Dying in Flames by M. Sinclair
Maya
“Coffee?”I mumbled, half asleep, as I reached out for the source of such an amazing smell. Someone chuckled, but I ignored it as I snuggled a cold pillow under my cheek and continued to reach out for the coffee cup that someone really needed to put in my hand. I inhaled again, noticing a small hint of something more sugary than normal inside of the concoction. Caramel? I was pretty sure that was caramel.
“Damn, she has a good nose,” a voice said, sounding amused.
“When it comes to anything sweet, for sure,” a secondary voice, the one who had chuckled, agreed.
“Where is it?” I complained vocally.
“If you want it, you’re going to need to open your eyes.” Anani’s voice became clear to me as my heavy lids opened to find the man lying next to me, causing a smile to form on my lips. He was so handsome. I looked at his empty hands, scowling as I turned to find Sai, on my other side, holding the coffee mug.
“Please?” I put my hands out, almost as if begging, and he flashed a smile before handing it to me. I pulled the blankets up around me in a cocoon as I sipped on it, keeping my eyes half-closed, remembering why I was so tired. My body sure as heck remembered, and it was probably good that at some point Henry brought me back to my room because after the third time, I’d been bone tired.
To be fair, I had been the one to start the second time when I had climbed on top of him… I hadn’t expected him to just flip me over and slide into me, though. I had just been trying to tease him… And that was a lie. I was thrilled with the results of my actions.
I let out a happy sound as I finished my coffee and finally opened my eyes, finding both Sai and Anani staring at me with amusement.
“What?” I asked curiously, realizing that the aroma of coffee filled the space to an extent that was far more than what my single mug should do. I looked around, turning my head towards the… What the heck was that?
“That’s your new coffee bar,” Sai explained with a smile.
“Oh my goodness!” I got out of bed, glad I had changed into an oversized shirt after our bath last night. I’d felt bold wearing what I had to Henry’s room, and while I absolutely loved it, I usually preferred my mates’ oversized clothing. Although, I wouldn’t mind owning more pieces like that, especially if that was the reaction I got… Maybe my mates would even come lingerie shopping with me.
The coffee bar in front of me was like a small kitchen island, equipped with a coffee maker, a mug rack, and an entire collection of syrups and sugars. Underneath it was a mini-fridge of what appeared to be different flavored creamers and some breakfast snacks. I made a happy, humming sound in my throat as I examined each mug, every single one in shades of purple, pink, and glitter. One of them was shaped like a cat head, and I was almost positive that it was my favorite. I looked down at my current one and smiled, realizing it was a purple ‘Princess’ mug with a crown and outlines of dragons on it.
I lied. This was my favorite.
“Whose idea was this?” I asked softly, turning back to find both of them watching me with smiles. Sai had stood, but Anani was still laid out in my bed, Bella moving from her little cat bed at the end of the bed to go sit on his chest.
“All of ours,” Sai offered casually as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“It was Sai.” Anani chuckled. “Don’t let him tell you differently.”
“I love it,” I told Sai as he walked up to me and pressed a hard kiss to my lips before disappearing. I walked over to Anani, who was examining my bed that was covered in some of my boy's shirts and a few other comfortable things I liked to sleep with. The idea of being surrounded by my mates like that was extremely appealing.
“What time is it?” I asked curiously.
“Sometime in the afternoon.” Anani yawned. “We all woke up a bit late today.”
Well, that wasn’t the worst thing. I didn’t have school or anything like that, but it was surprising we slept in so late. Then again, we had literally traveled across realms, so being exhausted, I suppose, was expected.
“Is everyone else up?”
“Yes,” Anani hedged, “but I would say get ready for the day before coming down. There are a lot of people outside of our house.”
I walked towards the hallway and peeked out, making my way to the top of the stairs to look out the glass wall of the front of the house. My eyes widened at the news vans in the driveaway, all being herded by security and local police, but the effort didn’t seem to be making much of a difference. The reporters looked so worked up that I actually felt concerned about them. I also worried about the security and police officers, because there were fewer of them than the reporters.
“They’ve got it handled.” Anani came up behind me and squeezed my waist. “Just get ready for the day and then come downstairs.”
Nodding, I kissed his lips, letting out a soft sound at the small smile he gave me, his fingers tangling in my hair and tugging at the scrunchie I’d tied it back with. I watched with amusement as he tucked it into his pocket, shot me a wink, and walked downstairs. I loved that he felt comfortable doing that. I knew he liked stealing my stuff, and he never needed to hide it.
Going back into my bedroom, I found Bella padding around the bed, instantly meowing upon seeing me. I gave her some pets and cute snuggles, appreciating the small peaceful moment, before slipping into the closet. I wasn’t positive what the weather was like, but I decided to go with a cute brown and cream plaid skirt that had a leather buckle at the waist that matched the loafers I slid on. I finished the outfit with a soft, oversized cashmere sweater that I tucked into my skirt at the front before assessing my appearance in the mirror. I couldn’t help but smile as I ran my fingers through my hair, loving the array of colors behind me in my closet, so vibrant compared to what I’d experienced before this. I didn’t think I would ever not be able to appreciate it.
Sometimes it felt a bit odd seeing my reflection in the mirror, not fully recognizing the woman that looked back at me. Not only did I look healthier than ever before, but I was covered in markings that made me happy instead of the bruises that had once covered my skin. My mates’ bite marks were my favorite, but I also loved the flight mark on my forearm, the gorgeous imprint of the rose gold cuff, like a metallic tattoo on my skin, that I couldn’t help but run my fingers along. I would be thrilled if my mates kept marking me, including human stuff like the ring on my finger.
Running some vanilla lip gloss over my lips and a brush through my hair, I walked back towards the bed, where Bella sat waiting patiently.
“Ready?” I asked her as she climbed up my offered arm and positioned herself on my shoulder. I kissed her little head and left the room, my gaze going back towards the driveway as I walked down the steps, the chaos seeming to grow more consistent as time passed. I knew Anani said they had it under control, but I honestly wasn’t positive that was going to be true if any more reporters arrived.
When one of them looked up and saw me through the glass panel, he shouted something, and all eyes focused on me as they began to try to take photos and get closer to the house. I slipped out of the main foyer and out of sight, hating that the only way downstairs was literally perfectly in their line of sight. I shook my head, wondering how the heck we were going to do anything with all this attention on us.
Especially things like finding Malcolm and the other phoenixes.
“Maya.” Marco’s tone was harsh and panicked when he saw me. He was standing at the island as I made my way towards the kitchen, his jaw clenched with tension. I had almost jolted at his tone, but I knew the harshness wasn’t directed towards me. No, he was upset at the idea of me being exposed to the people outside. He was just protective like that…but I still didn’t like how he said my name.
I took the kiss Atlas offered me, making me blush before noticing that the others were spread through the house, some talking to security and some watching the group out front. I felt like we were on display for these reporters, and I had a feeling, if the helicopter sounds above were part of this, that there was no easy way to get rid of them.
“Maya.” Marco’s voice was still pinched.
“Don’t say my name like that.” I frowned at him as guilt flashed through his gaze. I walked around the kitchen and leaned into Marco, nuzzling against his chest as he wrapped me closer and buried his nose in my hair. When my eyes opened, I noticed the mug that Atlas was drinking out of and couldn’t help but smile. It was pretty adorable, the outside of it adorned with swirls of pink and purple, with a cursive font on the front that said my name. Now that was amazing.
“That is so cool,” I pointed out as he winked at me, making Marco grumble under his breath.
“Don’t pay any mind to Marco, angel,” Atlas goaded. “He’s grumpy because he didn’t sleep all night, and then these fuckers showed up early this morning.”
“They are fuckers? Like, they’re fucking?” I frowned, looking out at the news trucks, figuring I would have seen that… I immediately shook my head, realizing in our current context that he was describing them in a negative fashion and not saying they were having sex. Atlas gave me a smile and kissed my forehead before he walked towards the front of the house, leaving me with Marco.
Turning back into him, I reached up and cupped his jaw. His frown deepened.
“How do you feel after yesterday? I was worried about you, baby girl.”
My entire body softened at the honesty behind his words, and I couldn’t help but step closer into him and tilt my head back so he knew I wanted a kiss, which he gave me before I answered.
“I’m okay…” I hesitated and tried to formulate my thoughts. “It was never about you guys, Marco… I am a bit more aware now of what you guys normally do as a team, but you guys didn’t do anything wrong. You protected me, just like I would have you. I mean, they had been attacking us, it was completely justified… It’s just more that I was okay with it, even liked it, and after everything I’ve been through, that felt wrong. So incredibly wrong. But Ledger is right—it does feel natural to my shifted side, so I have to believe that means something.”
His eyes warmed as he nodded, grasping my hand and running his lips across my ring, seeming to relax completely. “Good. I have good news then, and some even better news.”
“What’s the good news?”
“I have someone in Louisiana looking into the compound, and they are going to report back by tomorrow morning, as well as someone looking into the local witch territory,” he explained as I offered him a smile. I knew what we would find could be bad, but it made me feel hopeful that we were a step closer to figuring out how deep this went.
“And the better news?”
“We are going Halloween costume shopping today and going to a party tomorrow downtown,” he muttered, looking grumpy but pretty cute. I immediately threw myself into him and kissed his face, unable to help the smile that broke onto my face.
“I am so excited,” I admitted, unable to contain my elation.
“The only thing I had to arrange was where the boys should spend the night, so I had to figure that out this morning,” he explained easily. “I called up Alpha Creed, and he said that the younger kids in the pack were having a bonfire and that they were more than welcome to come, as well as stay in the large guest house on property for the night. I figured it would give them a chance to meet some local shifters.”
“That’s a great idea,” I agreed and then frowned. “Did you find out if Lorn…”
Marco let out a hiss. “Yeah, he escaped when Malcolm did. I don’t think it was intentional—I think Anna was there to break out Malcolm and Lorn happened to just catch a damn break and made a run for it. I haven’t been able to get eyes on him yet, but I have people looking.”
“Okay, good.” I nodded. “And what about Jordan?”
“I talked to Marcellus and invited them to come with us. Apparently Jordan has something today, but they will be coming over tomorrow.”
My smile only grew as he spoke. “Thank you so much, Marco, I really need this,” I whispered.
“Anything for you, baby girl.” He kissed my forehead before pulling back. “But expect me to be a bit insane about your safety, especially with Malcolm at large. I am trying my best to keep relaxed, but the idea of you being in danger scares the hell out of me.”
“I like that you care about my safety,” I admitted. “Always have.”
His lips kicked up. “Good. Then hopefully you won’t be mad at me for telling you to not leave the house until we are ready to go. I don’t want those fuckers taking any more pictures of you. We have been trying to get them out of here, but because it’s national news, we can’t exactly manhandle them without creating a massive problem. Plus, that would be the exact type of thing the FBI would love, so they could get involved even further.”
“That’s frustrating,” I murmured, slightly distracted while looking towards the living room where the younger boys were sitting, watching the television. “While you handle that, I am going to meet them officially.”
“Sounds good. I’ll keep an eye on Bella.” He nodded towards our kitten, currently playing on the counter, as I offered her a small smile, unable to get over how adorable she could be.
I walked towards the living room, wondering if this would be weird. I was bad with strangers, so I didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable. Immediately they were looking at me with interest as I took a seat on the couch.
“There are a lot of humans around,” the littlest one stated.
“There are.” I nodded and offered him a friendly smile, trying to distract from the chaos. “So, I never got your names. If you guys are going to be staying here for a bit, we should probably know one another. I’m Maya.”
“We know,” a second one perked up. “Marco said you’re in charge.”
Really? That was sweet of him.
“Well, I don’t know about all that, but I do know that if you need anything, I’ll try to help.”
“I’m Arthur,” the littlest one next to me said, his smile bright despite the shadows in his dark eyes.
“Nathan,” the other said, the two of them clearly the youngest at nine or maybe ten.
“What about you guys?” I asked the four older boys, all of them regarding me with more caution.
“Oakland,” a kid with bright red hair introduced himself before nodding towards the others. “That’s Clive, he’s our Alpha, and then Bodhi is our Beta.”
I smiled at the two oldest before looking at a large kid who was sitting against the couch, looking honestly a bit grumpy as everyone stared at him in expectation, before he let out a sigh.
“Emeric,” he said, his words accented and his expression a bit vulnerable before closing off again, as if I was going to somehow make fun of his name.
“Nice names,” I admitted. “It’s really nice to officially meet all of you. I know this past day has been a lot, but hopefully it will calm down. You guys let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“We will be fine,” Arthur insisted. “We are used to being alone.”
I hated hearing that, but I offered him a small smile of understanding. “I was alone for a long time too. Even if you are okay alone doesn’t mean you have to be. Sometimes it’s nice to have friends.”
“You want to be friends with us?” Oakland’s eyes were wide. “But you’re a princess!”
“Princesses can have friends,” I ensured. “Plus, can I tell you a secret?”
They nodded, the oldest even looking curious at my words.
“I’m honestly not sold on the princess thing yet,” I admitted easily, “Even if I am a princess, I don’t feel like one. I’m just Maya.”
They seemed to like that, as they all nodded in understanding. Suddenly, Croy’s energy filled the space as he looked at the boys. “Atlas needs all of you really quick. It’s about tonight.”
The group of them got up, all offering me small smiles before disappearing and leaving me with Croy, who motioned for me to come to where he now sat on the couch. I sat right on his knee and leaned into his large chest, his eyes running over me appreciatively.
“What did you say to get them to relax?” he asked curiously.
“Told them that if they needed anything to ask me and that even if they were used to being alone, it didn’t mean they couldn’t have friends.”
Croy’s eyes warmed as he cupped my jaw. “You are so damn sweet, sugar.”
“Yeah?” I teased. “Is that why you call me that?”
“Well, that’s not the only part of you that is sweet,” he rumbled, making me blush.
“Croy!” I slapped his chest lightly with my hand, unable to stop my smile.
“It’s true.” He shrugged before pulling me closer. “Atlas wanted me to let you know that these assholes out front are probably going to be here for a bit. You are going to use the back access road to get off the property, but it is going to be a bit cold tonight, so you should change into something a bit warmer.”
I looked down at my skirt and frowned. “But I like this skirt. Do I have to change it?”
Croy looked over it, his wolf flashing in his gaze. “For more reasons than one, you look entirely too tempting in it. Knowing that I could just push that up—”
I put a hand over his mouth and nodded towards Bella, who had somehow escaped Marco and was now in an armchair licking her paw and eyeing us with suspicion. “Not around Bella.”
He barked out a laugh and squeezed my waist before urging me up. I grumbled under my breath but snuck back upstairs, trying to keep myself to the side as I went as quickly as possible. Once back inside of my room, I changed into a pair of jeans and boots with warm fuzzy socks. I pulled my hair back into a loose braid and grabbed a bright pink mini backpack that I stored my wallet and phone in. Unfortunately, Bella wouldn’t be able to come with us, so the only thing I was missing was a coat.
“Ledger?” I called out as I neared his room. The man was pulling a shirt on, and I swallowed, absolutely loving seeing his tattoo-covered abs on display.
“What’s up?” He smirked, his eyes heating on my outfit.
“Can I borrow a coat?”
He frowned. “Of course. We need to get you one for sure though. The idea of you being cold is not one I like at all.”
I may have had a jacket already…it just wasn’t the same as wearing Ledger’s, but we could talk about that later…after I covered this one in my scent.
I let him shimmy an oversized jacket onto my shoulders, and I kissed him before putting the backpack on. After another few kisses, he let me escape back down the steps, where I found Marco in the kitchen.
“Why aren’t we flying?” I asked curiously.
Marco flashed a smile. “Well, unless you want us to go into the store naked…”
“No, there could be other women there.” I scowled as he offered me a knowing look.
“We did consider something like that, but we have a path that leads off the property that is easier,” he explained as I kissed Bella goodbye. I couldn’t say goodbye to Sai and Atlas because they were out front with the younger flight, but I did manage to sneak in a kiss to Croy, Anani, and Henry, who were all watching the news.
Eventually, after some teasing about not letting me leave, Marco, Ledger, and I made our way from the house and into the back yard. There was a cool edge to the air that made me wonder if it was going to storm… I had a feeling if it did, it would be snow instead of rain. I would love that.
With the concept of Halloween shopping on my mind, it was easy to forget everything else going on.
Well, almost forget. Almost.