“Happy to meet you.” The woman reached out a hand, and Maya hesitantly met it with her own. Immediately, a spark ran from Maya’s hand to the woman’s in a flash of gold, and the doctor’s brows went up with interest. I couldn’t tell you what type of supernatural she was, outside of not being a dragon, but it was clear she had some type of magic. I was now wishing Henry was here, because I had a feeling this woman’s thoughts were far more interesting than anything she planned on saying. That was usually how it was with professionals, and she had enough years under her belt that she would probably keep her mouth shut about anything she wasn’t one hundred percent sure on. Something that was both positive and frustrating. I didn’t want her to bullshit us or be incorrect, but we did need some direction on what was going on.
“Please come sit.” She ushered us towards the couches before pausing. “Actually, would you gentleman mind waiting—”
“I want them here.” Maya’s tone was suddenly filled with a hard edge, a slight string of panic underneath making me know she didn’t want to be left alone here. I also could hear the hesitation that she ended it on, as if she wasn’t positive if she could demand that of this woman. I wondered how long it would take for Maya to realize that she could demand anything and it would be granted without question. I wanted to increase her confidence when it came to her making decisions, I just wasn’t positive how.
“Of course.” The woman nodded, examining Maya’s expression and seeing what I probably did. Maya kept her hand in mine as we sat down on two large, comfortable couches that faced one another. Croy sat on her other side, and Sai stood behind us, his hand absently playing with her hair, his entire body tense, letting me know how uncomfortable he really was with this.
I hadn’t made peace with my demons from my childhood or this realm, not exactly, but I also knew there was nothing I could do about them. Any family I had before Marco was gone, and I was far more focused on our flight’s future than anything else. But I knew the same couldn’t be said about the twins and Sai.
While Sai had mostly contained the disappointment of constantly feeling forgotten about in such a large family, it was the type of loneliness and pain that affected everything about him whenever he came across something that reminded him of just that. The Dreki realm, of course, was everything that his family was, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we came across them, considering his parents were part of the court here.
Whereas Marco’s father and Henry’s family would probably be away on missions, as they usually were when it came to military operations, both Sai’s parents and the twins’ father were part of court life and would no doubt be around. Unfortunately. It not only made me defensive, especially regarding the twins, but left me feeling thankful that I didn’t have any family to be disappointed by. Just rumors of a father that was considered a traitor.
“I’m Doctor Sloane Bates, the royal physician,” the woman began, her eyes darting between all of us. “Commander Moretti explained that you had some questions and concerns regarding recent health problems? And possibly something regarding your shifting and heritage?”
“Did he explain anything else?” Maya asked with consideration, her expression turning thoughtful as if she was trying to decide how to handle this.
“Just that it was extremely important and time-sensitive.” Doctor Bates paused and then added, “It is fairly clear to me that you’re not any type of shifter I have come across recently. So I would have to assume that is part of the health concerns we are dealing with?”
Maya’s eyes went soft as she nibbled her lip. “Yes. We recently confirmed, well, I discovered, I suppose… that I’m a phoenix.”
Doctor Bates went frozen, blinking in confusion before her eyes lit up with what I’m sure were thoughts that Henry would want access to, making me wish we had considered this possibility. However, I found that the doctor was a bit more forthright than I would have assumed.
“A phoenix? You know this? As in, you’ve shifted?”
“Yes,” Maya confirmed and then looked at the three of us. “All of my mates have seen it.”
“Mates? I see.” The doctor tilted her head. “So I am to assume that you are the mate to commander Moretti’s flight?”
“Plus Croy.” Maya’s hand snuck out and tightened on him as the doctor seemed to evaluate our friend and nodded with more confidence.
“I haven’t seen a phoenix shifter in years outside of the queen, but of course I am more than willing to answer any questions.” She seemed to hesitate, before adding, “I would be sure, though, when you meet with the queen, to explain to her what exactly you are. Being a phoenix in Dreki culture is very highly regarded, and she is going to be interested in where you’ve been hiding.”
“Not hiding.” Maya frowned. “Locked in a basement.”
Doctor Bates’s brows went up. “You were locked in a basement?”
“On Earth,” Maya confirmed and then looked to Croy. “I don’t know where to start. I feel like we had a lot of questions before we got here and now I feel overwhelmed.”
The truth radiating off Maya instantly had the doctor softening as she offered me a look of understanding. It was pretty rare that someone didn’t understand how special Maya was after moments of spending time around her.
“I think we need to discuss the biggest situation,” Croy hedged and then looked at Doctor Bates. “From my understanding of what a normal phoenix looks like, I would like to suggest that you see Maya shift, if possible… She is different from how the others are portrayed.”
“Looks different?”
“In coloring. Her feathers are blue and gold.”
No one had mentioned it so directly, but I was glad he did because I knew it could affect her answers for everything else.
Once again, the doctor froze and looked directly at Maya with an interest that made me feel defensive. “That is impossible.”
“Clearly it’s not,” Sai leveled.
Keeping her eyes on Maya, she spoke softly. “I know this may be a lot to ask, Maya, but is there any way you can shift for me?”
My mate fidgeted slightly and shifted on her seat. “I have only shifted once, so I’m not sure how easy that would be. I can try though.”
“Of course.” She nodded in understanding as Maya stood, slipping off her sandals before stepping towards the side of the couches to distance herself a bit. I could see the way her hands were shaking, and I tried to offer her a look of encouragement. A small worried noise came from the back of her throat that had my dragon nearly jolting forward in concern as I kept myself sitting by some divine willpower.
Closing her eyes, Maya’s energy immediately surged, and I saw the nervous hesitancy on her face change to excitement. The shift was almost immediate, and gold dust seemed to explode out from her skin as the fire that seemed to burn within her lit up her entire frame, the wind shifting in the room as a pop sounded over the roar of a mini tornado. I grunted as all of the sudden a sonic-like blast of gold magic and heat blasted the room, and in Maya’s place, soaring above in the rafters of the room, was an incandescent phoenix.
Absolutely stunning.