Page 70 of Fallout

“What?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He shakes his head. “You and your sock knitting.”

I shrug, not knowing what to say. I know it’s a weird hobby, but it helps my anxiety. And it helped me get through a lot of rough times when I lived in New York. Everything was so loud and I was so sick most of the time. It was a distraction. Even now, it’s hard for me to just sit down and do nothing. I need to be doing something with my hands.

“Even though you have grandma hobbies, I still think you’re the most attractive woman in the entire world.” Parker shuts his book, putting it into his backpack.

I blink at the compliment. He said it so casually, but it’s anything but casual.

“Parker, there is no way that you think I’m the most attractive woman in the world.” I put my socks aside so I can turn to fully face him. “I know I’m your soulmate, but I’m not…” my voice trails off.

He puts his bag on the floor and looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “Not what? Attractive? I hope you weren’t going to say that because that would be a bold faced lie.”

I lick my lips. “I’m not attractive. I don’t think I’m ugly or anything, but the way you talk about me...” I shake my head, not knowing how to completely my thoughts.

Parker scoots closer, grabbing ahold of my hands. “You are the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever met. And I truly know that there is nobody in the world more beautiful than you. Before you, if I had dreamt up my type, it would be you in the flesh. Fate knows what it’s doing. Not only are you the perfect match for my soul, but I’m so attracted to you. The day we met, you took my breath away.”

I chew on my lip, not knowing what to make of what Parker is saying. Has he always been such a romantic?

Parker chuckles. “I’m serious, Henley. When I looked into your green eyes for the first time, the entire world shifted. Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t realize you were my soulmate on the very spot. Maybe part of me did know, but I refused to believe it without the magic.”

I swallow hard. “What would you have done if the magic would’ve revealed me as your mate?”

“Kissed you.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Then I’m glad the magic waited. I had just thrown up in a trashcan. That would’ve been the worst first kiss ever.”

He shrugs. “Our first kiss was pretty tragic anyway.” His tone is casual, but I can see the pain in his eyes. He truly feels bad for the way everything went down—not that I blame him. It was a pretty rough day for us.

The first time Parker kissed me, he freaked out and pushed me away. I ran off and then got hit by a truck. If I weren’t a phoenix, I would be dead. But magic brought me back to life.

“But after that, I showed you my wings. I don’t know when I would’ve showed you if that hadn’t happened.” I put my hand on his forearm, trying to get him to see the bright side. “And now we know that we’re soulmates. Nobody can tear us apart.”

He slowly grins. “Yeah. You’re right. Not even a crazy phoenix who is trying to kidnap you.”

I let my arm fall. “I thought he hasn’t been spotted for an entire month.”

Parker nods. “He hasn’t. There hasn’t even been a sign of him. He’s definitely gone.”

“But you don’t think he’s given up for good?”

“No.” Parker’s eyes flash gold for a second but when he blinks they’re blue again. He focuses on me. “Henley, the guy is going to come back for you. It’s not a matter of if, but when. It’s the only reason I haven’t put a stop to your little fight club that you have with Blaine and Will. You’re lucky your bruises fade so fast. If they didn’t, my wolf wouldn’t be able to stand it. I can hardly stand it as is.”

I do know that Parker struggles with me learning to fight. That’s why I don’t talk to him about it. He doesn’t ask questions and I don’t tell him anything that happens. It’s an unspoken rule with us.

Parker clears his throat. “Will told me that you’ve improved a lot.”

My eyes widen. “What? He always tells me how much I suck.”

He chuckles. “He tells you that because you’re stubborn. The more he tells you how bad you’re doing, the harder you try. He told me that you’re not far off from beating him at full strength. To improve that much in a month must mean you’re strong—stronger than any of us thought possible.”

“I guess there’s a reason that phoenixes were so feared.” I pull my knees up to my chest and hug them against me.

I still haven’t forgotten the things we learned when we visited the dragon king. And I know that phoenixes were all hunted down for a reason.

Parker puts his hand on my knee, capturing my attention. “Henley, you shouldn’t feel bad about what you are. And you shouldn’t believe the things written in history books.”

“Why not?” I ask. “It’s what happened.”