Page 92 of Phoenix Falling
He narrowed those rainbow eyes at me. “That’s ‘king’ to you.”
“You’re not my fucking king, but fine. Don’t be a king colossal asshole, Sun.”
I swear I saw Lyris’s lips twitch. And that’s when I realized, this was what she’d wanted all along—me facing off with Sun. Maybe because no one else faced off with him and the male needed to be brought down a peg or two, at least in my opinion. Why Lyris wanted it, I had no idea, but I was a hundred percent Team Lyris. Anything that would keep me here with Raine.
Pissing off the king was just a bonus.
Sun stared down at me, that stone jaw unrelenting. Behind him I saw the women beginning to trickle in, including Imogen and the little girl. Demetri followed.
“I don’t think you’re going to win this fight, Sun,” Lyris said quietly. “Not against all of them.”
Sun glanced over his shoulder, then cursed under his breath. Turning back to me, he pointed an imperious finger. “You stay in this room, Rissa, you hear me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Get fucked, Bird.”
Lyris definitely snickered that time. I laid down on the bunk next to Raine, my back to Sun and everyone else, and studiously ignored him until he left.
I might have dozed after that, I wasn’t certain, but at some point I became aware of someone sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the bed. Raising my head, I saw Imogen keeping vigil. She smiled. “I can never seem to sleep when someone new comes in,” she said quietly. “It started in the Anigma camp. They didn’t watch over anyone with injuries unless they knew our talent was valuable. We were commodities, and cheap commodities didn’t warrant the time or bother.” She shrugged. “So I would stay up with the new arrival, making sure they were comfortable, that they had what they needed, even sometimes just watching to make sure they were still breathing. Or holding their hand when they stopped.”
“Sounds lonely.”
Again with the shrug. “My sisters took up the slack during the day.”
“I’m glad you found each other, at least.” I’d never really had that kind of companionship until Raine, even though she wasn’t changed.
“Me too. I don’t think any of us would have made it without the others.”
I watched the shadows flicker over her face. “You are Demetri’s mate.”
Her eyes lit up. “I am.”
I had so many questions. No, I didn’t believe what any of these people were telling me about being Sun’s mate. I would know, after all, if something that important was happening, wouldn’t I? That didn’t stop me from being curious. And since no one else had bothered to explain… “How did you know?”
She gave me an astute look, as if she knew exactly why I was asking. “I didn’t, not at first. I only knew he was special. Not all that different from the human world, huh?”
“So he told you that you were his mate, and you took his word for it?”
“No. I mean, yes, he told me he knew, but when he explained, it resonated deep inside me.” She gave me a lopsided grin. “It helps that I am a literal polygraph machine wrapped in a human body. Demetri can’t lie to me without me knowing.”
Wouldn’t that be a valuable skill to have. Especially right now. “So what did he tell you?”
I listened as she explained what she knew about mates, which by her own admission wasn’t a lot. Because they hadn’t established a matebond yet, most of what she’d been told about the practicalities of it was secondhand. Not until they had their ceremony over the weekend would she and Demetri establish their mental bond.
“Is that what you want?”
“More than anything. Demetri has given me back joy and love and so much more that the Anigma took away.” A brief sadness flickered in her eyes. “Not everything, but a lot.”
“So you trust him.”
“I do.”
“I guess it helps to know he’s telling the truth.”
“Truth isn’t the be all end all, you know. I see him with his twin, his friends. I can feel his honor and loyalty. Demetri is a good male.”
I hoped so, for her sake. Of course I’d thought that about Sun too, once. He’d proved me wrong.
As if she sensed my train of thought, Imogen said, “You know, Sun carries a lot of responsibility around here.”
