Anxiously, I bounce from foot to foot, resisting the urge to move to Easton's side.
"He'll be back soon, Precious. We just have to wait and watch." Khal moves to my side and cups my cheek.
I stare into his eyes and see his basilisk's slits. Sniffling, I nod and look over at Easton again. I can't draw my eyes away from the ball of fire that is my mate for too long.
Deep down, I blame myself for his death. I couldn't move fast enough.
"Why did I move so slow? I don't understand. My wolf is fast, but I felt like I was held down with chains."
"One of the vampires had an ability. Some can manipulate time to a point. This one—" Diaval motions to the ash pile. "Apparently could slow down time. Trust me, he would never blame you. You tried to get to him, putting yourself in danger to save him."
I glance away from Easton for a moment, then back to the flames as they die out.
The pile of ash draws me like a moth to a flame. I break loose from my mates and kneel next to what remains of Easton.
Something moves to my side, and a guttural growl escapes my lips reflexively. Then I notice it's Torben sitting next to me.
"It takes time," he says gently.
In the center of the ash, I watch it start to ignite and pulse like a heartbeat. Slowly, the ash draws toward the center as if gravity is pulling it. The ball of fire grows slowly, still pulsing in time with my heartbeat.
"This is different." Diaval kneels next to me.
When I glance up, I notice Khal has shifted. His basilisk seems to have grown in size. He coils his impressive form around us, shielding us from the outside world.
"What's different?" I tilt my head.
Diaval touches his fingertips to my throat. "His flames are pulsing in time with your heart. Your bond is strengthening his return."
Nodding, I watch the flames grow. As much as the fire scares my wolf on a primal level, we know it's my mate returning.
After what feels like forever,the fire finally dies, and a small pile of ash remains.
Movement under the ash draws my attention, and I reach out tentatively. My fingers search the ash until I find a small, warm body within it.
Carefully, I lift the body from the ash. The baby phoenix looks like a macaw and a peacock had a hatchling. The tiny butterballof a chick looks up at me with unexplained affection. It has the soft fluff of a hatchling covering its body.
Tiny talons grip my finger as I draw him to my chest.
Relief crashes through me so hard I nearly sob. He's here. He's alive. My flame.
I stuff Easton's chick in my hoodie and then down into the top of my shirt before zipping it up.
Khal's basilisk turns to face me, and I smile. "Hunt for us. Diaval and Torben can keep us safe. I need to feed him so he grows."
Khal lowers his giant head and boops me with his nose before taking off, slithering into the woods to hunt.
"Let's go back to the alpha house. It's not safe to be out in the open until Easton is back in his adult form."
I don't bother to wait for the guys to follow. I just turn on my heels and head back down the road.
We have about a week before Easton is back in his adult form. My hands frame the moving chick inside my hoodie, feeling my mate's tiny heartbeat against my chest.
The steps leading to the alpha house make my feet feel like lead. The weight of the world rests on my chest with every move of my mate's chick.
Hopefully, this week will end quickly.
But at least he's alive. At least he came back to me.
