Page 52 of Realm of Flames (Reborn 3)
“Are you okay?” I drew his attention down as he examined my expression and let out a low rumble, not fully answering but making me know I wasn’t far off base about him being tense and not his normal relaxed self. Well, relaxed wasn’t really the right word for Marco… just more controlled than he was right now.
In fact, the only one that seemed even relatively calm was Croy, and I had a feeling that was because his wolf was feeling a bit more settled now that we had marked one another. His possessive feelings rang clear and vibrant through our bond, making me blush as his green gaze met mine, practically on fire.
“This way,” Eleven instructed, leading us forward. I briefly noticed that there were several tables that seemed to showcase school banners, and I had to wonder if those were the military academies that the boys had mentioned. There were students sitting at them already, large mugs in their hands and the scent of alcohol surrounding most of the room, letting me know that this was truly a celebration in their eyes.
We sat down at the large table, choosing seats on the right side of the throne, leaving the middle open. Commotion almost immediately started up once again as I looked around for the reasoning behind it.
If I had been further away, I wouldn’t have heard Eleven curse under her breath at the explosion of cheers and chanting of names. My eyes flashed up to find a group of men walking into the hall that… well, that sort of looked like me. Okay.‘Sort of’ was an understatement.Obviously there were differences, but not only did they look like me, but they were wearing uniforms similar to my mates’ and had gold crown-like bands on their heads. I may have been figuring all of this out, but I was putting it together as I remembered Croy’s information regarding the Queen’s situation.
Not only was I their lost daughter… but this would be their six sons. My brothers. Wow. How was I going to explain myself to them? Maybe I was wrong, but I felt like it was a bit jarring to just look at someone and announce that you’re their long-lost sister.
They seemed in rather good spirits, loud music announcing their entrance, and the response from the crowd made me realize how popular they were. Everyone was clapping them on the back and greeting them, the six of them making their way to the front where Eleven was still muttering what sounded like curses under her breath.
I turned to look up at her and she offered me a tight smile, legitimate discomfort in her gaze. Did she not want to be around them?
“You can watch me from back there, if it’s easier?” I offered softly, not wanting her to be uneasy, especially if she had an issue with them that I was unaware of.
Softness invaded her gaze before she shook her head. “I’ll be damned if they get me kicked out of this position. They have been trying to do that for years now.”
Oh.
My surprise must have shown as she winced. “Sorry, I realize they’re your brothers.”
“They could be jerks, I wouldn’t know,” I pointed out.
“‘Jerks’ isn’t the word I would use,” Eleven managed through a tight jaw, her eyes flashing up. My own eyes widened because suddenly a man stood behind her, a pair of gold eyes briefly meeting mine before looking back down at a stone-still version of my guard. I felt a defensive flare in my chest, but Atlas had wrapped his arm around me and settled me on his knee, so I watched with curiosity, wondering if I needed to step in. I figured my mates would at least give warning if we needed to… not that Eleven would need it. It was very clear she was capable.
“And what word would you use, Eleven?” the man asked, amused, his smile anything but nice. It wasn’t mean either… there was just a lot there between them. I saw Eleven clear the expression from her face before she turned and looked up at the man.
“Overbearing asshole.”
My eyes widened as Atlas put his head down on my shoulder, amusement radiating through our bond.
“Now come on, we aren’t that bad,” another voice chimed, my gaze moving to a man that looked identical to the first. Okay, so they were clearly twins. And younger, if I had to guess. Out of all the men, I was pretty sure they looked the most like me, with their brown hair and gold eyes. It was a bit unsettling.
“You’re the worst,” Eleven declared, her eyes darting over their shoulders to her three teammates, who were seemingly scared of the men talking to her. I mean, unless I was imagining the way they seemed to be making themselves as small as possible.
“Why the hell did you come with them?” a third voice sounded. My brows raised, watching a dark, long-haired man stride over, his hair pulled back in a braid and a sword strapped to his back. “We invited you as a guest, not to work.”
“And I rejected your invitation, several times,” she explained, her eyes narrowing. “Like I always do and always will. So stop acting surprised.”
“Pretty sure it’s treason or something to talk to us like that.” The second twin chuckled making Eleven’s mouth twitch up just slightly.
“Leave her alone, it’s not worth it,” a fourth voice, darker than the others, had Eleven straightening slightly, her jaw clenching at the man rounding the table, who had my eyes widening. Not only was he huge—like Atlas huge—but he had a scar running down the length of his cheek to his jaw and neck. It was extremely intimidating.
“That’s not true,” the first twin voiced.
“He’s not wrong. It’s not worth it.” Eleven’s gaze was set on a place over one of the twins’ shoulders as the fourth man examined her expression before shaking his head and stalking off towards the other side of the table. Without comment, the third man with the long hair followed, leaving only the twins.
“Come on, Ven,” the first encouraged her. “You know he’s always a grumpy bastard. It’s not you.”
“Oh, it’s me,” Eleven assured and then looked back over at her team. “I need you guys to go sit down. I’m working right now.”
“My parents are having you working today?” a fifth voice asked, smooth and rather polished, almost professionally so. I watched with interest as a man with lighter, almost gold hair reached them, examining her with interest. Also a bit of affection, but I was almost positive that she didn’t notice that.
“I requested a shift,” she leveled.
“Of course you did.” I reared back as the sixth man finally made an appearance, sitting on the edge of a chair and not even making her flinch. I felt shock radiate through me at how he just appeared, though, as he reached out and tugged on a piece of her hair while watching her with intense, almost unnerving focus. Honestly, he seemed a bit odd.
