Page 86 of Her Silent Knight

Sin and Kaede both looked to Nachik. He was shifting into... into... what was it? His back bowed off the cot. Red and gold wings sprouted from his back. Right before their eyes, Nachik disappeared and a phoenix rose from the flames.

Sin tilted her head back to watch the large bird that was now flapping its wings and hovering over the cot. Kaede flamed down after absorbing the fire that had engulfed her and the cot.

She ignored the chill that crept over her the minute she was no longer cocooned in his blaze. A phoenix. Nachik was a phoenix. He needed fire to transform. He needed fire to rise from Nachik and heal.

Wow. She never thought she’d see a creature like this before. The phoenix took flight and landed at Lee’s feet. As tears streamed down Lee’s face, the bird bowed to her. How freaking romantic. It was like she was watching a paranormal romance.

“Oh my gosh, Nach,” Lee cried. “You’re a phoenix. And you’re beautiful.”

The bird wiggled its feathers. Sin chuckled. It was a beautiful creature. A beautiful creature that was starting to shift back into a man.

“Get a sheet for him,” Kaede called out.

“On it,” Rhen replied.

Once Nach was back in his human form, Lee took the sheet from Rhen and draped it over her mate’s shoulders. He looked totally different now. His skin was no longer pale. It was a golden caramel complexion.

His shoulder-length black hair no longer looked dull and stringy. His lips, that were now pressed against Lee’s who was kneeling next to him, no longer had a bluish tint. He was the epitome of health.

“He’s better because of you,” a deep voice whispered in her ear.

She stared back at Kaede only to realize her hands were still on his arm. Blushing, she quickly removed them. Ugh, why was she blushing? She wasn’t even the blushing type. Fuck it. Her mind, body, and heart had already decided this dragon was a keeper.

There was no need for her to keep pretending he wasn’t. Reaching for his hand, she intertwined her fingers with his. She didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath her actions drew from him.

“He’s better because of us,” she corrected him. “We made a Christmas miracle. You and I. Together.” This was neither the time nor place for the darkness that now consumed his gaze. “Later,” she whispered.

“Later, what?”

Sin tapped her nose. “The nose never lies.”

For a second he looked confused then a growl rumbled through his chest. One that everyone in the room heard.

“Can you two stop being nasty for a moment and focus on the bird,” Rhen shouted.

“I’m not a bird,” Nach grumbled as Lee helped him to his feet then to the cot where he sat down. “I’m a phoenix. I can’t believe it but I’m a phoenix.”

“How do you feel?” Lee asked.

“One hundred percent better now that I can hold you again.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “There’s something I need to tell everyone. Something I overheard the wolves who attacked me say before the ran off when Deacon and Coop showed up.”

“What is it?” Kaede asked.

“They said...” A cough wracked his body.

“I’ll get him some water,” Zelna volunteered.

“They said...”

“It can wait,” Lee told him.

“It can’t wait. I have to say it now.” Another round of coughs consumed him. Zelna placed the small white cup of water in his hand. He drank it down quickly then handed the cup back to her. “The Deciders... their tasks plan for freedom...” He coughed again. “It’s a lie. All of it is a lie.”

Still holding Kaede’s hand, she felt him tense.

“Why do you say that?” Kaede asked.

“One of the wolves, he was lower level. He told the other not to fight me too hard. Not to wound himself in the battle. They didn’t want to complete the task. They wanted to fail. A try and fail means you get another chance. But if you completely avoid a task or decide not to finish it like I did, that’s when they come after you.”