Page 80 of Phoenix Fall

I couldn’t define exactly why, but it feltright. Like they belonged there, on each side of me. It flooded me with sensations I struggled to understand. Perhaps it was just hormones...

It distracted me enough that when the Dragon asked, “Have you always wanted to do that?…Help others?” I answered without thinking.

“I really have no idea.”

Suddenly, I had the intense focus of both men. As I cursed silently to myself, Matt frowned at me and beat Talakai to the question.

“What do you mean?”

I steeled myself—and told them.

A moment of shocked silence, and then Matt said, “Blimey Angel…I’m sorry…That must be awful.”

“You remember nothing?” Talakai’s voice was subdued, but more thoughtful than horrified. But then, the Dragon wasn’t easy to read.

“I prefer not to talk about it,” I panted. “I look forward…not back.”

“Sensible,” the Dragon mused, before falling silent.

I’d told them I didn’t want to talk about it, so why did my heart hurt as they both backed off the topic? I’d become a contrary creature, fawning over any male that came near, demanding they obey and then resenting when they did so.

I swallowed, pushed the thoughts away, and focused on my rhythm.

23

Talakai

I loved to fly.

However, consuming regular doses of crystal dust was part of being a Dragon, and it had many fringe benefits. Giving me the energy to run five miles was one of them.

I might fly more often than run, but most of these Dires only ever ran on four legs. As a result, we were pretty closely matched.

At least for the run, anyway.

I looked up and found myself, once again, striding alongside Anna. It seemed every time I got lost in thought, my feet carried me close to her.

For someone trained to control every aspect of my physical self, it was disconcerting and even a bit alarming. Just another sign that I was still not who I had been.

Shards.

Or perhaps I reacted on a subconscious level to what I sensed around us? The crystal in my blood offered glimmers from the life essences surrounding me. In my line of work, it had often proved useful.

And as I ran with the Dires, I sensed their intense focus on one single person.

Anna.

Was I imagining it? I opened myself to the currents, and the excitement that vibrated through every Dire in the group was quite clear.

It would have merely added interest to my day, except for my reaction to it. Not just the unconscious drifting toward her, but something even more alarming. From deep inside me, an emotion I had, again, been trained to suppress.

Rage.

My lips peeled back from my teeth in a snarl, and the Dires running closest to me took a step away.

I made a desperate grab for my usual icy aplomb, but the energy revolving around me tested my resolve. My wings itched to emerge, a true sign of my agitation. I was almost relieved they were trapped beneath the pack.

As Matt glanced over Anna’s head toward me, I looked ahead to where Sebastian ran, his strides fluid and effortless. The Bellati had to sense what was going on with the Dires. His people were not only linked to life essences but capable of manipulating them.

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