Page 23 of Phoenix Chosen 2

“Mommy! He’s a magic man!”

“Shh, don’t bother the other passengers,” the woman says and turns her daughter around.

“Do you want kids?” Tyler asks me. “Er, I mean, not with me, but in general.”

“Why not with you? You’re my mate, aren’t you?”

His face turns red. “Yeah. I dunno. I never thought about it. I already have one pregnancy I’ve gotta worry about, right?”

“And that baby will beourbaby,” I tell him.

At first, he looks surprised, and then he smiles at me. “You think everything will be okay when we get back? I’ll still have the child?”

There’s worry in his eyes, and I can tell it’s much deeper than he’s allowing me to see.

“There’s a reason for that child,” I tell him. “You were chosen, remember? I’m your guardian and I’m going to make certain that you’re pregnant when we get back.”

Tyler laughs. “Uh, maybe we should talk a little quieter…”

I look around and see several people staring at us like we’re insane. “What?” I bark, glaring back at them. They all look back at their glow stones.

“Yes,” I say to him, “I do like the idea of having a little Kalistratos following me around. After all, no one ever suspects a kid. They’re the perfect partner, besides a cat.”

“Kalistratos,” he scolds. “Seriously? You want a kid just to be able to steal shit?”

“Well, not just steal. They’d eventually be able to fight beside me, and probably get me out of a pinch.”

“You’re joking!” he says with a laugh. “You’re terrible.”

I think about his question further. It’s not one that anyone from Circeana would ask. To have children is simply part of the course of life. If there is a desire to mate, then that choice comes with the possibility of a child. Life begins. Life ends.

Of course, for a Phoenikos, things are a bit more difficult.

“Truthfully, I’d always assumed I would never mate,” I tell him. “Because I always believed that if I were to mate, it would be with a Phoenikos.”

“Really? Only a Phoenikos?”

“That’s what I believed.”

Tyler considers this for a moment. “It must be hard, right? Given what your clan faces. Everyone is hiding. If you don’t know a community of Phoenikos, then how would you meet another one? It’s not like you guys have dating apps. And how could you trust anyone who isn’t Phoenikos?”

I nod. “Indeed.”

“Heh.” Tyler slips his arm through mine. He looks very pleased with himself.

I raise an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“I must be one sexy-ass human. Or… Don’t tell me it’s just because I’m Phoenix Chosen.”

I snort. “How do you say it? ‘A little of column A, a little of column B.’”

Tyler laughs and elbows me in the arm.

The baz shudders and slows its speed, and a strange, throaty voice fills the air.

“Bakerville Plaza Mall,” it says, sounding like the muffled whisper of an eidolon from beyond the mortal realm.

Tyler grabs my hand and stands up. “This is our stop.”

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