Page 28 of Ruling in Flames (Reborn 5)
Her large eyes filled with tears as she nodded. “I would love that.”
“Miss Maya?”
My gaze moved down to one of the younger girls, maybe around six, who had bruises that were still healing but otherwise looked as vibrant as Ember.
“Hi.” I crouched down, and Bella jumped out of my arms, running to some of the other children in the room. Half were still playing, and the other half were watching my mates cautiously. I didn’t fully blame them—while I was aware they were total sweethearts, I understood how they could come across as intimidating.
“You saved us,” the little girl whispered, her voice filled with awe. “We saw you kill the dragon god. I’ve never seen a phoenix look like that—you weren’t in your bird form. I haven’t shifted yet, none of us have, but you looked different than any other phoenix I’ve seen—”
“Breathe,” Ember reminded her as I squeezed the little girl’s hand, feeling a wave of emotion at the way she was looking at me. I also felt a sliver of pride that I’d done something to earn this girl’s respect. Even if she was young, it meant so much to me that she had seen the person who had trapped her brought down.
Immediately Malcolm popped into my head. What had happened to him? Did we know where he was? I felt myself pale at the idea of his escape, the man somehow scarier to me than Ry. But I didn’t say anything, instead standing on unsteady feet as Atlas wrapped an arm around me.
“How many?” I looked over the crowded room, cots and sleeping areas laid out, all of the children looking freshly bathed. There was food as well, spread on a long table at one end of the room, and it made my heart warm to hear their laughter fill the space.
“Nearly twenty throughout the compound,” Marco said. I shook my head, watching Ember extract Bella from two younglings that couldn’t have been older than three, who were being watched over by children around twelve or thirteen. None of them seemed to be acting their age, though, and I could practically see the weight of the world crashing over them with each moment as they tried to adjust to this normal.
“I want to get them into a secure situation,” I told him. “Let’s go talk to everyone.”
Before they could question it, I directed my question to Ember. “Can you keep Bella here for now?” She smiled in excitement, and after I gave another parting snuggle to Bella, my mates led me from the room. Something occurred to me as we made our way down the hallway, thinking about how I didn’t want any of them feeling alone—not for a single second.
“Did any of them find their parents?”
Atlas grunted. “Not that we can tell so far, but many of the older dragons fled. Most of them were young, though—early twenties—probably not old enough to have been the parents of these kids. I have to assume most of their parents were…”
“Killed.” Marco finished. My eyes pricked with tears, but I nodded in understanding.
“Peanut?”
Anani’s voice had me rushing down the hallway as he stepped out, looking like he’d just woken up, his torso all bandaged but his eyes lit with pleasure at seeing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me by my waist, burying his nose against my throat.
“I’m so damn glad you’re awake,” he breathed out. “Fuck, that was so damn terrifying. All of it.”
Pulling back, I cupped his jaw and offered a smile. “But we both made it out okay. We were both reborn—and so was Az.”
Anani let out a low rumble, but his eyes were light. “Yes, the angel.”
“He’s not going anywhere, is he?” Atlas asked, appearing behind me. My cheeks flushed.
“Considering she has a feather of his, probably not,” Marco said. My eyes widened—I shouldn’t have been surprised he noticed everything.
I turned to face the three of them and tried to fight my embarrassment at the range of emotions I was feeling towards Az. “I…I don’t fully know how to explain what’s going on with him. Because he sacrificed his life for me, we formed a sacrificial bond…I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable or upset—”
“Hey.” Anani wrapped a hand around my waist and kissed my shoulder. “If you want him around, then we will have to learn how to deal with the bastard.”
Marco grunted. “He has my respect for what he did, but not my trust.”
I reached and squeezed his hand as I turned to look at Atlas, who examined my face before shaking his head. “He has been helpful these past few days. More than that, actually—I don’t think he’s slept while trying to assure everyone was okay, but there is more to that bond than he’s telling you, angel. I don’t understand it either, but angel feathers aren’t given away—their magic selects who they go to. That feather was given to you for a reason.”
But what was the reason?
“I suppose this would be a good time to ask,” Marco rumbled as a door opened at the end of the hall, letting in voices. But that wasn’t where my attention was focused. No, it was completely on Az, who was watching me intently, his eyes filled with a soft vulnerability.
Deciding to be bold, I approached him as the others talked quietly behind me, the door closing and muting the voices inside.
“Hey,” I greeted timidly.
Az’s eyes ran over me as he spoke with a quiet but intense tone. “You look different like this. You look well rested and happy—I like it.”
