"Crap." I stared wide eyed at the hovering bolt. It was a silver crossbow bolt. Arthur had obviously stopped it using his telekinesis.

People around us were either running away from us or standing in battle ready stances, facing the danger instead of admiring the phoenixes.

Arthur snarled, his anger a palpable wave that crashed into everyone around him.

The phoenix behind us cried again, this time it was a sharp noise that had me looking over my shoulder at it. The moment my eyes met the bird's, my magic stretched almost painfully.

Something clicked into place with a resounding snap in my heart.

I felt like I could see colors for the first time in my life. And I knew. I knew what I should do.

"Keep her safe," Arthur said, speaking to my father. When he would have run toward the gardens to find the bullet's source, I grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" I told him. He stared at me, but my eyes were still glued to the phoenix. 

How funny magic was. I'd always thought the most dangerous aspect of my own magic was the blue flames. They were a powerful weapon. But all this time I had something much, much more interesting. It had always been there, only now, I was aware of it.

In a blink, I used my flames to burn through a big enough hole in the cage for the phoenix to fly through. Which she did. It was a she, I knew. I knew.

The phoenix flew overhead, drawing gasps and shouts from the crowd. Her magnificent wings stretched to their full, impressive span, leaving trails of fire behind her.

She was fast. One moment she was hovering on top of us, the next she was a fiery shooting star against the sky.

"She'll get them." I told Arthur, finally looking at him with a smile. I felt pleasantly lightheaded.

He blinked, but it was my father who spoke. "Your eyes..." he murmured.

"What?" I touched the skin beneath my eyes.

"What happened?" Arthur shook his head, looking at the people around us, "no, don't answer that now."

"The phoenix," Orion said, "were you referring to it?"

"Yes," I felt my magic shake, a vibrant thread of fire and heat pulling my attention away from my father. "here she comes," I looked at the sky a few moments before the beautiful bird flew into sight, with a body clutched in her sharp talons. 

She dropped the body right in front of us and landed next to it. I was aware of the stark silence as I stepped forward. Arthur's hand closed over my wrist, his wary expression trained on the phoenix.

"She's safe," I whispered, "she's safe."

He let go. But stayed close by when I continued forward. The man moaning and wriggling on the ground was a fae. Orion and Arthur both stayed annoyingly close. I scowled and pulled out my sword. Stupid overprotective males.

The fae finally seemed to get his bearings about him and rolled to his feet, clutching the deep gouges on his neck with one hand where the phoenix's talons had grabbed him, and pointing the crossbow at me with the other.

I felt Arthur's telekinetic field around me, nothing would get within a feet from me. It was annoying, but at least no one else was aware of it.

Thankfully, Arthur stopped moving at one point, and I heard him speak to Orion who must have wanted to deal with the situation himself.

"She can handle it." Arthur said.

"He's armed, and he's one of my people-"

"She can handle it."

Orion didn't argue. It meant more than anyone could imagine to have Arthur do this for me. For all of his protective tendencies and his scolding whenever I got myself in trouble, the fact that he trusted me to take care of myself now, in front of all these people, meant a great deal.

Though the fact that he had a telekinetic shield around me still irked me. But, well, one could compromise. 

People would see how I dealt with this. It would set the tone for how I would be viewed and treated from now on. And immortals, I knew, respected strength and power above all else.

"Stop!" the fae screamed, his injuries were already healing, but there was a crazed gleam in his eyes. His gaze flickered from one of the men at my back to the other, the crossbow trembling in his grip. 

Hmm. That wouldn't do. He still viewed them as the bigger threat. Well, we should remedy that, now shouldn't we?

I arched my brows and put the flat part of my sword on my shoulder. "Who are you?"

He looked at me, opened his mouth but I interrupted. "No, it doesn't really matter. Who ordered the hit and why?"

He sneered, speaking with a venomous and loathful voice. "You will die. You're an abomination-"

His speech was interrupted by a sharp phoenix cry. My feathered friend, standing close by, swatted him with a wing and sent him to the ground. The fae growled and tried shooting her. Before he could load the crossbow, it disintegrated in a blaze of blue fire. 

"Thank you, sweetheart," I told the phoenix, stepping closer to put a hand on her graceful neck. She made a soft, twittering sound and pushed her head into my touch, closing her eyes when I scratched. Her flames washed over my skin with a pleasant warmth, largely reminiscent of my blue flames. They didn't burn.

The fae on the ground sat up with wide eyes, looking at me like I was a monster. As did everyone else in the clearing if the shocked silence was anything to go by. I stepped forward to stand over the man who would've ended my life without a second thought.

"Who and why?" I pointed my sword towards him.

He swallowed, his eyes flickering away. His magic flared. 

"Tsk, I wouldn't advise it." I let the blue fire out until it coated every inch of my bare skin. I was careful to keep it away from my clothes, though. Being naked in the presence of other people wasn't very appealing to me. I felt my hair dance in the flames.

The fae swallowed again. He must be awfully dehydrated. The pulse in his throat skittered wildly. Just when I thought he would speak, he pursed his lips.

I really didn't want to do this.

I gripped my sword like a dagger and brought it down on his knee before I could talk myself out of it. He screamed and tried putting his hand on it. But I kicked it away and pulled the sword out, then touched it to his throat. The skin sizzled.

"Your left knee is next," I said with as cold a voice as I could muster, "who ordered the hit and why?"

"S-Santos... Santos did," he said, eyes wide with horror. He was no longer looking at Arthur or Orion, but at me, with absolute horror. I didn't know if I liked that. He kept going, "We thought you weren't alive, the prophecy- the prophecy will come true if y-"

It was sudden, one moment he was speaking gibberish, not making a drop of sense. The next a root shot up from the ground right beneath his chest, impaling his heart. The root grew, raising him off the floor several feet. 

Then the root stopped growing and the fae slumped, his body arched, held up only by the thick stem that perforated his heart. Lifeless. His wide eyes already empty of any sense of being. There was a flurry of activity around me, but all I could do was stare at the fae's eyes. They were a hazel color, the thought came from nowhere. A pretty hazel color.

"Elle," Arthur's voice broke through the haze. I turned to look at him.

"He's dead," I said dumbly.

"Yes," he scanned the forest. 

I focused, then realized that the dead fae was a water elemental. I sucked in a breath, momentarily relieved that he didn't take his life because I pushed him to it. Someone else had killed him. 

Still, I sort of felt bad about it. The man was clearly a simple puppet in whoever was the big head behind this.

"Don't, he was going to die anyway," Arthur said.

I glared at him. Inconsiderate ass. Tuning my mind to more important matters, I glanced at the phoenix. She cocked her head and shot to the sky, flying overhead. Whoever killed the fae could still be close by.

Orion was standing over the dead fae, his hand inside the man's bloody chest. 

"What is he doing?" I asked. There were new people arriving already, the crowd around us slowly increased in size.

"Trying to see if the heart wasn't badly damaged," Arthur said, his eyes growing darker until no whites remained. He was still scanning the forest.

"You think whoever killed him is still out there?" I asked in a whisper.

"Maybe," he mumbled.

But Orion looked back at that moment and shook his head, "his heart is mush. No chance of survival."

He stood, shook his bloody hand. A useless move since his entire forearm was drenched in scarlet. Orion stared at the crowd around us and came closer.

"We should go," Arthur said, blinking his eyes back to normal.

I looked at the sky. The phoenix came back and landed beside me. I looked into her eyes, my magic swirling around her. She didn't find anything.

I shook my head at Arthur, "there's no one in the woods."

"We should go," Arthur said and took my arm. I twisted out of his grasp and turned to the cage where the other two phoenixes were peaking through the hole in the cage.

"Elle!" Arthur snarled.

"Don't snap at me," I hissed, then walked to the cage, my back to Arthur. The ground shook, Arthur's magic a fury of raw power. A second later, a brooding Arthur walked beside me.

The birds in the cage were skittish, a little more shy than my new friend. They cocked their heads to the side and stared at me, their feathers beautiful, yet not the fiery plumes they could be. My gut tightened with a feeling of wrongness.

My magic stirred, driven by a deep seated instinct that had been asleep so far. I reached out both hands, pushing the new energy in me out of my fingers. It flowed out. Two soft translucent blue clouds floated to the birds, covering them until they glowed. The two creatures gave a delighted whistle and stretched their wings. Then in a blink of an eye they were awash in fire.

The feeling of wrongness vanished. I turned to Arthur. His expression was bland and dark at the same time. I had no idea how he managed that.

"We can go now," I told him, "But the birds are coming along."

*** ***

Arthur, Orion and I walked to the castle, escorted by Charles, Mariano and three flying phoenixes.

Venus, who stood by the steps leading up to one of the castle doors along with a couple of vampires, raised her brows as the birds landed beside us.

"Arthur," she said, "your entourage grows more interesting by the day."

"Yes," he all but grumbled, "I believe that will be the state of affairs from now on."

"I heard about the attempt on her life," she said, barely glancing at me, "we shall talk."

Arthur nodded and we moved on. I looked at the birds then at the balcony. The birds twittered and flew there, landing on the terrace. I heard a loud squeak. That must be Amanda.

"You can communicate with them?" Charles asked next to me.

"Not really communicate..." I frowned, "I guess it's more of a feeling?"

He gave me an odd look. Minutes later, we were in the sitting room in Arthur's wing. All our company was there, along with Orion. Charles stood guard outside.

"I'll check on the birds," I said as everyone took their seats. Arthur followed me to the terrace. He closed the doors behind us.

"Don't ever argue with me again," he said, suddenly.

I snorted, "you might want to rephrase that."

He cursed under his breath, "don't argue with me in front of other people."

I glared at him, "well, then, don't order me around." I told him. His jaw ticked. He looked at the birds. They were staring at the two of us through glowing eyes.

"That might not always be possible," he said through gritted teeth.

I crossed my arms and gave him an incredulous look, "really?"

He growled, actually growled, at me. "Your safety will have to take a back seat to your pride."

I pursed my lips. Men could be so oblivious sometimes.

"My pride is not the only thing in play here," I advanced and poked my finger in his chest. He had a firm, warm chest, damn him. "you say you want to have a relationship with me. If you think that I'll be a docile little lamb who'll sit in the corner and come when called, then you should get your head checked. Treat me as an equal."

"We are not equal," he stated, a matter of fact with no hint of emotion.

I threw my hands up. Suddenly angry. "Arthur, I know you're stronger, older and know a hell of a lot more about the world than I do. I'm not denying those facts.

"But you'll have to choose: if you want me to be more than just one of your people, you'll have to treat me as an equal. That means, among other things, that you will not order me around and expect me to obey! Otherwise, I will only ever be a person under your command."

I was panting by the time I finished my little speech, and when I realized what I had said, heat crept up my face. 

Arthur looked like a wolf who'd scented prey. He advanced towards me until his boots touched the front of mine. I would not step back. To hide my embarrassment, I glared at him down my nose, which was a difficult feat considering our staggering height difference.

A slow smile took over his face, dimpling his cheek and taking him from dangerously handsome to lethally so. Ugh. Why did he have to be so good looking? It was not good for my heart!

"What?" I asked with more bravado than I felt.

"Does that mean you are on board with the mating bond?"

I put my hands on my hips, "Amanda explained things to me. It's not like I have a choice."

"You always have a choice," he said, "even if your magic pushes you towards the mating bond, if you do not wish to pursue it, your magic will eventually fall in line with your wishes."

I pursed my lips. His smile widened and he leaned forward. I put my finger on his forehead to stall his progress. "Well?" he asked, his breath wafting over my face.

"Maybe. I'm not sure yet," I said, then rushed to add, "But that's not the point-"

He snatched my finger from his forehead and pressed his lips to mine. Before I even knew what happened, he pulled away. Damn he was fast.

My lips tingled pleasantly, and my magic was almost bursting out of my skin. One of the phoenixes twittered and batted its fiery wings. I had completely forgotten about them.

Heart racing, I looked into his dark eyes, inches from mine. There was warmth and affection there, but there was also amusement, as if he expected me to stab him with the dagger I had unknowingly pulled from my thigh sheath.

Maybe I should've, just to teach him a lesson. But I just could not find the will to do it no matter how much I tried. Because I had actually liked his kiss.

So, instead of overthinking the pull I felt for him and all the consequences that came with it, I grabbed a fistful of his collar and dragged his face down to mine again.

It was more glorious than the last one, and my heart felt as though it had just started beating in earnest after twenty five years of being idle.

Surprise and unbridled joy flowed through my veins. They were not my feelings, I realized with a jolt. I broke apart from him, gasping for breath, and met his dark eyes.

"What's that?" I whispered in wonder, still feeling the echo of emotions that were not mine.

Arthur brushed the back of his fingers across my cheek and smiled softly, "that, honey, is the bond."

"Oh." I blinked. The feelings slowly faded away. But there was something left behind, a knowing that Arthur's emotions were within reach. 

I didn't know how I felt about that, especially if it was mutual. The phoenix twittered again. I let go of Arthur's shirt and cleared my throat. He chuckled and tugged on a strand of my hair.

"I know I can be overbearing at times-" he whispered.

"More like all the time."

"It is not easy for me to adjust," he continued, ignoring my jab, "but I will try. You have my word."

That was good enough, for now. I had not expected to come to terms with the bond so quickly. Only this morning I had found out about the particularities of it from Amanda.

But if I was to be honest with myself, I must admit that I had felt an attraction to Arthur even before he made his interest in me clear. It wasn't just his good looks, though that certainly didn't hurt any.

It was the air of power and danger about him that drew me in. I must be crazy if that was what I found attractive. But, well...

We're all a little bit crazy. We just hide it well.

After I got to know him, though, it was no longer his dangerous aura that captivated me. It was his unexpected kindness and generosity to his people. It was the fact that beyond the authority and the dominance, he was a man who surrounded himself with people of all ages and races, a man who could laugh and have fun and play with children. Beyond all the centuries he had lived and all the power that he held. He was still a man.

What an odd moment to come to the realization.

I cleared my throat again, and pulled my wandering thoughts firmly back to the recent events.

"Do you know who this Santos is?" I asked.

Arthur nodded, "let us get inside, first."

I froze. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, the french doors were indeed made of glass and my father and Arthur's seconds had all watched our little moment together.

I turned around and made a face. For once, I wished I was an earth elementalist so I could split the ground and burrow deeply in it.

How mortifying!

Arthur laughed out loud, then. I was not amused by his amusement. 

"You could've at least warned me they were looking!" I hissed.

He raised a brow, "I think it obvious that glass is transparent."

Smartass. "Well, you could've reminded me!" was my brilliant reply.

"When?" he asked, his dark eyes bright with humor and self-satisfaction. "Before or after you hauled me down to kiss me? Excuse me, but I was loath to ruin the moment."

"You're an asshole."

"Ah, your sweet words flatter me."

I turned and marched back inside, flaming face and all. Otherwise, I would have planted my dagger in him.

----------------------------------- 

Hi guys!!

I'm so sorry for the long wait. Life has been a little hectic!

I hope you liked this chapter. Please, don't forget to vote and comment. 

From now on, I'm going to be posting at least a new chapter every week iA, probably on saturdays. I hope I can keep up with the schedule. But I'll try my best!

Stay safe and healthy!

Much Love!

Mia <3