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He shakes his head and points to the shower, clearly not trusting himself not to talk anymore. I wasn’t aware what it was about shredding that made him almost rabid. I also didn’t want to know but it must be a Vampiric-Fae thing because I remember the strange vampire from the store the first time who showed a keen interest in me. It seems my scent must be more potent.
Shutting the door, I strip my clothes off before stopping when I feel the stone in my pocket. It kind of looks like a moon stone, shaking my head. I start the shower before trying to figure out what to do with it. Hearing the door open, I panic and drop it into the bowl that sat between the basins full of bath bombs.
Kalen steps into the bathroom just as I turn back toward the shower. He holds up some clothes and sets them on the basins just as I step under the water’s spray. He turns around to face me before spotting my ruined clothes.
“Darius back?” I ask.
“Lycus went to help him,” Kalen tells me before twisting his wrist. “Wait!” I screeched but it was too late. He incinerates my pants on the tile floor. I am shocked by both the sudden flames and Kalen using magic, considering he was powerless when I first came here.
“Ah, they were my favorite jeans,” I huff.
Kalen smirks. “I'll buy you some new ones,” he chuckles and I roll my eyes at him.
“So are you hopping in?” I ask him wondering if he is intending to just stand there. Kalen shakes his head turning toward the door.
“No, I will sit with Tobias since no one else is here and you’re in here smelling like a sweet dessert to him,” he laughs before leaving me.
I grab the soap and finish up. When I finish, Darius is back with Lycus. I get changed. Tobias, Kalen, Lycus, and I hoof our way downstairs with the crates in tow. Meanwhile, Darius breezes off to find recruits for a mission; Ryze flying above us like an acrobat on high wires as we descended - she was so swift that one of the kitchen hands spotted her from below and let out a terrified shriek! We continue down until eventually reaching the mess hall where the poor chef stands wide-eyed with fear at what he'd just seen.
Ryze squawks from the windowsill she's perched on. I whistle and she glides down, landing on my shoulder just as I set the first crate of baby phoenixes down on one of the long tables. Moments later, recruits start streaming into the mess hall with Darius toting bags of mincemeat, spam, and rice. He sets them beside the crates, and the phoenixes chirp and bounce eagerly, wanting to be released.
The recruits look amongst themselves, some standing waiting for directions from Darius. Meanwhile, Ryze watches them as if they are prey. By the looks on their faces, they felt like it. They don’t run away, though, but they don’t come too close to me either.
“There are too many for us to look after so think of it as a parenting class,” Darius tells them and they glance amongst themselves.
“Ah–” Darius holds up his hand, cutting the man that stood closest off.
“All of you are alive because they died for you, now it's your turn to look after them until they are old enough to do it themselves.”
“They hate demons!” Someone at the back called out.
“They can’t hate you too much, they saved you all. You will do this or you know where the doors are,” Darius tells them.
“They won’t attack you,” I tell them, before shaking the thought of what my mother said about Spark turning on her.
“Easy for you to say, you’re a Harmony-Fae,” the man retorts.
I roll my eyes when Darius whistles. Ryze wiggles, opening her talons and clenching them painfully on my shoulder before flying over to him. She climbs up Darius' chest, opening her wings and wrapping them around Darius in some weird phoenix hug. Murmurs break out.
“They answer to Aleera, they are her flock. Therefore you are part of their flock. Just don’t piss them off,” Darius says stroking Ryze's feathers. “Ain’t that right boy?” Darius says.
“Girl, Ryze is a girl,” I tell him and he gives me a funny look.
“What?” Darius says. “His beak though.”
I shrug. Her beak resembles a male phoenix which must clearly be a myth. Blue beaks were supposed to mean they’re male while black supposedly meant female, Ryze however, is female and has a blue beak.
“I read you can tell if you check its feathers,” another demon suggests. Ryze’s head twists like an owl obviously understanding what the man was suggesting. Her tongue comes out like a snake as she hisses before she turns her head daring Darius to check. Darius fingers stroking her feathers stop.
“I wasn’t going to,” Darius tells her when her beady eyes glare at him. She puffs out her feathers before flying over to me.
“Definitely a girl,” Kalen chuckles behind Darius with a shake of his head.
Darius waves them to come over to the crates. “So pick your chick and grab one of the bags of food. You will be responsible for whichever one you pick. It dies, you die,” Darius calls out.
“But if they die, they get to come back.” one of the recruits states.
“But none of you will, so keep that in mind,” Darius tells them.
