The Phoenix and His Prince (The Monster's Pet Book 2) by Adara Wolf & R. Phoenix

Author:Adara Wolf & R. Phoenix [Wolf, Adara & Phoenix, R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-26T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Everything else had the good sense to avoid Athan. A giant bird, stretched out across the rock and emitting so much heat as to be uncomfortable, should have been enough warning.

But Athan saw Elric climbing up the short outcropping to cautiously approach.

At least he was alive, even if Athan half wished Elric had taken all the warning signs seriously and kept away.

“Athan?” Elric called, without getting any closer. “Are you all right?”

Athan lifted his head and craned it to look at his wing. The wound had mostly healed. The one on his back had knitted, the arrow long burned away, but he could still feel the itch underneath.

“I should ask you that,” Athan answered. He breathed in and lowered the temperature of his flame as much as he could while still healing. “Did I burn you?”

Elric took a few halting steps closer, clearly testing the ground to find whether he could put his feet on it or not. He seemed to find that he could, and he carefully, slowly, approached Athan. “A little,” he said, self-consciously pulling at the scorched sleeve of the robes he wore. “But you’re the one who was stabbed and shot.”

“I’ve mostly healed already,” Athan answered. He tilted his head so he could take a closer look at Elric.

Burned clothes aside, there were at least a few spots of skin that were blistered. Nothing so bad as to prevent Elric from walking all the way here, and even climbing the short way, apparently, but there were still injuries.

Something inside Elric had cleared up a little too, like the flames had burned off a bit of the darkness.

Athan lowered his head back to the ground and closed his eyes. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

“You’re beautiful,” Elric said, as though he hadn’t even heard the words. “No wonder your feathers are so prized. Are you… You told me once you’d burn everything around you, but I didn’t understand how potent your fire could be. Is it safe for me to come nearer?”

“It should be all right. I’m holding back enough now. I really am sorry about…” Athan sighed. “Are those other men all right?”

Elric continued his approach, circling around until he could get a good look at Athan. His expression was strange—not regretful, not satisfied, but somewhere in between. “No. They’re dead.”

Of course they were. Athan had hoped they’d still be alive, but he’d been too upset to control himself. “What about the merchants?”

“They were… spooked,” Elric said gingerly. “I told them to continue without us, and they seemed eager to follow that order.”

This would be another story of a phoenix making things worse, rather than better. Athan sighed unhappily. “I wish those men had listened. I didn’t want to kill them.”

“They weren’t going to stop until we were dead,” Elric said. That rust flared, brittle edges flaking off.

“They might have stopped if you’d agreed to return with them,” Athan pointed out. “To pay for your crimes.”

Elric stiffened, looking up at the sky instead of at Athan. “My crimes? I have committed no crimes,” he said.

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