Page 38 of Realm of Flames (Reborn 3)
I whispered my realization. “This is my mom.”
* * *
I had believedfor so long that I had lived in the basement my entire life. I had never given full thought to where I’d been born. Rather the opposite—I tried to avoid those thoughts because they were met with the sad realization that a monster like my mother had given birth to me. That had been the hand fate had dealt me.
So I had thought.
Now though, the small dreams and nightmares I had were starting to piece together, and my instincts, my phoenix, were telling me that there was only one truth here…Queen Cyra was my mother.
Unlike my mates, who were connected in a subconscious bond that surrounded me with my wolf and I in the center, my connection with her was a vibrant blue piece of cord that was slightly frayed but solid in the center. The more time we stood in proximity to one another, the more intensely it began to glow, as if my magic was feeding off her own. A wave of memories, short flashes, began to invade everything. Gold eyes. Warm hugs. Flying. Large glass ceilings. Even the smell of her natural scent, a rose and sea salt, became familiar to me. These had always appeared in my dreams, but I had assumed they were simply fantasies to distract me from the far more depressing reality that I’d been locked in the basement from before I could remember.
My phoenix let out another excited sound as I felt hers begin to radiate a magic so pure and strong from her chest that it actually had me feeling as though I was in the presence of a goddess. Tears flooded my face once again as suddenly she pulled me into a hug that was so tight I felt like I was burning alive. Yet I hugged her back, through the small sob of confusion that left my throat.
“I don’t even know what to say.” Cyra pulled back, tears streaking down her cheeks as well. “I don’t understand… we thought… I mean we looked everywhere, for months. We still have a scouting team on Earth realm… yet here you are.”
My throat worked as I tried to find the words that I needed.
“I was locked up,” I admitted softly, and I felt the energy turn darker in the room at my phrasing. I had no idea how else to explain what had occurred, though.
“Locked up?” Her voice was choked. “Where?”
“In a basement,” I rushed out. “I thought it was a church, but apparently it’s a coven. Pastor Malcolm knew I was a phoenix.”
“Did you say that you were being held by a coven?” A masculine voice had me jumping as Cyra tightened her hold on me. I could feel my mates were on edge and very close behind me, but they didn’t try to step into the moment between her and I. I was finding that I wanted them closer. Everything was growing overwhelming, and I was trying to breathe through it, but it wasn’t easy. It didn’t help that the man now standing over us was legitimately massive.
He had been the one snapping orders. His entire energy was very similar to Marco’s in both dominance and magic, but where there was a soft edge to Marco around me, this man had me shrinking back. My mate let out a low rumble that had the intimidating man snapping his head towards him in confusion, removing his gaze from Cyra and I.
“You’re scaring her,” Marco grit out.
“Nuriel,” Cyra’s voice was smoother, “calm down. I’m sure we can get more of an explanation. Let’s find somewhere to sit—”
“You’re telling me to calm down?” Nuriel demanded softly, his black eyes flashing with pain as I realized how similar he looked to the man Con. Were they brothers? He continued, his voice choked with emotion. “Calm down, Cyra? Our daughter, who we thought was dead, shows up out of nowhere and says she was locked up by a fucking coven this entire time—”
“Nuriel,” Con’s voice rang out. Nuriel’s jaw tightened, but he instantly went silent. He looked back down at me, sadness filling his gaze, before muttering under his breath and running a hand through his hair.
“I am furious, but we need all the information first,” Cyra explained softly, her hands tightening around me. Nuriel nodded and walked towards some guards, leaving me in a state of both being worried about him and intimidated.
“He’s harmless,” Cyra promised. “He’s just… this is a lot at once. We should sit.”
I nodded mutely as she led me forward. I hesitantly met the gaze of the red-haired man we passed, his gaze darting between Cyra and me before he looked away, his eyes glinting with anger and what appeared to be tears. My eyes widened as I came to a stop, making Cyra look at me with confusion.
“Did he say ‘our daughter’?” I asked softly.
Cyra’s eyes filled with compassion. “Yes, our daughter. I’m sorry, this must be so much for you, Sol—”
“I go by Maya,” I admitted.
Her eyes flashed with sadness as she nodded. “Of course. You have to understand, your fathers and I have been looking for you since you first disappeared. You were so, so young, and we had no idea what happened. To hear that you were taken is—”
Fury blazed in her eyes as she seemed at a loss for words. Suddenly, the man who had ordered others to calm down appeared over her shoulder. His dark hair and bright, ocean-colored eyes were a bit unnerving as he offered me a small, hesitant smile. His voice was soft as he spoke to Cyra.
“Honey, I need you to breathe. Your magic is going to cause half of us to shift if you don’t.”
My mother… my mom? What did I call her? She nodded and closed her eyes, seeming to pull on a source of calm energy, causing me to exhale, not having realized how much she was affecting me.
“I’m fine.” Cyra nodded, seeming more collected. “Maya, this is Fuji.”
“One of my dads?” I barely got out, unable to truly believe this. Any of it. My mates were in shock as well, but I could feel their anxiety grow through our bond as I was moved further away from them. I turned back when Atlas let out a snarl, realizing that they weren’t being allowed to follow me. The red-haired man stood blocking them, his jaw set firmly as magic crackled through the room, his gaze on Atlas, who was practically standing toe to toe with him. Marco stepped to the side as my anxiety began to grow, and I tugged my arm from Cyra, causing her to let out a sad, almost injured sound that made me feel guilty.
