Page 7 of Dying in Flames (Reborn 4)
Marco seemed to consider the situation, then nodded. “Croy, Henry, and I will finish here and follow up after. Do not break out of formation while flying, and keep out of view. Ledger, you have Maya. Baby girl, make sure to keep Bella tucked against you once you’re up in the air so she doesn’t get cold.”
No one argued with him as I let go of my gorgeous mate and turned towards the cliff’s edge. Normally I loved shifting, but right now it just meant that I couldn’t hold my mate. Running off the ledge, I almost immediately shifted mid-air, and my dragon soared up, only to turn around, noticing my other flight members were shifting nearby. My dragon didn’t care about that though. His eyes were on our mate, who looked temporarily far happier, her eyes filled with wonder as I pulled up to the edge of the cliff. With Bella tucked into her shirt, she climbed on and easily positioned herself as if it was second nature to ride a dragon. Which wasn’t far from the truth, honestly.
I slowly pulled away from the cliff’s edge to warn of our departure, and then we were off.
Now that we were shifted, my dragon easily tracked how close we were to home. I soared up into the air, out of human sight and into the clouds, as we got into formation with Atlas leading us, my brother and I to either side of the smaller flight between us, and Sai following up behind. I could feel the hum of content and excitement through my bond with Maya, and it made me realize how much more often the two of us needed to fly.
It was obviously a luxury to be able to escape reality in the clouds, and not one we had right now, but once this was over…once Malcolm was taken, I would make sure we flew everywhere. It was a privilege that had often been taken away from me as a kid, so I planned to now enjoy it fully with my mate.
“Ledger?”Anani’s whisper in our darkroom had the emotions from that day beginning to boil up. I had done such a good job at keeping them locked down, but not anymore. The concern in my brother’s voice had me knowing that he was well aware of what had happened today…on our tenth birthday, nonetheless.
“I’m fine,” I insisted quietly, the bruising on my ribs and all along my shattered right arm making me know that I wasn’t going to be flying any time soon.
He wanted it that way. He wanted me trapped but also unhappy, my dragon roaring underneath the surface for retribution but not forcing a shift because of how much it would hurt both of us.
“What did he do?” Anani asked. “We were at our party all day, how did I miss him—”
“It was when he pulled me off to the side,” I whispered, not wanting to get into the details.
“How long did they say you wouldn’t be able to fly for?”
“About a month for there to be no pain, but I should heal sooner than that.” Tears were welling in my eyes, knowing that it meant a month of being home and not going to the nearby flight school. A month of dealing with my father and not having any escape.
So many kids I knew complained about school. I relished it. Relished the chance to escape my home.
“Once we are at the Academy, we won’t have to deal with this anymore,” my twin promised.
I just hoped he was right. I had a feeling my father wouldn’t give up his games that easily.
Of course,he hadn’t, but I was happy to say that period of my life was long over. We may have been in a difficult situation now, but it was nothing compared to the fear of a child being hurt by the person that was supposed to care for them. That was a true betrayal.
As we neared our Washington home, I realized that quite a bit of time had passed here on Earth. I knew we had told Maya there would be a difference in time between the realms, nearly thirty times as fast as on Earth, but already Washington looked different. The trees around our house were a gorgeous mix of brown, orange, and red, with the exception of the pines and the mist that surrounded the estate, leaving it with an almost eerie feel.
Or maybe that was just me imagining shit because last time we’d been here, Maya had been nearly taken by her father. Which reminded me, it was going to be essential to contact Alpha Creed and figure out just how Pastor Malcolm had escaped from his pack. A rumble left my throat as I landed in the back yard, wondering if Lorn had escaped as well. Fuck. He better fucking hope that he didn’t, because if I found him…
No, I couldn’t go there right now. I needed to chill out. I didn’t want to freak Maya out.
At least, not any more than I probably already had.
Maya slid off me as I quickly shifted, her eyes running over me before a scowl slipped onto her face, clearly disappointed that we were still in Dreki realm clothing that allowed for us to shift back without being naked. Something my gorgeous mate seemed constantly frustrated with. Honestly, she had no idea how fucking thrilled I was that she wanted to see me without clothes, especially since I would be more than happy any time to strip her and I both down.
Her frustration only lasted a minute, though, before she was looking around our back yard, her mouth opening in shock.
“What?” I asked, my voice coming out rougher than normal. Anani was walking over as Atlas and Sai showed the boys into the house, all of them looking exhausted. I had no idea where they were going to stay, but we would figure it out. I didn’t want them at the mercy of the fucking Dreki realm’s justice system. It was the same one that became aware of my father’s treatment when Marco got a restraining order against him, but continued to do nothing to enforce it.
“The trees!” she exclaimed, her eyes flashing with fire. “They are so pretty! When did they change?”
“We’ve been gone for about a month.” Anani smiled at her excitement as she blinked and looked around, a smile breaking onto her face.
“It’s gorgeous. They never looked like this in Louisiana! I have to paint it,” she insisted as Bella meowed in agreement.
“Let’s get you inside first and get you some food,” my brother suggested.
“What day is it even?” Maya asked curiously, practically bouncing on her toes as we walked towards the house.
“I don’t know, actually.” I ran a hand through my hair as I motioned for her to go through the door before me, my eyes on her ass before they flicked back up to take in our familiar home. Everything was as comfortable and cozy as we’d left it, and Maya seemed in a far better mood as she headed upstairs. I went to the kitchen to start some dinner, although I honestly had no idea what to make.
“I’m worried about her,” Anani admitted. “She hasn’t seen us like that, ever.”
