Page 51 of Fallout
Parker leans forward and presses another quick kiss to my lips before pulling away. “We should head inside. Dinner is soon and we should probably change.”
I swallow hard. “We’re having dinner with the dragon king and his family?”
He nods. “Of course. They would’ve invited us either way, but King Basilicus is very curious about you. He can feel how powerful you are. You’re powerful enough to rival dragons.”
My eyes bulge. “What? No way. I don’t have powers to speak of other than teleporting.”
Parker shakes his head “You’re more powerful than you realize.”
I let his comment sink in as he guides me back to the mansion. Just before we walk inside, the back door opens. I feel a brush of something strong against my senses a moment before King Basilicus walks out, shutting the door behind him. His gaze lands on me. Parker and I stop right in front of him, but the dragon shifter keeps his focus solely on me. I shift my weight from one foot to the other.
“I need to speak with you, phoenix,” King Basilicus says in a tone that leaves no room for argument.
“Okay.” My voice comes out quieter than I intended, though I’m sure that has something to do with the fear he inspires.
He glances at Parker, then me. “Do you wish for your mate to be present for this?”
“I, uh, yes?” My voice raises at the end of my statement, making it sound more like a question.
“You might not want him to hear,” King Basilicus warns.
Parker tugs me closer to his side. “Would you allow somebody to send you away from your mate?”
He nods. “Very well.” He turns his eyes on me, though part of me wishes he would look at Parker instead. “I do have more information about phoenixes—information that I didn’t wish to share with anybody other than you.”
I stand up straighter. “I’d love to know any information you can give me. I’m afraid I don’t know much about my species. I don’t even know how to control all of my powers. It causes issues for us at times.”
King Basilicus tightens his stance, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m afraid I can’t help you with that as the books I have make no mention of the power of a phoenix. The information I have is more about the historical significance of your species.”
He glowers as he says ‘historical significance,’ which makes me believe that whatever he’s going to say won’t be pretty.
He powers on, “Phoenixes were very powerful and I have no doubt that played a significant role in the fact that they were hunted down to what supernaturals believed to be complete extinction. But the records that I have show that the war against phoenixes wasn’t unjust.”
My heart thumps a little harder. “What do you mean?”
“Phoenixes were cruel. They used their powers against other supernaturals and were a menace to our society. I won’t go into the details.” He gives me a pointed look—one that makes me afraid to ask anything more. “I do not hold the crimes of your kin against you. You are a child who knows nothing of your species—you were raised by a wolf shifter. I can see the kindness in your eyes. But I will tell you to be careful. When news about you breaks, other supernaturals might not be happy. Dragon shifters aren’t the only species to keep historical records, we are just one of the only ones willing to share our knowledge.”
“You think others will come after her.” Parker’s voice has a growly edge to it.
King Basilicus finally turns his intense gaze from me and looks at Parker. “Yes, I do think that. I do not envy your job of protecting her. I do believe it will be a battle.”
“Is there any way that we can keep this a secret?” Parker’s tone goes from angry to concerned.
“I will keep this a secret,” the dragon king promises. “But I do not believe you will be able to keep it a secret for long. In your search to find out what Henley is, you may have inadvertently let the wrong people know.”
My stomach tightens. “So there are going to be groups of supernaturals coming after me to try and kill me?”
He turns back to me, nodding. “Yes. And even though dragon shifters don’t have a known way of killing a phoenix, other supernaturals might. You should be careful.”
“I will protect her.” Parker’s voice is hard, promising pain to anybody who would dare come after me.
While wolf shifters are strong, even I can see that they’re not as powerful as some other species—the dragons are proof of that. And, if King Basilicus is to be believed, I am proof of that.
Where do wolves stand on the power scale? Parker and his pack are strong, but will they be strong enough to protect me? And can I even ask that of them? It doesn’t seem right.
“The dragons will stand with you,” King Basilicus tells Parker. “Your mate has done nothing worthy of death and dragon shifters will not stand for anybody being hunted for being too powerful. I vow that you have an ally in us. And while I cannot speak for the Alpha Council, I will plead Henley’s case to them if needed.”
I let out a breath.