“A phoenix…” Thierry thought aloud, “When a phoenix shifter dies before reaching immortality maturation, she gets reborn.”
“From ashes,” Ryker’s low voice grunted.
“The rebirth is up to fate. But it’s been rumored that some were reborn in their past, with knowledge of the future. It was one of the reasons why the species was eliminated. Knowledge of the future was voted by the council to only be permissible for the Seers.”
“Fuck, you think she time-traveled?” Bael’s wings retreated, and the spirals left his eyes. “To do that, she would have had to…”
“Die,” Thierry finished his sentence.
With the spirals gone, Nix blinked and looked around them. Gaining back an understanding of her surroundings and howBael had just hypnotized her, she sat up to slap him, but she was restrained by the ropes.
“Fuck you for that!” Nix spat at him. “You had no right to do that.”
“No right to get the truth from my own mate?”
“You don’t get to decide when I give you something you want. You have no idea what it’s like to be controlled and helpless.” Nix scowled at him so hard she imagined the force of her gaze might actually bruise him. “I want to slap you so hard right now.”
Bael’s head shot forward when both Ryker and Thierry smacked the back of the incubus’s head, following their mate’s desires.
Nix nodded at her dragon and gargoyle shifter. “Thank you. Good boys.”
Thierry coughed, fingered his glasses, and blushed.
Ryker began unknotting the rope around Nix’s left wrist.
“You’re not working with the Oadess family?” Bael asked.
“Fuck no,” she exclaimed and pulled at the ropes. “Set me free. Now.”
“I had to be sure, you understand that, right?” For the first time, Bael sounded worried, his voice no longer oozing its typical confidence.
“I don’t think the Oadess family is behind any of this,” Persius said in a benevolent tone from the back of the room. His eyes were slightly glassy as he added, “They are good people.”
Ryker freed Nix’s left arm from the rope, and she instantly pointed at Persius. “I knew he was bespelled!”
Persius scoffed. “Excuse me? That’s a little rude.”
“You just said the Oadesses are good people,” Bael stated. “I think Nix is right. You got too close, man. I told you they could pull the enchanting shit on you, and you were all ‘no, if I approach them with kindness and befriend them, they will be honest with me.’”
“You don’t know them like I do. Adar and Elle are so nice to me.”
Nix turned to Ryker, “The pink vial on your dresser. Get it.” Ryker immediately rushed from the room. Nix announced loudly, so Ryker could hear her, “It’s a protection potion for Persius. Should reverse any enchantments cast on him.”
“I amnotenchanted.” Persius crossed his arms and told her, “I don’t even know you. I don’t know what ‘future’ you are talking about, but I would havenevertold someone what I am—”
“I am your mate,” Nix said. “You told me because I am your mate.” She watched in silence as his facial expression scrunched in disbelief. “Whatever enchantment she put on you, it’s why you haven’t recognized me yet.”
“Anothermate?” Bael whined.
Nix jerked her head at Thierry, and Thierry obediently slapped the incubus again.
Ryker swooped back into the room, holding the vial.
Persius took a cautious step away from him. “Whoa, how do I know she isn’t just saying all this to use a love potion on me or something?”
Nix rolled her eyes. “It’s not a love potion.”
Persius pointed to the pretty glass vial. “It’spink.”
