“Maya?” Atlas’s deep voice echoed from outside the door as I threw it open and offered him a smile. His uniform seemed to be slightly different now, the materials the same but with added elements, like a gold brocade jacket and different boots that fit the castle to perfection. Yep, it was very clear ‘formal’ was a thing here. I was thrilled with my choice now. The room behind him was empty and he followed as I walked into it, his eyes running over me as I waited curiously for his reaction.
“Angel.” His voice finally came out in a rumble mixed with appreciation. “You look intoxicating.”
“She looks like a fucking cupcake,” Sai mused. He stood in the doorway of the suite, his eyes burning as they ran over me. Then his smile grew. “Or a present with that bow.”
“A present?” I mused and then tilted my head, deciding I liked cupcakes better. Although with how the two of them were looking at me, I would take either.
“You can eat a cupcake though.” Atlas flashed a smile over his shoulder.
“As always, a good point.” Sai’s chest produced a rumble as shivers broke out on my skin, and I took a step towards him. Atlas let out a small laugh, and I narrowed my eyes at him with a small scowl as he caught me around the waist. Why was everyone always trying to stop me from going to my mates? We were going to have to have a serious talk about this. Or maybe it was just that we had important stuff to do and I was doing everything and anything to avoid that.
“Come on, angel, the three of us are going to head over to the medical wing,” he said and kissed my temple. “We can have fun later.”
Well, that was a better idea at least.
“Or now,” Sai shared my thoughts clearly as his eyes ran over me again before turning towards the door.
“Where are the others?” I questioned.
“They will probably meet us there. There was some stuff they had to prepare for tonight. Croy should be—”
“Coming with.” Croy appeared, his outfit adjusted as well. He looked over me, a small growl leaving his throat before he muttered a curse and shook himself.
I couldn’t help but smile because I was starting to realize that no matter what I wore, it made my mates all growly. A concept that happily distracted me from my upcoming appointment.
9
Atlas
The woman was absolutely aware of how much she was teasing us. I firmly believed that now. Now I was just left to wonder how much shit I would get from Marco for pinning our little mate up against one of these walls and ripping off that damn cupcake dress so that I had access to every inch of her golden skin. She had managed with one garment to make herself look legitimately edible, and I had to physically restrain myself from touching her, knowing that if I started I probably wouldn’t stop and then we really would never make it to the physician’s office.
Honestly, my need for her was slowly growing into an obsession and overriding some important matters, something that concerned me way more than I expressed. Not that there was anything legitimately more important than Maya, but I would say her health was pretty damn important, and considering I was worried about making it to the doctor in the first place, it left me feeling both like crap and still equally as turned on.
I was very slightly appeased because my mark was on her, but was it enough to completely settle me? Absolutely not.
In fact, I was finding that my angel was a legitimate trigger for the loss of any sense of self-control. Even now, on the way to see a doctor that would have important information regarding her health, I wanted to pull her into one of the many hallways we passed and claim her completely. First making her come with my mouth, tasting her sweet wet heat before burying my cock between her thighs, bouncing her up and down as her moans echoed loud enough that everyone in the Dreki realm was goddamn aware of who was fucking her so hard.
We needed to handle this medical shit first.
It was like a mantra I repeated in my head, and I forced myself to look away from where she practically floated next to me, her soft humming causing my dragon to start to act up in response. I was finding that both of us were very reactive to any noises she made, but mainly humming or that panicked, high-pitched sound that sometimes left her throat during a nightmare.
I had figured out that the reaction was in part because it was her phoenix’s magic interacting with those around her, but that knowledge didn’t lessen the effect in the slightest. Rather, I found myself extra protective and watchful over her responses to things like that because I knew it was a side to Maya that was still being fully let out. The woman was glorious, but I knew that she would be even more so when she was able to fully embrace the side of her that had been so long repressed.
The side that was in large part responsible for why Croy had insisted that we leave so quickly for the Dreki realm. There was something very different about Maya’s phoenix, and I think all of us had a fairly good understanding of what. I mean, you couldn’t imagine the beautiful burst of colors that the woman had turned into only the other night. It was something you had to see to believe.
My main concern? Not only questioning how that was possible but how it would impact her health. Sure, she had been okay the past day or so, but the random fevers and her not feeling well left me with a sense of dread.
The concept of not knowing something that could hurt my angel scared the absolute hell out of me, so while the plan had been rushed and I would rather have her back in our home outside of this damn realm, I needed to know what all of this meant. Croy had made his thoughts known, but what he suggested seemed… insane. And it also could create a cascade of problems that I wasn’t positive we were prepared to protect her from. I would fucking die before I let anything happen to Maya, but I also knew our flight up against an entire realm was a bit of a stretch. If Croy was correct, I had absolutely no doubt that it wouldn’t be just the council that was the problem.
No. Everyone that we came across already wanted a piece of Maya, and this would just result in them wanting all of her. Something I was not fucking okay with.
As if knowing the direction of my thoughts, Maya’s hand tightened around mine. Sai and Croy followed behind us, both of their energies filled with tension as Maya’s humming and easy sway of her hips seemed to fill the entire space with a crackle of soft energy. The tension was in part because of the doctor appointment and what we would learn, but it was larger than that. It was the energy that had surrounded Maya since she first shifted. There was an air to it that was even more vibrant than before, which wasn’t something I had thought possible. I mean, she appeared to be legitimately glowing. I looked down at the top of her head as she met my gaze with a soft and curious look that made my heart tighten.
Emotions that I hadn’t ever expected to feel crowded my chest as I nearly let out a shaky exhale. I knew one thing regarding Maya, one thing that I couldn’t deny or doubt.
I was absolutely in love with her.
I loved and respected the men in my flight, I easily admitted that. They were the only family I had, and I would always view them as brothers, especially Marco. But my love for Maya was something that existed within my soul. It was also something I very much needed to express to her, despite not being able to find the right words or time to do so.