The Phoenix Effect Part 1: The Reuniting by Margaret M. MacDonald

Author:Margaret M. MacDonald [MacDonald, Margaret M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragonbrae
Published: 2023-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

THE WORDS HAD left Lia’s mouth on instinct. It was true but not the kind of truth she wanted to say in front of Roland. She watched his hand take another white knuckled grip on the arm of his chair and knew she had to say something else, something that would erase whatever he was writing in his mind. She slipped her fingers between his, looked into his eyes, and asked, “Would you keep him in the cage indefinitely? Give him years to build up knowledge about us, along with enough resentment to use it?”

He kept his eyes fixed on Lia. “Probably not.” Roland was not one to hide his intentions.

Lia flicked a glance at Arin, certain that her pledge of trust in him would have earned her one in return or—at the very least—that Roland’s overt threat would have stirred some emotion within him. He showed none. Her eyes must have lingered too long because she soon felt Roland’s burning into the side of her face as he siphoned a tense breath in through his nostrils. Lia looked back down at the table for fear that, even without speaking, she had already admitted to more truths she didn’t want shared with Roland. She listened to the oppressive silence of indecision coming from Arin’s side of the table, the creak of Roland’s chair as he leaned harder against the arm. Harris was the only one who continued to eat.

“Then I want them removed,” Arin said, breaking the silence.

That same sense of elation raced into Lia. There was a chance now, to keep Arin safe, to restore him back to humanity. She hadn’t realized how much it was what she had wanted all along, until that very moment. She felt like laughing out loud but was swiftly reminded not to let any of her joy surface, as Roland’s had tensed up again, squeezing her fingertips.

“You would give up immortality?” Roland asked, as if daring Arin to change his mind.

“Seems I will be either way,” Arin responded, showing no fear, no resentment, no emotion at all. He turned toward Harris, catching him mid-bite. “How soon can you do it?”

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