Page 22 of Realm of Flames (Reborn 3)
Maya
My cheeks grewpink as I slowly turned my head to find that Croy was in fact correct. My frame shrank against Ledger, feeling glad I was surrounded by all my mates. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed that someone had seen everything that had happened, but I was a bit shy because it had felt like such a private moment.
Well, it had literally been a private moment.
Honestly, I couldn’t fault anyone but myself, because after falling out from the portal, I hadn’t looked around. I’d been so focused on Ledger and the way his dragon had surged forward, calling forth my phoenix, that nothing else had mattered. Now though, the blood on my neck and marks on both mine and his body felt like they were highlighted, especially under the appraisal of the other eyes here. It was starting to make a bit more sense why Marco and Henry had been trying to keep us controlled… especially because they may have not known how far I was going to take the marking thing. I wasn’t against the idea of being with any of my mates fully, even if others were around, which should have been embarrassing to admit but wasn’t… Still, it was probably something that we should discuss before it happened.
Right? Was that weird? That I didn’t mind if others were around, in theory? I mean, especially not my other mates, but more specifically so that people understood that they were my mates. That we belonged to one another. I felt my chest heat at that concept as Henry inhaled sharply, the noise pulling my gaze as he offered me a searing look.
My smile grew, realizing that he had heard my thoughts.Well, he didn’t seem to think it was weird.
Honestly, Croy’s words sounded right to me. The concept of marking my mates before mating with them fully. I had no reason to assume his theory was correct, but instinctively, it sounded like the right process. I was starting to trust my instincts more, as it was, because the more in touch I became with my phoenix, the more intense they became. It was, of course, overwhelming, but she had yet to lead me astray despite everything we’d been through. My brow dipped, wondering how different my life would have been if I had known about that connection while locked away in that basement.
Trying to pull myself from those thoughts, I looked around where we had landed, finding myself in a bite of awe. Party because where we had landed was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. It wasn’t a large piece of land, but it was completely surrounded by vibrating gold walls of magic that seemed to send pulses of power across thick grass that was littered with multiple colored flowers at our feet. All around us, outside of the walls, were thick heavy clouds that seemed to retain the secrets of whatever else was out there. I wanted to know what was out there, and I knew without a doubt the only way to find out was to ask the two large guards that appeared to be standing near an archway that led outside of the golden walls to a cliff-like area.
The men themselves were both very large, dressed similar to my mates, with the exception of Croy. My wolf had chosen instead to wear all black, and his vibrant green eyes seemed sharper and more dangerous than usual despite the relaxed and calm attitude that he appeared to exhibit. There was a gold magic that was rippling across his skin and had him looking a bit more tense than normal as his energy rebounded back from the dip I had felt overcome him after portaling. I squeezed his hand as his gaze ran over my face before offering me a small smile, his eyes flashing with something warm and searing at the same time.
“Maya, are you good to go, or do you want to wait a bit before we head out?” Marco’s voice was filled with a soft and understanding tone. I could see his dragon roaming under his skin, and I had a feeling that the other men nearby frustrated his dragon. A thrill of excitement at his possessiveness caused me to look forward to being alone with him. I knew he would probably want to talk about me not listening to him, but rather than being worried like before, I found myself wondering what exactly he would do about it. I blinked, trying to clear my thoughts, confused on how quickly my feelings regarding his reaction could switch back and forth.
“I'm good,” I promised.
“Debatable,” Sai mused, his lips tilting up as my cheeks flushed. Maybe he was a bit right. Obviously I wasn’t completely good…
Marco kissed my forehead before walking towards the guards, both of whom immediately bowed in greeting, making my eyes go wide. I had expected something, but bowing? That was new. Henry chuckled at my reaction as I stepped closer to him, the others talking quietly around me. I was focused more on Henry and his handsome smile, but I was pretty sure they were talking about shifting and flying somewhere.
Did that mean I needed to shift? I wouldn’t lie, that gave me a bit of anxiety I hadn’t expected. What if I couldn’t do it again?
“If you start to feel off at all, let me know.” Henry’s voice was low and worried. “Even if you just feel slightly warmer than normal. I’m concerned about the fever you keep spiking.”
“I promise I will.” I squeezed his hand as he led me towards the guards. I knew I probably looked a bit like a mess, considering I had not only been laying on the grass but was covered in blood and bite marks, but rather than feel the urge to clean up, I wanted to wear it proudly. Similar to Henry’s scent, which was still covering me to some extent from earlier this morning.
Plus, I had a feeling that it was more impactful to those around us than I probably understood. I just wanted them to understand that these were my mates. Not that they had ever done anything to make me question that, but I felt more and more protective and possessive over the concept. I just hoped the boys were okay with that.
“We are going to the Fire Lands,” Marco explained to the guards. “To the capital.” His voice was dismissive and colder than I had ever heard it before, making my skin break out into shivers. It should have intimidated me, but instead it left me wanting to wrap my arms around him until he softened back into the man that I knew he was.
“Of course,” one of the guards immediately responded, his eyes darting over Marco’s shoulder to mine as one of my mates behind me, I think Atlas, let out a low snarl that had the man looking away. “Are they aware of your arrival?”
“Yes,” Henry answered evenly. I learned into my mate, his hand brushing through my hair as he let out a soft hum that had my entire body melting into him. I did notice that he still made sure to not touch my mating mark from Ledger, and I could feel the slight tension at that possibility through our bond, making itself known. I didn’t blame him—I could only imagine how I would feel if a woman got close enough to his chest where I had marked him. Plus, I had a feeling that the sensitivity wouldn’t last or apply to the others in his flight forever, because Henry, Marco, and Atlas seemed to calm down to an extent regarding anyone touching their marks.
I mean… to be fair, I only had so many places to bite, and I loved my mates’ hands on me, so there had to be a compromise there.
A soft meow had me pulling away from the conversation Marco was engaging in with the guards to look at Atlas, who was pulling Bella from his shirt. My hand immediately came out to brush over my kitten as I let out a surprised noise at the black glitter that poofed off her fur, making Atlas chuckle.
“Is she going to stay like this?” I asked curiously, loving that she had literal glitter coming off her. “Is itokayfor her to stay like this?”
As long as it didn’t risk her health in any way, of course.
“No.” Atlas ran a large hand over Bella, who purred against him. “I have shadow magic on her right now to protect her while going through portals and flying.”
“Oh.” I softened at how thoughtful he was and offered a small smile. “That was really sweet of you to do. I was worried about her.”
“Exactly why I did it. It’s possible she would have been fine, but we don’t need our kitten getting hurt,” he explained, cupping my jaw. Henry was shaking with silent laughter behind me, and I looked at him, confused, as he moved his amused gaze from Atlas to me, his flash of brilliant white teeth both dangerous and filled with literal mirth. Whatever had him laughing amused him way more than usual.
“What?” I asked, frowning, not wanting to miss out on the joke.
“Nothing,” Atlas grunted and drew my attention back. “Ignore him. He’s just jealous that Bella likes me more.”
“Bella!” I bopped her nose as she swiped a little paw at me. “No playing favorites. We love all of your dads equally.” The words slipped out and my cheeks heated again, knowing they had heard. Atlas let out a low rumble that caused my skin to prickle. Henry simply squeezed my hip as I felt a soft affection, and possibly, on Atlas’s end, love radiate through our bond. I was far too nervous to ask in the moment, though. Luckily, I didn’t have to, because Marco had a question that had me snapping my head over immediately in question.
