Page 209 of Phoenix Rise

“You’re getting my rug wet,” I stated.

“My apologies,” he responded. With a shrug and a flurry of moisture, he pulled them into his shoulders. “And I think it’sourrug now.”

For just a moment, my beast stiffened. But then, finally, it bowed its head.

Mates. Family.I didn’t know where the words came from, or rather, who. But as Anna slid her hand into mine, they reverberated through the link as our energy bridged. It flooded through me, more magnificent than anything I’d ever experienced.

My heart, spirit, and soul soared. Because we be one.

Cara emerged from the kitchen. She looked from Anna to Talakai to me, and smiled.

“Breakfast is ready,” she said.

* * *

Epilogue

The Richin market was a dark and scary place at night. The bright colors of the day vanished into the shadows, and the clientèle skulked rather than walked along the aisles.

Watch yourself,Talakai said for at least the third time.

The Dragon walked well ahead of us. Our pregraduation training mission was to locate and apprehend our target while keeping our team members safe. It had sounded simple at the briefing. I should have known by the way Cody’s eyes gleamed that it wouldn’t be an easy task.

So far, it was proving to be a good test of our team’s mettle. In that it revealed areas where we still needed work.

Strewth. This booth has wrist-mounted mini crossbows. Way smaller than the ones we use. They’re bonza.

Toys,Talakai said.They’ll have no range.

Focus, boys,I coached. So far, Matt, who was moving a few aisles to my left, had been distracted by the wares of four different booths.

Matt may not be focused at all, but I am very focused.The Dragon sounded offended.I’ve detected members from two different gangs. They’re circling each other. I suspect there is going to be trouble. I recommend we tighten up formation.

We can’t cover the same ground if we do,I countered.Unless they erupt, hold the current pattern.

They smell hostile.Matt’s diluted Dire virus had granted the Dragon an enhanced sense of smell and a few dark hairs on his otherwise smooth chest. Something Talakai complained about frequently, but considering the powerful impact of the Dragon virus on Matt, it was a minor concession.

Just keep an eye out for them,I instructed, and received a mental growl in response. But Talakai always bowed to me. I just had to ensure I was worthy of it.

I moved closer to Mari. Ahead of us, Trix paused to look back at me. “Talakai says we have rival gangs eyeing each other.”

The ogress nodded. “Roger that.”

The huge battleaxe mounted to her back was more for show than use, although she’d demonstrated remarkable smiting ability at practice. Between it and the impressive glower she cultivated, the big ogress fit her role as my primary bodyguard. Something that my Satyr aunt and uncle had insisted upon before agreeing to my continued Shade training.

Not that they could have stopped me, really. But their displeasure would have sent ripples through the council, and that might have ended up with me behind a desk, doing research, rather than out in the field. The fact that I had not only Mari, but also my men, reassured them that their princess niece would remain as safe as possible.

My pacifist ogress friend had embraced her role with surprising enthusiasm. Her watching my back freed me to guide my quad through our mission.

Which was fortunate, as Matt had found a new distraction.Hey, who are the tall skinny blokes with the spiked hair and red capes?

Gretik priesthood,Talakai provided.They hire themselves out as assassins. You would be wise to avoid them.

Matt,I sent with a hint of exasperation,focus on finding the target.

Right. No sign of him yet.

Matt may now be more Dragon than Dire, but he held true to his heritage and rarely questioned my leadership. The challenge was keeping him on task during the preliminaries. Once we found our target, he’d zero in with laser focus.

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