Plus, while surprising, I hadn’t missed my dads’ comments on how dangerous Marco and his flight were. It was a suspicion I’d already had, but instead of being afraid of that, I found it comforting.
“Why are you doing this?” I questioned, my voice echoing through the space.
Marco’s dragon produced a rumble from his chest, and I had a feeling it was because of all the attention placed on my words. I could feel my mates spreading out behind us, moving to the perimeter of the circle of fire, while keeping the younger dragons safely in the center. I knew they could shift in this amount of space, but it would be tight… Although, as I looked up, I realized that with the exception of Bella, all of us could fly. Fly right out of here into safety.
As if knowing my thoughts, Pastor Malcolm sneered. “Those flames are part of a warding spell that is a dome around you. There is no getting out.”
“You intend to just keep us here?” Marco suddenly sounded amused. I looked at my mate, who despite being tense, didn’t look nearly as worried as before. “How do you plan on transferring us without putting yourself in danger? Surely you don’t think this can hold us for long? Witch magic isn’t exactly made for battle.”
“I’m starting to think Malcolm didn’t think this through,” Henry mused.
I was glad they seemed so secure in what was going on, but I could sense the fear coming off the younger shifters, and it made me feel extremely uncomfortable and guilty. We were supposed to be helping them, and instead we had portalled them right into this absolute disaster.
“Shut up!” Malcolm hissed. I noticed that he had the same look on his face that Becky’s face had back in school, nearly frenzied. Maybe he really did think this was a good idea, but Marco wasn’t wrong. Where did we go from here? What exactly did he have planned for us? Maybe I could make him see enough reason to let down these walls so we could get the heck out of here.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I focused on Pastor Malcolm, trying to keep his attention.
“You know why!” His eyes flashed with anger as he pointed a finger towards me, the slight tremble visibly obvious to me, even from here. “You have a purpose, Maya. You have always had a fucking purpose. My coven needs you, and if you won’t come willingly, I will take you by force, even if it means hurting your mates in the process. Especially if it means that.”
His words caused Atlas to chuckle, but not with the happy laughter I loved, the one that made my toes curl. No, this one had all the hairs on my arm standing straight up. I noticed Anna staring at him with abject fear, causing Sai to let out a frustrated sound, shaking his head.
I looked around at my mates, noticing how calm they were, including the twins, only to realize…they’d clearly done this before. Not this exact situation, but it was all too clear to me that this wasn’t the first bad situation they’d been placed in. I wasn’t positive how I felt about them having been in that much danger.
“Is that what this is really about, Anna?” Henry’s voice was cruel, sharp, and amused. It was such an odd mix, almost patronizing, and it had Anna stepping back and letting out a growl. I was confused only for a moment before realizing Henry had read her mind.
“Screw you,” Anna bit out. I felt Marco’s hand run up my back in a gentle, comforting action that had me taking a deep, even breath.
“Yes, I am gathering that is exactly what you think this will bring you,” Henry growled, his face one of disgust. “Even if we’d never met Maya, you still would not be an option or a blip on our goddamn radar.”
Anna’s eyes filled with fury as I connected the dots, and my mouth popped open in realization. Wait, was he serious? Was that what this was really about?
“You’re doing this because you like them?!” I demanded.
“It was my right to mate with them!” she bit out, her breathing harsh and uneven. “I am a council member. I am one of the most powerful women in the realm, and then you came along and took all of that. Took everything we could have been.”
“You were never supposed to be our mate,” Anani said incredulously. “You made one pass at Marco two years ago, and he rejected you so completely that you didn’t show your face at another event for a year.”
Good.Oops, that was mean.
I crossed my arms, feeling an uncomfortable sensation in my stomach at the idea of her attention being on my mates. “First of all, it isn’t your right to mate with them. Even if they didn’t have a mate, you don’t get to decide that, Anna.”
Her face darkened. “Do not start acting like you’re better than me. You are a fucking phoenix. You only serve one purpose as it is, the only reason those men even want you.”
I refuted her insinuation immediately. “That’s a lie.”
Pastor Malcolm’s voice boomed. “Enough—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Sai snapped, his dragon pacing under his skin. I noticed briefly that he was the closest to the edge of the flames, his hand moving over them briefly, a slight twitch of pain crossing his expression before pulling his hand away. I don’t think anyone else noticed it, but it let me know that the barrier was all too real and seemingly painful to interact with. That wasn’t good.
“Why would you go to this extent?” I asked Anna, knowing that there was something more to this.
Anna’s cheeks turned almost purple. “You have no idea. You’re a little girl, so you don’t understand what being with them means. You have no idea the power—”
“Actually, she does.” Ledger sounded way too amused.
Croy’s voice was bold as it came up behind me. “Maya isn’t a normal ph—”
“I get it, she’s fucking special!” Anna hissed.