Page 65 of Realm of Flames (Reborn 3)
“Your Majesties,” he offered as he and the others bowed towards my mom and fathers. He then turned to Marco and offered a tired expression. “Thanks for letting us come with you, Commander Moretti.”
I could feel concern in my bond with Marco, but he nodded. “No problem. I think we are ready to head out, if you guys are.”
All six of them nodded, and I watched as Marco stepped back towards the edge and fell, my heart racing as his dragon once again made an appearance. I smiled and immediately ran over towards him, promising myself that once we were back on Earth, I would meet the other boys, who were now shifting. I wanted to make sure they felt welcomed. I knew they weren’t technically running, but leaving your home couldn’t be easy. It was just another reason that I knew my mates would understand and take care of them.
Offering a small wave to my parents, my mom flashed a smile and Marco took off. I let out a tired sigh and clasped my hand around the necklace that Con had given me, feeling as though it was a piece of proof that all of this existed. Resting my head on Marco, I let out a happy hum and closed my eyes, feeling as though I finally had some purpose. I had felt lost in this new world, and now I knew what I needed to do.
I needed to know Pastor Malcolm wasn’t hurting anyone else any longer.
I needed to know if there were others being kept like I’d been.
I needed to know they were safe.
This determination soared through me as we landed and made our way towards the portal, keeping myself comfortably between the twins, who both offered me looks that spoke to the amount of love that I felt for them. I closed my eyes as we submerged ourselves in the odd portal, everything around me going dark as I kept a hold on them, knowing it was locking me to reality. While I had only done this once before, I realized exactly when something was wrong.
There was a coolness to the portal that hadn’t existed before. Almost as if it had been opened differently. I could smell the ocean air before the portal opening even appeared, and a sense of dread began to grow inside of me. Something was very wrong.
My phoenix attempted to break out but I breathed through it, knowing I needed to keep calm until I saw what we were walking into. Well, falling into. When the portal opened up, the twins and I fell forward, and immediately all three of us stood as I ignored my busted knee from the hard rock we had landed on.
A sharp growl left Marco’s throat from where he was in front of me, the wind picking up as I realized we were somewhere on the coast, not in the council building. The water was cold and hitting us from behind in small splashes, making me know we were steps from falling into the stormy ocean. I shivered as I looked around at the tree line of pines. But that wasn’t what had dread filling my heart.
No.
Instantly, I moved forward, gripping Marco and Henry’s arms as I locked eyes with Anna. That alone wouldn’t have been unusual if it wasn’t for Larry next to her, tied up to a tree and looking nearly unconscious. I blinked, trying to process what was going on before I traced the circle of fire surrounding all of us, including the new flight who looked absolutely confused and scared as they made it through the portal. I swallowed, noticing people stepping out from the tree line. More specifically, magic users.
I wasn’t positive at first what type, but then it became far too clear.
“Maya.” Pastor Malcolm’s voice rang out as my heart sank and my knees nearly broke, my gaze finding his as he walked towards Anna. The world grew dark as I tried to keep focused on what was going on instead of the panic threatening.
“What the fuck?” Atlas sounded enraged as he followed up the group.
Malcolm kept his gaze on me as he offered a horrifying smile.
“I told you I was coming to take you home.”
