Page 66 of Ruling in Flames (Reborn 5)
“Maya will be happy about that; I know she was worried,” I said, not loving that we would have to leave, but I also knew it’d give her an opportunity to grab anything from home that was needed. Plus, there was no way any of us could comfortably separate right now. The idea of leaving Maya’s side was beyond painful.
“There is so much I need to be caught up on, I feel like,” Az finally said, looking a tad distressed. It was then that I realized he probably had no idea who we were talking about.
“I’ve got time.” Atlas offered him a smile, carried some coffee over from the breakfast bar, and sat down to explain everything to him.
I excused myself and made my way towards Maya’s bedroom, finding the housekeeper about to knock. She stood hesitantly and rather awkwardly at the door, as if unsure.
“She’s sleeping,” I explained, relief filling the older woman’s face. “But I can see if she wants to be moved.”
She nodded in understanding as I moved past her and slipped into the room, gently closing the door behind me. Almost instantly, my cock hardened, the scent of sex and Maya filling the space. I felt the sudden and possessive urge to have the entire space freshened and cleaned, not wanting anyone, let alone males, to have access to this level of perfection.
A growl caught in my throat and my eyes darted to the far side of the room, the noise causing Maya to shift in her nest of blankets. When she blinked open her eyes, relief filled my chest that she was okay. Of course I hadn’t had reason to doubt it, but after she died and shit, I was a bit fucked up over the idea of losing her.
“Croy.” She sighed happily, her eyes warm and filled with a soft affection. Her magic, which had been ravenous before, was glowing softly, and her cheeks were flushed as she pushed her damp hair out of her face, not sitting up but turning to look up at me.
“Hey, sugar.” I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, crouching down next to her nest. “I know you’re sleeping, but the housekeeper wants to get in here to freshen the space up. Are you okay with that?”
Looking around, she blushed and nodded. “Can we…can we just not have her touch my nest?”
“Absolutely,” I confirmed, gently picking her up and walking towards the door. The housekeeper offered Maya a polite smile as I gave her instructions to not touch the nest. Then, instead of carrying her back towards the main lounge, I carried her towards my bedroom, letting out a groan of relief as we fell into the bed together.
Maya stretched and hummed sleepily. “It’s done, I think—my mating heat. I feel different. Good, but very tired and hungry.”
“I bet,” I rumbled, unable to hide my concern. “Do you want to eat now? Or get a bit more sleep? As much as I want you to eat, sleep may be better right now because later we have to travel to Seattle to pick up the younger flight. With that being said, if you aren’t feeling—”
“Wait! Are they okay?” she asked wide-eyed before cursing. “Are the two little ones okay? Crap. I literally haven’t been thinking straight and I feel so bad that I haven’t asked!”
“It’s fine.” I tilted her chin gently, hoping to soothe the panicked look on her face. “They are totally fine, I promise.”
She let out a relieved exhale and nodded. “So where are they?”
“Guest house. They’re having breakfast with the twins and Sai right now,” I explained. She relaxed into me, seemingly content with that response.
“I’m going to order some food; how about you get some sleep? Then when you wake up, you can go meet them.”
After a moment of consideration, she said, “Deal.” Then she cozied up to me and closed her eyes. I stroked her hair, looking out at the early morning sun that was bathing the sky in a stunning orange and pink glow before I grabbed the bedside phone and called down to the kitchen.
My grip on Maya tightened as the phone rang, loving how soft and warm she felt curled up in my arms. I buried my nose in her hair, enjoying the moment of quiet, knowing that the rest of today would be crazy. After all, Maya had an entire kingdom under construction right outside her door.
* * *
“Wow.”Maya sighed happily, looking around her bedroom with a relaxed, bright smile. “This is beautiful. I need to tell her what an amazing job she did. Or maybe I’ll make her cupcakes or something.”
My heart squeezed at Maya wanting to make baked goods for our housekeeper. It was the sweetest, mostMayathing I had ever heard.
After nearly a four-hour nap, my sugar had woken up refreshed and energized. In response, the entire house seemed to be coming alive. Housing staff were moving about more openly, and there was music playing somewhere in the back yard. The smell of food being prepared filled the house, and all the windows were open, allowing the ocean breeze to circulate through the space.
The room did look spectacular, for the record. The curtains had been replaced with a fresh white linen material instead of the darkening ones, and every surface glinted as if freshly polished.
While the others were getting ready to head to Seattle, I had the pleasure of making sure that Maya not only ate—she had, although not nearly enough—but also got comfortable for the day. Considering the sun dress she was wearing and the glow surrounding her, I would saymission accomplished.
“When we get back, you can fill it with all your art supplies,” I said. “Maybe make that corner for painting.” It had the perfect view of the ocean, and she stared at it for a moment before nodding eagerly, seeming to love the idea. I had a feeling that it was because it was near her nest as well—a spot that had undergone the biggest change.
It had fresh blankets and cushions, combined with our sweatshirts and other items she had collected. It looked like a place she would love to sleep in, the actual bed now looking completely untouched. The white sheets were perfectly folded, making it almost impossible to imagine what had happened there these past four days.
“Okay, now I’m already eager to get back.” She bounced on her toes. “I think I’m good to go. Atlas has Bella, right?”
I nodded because the kitten had taken a permanent spot on his massive shoulder, and except for randomly sleeping on some of the others, including myself, it was clear they had a bond.
