Page 51 of Realm of Flames (Reborn 3)
The only soft part of her face was a pair of brown eyes that were so dark they almost appeared black, surrounded by thick lashes. I saw her look over me as well before she offered me a small nod in greeting, looking at Henry with indifference as he let out a defensive rumble. Except instead of being scared, she just looked back at Croy and I, my wolf wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Who are you?” Henry demanded, his voice laced with suspicion.
“Senior Group Leader for Squadron Eight from Eldur Academy.” She paused and then seemed to realize something. “My name is Eleven.”
“Like the number?” I questioned softly.
Her eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like pain wrapped in slight embarrassment, but it was gone a moment later. “Yes. I’ve been sent here by Queen Cyra to be Princess Sol’s personal security detail tonight.”
“You can call me Maya,” I insisted softly.
“Alright.” Eleven nodded, keeping her face void of expression.
“She doesn’t need a security detail,” Croy insisted quietly.
“I’m just following orders.” Eleven offered him an indifferent look that was absolutely mastered. I was a bit jealous, because I could never do that. Then again, usually if someone was good at hiding their emotions, it was for a reason. Just another reason I was glad I was so open with my mates.
She continued, “I’m going to be following her either way, so I figured I would at least introduce myself.”
“Nice to meet you.” I stepped forward and offered her my hand. Normally I would have done a hug, but she didn’t strike me as the type to like that. Surprise covered her face before she masked it and stepped forward, meeting my hand and offering a nod. I wasn’t scared of the woman, per se, but my phoenix was warning me that she was a dangerous predator that we needed to be cautious of. That she wasn’t something we recognized for a reason. It probably didn’t help that there was a slightly numb, almost cold and clinical look to her eyes that had me knowing without a doubt that the woman was a killer. She would probably kill anything or anyone without blinking.
“My group is ready to head out if all of you are ready,” she stated as Croy pulled me back against him. Henry seemed to evaluate something before striding from the room, Eleven stepping back before following as the two of us walked through. I had to fight the urge to try to make conversation or ask her about herself. I was positive the woman wouldn’t be interested in being friends with someone she considered a job, and I didn’t want her to feel obligated to respond. My lip dipped slightly as Croy’s arm tightened around my shoulder, his lips pressing against my temple, making me wonder how much he was able to read through our bond.
As we made our way through the bedroom suite, I wondered how she had ended up all the way at the door of the bathroom en suite without anyone noticing. It didn’t seem like my mates to let someone into the room like that. Everyone looked up at us as we entered the room, but immediately Atlas was there, in front of us, pulling me from Croy.
“How the hell did you get in there?” Atlas ground out as Eleven let out an amused sound that she cut short.
I frowned, looking at Atlas, who looked annoyed and more confused than anything. Eleven met my gaze before letting out a small sigh. “It was an illusion. I walked past you minutes ago.”
My brows went up. “You can do that?”
“I can do a lot of shit,” she offered. Marco made a disapproving noise but approached, and immediately he cupped my jaw.
“You look gorgeous.”
“Marco.” I blushed as he leaned forward and nipped my bottom lip.
I looked over his shoulder to where Sai and the twins were staring at three men who were at the door. Well, staring wouldn’t be accurate—they were actually blocking their entrance. The men were dressed similar to Eleven but seemed far less serious than her and almost looked relaxed about all of this.
“We need to go,” Eleven reminded us. I could feel my boys tense, and I had a feeling that they were really uncomfortable with the orders she seemed to be throwing around… or maybe it was more the lethal energy coming off her. I could feel them almost subtly blocking me. It wasn’t something I would have noticed before, but it was amped up majorly being here in the Dreki realm. Or maybe it was just the more connected I became with my magic, the more I noticed it.
“Okay,” I whispered.
I kept hold of Marco’s hand as we left the room, the two of us walking at the front of the group as my other six mates lined up in two rows behind us. It confused me at first until Eleven and her three men lined up on either side of them. I swallowed, feeling as though this was a far bigger deal than I realized. I liked when my mates and I could relax, and this felt anything but.
It wasn’t long before I realized how correct I’d been.
As we left the part of the castle where our room was, we were led through a series of main hallways that we hadn’t explored before. My eyes traced the luxurious furnishings and decor as large flags, displaying the gold and blue crest, created a stunning contrast. Banners and flags decorated every surface, along with gold and brown decor that seemed to celebrate harvest-like food, from wheat to corn. It was beautiful, and so were the people flooding through the main hallways from outside. I frowned, realizing that it was truly more men than women. Although, both were beautiful, and everyone seemed larger and more impressive than myself, dressed in expensive tailored clothes and seemingly in a celebratory mood.
Well, until people began seeing us.
That was when the stares and whispers started, the sound anything but quiet considering the large number of people present. I didn’t think it was just me, either. I saw how people were looking at my mates. I didn’t understand it fully, but I saw the caution. It made me wonder who they thought my men were. I was sure they had some type of reputation here, but that didn’t matter to me. I knew who they really were.
When eyes began to stray to me, I was tempted to put my head down, a blush blasting my cheeks, but I was able to keep it together. Marco’s hand in mine gave me strength. Did they know who I was? Had my parents announced it? I wasn’t positive I wanted to know their reaction either way. At least on Earth the human media could be ignored to some extent, but in this crowded hallway with whispers surrounding me? Not as easy. A shiver ran over my skin as my phoenix tried to push through, wanting to show off despite me knowing it was not the time.
We neared a large set of gold doors, and I assumed we were back at the throne room until the guards opened them for us, revealing a ballroom completely decorated for celebration. From floor to ceiling, everything sparkled, and my eyes widened as I looked around, unable to process just how they were even able to decorate the four-story ceiling. Gold feathers and decor seemed to spiral down from chandeliers and dusted the marble flooring with gold dust that was cleared off to give way to a dance floor. On all sides were long tables and a table up front that looked set to fit over twenty people, including a throne at the very center. It was clear Cyra wasn’t here yet, but that didn’t stop anyone from beginning their celebration. Music danced through the space and I looked to Marco, feeling both excited and overwhelmed.
That was when I noticed how tense he was. His jaw clenched as he looked around the space, all of my mates seeming a bit on edge. I moved closer to him, wanting to lend him the same type of comfort that he usually gave me.
