes, and from the Ashes can be resurrected as a phoenix, if found by the right mates. Fate magic brought April and her mates together when she was creating the original sculpture, and when they planted it on this island, its roots grew deep, touching all the magical realms: the Dragon Glade, the Ursa Sanctuary, the Nymphaea Haven, and the Turul Enclaves. I think it must have also reached the realm of the gods, the realm of Ashes, and who knows how many other magical realms. Somehow it found my soul and pulled me back to the realm of the living where my Shadows found me.”

She smiles adoringly in the direction of the two dragons. I’m uncomfortably aware of their missing third, Razik, who no doubt went to their boss to report on my misbehavior.

“I’m getting kicked off the island, aren’t I?”

The three of them share a worried look and Benedetta presses her lips tight, smoothing her hands along the tops of her thighs. She’s wearing what look like normal clothes—black jeans and a loose pink blouse—but they shimmer when her hands pass over them—yet more evidence of the level of power the higher races possess if they can conjure clothing that’s impermeable to fire.

“I don’t think we should jump to conclusions,” Benedetta says. “I’m still here, after all.”

“Not that we’d have let them expel you,” Errol says.

“And I don’t think we need to expel Nemea, either,” she says. “This is the best place for you to learn to control your power. If you’re here, it’s because you’re meant to be here.”

“But I can’t bethere,” I say, pointing vaguely in the direction of the school. “So who’s going to teach me? What kind of creature uses chaos magic and knows how to help me control it?”

They all share more looks, more frowns.

“You don’t even know how it works, do you?” I ask.

Benedetta takes a deep breath, slowly shaking her head. “No, but there aren’t many other phoenixes in the world either. The only other one I’ve met was almost as new to the power as I am. The best she and I can do is compare notes when we’re together. I learned control mostly through practice and focus. For some of the Bloodline, that’s the only option. If we have to build you your own studio in a corner of the island so you can have a place to learn, we will.”

Despite how optimistic she sounds, I can’t help but remember the state I left the cabin in. I don’t remember how I did it, but I’m positive it was my fault somehow. What building is going to withstand my fuckups?

I cross my arms, torn between thanking her for how kind she’s being and my skepticism that there’s any hope for me at all. My lip begins to quiver as the hopelessness takes hold again. I absently reach up and clasp the small bottle still dangling between my breasts and squeeze. This was supposed to give me answers. Maybe it still can. The missing time must hold some truth for me.

“We’ll figure it out, Nemea,” Benedetta says again, her tone more comforting as she stands. “I’m going to make some tea and we can talk more, at least until the others get here.”

“Then what happens?” I ask, craning my neck to watch her walk to a staircase near the far wall. She pauses and looks at her two mates.

“I’m not sure, but we want to help, don’t we?”

The two men stare back without answering. They’re probably chatting telepathically, like dragons do. At least it’s clear thatsomekind of exchange occurs, because Errol finally tears his gaze away from her to look at me.

“I’ll be straight with you: the security of this island is our job. If your presence here jeopardizes that, we’re obligated to handle it. But the decision isn’t ours to make. When Cassandra and April get here, it’s up to them.”

11

Nemea

“Ifeel like you want to lock me up or something,” I say, barely able to hold back my panic. The lights flicker and I dart my gaze to the nearest wall sconce. It’s not even electric. Why is this happening to me?

Benedetta frowns at the lights, her eyes flickering as though reflecting the flames, though they’re obscured by translucent stone. The two dragons take a cautious step toward me.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to stop it.”

She holds up a hand to stop the men. “You’re safe here. We won’t lock you up. We just want to protect the other students and staff at the school.”

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