Page 18 of Ruling in Flames (Reborn 5)
I didn’t want to be a queen, though.
That was what no one seemed to understand—I didn’t want power. I just wanted to be with my mates.
“You’ve hurt the people I love. I don’t want anything from you.”
“Don’t,” he begged as I raised the heart higher above my head.
The heart shattered on the floor, my magic lighting the shards in blue flames. Ry let out an inhuman roar, shifting and throwing Az across the floor in the process.Crap!
On pure instinct, I threw up a shield to protect my angel. An onslaught of fire surged through the room as my mates began attacking Ry from the outside, drawing him out to fight so we wouldn’t be cornered. My hands were on Az, and when I looked down, I found him staring up at me with a look that seemed shocked.
“You did it.”
“Of course I did,” I said in confusion. “I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I know he’s done. And worse, I can’t even imagine the things I don’t know.”
Az sat up and nodded sharply, his gaze going distant and haunted for a minute, making me know I’d made the right choice. “Let’s kill this bastard.”
I’d never in my life felt bloodlust, but with every direct aim Ry struck towards my mates, paired with the knowledge of everything he’d done, my blood boiled.
Ry would die at my hands.
Once Az was on his feet, I dropped my shield and blasted into the sky, training my gaze on where Ry was trying to get some distance from the recent attack.
Ihad to be the one to kill him, to use my fire to make sure he was never around to hurt anyone ever again.
To turn my gift of rebirth into a weapon of death.
I would do so gladly to rid the world of him.
Pushing through the air, I felt my energy build as blue flames licked my fingertips and magic like I’d never felt before ran over my skin. I positioned myself looking right at him, his distraction giving me the perfect opportunity for the lethal moment. I could feel centuries of power streaming through me, and a cry broke from my throat as something connected inside of me, a fundamental part of my being clicking into place.
A matched call sounded through the air, and I snapped my head to the side to find a portal opening, a circle of blue and purple flames making me smile.
My parents.
* * *
There wasno question that the response call had come from my mother. Only a moment later a streak of blue and gold broke out from the portal, followed by a deadly group of dragons that I recognized as my dads…and my brothers.Holy crap, they were all here.
The center of my chest expanded at the outpouring of support, suddenly feeling supremely confident in my ability to pull this off. I could feel that my mates felt emboldened by our growing numbers, their bloodlust intensifying exponentially.
After all, we had been put through the wringer, so none of us were functioning on the perfect level right now. I would take all the help we could get.
My mother soared towards me as I noticed the flights behind her, my mates, my brothers, and my fathers working together in a well-practiced military formation.
Az squeezed my hand and drew my attention. “I’ll go check on Croy and the younglings below.” I nodded as he disappeared, and my mom appeared next to me, looking like some avenging warrior angel. Her hair was lit in flames and her eyes were filled with a determination and clinical light that made me feel like she was a different person than I’d met before. She looked like a true military leader, lethal and dangerous.
I felt a stab of awe and jealousy, wanting to be like her—wanting to have the confidence that radiated off of her.
“What do we need to do?” she demanded, not questioning what was happening or my reason. I could feel the trust she had in me, and it emboldened me.
“I need to use my fire to kill Ry. I’ve already destroyed his heart.”
She nodded sharply. “I’m so proud of you, Maya.”
“Mom—”
“Come on, let’s defeat this bastard.”
