Ruling in flames reborn.., p.15
Ruling in Flames (Reborn Book 5), page 15
Most of them nodded and stood to follow Atlas, a few of them walking a bit more slowly as they made plans for the off-chance that we did need to go tonight. I could tell Henry wanted to be part of the planning process, so I slid off his lap and melted into the lounge cushion.
Henry pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Do you want to come?”
“I’m actually going to take a bit to relax after today,” I admitted. “I just need to sit out here and come down from all the excitement.”
“We will make sure the guests that are left head out. Don’t leave this area,” Marco warned, looking at me with a hard expression. I nearly smiled. I wouldn’t go anywhere without them, but he could probably also tell I didn’t agree with waiting.
I could wait for now, and if I really wanted to go, I would tell them that. But I did want confirmation on the hostage element—that would tell me the urgency of the situation at hand.
“I won’t ever leave without telling you, Marco,” I promised. He let out a low rumble and nodded as he followed my other dragon mates towards the house, leaving me to have a moment to myself. I knew they only felt comfortable with it because of how well guarded this place was, but it was still thoughtful, especially since today had been so overwhelming. Not in a bad way, just in the type of way that a little peace and quiet was a nice thing.
“You okay? I can leave as well if you want alone time.” I wasn’t surprised to hear Az’s voice as he came to sit next to me, his handsome face filled with concern.
“No, I don’t want you to leave… I’m just worried,” I breathed out. “I didn’t think about Malcolm taking hostages, but I should’ve known. If it means keeping himself safe, there isn’t much he wouldn’t do.”
“I know they want to wait,” Az stated softly, his eyes filled with so much heat and softness for me, “but whenever you want to go, I’ll go with you. This witch isn’t a threat to me, even with Ry’s magic.”
“You would just drop everything and go with me?”
The night air ruffled through his pale hair, his gaze running over my mouth before flashing back up to my eyes. “Yes. Yes I would, Maya.”
“Why?” I whispered.
When his hand came up to cup my jaw in a gentle caress, I leaned into it and felt my face warm. I noticed his wings were wrapping closer around us, and I had to fight the urge to touch them again, my fingertips tingling with the remembrance of how soft they were. I didn’t realize how far I’d leaned into him until he tipped my jaw back and examined my expression.
“Maya, I have very little control when it comes to you, and when you offer me your lips so sweetly, it very much tests it,” he rumbled, his eyes flashing with that dangerous, predatory light.
“I test your control?” I asked nervously, my toes curling in anticipation.
“Without a question.” Az tightened his hand on my jaw before leaning down, offering me a clear sign that he planned on kissing me—an action that I eagerly matched. The brush of our lips sent currents of electricity bolting through me, and a pleased sound came from my throat at the way he dominated the kiss, savoring the intimate touch.
My entire body in that singular moment felt like it was being dipped in honey, something in my magic stirring and encouraging me to…push. But to what end? My teeth hurt, urging me to mark Az…as my mate?
I tensed, wondering how he would feel about that, and he immediately pulled back, looking worried.
“What happened? Where did you go?” he asked softly.
I swallowed, feeling overwhelmed as I let out an unsteady breath. “I’m worried I keep pushing for things you don’t want. I know our bond was made by accident, but I feel so confused because I just felt the urge to bite you, to put a mating mark—Az!”
I was flat on my back in the grass as he met my lips again, caging me and using a hand to roughly tug at my hair, a high-pitched needy sound nearly leaving my throat. My breathing became uneven as he explored my mouth, and I opened my legs, his massive body positioned between them as I felt his cock harden against my center, making me feel overheated in the best way possible.
Then he pulled back, looking down at me with an extreme intensity that caused me to shiver. “Never, mon lapin, never think I don’t want you. Or want this. I want our bond. I want you, and if you wanted to mark me, if you chose to honor me with that, I would accept it in a heartbeat.”
Oh.
I exhaled in relief. “You would? But you know that would make us mates, right? I mean, I would…” I flushed, feeling like I was on the edge of stuttering because of my nerves. “I wouldn’t mind that—I would love it, actually, not that I would expect you to feel the same… But yeah, I wouldn’t want to put that on you if you don’t want it. You finally got your freedom back, and while I want you here, I don’t want you to feel tied down.”
Realization crossed his face. “Maya, you marking me would free me, not trap me—don’t ever think that.”
“So you would be okay with being my mate?” I offered nervously, really not wanting to interpret his words incorrectly.
His eyes flashed with a dark, possessive humor. “I’m okay with being your mate. More than fucking okay.”
“Wait, what?” It sounded like he was talking about it in the present tense, as if we were already mates.
Sitting us up, he pulled me into his arms, his wings sheltering us as he cupped my jaw lightly. “The immolatio bond—it’s a mate bond, Maya. I was shocked when I first realized we’d formed one, but then one of my feathers fell for you, and when you said you wanted to wear it, I knew for sure. That’s a sign for angels that someone is their fated mate.”
“I’m your fated mate?” I whispered in awe.
“Fate brought you to me,” Az murmured, clarity and surety in his gaze. “I had no idea it would, but it did, and I’m so fucking thankful for it. If you’ll have me, I want to spend every single day making you the happiest woman in the realms.”
Tears filled my eyes as I nodded, bringing my hand up to his and squeezing it. “Yes, I would love that.”
The pure joy that filled his face made my heart beat double-time with excitement, elated that we’d made him so happy.
“I have a locket for you upstairs, if you’ll wear it,” he murmured after a long moment, pressing his forehead against my own as I breathed in his scent.
“Of course.”
Az pressed a soft kiss to my lips before he lifted me up, probably to take me to the house. But before he started walking, he looked me over once again, his nose brushing against mine in an intimate gesture. “When I first saw you, I didn’t even know it was possible for someone so perfect to exist. After all the darkness I’d witnessed, especially with Ry…”
“How did you end up with Ry?” I asked, hoping it wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. I hated not knowing if it was off-topic or not, but I felt the need to understand everything about this man, about my angel who had come off as so grumpy at first but was in fact super sweet. I didn’t look at anything we passed, completely wrapped up his arms as he made his way to his bedroom.
His gaze went distant. “Thousands of years ago, the gods and angelic beings fought. Humans were worshiping us equally, and it caused tension and competition for their affection, so war broke out.
“Ry and I had been friends for years. There was a time I even considered him a brother to me,” Az said, his expression pained. “But the propaganda from the God realm turned rational thought and Ry into enemies. He no longer saw the truth—only hate.”
“I’m sorry you lost someone so important to you,” I whispered.
“The Ry I knew was different from the man we had to kill,” Az admitted. “It’s like he died all those years ago when I surrendered and he took me as a prisoner. I never saw him as the same person again. War does that, though. It turns everything into a hell, ruled completely by hatred and anger.”
“I hope I never have to witness a war in the realms,” I said. “I know what the stranger said about trouble coming, but I want to believe that’s not true. I want to believe that we can find and maintain some level of peace.”
Az’s gaze darkened as we moved up the stairs, my mates’ voices distant from the office below. “There are many moving parts in this universe. I’ve felt something stirring for years now, and once those bands broke off me, I realized it was closer than I thought. I don’t know what’s coming, Maya, but we need to make sure we’re ready.”
It was clear he wasn’t saying it to freak me out or make me sad, but chills broke out on my skin as an eerie sense of premonition washed over me.
“And we will be,” I whispered. “I won’t risk my family, no matter what we have to do.”
As we entered the guest bedroom, Az gently sent me down on the bed and went towards a small chest he must have had at Ry’s compound. Coming towards me and kneeling in front of me, his face filled with a serious expression, his thoughts now millions of miles away from our talk of war. I didn’t wait for him to ask. As he looked up at me, I pulled the feather out of where I had it pressed against my heart, the delicate piece almost weightless between my fingers.
Somehow I knew it wouldn’t destroy easily—no, it was far more durable than it looked.
“I have had this for a very long time,” he said in reference to the object in his hands. “We’re given it when coming of age to eventually give to our mates—I never thought I would give it to anyone, but now I know it was always meant for you.”
When he opened his hands to reveal the locket, my heart squeezed. Holy crap, that was beautiful. The white gold frame and chain supported the diamond-like surface that covered the front and back of the pendant, which was almost see through.
“Az, this is absolutely gorgeous.”
He opened it up, and I gently placed the feather inside. “Turn around,” Az commanded softly.
I did so without question, and when I felt him slide the thin chain over my neck, a sense of rightness filled me. I still wanted to mark him, but the weight of the necklace served as a reminder of Az and everything he was coming to mean to me. I turned back into his arms and offered my lips again, Az sealing them with a deep, rough kiss that had my toes curling. When he finally pulled back, I was out of breath and staring at him with pure affection.
Before I could say anything, or even try to relay how intensely I felt about the moment, there was a knock on the door.
I felt slightly nervous as Marco looked at the two of us before his gaze darted down to the necklace, a rumble breaking from his throat. “So Atlas was right?”
Atlas had predicted this? I knew he had thought it was important, but he hadn’t mentioned that he knew it was about mating…or maybe that had been what he was insinuating. I was glad I’d found out from Az directly, though, even if it took a little time.
“The bond is a mating bond,” Az confirmed. Marco’s gaze darted down to me, softness coating his features. I knew he wasn’t mad, but I could also see the hesitancy there, as if he wasn’t completely positive on how to handle the situation.
“Come here,” he said, motioning for me. I gave Az’s hand a squeeze and then walked towards Marco, his arms wrapping around me. His mint eyes examined my face before he inhaled sharply and looked up at my angel mate.
“You better be fucking serious about this. If you hurt her, or fuck with her feelings—”
“I won’t.” Az’s voice was serious and hard, the two of them holding each other’s gaze before Marco finally let out a rumble and nodded sharply.
“We’ll talk more later,” Marco said before looking down at me and smiling. “Don’t look at me like that, baby girl. I just always want to protect you.”
“I know. I promise this is what’s supposed to happen,” I assured him, unable to smile at the near pout in his town.
“Well,” Marco drew out with a sigh. “Az, you’re about to really become part of this flight—we have a mission.”
“What mission?” he asked, appearing behind me.
“We’ve confirmed that Malcolm has captives—two young dragons—and I’m guessing my baby girl is going to want to leave tonight to end this.”
Panic exploded in my chest. “Yes. We’re leaving now.”
17
MARCO
I knew what Maya would want to do following the information we were given, so I hadn’t even asked her. My beautiful mate was one of the most compassionate and loving individuals I’d ever met, so I was aware the minute we found out that Malcolm did in fact have two captives we could either lie to her about it, which I would never be able to fucking do, or we would go and prepare to keep her safe the best we could.
Honestly, I wasn’t very concerned about the threat Malcolm posed, but did I like the idea of Maya being around him? Absolutely not.
Ever since our one argument, though, I’d learned that because Maya trusted me to take the reins so often, when she felt strongly about doing something herself, it was usually for a good reason. This time it wasn’t even a point I could argue.
I only hoped that she understood Malcolm would die tonight. I don’t think the concept would bother her in theory, but I also knew she would never directly ask us to do it.
She didn’t need to ask, though—I would take great pleasure in slitting his fucking throat for her. Or better yet, ripping it out with my dragon’s teeth.
I blinked away from that violent thought as I watched her get dressed and move around the room, the delicate ‘tink’ of her new necklace making me tilt my head in thought. I nearly shook my head at the scene I’d walked in on moments ago, not out of anger, but out of…frustration? No, I wasn’t frustrated—especially not at Maya. Maybe worried was the best word. The idea of bringing someone else into our family caused me stress, even if it was someone that seemed to do fairly well on his own without any aid and was extremely helpful.
It still stressed me out. Despite any bravado we put on, my dragon would automatically consider Az someone who was part of our flight now, someone we needed to protect. I had no idea how I felt about that, so I was trying to go with the flow, hoping that this would work out how it was supposed to.
I may have been a possessive motherfucker, but I wasn’t blind, and it was clear to me how much Maya cared for Az. It was obvious that they shared a special connection, and while my instinct was to initially be defensive, something had held me back following his rebirth, and not only because he’d sacrificed his life for my mate.
I’d known somehow, on a subconscious level, that he would be sticking around.
Running a hand over my face, I tried to not let my thoughts draw to Maya dying—or how much had changed in such a short amount of time. My gaze darted to the place where Maya’s crown sat, and I smiled at the thought of how beautiful and nervous she had looked up there. She hadn’t faltered once, and while she was still getting used to the concept, I could tell she believed in herself to an extent. I just hoped I could convince her to believe in herself completely—I didn’t think the world was ready for Queen Maya, but I couldn’t wait.
“You’re quiet right now,” she noted softly, drawing my attention as she slid on a dark hoodie with her leggings and sneakers. I know she didn’t plan on shifting, so I was glad she was dressed warm. I also noticed she had packed a bag of clothing and supplies for our rescue mission. I was hoping it would distract her enough that she wouldn’t see the brutal revenge I planned to enact on Malcolm.
“Thinking about everything that happened today,” I admitted.
Maya approached and slid a hand up my chest. “Your father—”
“Was exactly as he always is.” I covered her hand in mine, not wanting her to think that was where my thoughts were. That moment had been relatively inconsequential. “He asked to be invited to our wedding, but that was it—nothing else. The man isn’t bad, he’s just obsessed with his own work and his own life. Same as my mother. It was why it was so easy for me to leave. They weren’t cruel, they were just nothing.”
“Maybe it’ll get better,” Maya said. “Maybe if they spend more time with family… Well, unless you don’t want that.”
“Let’s take it slow,” I hedged. Even though she hadn’t said it directly, I knew Maya wanted a large family. I could tell it made her happy to be surrounded by those she loved, and I was damn well willing to give her anything she wanted.
“We will, of course, have to invite them over more once they have grandbabies to see,” I added.
Maya’s eyes shaded with a soft heat as she blushed. “Yeah? Well, if this freakin’ mating heat ever started—”
I lifted her and pinned her to the wall, brushing her lips against mine as I tightened my hands underneath her legs, unable to help my reaction to her talking about her damn mating heat. She wasn’t the only one impatient for it, especially now that the largest threat had been taken care of and the secondary would be finished by the end of the night. “Eager?”
“I’m slightly nervous,” she murmured. “But mostly eager. I just don’t like waiting—that’s the part that’s making me nervous. How will I know when it starts?”
Oh, she would fucking know.
“And then there is everything to consider that comes with the mating heat, like the entire pregnancy situation. I mean, that is a huge aspect to consider.”
“How do you feel about the idea of getting pregnant, baby girl? How does that possibility make you feel now that we’re drawing closer to it?” As much as the primal part of me demanded we make it happen right the fuck now, I also wanted Maya to be comfortable with that. She had spent so much of life locked away, and now that she was finally experiencing freedom and starting on a new journey, I wanted to support her in any way I could.
Even if every base instinct wanted to overflow her pussy with cum until there was no fucking way she wouldn’t get pregnant. The idea of starting a flight of our own fledglings was so damn appealing, it made my cock pulse with eagerness, wanting to take her on this damn bed in hopes of instigating her heat
Maya’s eyes filled with a warmth as her cheeks flushed. “I think I want that. I know we will be busy with so many other things going on, but I want to grow our family, Marco. I want to start living life and stop living in fear.”
