The moment I stepped outside of the room, I felt more of my power. Reaching out, I found that I could teleport. First, I imagined my house, but it felt too out of reach, so I imagined different locations. Finally, my reality blurred, and then I was gone, out of that place.
That was a massacre, one I didn’t understand. Why did everyone have to react to the extreme when there were simple solutions? Why did this have to happen when all they wanted was to be treated fairly in a world that repressed them?
~*~
I paced my bedroom. There was a park on the city limits that I had been able to transport and from there, I made it home. After taking an hour to scrub at my skin, I couldn’t calm my mind.
Was I upset that the kidnappers were killed? Yes and no. They took me, hurt me, and were attacking the shifters indiscriminately. Venni had gotten hurt because of them. But this could be the beginning of it all. The start of a war and I didn’t want that. I knew people who were mixed blood, who had shifter ancestors.
Davies was one of them. If the shifters did a purge, how far back would they go? I would say Davies had only a drop of shifter blood in his body, but would that put him on their kill list?
“Are you well?” Atasha asked. I jumped, not having realized she had come back.
“I’m fine.”
“Now say that again and believe it.” There was a hint of humor in her voice. I paused my pacing and turned to face her. She stood just inside the doorway, and for once, Rowan wasn’t hovering behind her.
My shoulders slumped and my legs grew suddenly tired. Atasha was at my side in a blink and she led me over to the bed, sitting me down.
“I don’t get it. I thought I understood a lot when I began working at Biomystic, but then I saw and did things, and realized I don’t know shit. And what I don’t know—it scares me when I learn about it. After this, are they going to go around and kill everyone? Because of a few radicals? Isn’t that how it works in the history books? One small group ruins it for everyone?”
“Yes.” Atasha wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into her. I closed my eyes, just feeling her warmth, the way her power felt against me. She felt like what home should feel like, like safety. “After this, they will try to kill anyone they thought had a part in the attacks. Unfortunately, that means they will group all the mixed-breeds together. I know shifters. I have seen what they can do. They will not show any mercy.”
Atasha stood up and moved in front of me with a kind smile. “But what the shifters don’t realize is they have an elementalist invested in the well-being of this city because of her niece. And they have a dragon who’s nosier than he should be. We have power they don’t realize. We will not let it come to bloodshed, at least not more than has already occurred.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Shanton has gathered the council. I am going to the meeting. We will force them to step in before the shifters tear apart this city.”
“I want to come.” I stood up.
“No, Laila. Stay here and rest. Your men will be here soon to comfort you. Let them. They went mad when they woke up to find you gone.” She laughed and shook her head. “I have never seen so many men go crazy over one woman. I know you do not see it, but those boys are wild over you.”
I smirked. “I don’t think they’d appreciate you calling them boys.”
She shrugged. “I am older than all of them, including that stubborn dragon. I get the right to call them boys. And I will treat them as so if they do anything that hurts you.” She squeezed my shoulder after that gentle reminder of her protectiveness and walked to the door. “Now let me put those idiotic shifters in their place. I will see you tomorrow morning. I imagine you need time with them all.”
Atasha was right. All my guys, with the exception of Shanton showed up shortly after Atasha and Rowan left. They refused to let me go and carried me all over the house whenever I wanted something like a drink or to go to the living room so we had more room to spread out.
“Laila.” I looked away from the TV and whatever movie was playing. I was too distracted to know what was going on, I just knew there was drama between a man and a woman. I thought Davies called it a chick-flick and was what a woman needed when they had been through shit.
Dwight’s eyes were dark with concern.
“Are you scared of us?”
I frowned. “What? Where the heck is that coming from?”
His eyes flickered to Venni before focusing back on me. “You haven’t looked at Venni or me at all since we came here.”
I thought about what he said and gasped. “No.” I jumped to my feet and then onto Dwight’s lap. His hands wrapped around my thighs to steady me. “No. That isn’t it.” I shook my head furiously.
“Then what is it?” Venni asked, standing at my side, his hand on my back.
“I saw you guys tear into people. I just need to resolve that inside my head. That’s it. I saw a lot of blood, a lot of body parts, not all of it because of you guys—it was everyone in that room. It’s something I don’t understand and I won’t. I don’t hunt, I don’t turn into a predator and go after prey for dinner. That isn’t me. I know it’s you and I get that is what you need. But I won’t pretend I’ll ever understand it because I don’t. If I see someone running, I’m wondering why, what’s going on, who’s in danger. I’m not thinking prey, weak, dinner.”
“You aren’t scared of us?” Venni asked again.
I shook my head and never looked away from Venni as I said, “I’m not scared of you.”
He leaned over to kiss the top of my head. I moved and captured his lips with mine instead, proving to him that I didn’t fear him. When I pulled away, I made sure to give Dwight that same reassurance.
None of them scared me.
I pulled away and rested my head on Dwight’s shoulder, cuddling into him. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and he rubbed my back. If I could, I would have purred. Instead, I enjoyed the feel of him. I was back where I needed to be.
“Happy birthday, Laila,” Elliot said.
“Dammit. Some fucking birthday,” Davies said.
I giggled. “Maybe I’m cursed to never have a birthday.”
“Fuck that. We will figure something out.” Heavy footsteps moved and dulled as Davies left the room.
“He better not be trying to plan me a surprise birthday party.”
“He knows you better than that,” Alijah said. A hand brushed the top of my head, and when I turned, I watched Alijah leave the room too.
“What are they doing?”
“Food,” Venni answered. “And I imagine Alijah is going to be the one to bring out your dish.”
A few minutes later, exactly that happened, and I laughed. Alijah presented me with a dish full of meats and cheeses. Dwight didn’t want to let me go, so I turned in his lap and let him hold me while Alijah fed me.
I didn’t mind.
For the rest of the day and through the night, I let the guys spoil me.
We didn’t have a big birthday party, I didn’t do what I wanted, but it was still a nice party to brighten what had been a scary event.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ami was practically jumping up and down as she led me down the hallway.
“I can’t believe you managed to reschedule the birthday party.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe you thought I’d let you get away with not celebrating it. If I thought you wouldn’t have been pissed, I wouldn’t even have told you about it at all and just surprised you.”
I smiled big. “I’m glad you told me.” My free hand nervously patted my pocket. All seven rings were there now, burning a hole through my coat pocket.
It was Tuesday now and frankly, I was surprised the city hadn’t burned down. I didn’t see a lot of Atasha and when I did, she refused to tell me what was going on. I’d been planning a raid on one of her meetings with the council. Shanton wasn’t telling me anything either. Everything was hush-hush. What I did know wa
s that there hadn’t been any more attacks, and the city wasn’t burning.
I guessed that was a win.
In the morning, Ami had called, telling me we were celebrating my birthday that day. That turned me into a bundle of nerves as I worked in my lab. I couldn’t focus. All I could think about was my birthday party, how it was going to be, what was going to happen, and what I wanted to happen.
They say when you’re nervous about something, to picture the worst thing that could happen in the situation. When I pictured my birthday, I kept seeing the end of the world. That really wasn’t good advice.
Ami had managed to completely clean out the workout room so that it was just one huge space filled with tables weighed down by food. There was even a table full of presents. I couldn’t even begin to guess what people would have bought me. Presents were a foreign concept to me.
The room was filled with familiar faces as all the Biomystic employees clapped and cheered, some calling out birthday wishes. My face grew hot as we walked further into the room and to where all my close friends were, including Atasha, Rowan, and all seven of my boyfriends.
“I can’t believe this,” I said.
“Believe it, Babe. Ami is a genius when it comes to this stuff.” Davies swooped in and hugged me. I got passed around until everyone got their hug.
Then a band began playing from a stage off to the side and the party got started.
I never knew what was expected at a birthday party. Never had one and never been part of one, but what Ami did blew my expectations away. She went above and beyond, doing far better than I could have. The food was top notch, and while I got full fast off of what Ami called pot stickers, everyone else raved about how good everything tasted.
“Atasha,” I said, finally cornering her. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
She laughed. “Of course not. How could I go a day without seeing my wonderful niece?”
I huffed. “You know what I want. Please, put me out of my misery.”
“Laila, I promise everything is fine. No war is going to break out.”
Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “Really?”
“Really. A few well-fed threats, and the shifters have decided to try talking before doing anything else dramatic. My vast experience has opened their eyes.” Her smile softened. “Venni is safe. They tried to drag him in, but I put a stop to that right away.”
Rowan cleared his throat and with a smile said, “She gave them a gentle reminder that as an elementalist she has no problem razing down this city if a war breaks out. She wants a safe place for her niece to live and grow. The dragon agreed.”
“That worked?” I asked in disbelief. It couldn’t have been that easy.
“Yes,” Atasha said. “It worked. The council intervened with the shifters, and they are in arbitrated talks now about how to make it easier on those who aren’t full-blooded to live. People from both sides are being represented.”
“Holy shit. It really was that easy?”
“You forget the threat,” Shanton said, coming to my side. “They needed a reminder that dragons and elementalists being part of any conflict will lead to something on par with the Chaos War. After that, they were more than happy to listen to what we had to say. Your aunt made some good suggestions to give both sides what they wanted.” Shanton gave Atasha a respectful look.
She sighed. “There is still a long road ahead of them. Months really.” Waving her hand dismissively, she said, “Enough talk about politics. There is a time and a place for everything and right now is not it.” Rowan passed Atasha a small box, and she gave it to me. “I can finally give you my present.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I did. Please, take it. I know you will cherish it.”
I noted the vulnerability in her expression. Was this another one of those moments that would help us define our relationship? I smiled. “Thank you.” I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Her expression was bright when I pulled away.
The wrapping was nice, a deep red with golden swirls in it. I carefully unfolded the wrapping, not wanting to tear it. Davies came up to my side and when he saw me being careful, snickered.
“You do realize if you unwrap all your presents like that, we’re going to be here for days.”
I elbowed him hard and sent him my best glare. He took a wary step back, knowing exactly what I would do to him if he teased me.
“This is my first present. Don’t ruin it, doofus.”
“Shit, seriously?”
Venni came up behind Davies and whacked his head. “Stop being insensitive.”
“Sorry,” Davies said, rubbing his head. He really did look sorry.
I nodded and went back to performing surgery on the gift. Once the paper was off, Venni smiled and took it for me, keeping it safe. I grinned back, not even feeling silly about how careful I was with the wrapping paper.
The box fit in the palm of my hand and was simple, a solid black. It looked like a ring box. “You aren’t proposing to me, are you?” I asked.
Atasha laughed. “No. This is a family heirloom. It was your father’s. I want you to have it.”
Her words hit hard, and I blinked hard as tears tried to come unbidden. They had no place there. I kept blinking, working through different emotions. I held a piece of my father, and Atasha wanted me to keep it. I didn’t know what to do with that.
No one said anything. They knew what was happening, even if I didn’t. My hands shook as I slowly opened it. A massive signet ring sat in the middle, silver, accented with black sapphires. The band itself was decorated to look like flames going all around.
“This is gorgeous,” I whispered.
“Each sapphire has a protection spell in it. I don’t know what all it does, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. The signet is usually passed down from male to male, but well, there are no more males to pass it along to, so I am giving this to you. Someday…” Her voice trailed off as I stared at the ring. It was loose but when I slipped it on my finger, there was a bite of power, and the band adjusted to fit my finger.
“Someday, if I chose to have a child, I can pass it to him,” I said and looked up at Atasha.
Her smile drew a sob from me—a happy one.
“Yes.” She pulled me into a tight hug, and I returned it.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“We have so much time to make up for. You are not alone, amaorah. I will always be here.”
“Will you finally tell me what that means?” I asked in a whisper.
“Yes. She turned her head and kissed my forehead. “You are my heart, amaorah.”
Her words hit me hard and tears escaped me. To think a few precious words from an aunt I was just beginning to learn about would feel like a warm ball of comfort.
“I will always be here for you.”
For the first time in my life, I didn’t second guess that promise. I pulled away and smirked, needing to distance myself from all the deep emotions being tossed around. “With Rowan.”
Atasha blushed, and I blinked in shock at the change in her. Rowan’s eyes widened a fraction, and a new light entered them.
Oh, my Goddess. It looked like Atasha’s life was just about to get more interesting.
The rest of the party became a flash of presents, some silly, others thoughtful. The guys all got me something I could put into my house: paintings, equipment, seeds for my garden. They were practical about it, and I appreciated them all the more for it. I wasn’t a woman who wanted jewelry or clothes or fancy trips tossed her way. I wanted things I could use, things I needed, and they knew that.
As the party began to wind down, I knew I needed to do it now, before I chickened out. The entire time, the rings mocked me, called me a chicken. I needed to prove them wrong. I could do this and I wanted to.
“Ami,” I said, managing to slip away from the guys. It had been hard leaving their sight since Sunday.
“So? Did I do awesome or did I do fucking amazing?”
<
br /> I grinned. “You did fucking amazing.” I glanced around. “I have one request.”
She glanced at her watch. “You are still the birthday girl for the next half an hour, so make it quick.
I laughed. “I want to make an announcement.”
“Easy.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the stage.
My stomach dropped as we got closer and I was starting to doubt myself. Would this be the moment the world ended? It felt like it. Knowing my luck, a meteor was going to crash into our city and take us out.
The band wrapped up their song and Ami flagged down the singer. They exchanged words. I was too busy reminding myself to breathe and how the whole breathing exercise worked.
Ami gave me a push, and the man who played on the drums helped pull me on stage. Everyone quieted and gathered around when they realized another song wasn’t going to start.
My guys were right at the front, giving me curious looks. Venni and Alijah were sending glares at the band members, as if they were doing something inappropriate to me. I met Rhett’s gaze, and he never looked away. I gave him a shaky smile. His lip quirked into a small smile of his own.
I was okay. I’d be okay.
“Now, the birthday lady would like to say a few words.” The male singer passed me the microphone.
I cleared my throat and winced when it was loud through the speakers. A nervous laugh escaped me. Energy reached out and rubbed my back, and I met Rhett’s gaze again, drawing comfort from him. His energy always had a way of calming me down.
“Hi,” I said into the microphone. “I want to thank you all for coming. Some of you know how much this means to me and for those who don’t, I really appreciate you taking the time to celebrate my birthday with me. My past hasn’t always been the best, but since coming to work at Biomystic, I learned what family meant, what it meant to have people in my corner fighting for me. So thank you. I’d like to ask my boyfriends to all come up on stage please.” A nervous chuckle escaped me as they did as I asked. Whispers spread through the room. We had never publicly announced our relationship, so this was the first time some of the people knew about it. Others who did, released a whistle, drawing chuckles and relieving some of my tension.
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