I wish I had his confidence. Wish I could look at the future and see success instead of failure and pain.
On the morning before the demonstration, we gather at our usual table in the dining hall. It feels like an island in a sea of staring students. The noise level drops the moment we're all seated, conversations stuttering to a halt as people watch us. Skye looks exhausted, dark circles under his eyes from too many nights spent planning and worrying. Harlow flickers between worlds more than usual, his death-sight clearly showing him things that make him uncomfortable. Rumi's wings are visible despite his attempts to keep them hidden, golden feathers catching the morning light. And Ambrose has that faraway lookthat means he's monitoring his contracts, keeping track of every thread he's woven to protect us.
The moment I sit down, Skye's hand finds mine under the table. On my other side, Jade presses close, his warmth surrounding me.
"Two days," Rumi says, not bothering to lower his voice. Several nearby tables go completely silent, straining to hear. "Then we show them what six impossible mates look like when they work together."
A few nearby students lean in, clearly eavesdropping. I don't care anymore. Let them listen. Let them see we're not hiding, that we're not ashamed of what we are.
"The journalists I contacted will be here tomorrow," Ambrose reports, keeping his voice low enough that only our table can hear. "They'll set up recording equipment throughout the demonstration area, broadcast everything live. By the time the hunters arrive, millions of Magila across the world will be watching."
My stomach drops. Millions. Watching me either succeed or fail catastrophically in front of the entire world. Watching me prove that phoenixes deserve to exist, or watching the Council strip my essence and turn me into an empty shell.
Skye's hand moves and tightens on my thigh, his fingers pressing hard enough to ground me. His steady confidence pushes into me, trying to drown out my fear. "You can do this. We've got you."
"What if I can't?" The words slip out before I can stop them, quiet and terrified. "What if I transform and lose control? What if I prove Dmitri right, that creatures like me are too dangerous?"
Harlow leans forward, his death-touched eyes glowing faintly white. "I've seen the futures, Stellan. Multiple timelines, multiple possibilities. In every single one where you trustyourself and trust us, you succeed. The only futures where you fail are the ones where you let fear control you instead of controlling your fear."
"That's not as comforting as you think it is," I mutter, but his words do help slightly. Knowing that success is possible, that there are timelines where this works out, makes the crushing weight of expectation a little lighter.
Rumi reaches across the table and flicks my forehead, making me yelp. "Stop spiraling. You've spent a week training with all of us. You can manifest wings on command. You can transform fully and maintain awareness. You can regulate your temperature with Harlow's help. You can feed Jade without burning him. You can fly with me without crashing. You've done everything you need to do."
"But can I do it all at once?" I counter. "Can I do it under pressure, with hunters judging my every move, with millions watching?"
"Yes," Skye says simply, his Praestes authority making the word feel like absolute truth. "Because you won't be doing it alone. We'll be right there with you, supporting you every step of the way."
Jade's hand slides up my back, his claws tracing gentle patterns against my spine through my shirt. The sensation is grounding, a reminder that he's here, that he chose me despite everything. "Remember what we learned in training. Your fire responds to emotion, but you can choose which emotions to channel. Fear makes it unstable. Love makes it controllable."
"So instead of being afraid, be in love," Rumi adds with a grin. "Shouldn't be hard with five mates who think you're gorgeous."
I can't help but smile slightly at that, even though my stomach is still twisted with anxiety. "You're all ridiculous."
"We're all in this together," Ambrose corrects, his green eyes finally focusing on the present moment instead of whateverdistant contracts he's been monitoring. "That's the whole point of the demonstration. Not just to show them that you're in control, but to show them what's possible when different essences work together instead of against each other."
The rest of breakfast passes with my mates deliberately keeping the conversation light, telling stories and making jokes to distract me from my spiraling thoughts. It helps, but I can still feel the weight of what's coming pressing down on me.
After breakfast, we head to the training room we've been using all week. The space is scarred from our practice sessions. Scorch marks on the walls from my fire, frost patterns on the windows from Harlow's death-chill, claw marks in the stone from Jade's demon strength, and strange symbols glowing faintly on the floor from Ambrose's contracts.
"Full run-through today," Skye announces, his power filling the room with pink light. "We need to practice the entire demonstration sequence, start to finish, as if the hunters are already here watching."
My heart rate spikes immediately, and my essence surges hot in response. Jade moves to my side instantly, his hunger drinking in my panic before it can spiral.
"Breathe," he reminds me, his voice layered with that dual quality that comes from his demon nature. "We've done this a hundred times. This is just one more practice run."
We arrange ourselves in formation. Me at the center, where I'll be the focus of the demonstration. Skye slightly behind me, his power ready to support and stabilize. Jade and Harlow on either side, providing balance between heat and cold, hunger and death. Rumi above, his wings spread wide to show the aerial support. And Ambrose forming a protective circle around all of us with his contracts.
"Transform," Skye says, and his Praestes voice makes it feel less like a command and more like permission.
I close my eyes and reach for the fire inside me. I reach for the controlled burn that Jade taught me to channel rather than the wild, chaotic flames that destroyed my family. I seek the deliberate shift that Harlow helped me master rather than the explosive transformation that happened the first time.
The fire builds slowly, starting in my chest and spreading outward. My wings manifest first, white-gold flames that don't burn but shimmer with living light. Then my body begins to change, bones reshaping, essence transforming from human to phoenix.
The full transformation takes thirty seconds, and I maintain awareness the entire time. When I open my eyes, I'm looking down at my mates from my phoenix form, massive and powerful and completely in control.
"Beautiful," Skye breathes, his pink aura reaching out to caress my flames.
I hold the form for five minutes, practicing the various movements the hunters will probably demand. Flying in controlled patterns with Rumi keeping pace beside me. Creating precise flames on command without letting them spread. Landing and taking off smoothly. All while maintaining perfect awareness and control.
