Page 63 of Phoenix's Fire

"But your skin was pale, your words were strange, and your little prissy attitude made it easier to hate you than get to know you."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I am," she said. "Fuck. Your people killed my entire family - did you know that?"

"No..." I breathed, glancing at her.

She waved that off. "Rymar's family took me in. Zasen's too, until his father was killed. Tasult's dads were like my uncles, so I was never alone, but I wanted to hate you so badly. And when Zasen looked at you like that?"

"Like what?" I asked.

She chuckled, hearing something in my voice. "Oh, like he thinks you're pretty."

"I didn't... I don't..." I tried, unsure what came next.

She flashed me a devious smirk. "It's okay to like it. Shit, girl. I'm going to have to corrupt both of you, huh?"

"Me and Meri?"

She nodded, looking like she was making a decision on the spot. "Definitely. Those Moles killed my family, so I'll corrupt you both to make them pay. I think that's much better vengeance than taking it out on theirothervictims."

"We didn't even know we were victims," I admitted. "We were told the worldwas burning, only demons and wild men lived on the surface of the Earth, and God was fighting the Devil. Our lessons said we hadn't proven ourselves yet, so we had to be righteous enough to convince God we could return to the world one day."

"But the hunters..." she tried.

I just shrugged. "They never told us it was so beautiful up here. They never said anything at all, Lessa. They only said Dragons were evil and attacked them. Not that we were hunting you, but that you were hunting us - and that you'd eat us!"

"Fucking figures," Lessa grumbled.

I nodded. "It's because the men don't want to lose their power, and if they let the women know the surface is safe, we'd all come here."

She murmured at that, but we were almost to my house, so Lessa didn't say anything else. Instead, she simply followed as I turned into the yard, then trailed behind me up the stairs. When I opened the door, I gestured for her to enter first, and she did, but not the way I'd expected.

"Zasen!" Lessa bellowed the moment she was inside.

"Where's Ayla?" Zasen demanded as he hurried out of his room.

Lessa didn't say anything. She simply stormed toward him, meeting him behind the chair I usually sat in. Then she did the last thing I ever would've expected. That woman reached back and swung, cracking Zasen soundly across the cheek with her open palm.

"Do notevertouch a woman without her permission again!" Lessa growled.

Slowly, Zasen reached up to touch his smarting cheek. "I was pushing her, Less."

"She didn't want to, and you didn't listen!" Lessa barked.

"Yeah..." Rymar said as he trotted down the stairs with Kanik behind him. "I already talked to him about that, but she's right."

"It wasn't that bad," Kanik told them. "He gave her time to pull away. He also made a very pretty little speech first. Give the man some credit. I mean, he's a dick, but notthatmuch of one."

"You still fucked up!" Lessa snapped.

Zasen lifted both hands, but his eyes jumped over to me. "I had my reasons."

"Oh, do tell?" Lessa drawled.

"I know stubborn when I see it, because I'm the same way," he said, those orange eyes of his holding mine. "And sometimes it's easier to keep saying no instead of facing the fear of the unknown. Someone has to push her across those lines she's set so she can make her own decisions, not simply follow the rules that were beaten into her. If she hates me for it, then I can live with that - because it means she'll be confident enough in herself to actually hate - and even act on it."

"I'm trying," I said softly, my words for him.

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