Page 15 of Mated in Flames

“My father apparently made it his life’s work to track down and save many different species of mythical creatures,” Luciana says, sitting back. “He once looked after a cat phoenix, which disappeared not long after he brought it into his care.”

Dane and I look at each other, startled. Two years ago, a cat phoenix had suddenly joined us and slotted right in with her own kind. Had she perhaps come from this farm, sensing that there was a place nearby where she would fit in better?

I glance back at Luciana. Suddenly, the presence of the Peryton makes far more sense. She must have several other animals that I didn’t see that day.

“And you inherited everything?” Dane asks, a bite in his words that tells me that he is definitely not sold on trusting Luciana.

“Yes,” Luciana says with a grimace. “Not that I knew anything before I came here. I lived in Brazil before this, though I travelled all across the world with Doctors Without Borders.”

That explains her accent. And ties in with her claims that she’s a doctor.

“What did you do with them?” I ask, interested.

“I was a toxicologist,” she explains. She shakes her head. “Anyway, why are you guys in Mundaring?”

“Hiding from Supernaturals and Hunters,” I say.

“Warwick!” Dane hisses.

“What?” I demand. “It’s a bit late to keep things hidden, now.”

“What are Supernaturals?” Luciana asks, looking between us.

“Supernaturals are a sort of hunter that captures, tortures and enslaves beings like us,” I say. “Unlike Hunters, who just kill us for pride.”

“But you guys can’t die, right?” Luciana asks, frowning.

“We can, but there’s only two ways to do it,” I say, ignoring the glare Dane is boring into the side of my head. “Through the claws of another phoenix, or from a dagger magically imbued with the poison from a phoenix’s claws.”

Part of me knows that this is stupid. But there is something that has drawn me to Luciana from the moment we first met. I cannot deny this pull, and I find that I don’t want to.

“Poison?” Luciana asks, interested. “Is there an antidote to it?”

“Not as far as we know,” Dane says.

There’s a thoughtful look on Luciana’s face. I’m amazed how well she has taken all this, after her initial shock. Perhaps it just hasn’t completely sunk in yet. If I was Dane, I would be suspicious; I can already see the way his eyes are narrowing at her.

But I can’t bring myself to distrust her. I’m not sure why. But, as I watch her, her mind obviously racing, there is not any part of me that worries about her motives.

It takes me a moment to realise what is happening. My breath catches in my throat and I fight to keep my face straight as my heart pounds while Luciana asks Dane more about the poison, much to his annoyance. One of the first things we learnt, as young phoenixes, were about mates. We all knew that there was only one other in the world who would be able to draw us in, body and soul, and we would know almost instantly.

Luciana, I slowly understand in shock, is my mate.

Dane is going to kill me.

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