Hannon gave him a knowing smile. “You won’t have the chance. Finley will already be tearing apart the world to get me back. Don’t worry about me leaving your kingdom, by force or otherwise. My animal—my phoenix, I guess—is confident we won’t be taken. And I am confident nothing would be worth leaving my family.”
With that, Calia uncomfortably got out of the way as someone gave him a slip and then made room for everyone else to hug him or shake his hand, all of us happy we’d at least gotten one person back. If they were enthralled by his animal, they didn’t show it. Maybe they were just too tired and emotionally drained.
The faeries, on the other hand, stared at him with wide eyes before bowing like he was royalty. A few kept bowing, treating him like a deity.
He ignored all of this as though it wasn’t happening, which made me laugh.
On the way back to the castle, I kept my arm wrapped around his, so desperately happy and relieved and thankful. And I got right down to business.
“I am absolutely going to be using you,” I told him. “I’ll make sure no one else will—or they can if you want them to—but me? I’m using you. Although…how is it you heal people? Wait—”
I pulled back from him, my eyes narrowing.
“No,” I said, shaking my head in mock anger. “No, this is bullshit. You’re the nurturer. I’m the healer. Are you trying to one-up me? When I said to get out of my shadow, I didn’t mean replace me.”
“Doesn’t a phoenix need an agent to transfer its healing powers?” Hannon said with a laugh. “I transferred my power to the everlass, but you still had to make the elixir to actually use it. You make the agent. I just help it work.”
After a moment, I narrowed my eyes and grumbled, “Good answer. We almost had a problem there.” I chewed on my lip. “There has to be a more effective method, though.”
“And I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
I took a deep breath, watching the sky change colors as the morning aged. “Last night was the worst night of my life, Hannon, and I’ve had plenty of bad nights. Please don’t ever do that again. I know you can’t die, but watch yourself. Don’t get taken. Don’t do anything risky.”
“I won’t. And you have one thing I haven’t one-upped you on. You have a true mate.”
I remembered that he’d always wanted one. I was the one who hadn’t ever worried about it.
I just squeezed his arm. He’d have a damn long time to look around for her, and he wouldn’t have to lose his boyish good looks to do it.
FORTY-THREE
Hadriel
I inhaled the sweet air and exhaled slowly, my nerves fucking fried.
“I can’t believe he’s a phoenix,” Leala said, fatigue showing on her face as she walked beside me.
“Yeah, right? Thank fuck. That ol’ cunt of a demon king actually did this whole kingdom a favor in the absolute shittiest way possible.”
“They have to die to shift for the first time,” Leala said as though reciting from memory. “They die, and then the first rays of the new day bring them back to life. Right?”
“Well, obviously. Were you not there?”
“Crap, I need to go set out something for Finley. She won’t think about her clothes, and that slip she has on is practically see-through.”
She ran ahead, dodging around people in an attempt to make it to the castle first.
I slowed so that Vemar could pull up to my side. He looked down at me gravely.
“Quite a night,” he said softly, grabbing my forearm and slowing me further. “I know about your secret.”
I tensed, running through all the things in my head that could possibly constitute secrets. I wasn’t coming up with anything. I’d never been good at keeping my embarrassing things to myself.
“Drawing a blank,” I told him.
He pulled me aside a little, letting others pass, and lowered his voice. “About Dessia.”
Cold dripped down my center. “How do you know about Dessia?”
“I have a long ear. You need to tell the royals. That can’t be kept a secret.”
“She’s not any more dangerous than anyone else. A basilisk can’t kill a dragon, in dragon form, with just a glance. It just hurts really badly, apparently.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
I licked my lips, really wishing he’d believed that. “Well, maybe it would kill most dragons, but not the king’s dragon. Probably not Finley’s, either. With their bond, they are powerful enough to withstand it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We have Hannon. He’d stop her from doing anything crazy. Which she won’t. You know she won’t. She’s a sweet girl who’s had a hard life. We have no reason to fear her. Just drop it, okay? The poor fucking thing accidentally killed her parents when she shifted for the first time. If you overheard her, then you know she was taken and used as a death device before her sister could recover her. She has a troubled past. She hates what she is.”